Night Caches

[+laker2]

I am thinking about putting out a "night cache" but want to be sure that I have my act together. Of course such a cache is one that can be found at night, but is that the only characteristic? Should there be features of such a cache so that it can ONLY be found at night? Is it considered bad form to find a "night cache" during the day? Any and all info would be helpful. Many thanks!!

[+Kit Fox]

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...ite=night+cache

 

Another good soruce is www.nightcaching.org

[+briansnat]

I don't know that its bad form to find a night cache during the day, but you should make it as difficult as possible for potential day hunters.

 

You can do this by using stealth fire tacks that are nearly invisible during the day and placing them fairly far from the published coordinates, so that they would be tough to spot without a flashlight.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Dunno if there is a rule or guideline on finding them during the day, but it's certainly considered bad form here in the South. I have done night caches in 4 states with different geocaching groups and the owners in every case will delete daytime find logs.

 

Ed

[+Renegade Knight]

I've got a night cache ready to place. It's not a typical reflective type, and if you know what you are looking for (and you won't until you are doing the cache) you could do it during the day time.

 

If an enterprising person does it during the day, they will miss the cool factor but why would I delete their log? More power to them.

[+JoGPS]

Walk Into the LIGHT

 

I have one night cache, and if you are good enough to find it in the day time, that’s cool, will not delete you, and don‘t see why anyone would…….. JOE

[+Team Perks]

I don't see why anyone would delete a "daytime" night cache find. A find is a find. The only one you'd be cheating by doing a night cache during the day is yourself.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I have one night cache After hours that I use the Fire Tacks for and I am planning another one. One person found mine durrng the day but I did not delete the find, besides, unless someone mentions that they found the cache durring daylight hours it would be hard to prove otherwise. Sure you could request they take a phote of their GPS or them selves next to the cache, but some cachers might not have a digital camera or just might feel it is to much of a hassle to deal with.

[+LthrWrk]

Most all of the caches I have done during the day is closed at dusk. So I would be sure that people are allowed to be there at night.

[+GRANPA ALEX]

I seem to find most of my day caches in the night, it should be okay to find night caches in the day. Sometimes, am out for 12-15 hours, once for 24 hours.

 

Have found night ones in the day, without difficulty, as they used the white fire tacks that one can see easily. But, one tries night caches in the day at one's own peril on these in the daytime.

 

Make them tough for day hunts, if you choose. One way is to use tacks or twist-ties, but put your own dark colored reflective tape on them . . . very hard to see in the day where the white fire tacks can be spotted easily.

[+Mr.Benchmark]

I am thinking about putting out a "night cache" but want to be sure that I have my act together. Of course such a cache is one that can be found at night, but is that the only characteristic? Should there be features of such a cache so that it can ONLY be found at night? Is it considered bad form to find a "night cache" during the day? Any and all info would be helpful. Many thanks!!

Some suggestions:

1. Use reflective trail markers. As Brian Snat pointed out the "stealth" version of "FireTacks" are very difficult to spot in daylight. I've used them myself. They work very well.

 

2. Place the cache somewhere that's fun to hike at night. Try it yourself at night first, without reflectors.

 

3. Either put the trail of reflectors in an "open woods" (not much underbrush to bushwhack through) where there are no trails, or put them in an area where there are multiple series of trails. There's not much point in following the reflectors if they just lead you down the obvious trail anyway. I've done some like that, where it's just obvious that you stay on the same trail all the way to the cache. How hard is that?

 

4. Try to place your reflectors so that they won't be covered with leaves when plants start growing again.

 

5. Bring an accomplice along with you to help you check reflector placement. After all reflectors are placed, walk the entire course from start to finish and tweak any placements that aren't quite right.

 

6. Use a reasonable flashlight. If you bring along a 10,000,000 CP spotlight, you'll probably place the reflectors too far apart. If you use a candle, you'll place 'em every 10 feet. Neither is desirable. Try a typical 2D cell incandescent light. This is probably what most people will use.

 

7. Resist the urge to place markers every 10'. There's no reason to do this. But do make sure that another marker is visible from each point along the trail.

 

8. An evil, but fun, thing to do is to notice other shiny things along the way - markers on trees, tops of old fence posts, reflectors, and have your trail go near enough to them to add an element of confusion. (But don't go overboard - it's pretty easy to turn one of these into something that's completely unfindable, too.)

 

These are very, very fun types of caches - good luck!

[+Chance Encounter]

I've had a hand in placing several night caches. Our most recent was Old Voth Sawmill.

 

For this one, we tried the relatively-new Krylon Reflect-A-Lite spray paint. Kinda expensive, at nearly $11.00 per can, but well worth the cost.

 

It's clear under daylight conditions, but reflects bright light after dark. You can spray it on a tree, and in the daytime it's absolutely undetectable. At night, however, it jumps out at you. For optimum results, we advised the cachers to hold their flashlights at eye level.

 

For an extra "coolness factor," we created a skull-n-crossbones stencil. The effect is tremendous. Highly recommended!

[+CuplaKiwis]

I did Glow worms and fireflys a while ago in New Zealand - there are a few daytime logs here, which I still see as having found the cache. The difference is, this is such a spectacular location at night, that these daytime finders have missed out on something special.

 

A find is still a find, but the trick is to make it somewhere that is different and/or unique at night.

[+RJFerret]

My night caches can be found on dark overcast days--it's just harder. Why would anyone delete those finds? They've gone through more effort and missed out on the mystique anyway!

 

OTOH, some haven't been able to complete them for running out of darkness (as the sun rose).

 

I also encourage placers to involve the GPS--don't just run a reflector trail to a container. Have a separate leg or design one like my more advanced Lady of the Night.

 

(Also, you can use surprisingly small areas effectively, for many people not used to being out at night the perception will be the area's much bigger.)

 

Enjoy,

 

Randy