Multi-cache, a well-known type of cache in geocaching

Jan 02, 2020

The Multi-Cache in geocaching, called multi for short, is a type of cache in geocaching that guides the geocacher through several stations to the final.

With this cache the start coordinates are given in the listing, you don't have to guess anything to get to the start. The last station of the geocache is called the final, there the cache container with logbook is hidden, unlike in virtuals and earthcaches. You have to work out the coordinates of the final in the course of the cache. There can be any number of stations between the start and end of a geocache. As an icon, Groundspeak uses a picture of two cache cans with a yellow border for the Multi, which is intended to indicate the different stations. In contrast, the icon of a Tradis consists of a can with a green border.

Advantage and disadvantage

If one can speak at all of advantages and disadvantages of cache types in geocaching…. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to a geocache. While some prefer to puzzle over geocaching, others prefer to go to an event in their favorite pub or go straight out into nature. For some, crowded cities are an abomination, for others geocaching here is the opportunity to combine sightseeing and searching for cans. And then there are the cachers, who undertake long hikes in order to get a (multi)point, for example, while others only start a route of 3 km if at least 8 tradis can be found here. Tastes differ and so there are few geocachers who list the cache type Multi as their most frequently found cache type.

Through a multi you often get to know an area better, it opens up a larger area.

What exactly is a multi-cache?

There is a start (usually the listing coordinates) and a final with a real can with a log book in which you enter your nickname. Each owner designs the route between these two points themselves and independently. It can be a short walk, but it can also be a long hike. There can be no station in between, then one speaks of a so-called short multi. There can be many, many stations in between. A big difference at the stations is whether you just have to read something or solve a riddle. Possibly all stations are already created as waypoints by the owner, you only need the stations to get to the final coordinates. Or you have to find out the coordinates of the next station at each individual station. You sometimes know this beforehand when you study the listing carefully.

For many, this is what makes the cache different: running from station to station, looking for values, and then calculating the final chords. Or each station is a riddle that you have to solve in order to even get the coordinates of the next station.

Multi-caches often have a story, a theme that runs like a red thread from station to station. These caches usually have more favorite points because the geocachers like to follow such stories. When we talk about a multi-cache, we are most likely to think of the classic scavenger hunt that is often associated with geocaching, as we may still know it from our childhood days.

Reading the listing ahead of time helps more with a multinational than with a tradition. You can read what such a listing can tell us here on our website: http://www.cacher-reisen.de/cachearten/

The term offset cache can also be found on the Internet. This means multi-cache stations where an already existing value can be read, for example the year on a monument. For the owner quite a certainty that the station will be preserved for a long time, for the cacher usually a guarantee of success.

Also on the Internet, the night cache is often mentioned in connection with the multi-cache type. This is not a cache type of its own, but is often designed in the form of a multi. But there is also a mystery here, with an introductory riddle and further routing like in a multi.

Individual stations

There are multinationals where all stations are already specified as waypoints. This is an advantage, because with such a cache on site, only the final cords have to be entered into the GPS device. In most cases, the stations are then used for reading or counting tasks. It is often necessary to read something on information boards or to count something in a certain place (e.g. how many stones surround the parking lot...)

On the other hand, geocaching has multi-caches, where each station has its own hidden box containing a riddle or a difficult task that must be solved in order to get to the next coordinates. When it comes to tasks at the stations, there are no limits to the creativity and inventiveness of the owner. Unfortunately, there is also the danger of not being able to crack a riddle and returning home without having achieved anything....

physical stations

A physical station has always been hidden here especially for this cache and is usually only known to the geocaching community. WHAT is hidden is not specified. It can be typical cache hiding places such as lock-lock cans, film cans or petlings. But also an inscribed stone, a note stuck on, etc. The stations were hidden or attached there by the owner especially for this cache. They lead to the next station. In contrast to the virtual stations, however, they can also be lost or lost. This means a certain maintenance effort for the owner.

Virtual stations or reading stations

These stations use objects that were there before the geocache and have nothing to do with geocaching. This can be a sign, an engraving, a plaque. A question is asked about this place in the listing under the waypoint, which can only be answered on site. With the determined values, the coordinates of the next station or the final can then be calculated. Especially in urban areas, these stations offer a certain security that they will not get lost.

Multi cache or mystery

This topic has often been a controversial topic at a geocaching get-together, at an event, and is discussed again and again when new multi-caches or mysteries are published. One geocache has a riddle with which I can get the starting coordinates, the other geocache already specifies this in the listing. However, the difference is not as simple as it looks. Groundspeak does not have very clear guidelines on this, even if it seems quite logical for the geocache. A mystery can also have several stations (so-called mystery multi). Actually, the rule applies: if I have the start coordinates in the listing: then it's a multi-cache. If I have to puzzle something out at home to know where the starting and the identical final coordinates are, then it's a mystery. But the main thing is that all geocachers have fun with their hobby and with the search for this cache.