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Dona Vansoest
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There is the attribute labelled "Special Tool Required" but is there any limit as to what could be required? Obviously the more specific the "tool" the less the cache will be found but can you make someone required to use things like :
For the most part, the caches that I see with the Tool Required Attribute, are usually talking about fairly common household objects, but not something people usually carry on their person. Usually something like a screwdriver/pocket knife, or maybe a magnet or pail/water bottle to carry water.
In general, there are no restrictions on the tools needed to access or open a cache, although I can think of a few proprietory tools, which cost a great deal of money, which would cross the spirit of the Commercial portion of the Guidelines, which a Reviewer might call into question.
All that being said, Cachers are pretty resourceful group of folks, and some may find workarounds to even the best thought out cache ideas. As a general rule, you cannot *require* a special tool, if someone fulfills the spirit and letter of the Guidelines regarding a Find.
Found a cache that required a ladder to climb a water tower. (Well, to get to the bottom of the ladder there.) About fifteen of us climbed that ladder that day. Since archived, and would no longer be permitted by County Park guidelines. I ignore the tree climbing-gear caches. No way! The 'pour in water to float the cache, while using fifteen fingers to block the holes' makes good use of duct tape. Don't have a kayak, or 4WD, so ignore those too. UV light? Night caches? Don't cache at night. (Night blindness.)
Thanks for the info and the wise words. I can see I can list special tools required but that's just a "suggestion". I could suggest the cacher needs a Bucyrus RH400 Hydraulic Shovel but read in the logs that folks have been making due with a rusty spoon. Might take an extra few decades but a find is a find
Not sure if a flashlight would constitute "special tool" as anyone with a lick of geocaching addiction knows that the "just one more" syndrome will lead one to those last few being found in the dark And trust me when I say that the flash on your camera (pre-flashlight app for mobile phones) is a sad substitute for a flashlight when faced with a big hollow log in the middle of the woods in pitch black darkness... (i.e. GC116JX)
I would have to agree, owning just under 400 hides, 14 that are +4.0 terrain and 22 that are +4.0 difficulty, I have only felt that 2 are worthy of a 5.0 difficulty. One because the puzzle is tough (even for me to occasionally check) and the other because if someone picks the wrong time of year or are not well prepared, their bleached bones might turn up someday...
Funny...I actually was FTF on a "gadget cache" that was a bird house that apparently had the contacts for a 9V battery to run a motor that opened the bottom. The description never stated this, it only said I would need a special tool to access the cache. I could tell there was some sort of gate-latch mechanism and assumed it required a strong magnet. I tried a few magnets I had in my car, but none worked. As a last ditch effort, I slid a multi-tool I have on my keychain into the gap, wiggled it around and the thing popped open. After logging it, the CO emailed me to ask what tool I used and when I told him he seemed amused and told me about the battery contacts (which I never noticed). Fortunately I hadn't done any harm to the mechanism...just goes to demonstrate that no matter your intent, folks may find alternate means. Be prepared for such things and, unless they damage or destroy your cache, don't be upset.
I guess the relevance is that the rating system is subjective. If you require a tape measure to find one of the caches you own, and you feel that makes it a D5, then so be it. People will agree/disagree based on their own bias, so it really doesn't matter.
My position is irrelevant actually. It's what the community imposes, and given the trend to fill up grids, the D/T issue left the barn quite some time ago. It's come to the point if you hide a micro and put "BYOP" in the Description, it's pretty much a D5 nowadays.
Yeah, that's an interesting question. I'd answer Q1 "yes" and Q2 "no". I don't really know exactly how the guidelines deal with this case, but I consider it a special tool because I wouldn't have it in my pocket, so I'd need to know to bring it, but I don't consider it a sufficiently complex requirement to take the difficulty all the way to 5. I'd consider it a one point bump, maybe two points if the description didn't tell me explicitly that I'd need it.
My opinion is D1 and D2 are not special equipment any more than say using a pen or a screwdriver which we here sometimes refer to as a TOTT - Tool of the Trade. Special Equipment has the inference that there is a special skill required in using it such as rapelling equipment or handling a watercraft.
...I consider it a special tool because I wouldn't have it in my pocket, so I'd need to know to bring it, but I don't consider it a sufficiently complex requirement to take the difficulty all the way to 5.
I agree with this. There's a cache near me that requires you to bring an air pump with you to open the container. This "special tool" isn't particularly rare or difficult to use. When I found the cache, it seemed appropriately rated at D3.5, if not over-rated. Rating it D5 simply because you had to bring the pump would seem totally wrong, considering the amount of effort and brainpower you had to use to get to the log.
Lack of precision doesn't mean complete subjectivity. There's a middle ground and a general consensus. I think the majority of cachers would be very amused if the only reason for a 5 rating was that a tape measure is required.
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