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Read Thread: Drive-by Nightbox?

Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801601 by Raven
Aug 31, 2013 10:09am
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If you play your fire tacks right, it'll be all but impossible to follow them in the daylight. They are nearly invisible in daylight, easily visible from 100+ feet at night. Put it close to 100 feet away and give instructions to stop somewhere and look around until you see it, and anyone who wants to find it in daytime will need to very closely and carefully inspect every tree within 100 feet. And that's just the first fire tack; you can make every fire tack just that much trouble.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801611 by Kirbert
Aug 31, 2013 10:48am
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Thanks everyone.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801547 by The Lost Boys
Sep 1, 2013 5:46am
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I have never really found a night box... Only at an event. We don't have any in C-Bus Ohio. I have been trying to think of a way to do one and where i could even hide it at. All parks close at dark and dont allow you in. :( I don't know anyone with any land that I could ask. But I have heard of Glow in the dark push pins is the only thing I have come up with...
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801611 by Kirbert
Sep 1, 2013 7:29am
Thread (disabled) Board
They are nearly invisible in daylight, easily visible from 100+ feet at night.

Are these 4-D stealth firetacks the type you would recommend? Until I looked at these I was imagining some sort of glow in the dark material rather than a reflective tack. This seems like it would be safer b/c it wouldn't be illuminated unless a light was shined on it vs a glow in the dark that would be visible without a light to anyone who wandered by.

Peace
CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801743 by CTEagleEye
Sep 1, 2013 8:47am
Thread (disabled) Board
those are interesting. the ones i have are flat, but similar idea. no 4-D to them.

basically, you need to put them somehow so that every car headlight *doesn't* catch them, because you don't want to draw that much attention to the box. However, you *do* want your intended audience to be able to find them. In the New England area, often people will be directed to the start of a trail, on on a road, so they're looking for a specific sign/signage. Then they park, get out of a car, and start looking for the tacks in the woods. The specific technique is known as "pan and scan" among a segment of boxers. It can be done at ground height, eye height - wherever you want, although usually eye height is preferred (less stuff grows over your tacks).

~tigs
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801753 by tiggermama
Sep 1, 2013 9:03am
Thread (disabled) Board
In the New England area, often people will be directed to the start of a trail, on on a road, so they're looking for a specific sign/signage. Then they park, get out of a car, and start looking for the tacks in the woods.

Can you direct me to any boxes that have this sort of clue? I haven't had any experience with wording clues for a night time drive by. Where I'm thinking of would be from a parking area so not likely that there would be many others driving by but there is no artificial light so a flashlight would be the only hope of finding the tacks in the dark. Before I get too carried away with this though, I'm going to go there in the dark to ensure safe passage.

It can be done at ground height, eye height - wherever you want, although usually eye height is preferred (less stuff grows over your tacks).

I like your idea of eye level vs ground level though I do hate to damage trees and ground level would provide more options for using fallen trees.....so pros and cons to each.

Peace
CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801753 by tiggermama
Sep 1, 2013 11:00am
Thread (disabled) Board
See, this spot is truly a "park and grab", because of the nature of the area. So I suppose I'd just have to just try to make use of the fire tacks as best as possible.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801743 by CTEagleEye
Sep 1, 2013 11:50am
Thread (disabled) Board
Sure, why not? OTOH, you can also buy reflective tacks at Walmart in the sporting goods department; hunters use them to find their way in and out of the woods in the dark.

They're pretty much all a piece of reflective tape stuck onto a thumbtack or pushpin. If the tack is flat-headed, you push it into the front of a tree -- but you might need to press another into the back of the tree to help finders follow their way back to the parking lot in the dark. With the pushpin style, you can press a pin into the side of a tree, and it's visible coming or going.

The metal ones tend to rust, which causes the reflective tape to peel off. Some have better plating on them than others, though, and don't rust as quickly.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801754 by CTEagleEye
Sep 1, 2013 1:24pm
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nosox has one near her house. . .there's one listed near Gold Hill, NC (don't remember who twchnically owns it; I think Wolfie. There's a set of night boxes in Mooresville, NC, listed under SNB (for Strictly Night Boxing).

Hope all that helps.

~tigs
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801767 by The Lost Boys
Sep 1, 2013 1:25pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Someone else suggested using a guardrail as a hiding spot for a park and grab. Here is one we did that was exactly that. We arrived after dark and I did need a flashlight to peer into the hiding space. Using the directions, this one could also be found in the daytime with no trouble but if you used reflective tape or a fire tack on the guardrail post in some area where there are a lot of guardrails to choose from I would think it would be harder to find during the day.

Good luck and thanks everyone for the suggestions.
CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801555 by Kirbert
Sep 1, 2013 3:28pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Get the triangular ones. They are mostly invisible unless you hold the flashlight at eye level and then they are very bright. Just tested some in my living room: waist high -- nothing: eye-high -- eyeball-popping.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801784 by tiggermama
Sep 1, 2013 3:38pm
Thread (disabled) Board
there's one listed near Gold Hill, NC (don't remember who twchnically owns it; I think Wolfie.

Undead Hunting.

That one has a Pin Ups restriction if you are wondering why the link isn't working (anyone can see it if you set your Preferences to that setting).
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801798 by Wry Me
Sep 1, 2013 4:00pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Get the triangular ones

Do you mean like these triangular ones? I saw those first but they are out of stock. Thanks for the advice about height placement.

Peace
CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801800 by The Wolf Family
Sep 1, 2013 4:07pm
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THANKS! That definitely helps me understand how I can mark the trail and the box locations so that clue papers are not needed.
Peace
CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801798 by Wry Me
Sep 1, 2013 6:18pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Hmmm, is that eye height for 6'5" b-ball player or my little-less-than-5' eye height? Does it matter if you get it "in the range"?
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801804 by CTEagleEye
Sep 1, 2013 9:24pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Yes. And it's not where they are placed on the tree, but where the finder is holding the flashlight. I tested them @ different heights. Here's the link for the ones I bought. They were the diamond brights. Good luck.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801839 by Tivoli West
Sep 1, 2013 9:33pm
Thread (disabled) Board
Anyone's height. It's the angle at which the light reflects so that you can perceive it, if that makes sense. Eye height for you puts it at the angle where you can see it. Eye height for me puts it at the right angle for me. If you put the light source at your waist, it bounces it back toward your waist where your 5-year-old may see it, but not you. I actually considered this to be a drawback when I read the instructions in my order, because it would certainly look weird walking around like that. Or like you're a cop, maybe? Then I thought, hell, it's dark. Who cares? I haven't planted my series, so I don't know yet if it's an issue. I guess you can just tell the authorities you're from the Ministry of Silly Walks.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801785 by CTEagleEye
Sep 2, 2013 12:39am
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I've actually hidden several letterboxes in guardrails! I actually had one go missing because the entire guardrail was ripped out and replaced with a newer design guardrail -- so I promptly planted a new box in that one!

The way the end of a guardrail is protected seems to change. Waaaay back in the day, they would twist 90 degrees and turn down into the ground. Hence, any out-of-control car that hits the end would be launched into the air and possibly back onto the highway. Well, that's no good, so then they just curled the end into a loop. Wouldn't wanna hit that. Then they went with a bigger loop -- still wouldn't wanna hit it, but perhaps the point is that they can put a great big reflector on the end so you'll see it and try not to hit it. Then there are some where they get carried away and build an entire collapsible structure into the last several posts.

The ones that are great for hiding boxes are the ones with the large loop. Rather than form the loop out of the guardrail itself, it's a separate piece that bolts on. In between the flat portion of the loop and the end of the W cross-section rail there is formed a little compartment that a small box can be slid into and you can't even see it, you have to feel around for it. Regular silver duct tape makes remarkably good camo, although I personally haven't done that yet, I've just found a couple like that.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801798 by Wry Me
Sep 2, 2013 12:47am
Thread (disabled) Board
Any fire tacks reflect light right back at the source. That means that to see them, you really need to hold your flashlight against the side of your head -- regardless how high the tack is mounted.

Just the same, I recommend higher than eye level -- about as high as you can reach, actually. Any noxer that happens to be rummaging around out there in the woods with a flashlight is more'n likely to be pointing that flashlight at the ground 95% of the time. If you're lucky, he'll never notice the reflector trail. Plus, they're less likely to get obstructed by undergrowth when they're up high.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801917 by Kirbert
Sep 2, 2013 3:08am
Thread (disabled) Board
That means that to see them, you really need to hold your flashlight against the side of your head

That wasn't my experience with the flat round ones. I am formerly much too cool to walk the trails like an uber-dork with my flashlight up by my ears. Ahem. We just shot from the hip, as it were.

I don't know about any of the other types, either. I agree that it's best to place them higher up to avoid foliage and casual observation on the trail. I didn't much care for the orange ones, either. They were way too visible in daylight.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801924 by Wry Me
Sep 2, 2013 8:41am
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You could retain that cool status by using a head lantern. :D
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801804 by CTEagleEye
Sep 2, 2013 8:44am
Thread (disabled) Board
Do you mean like these triangular ones? I saw those first but they are out of stock. Thanks for the advice about height placement.

On that same page, look to the right. There are other colors available.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801961 by Basketcase1
Sep 2, 2013 8:53am
Thread (disabled) Board
I use a hunting cap like this one: http://www.panthervision.com/Prod-113-2-48-17/POWERCAP_2510_CamoMesh_LED_Lighted_Hats.htm

Keeps my hands free but sometimes attracts bugs.

Mouse nanny
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801961 by Basketcase1
Sep 2, 2013 9:29am
Thread (disabled) Board
You could retain that cool status by using a head lantern. :D

Pwah hahaha! That's so hot!
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801963 by Basketcase1
Sep 2, 2013 11:31am
Thread (disabled) Board
On that same page, look to the right. There are other colors available.

Thanks. I did see those others as well and noticed that they are less expensive but *sigh* I really like the description of the earth toned ones: "Stealth Brown FireTacks hide your trails completely during the day, but reflects amber orange at night." What to do? What to do?

CTEE
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #802009 by CTEagleEye
Sep 2, 2013 11:42am
Thread (disabled) Board
Variety pack?
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801784 by tiggermama
Sep 2, 2013 5:46pm
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nosox has one near her house.

She does? *goes to look at her logbook*
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801551 by RIclimber
Sep 29, 2013 7:40am
Thread (disabled) Board
Firetacks should show up in the car headlights and could be used to mark a tree on the side of the road with part of the clue.

I've had a night geocache out for a few years. It uses firetacks. They do fall out occasionally. Some last years, some only months. You'll need to check on them from time to time. I'm working on another, more permanent solution.
Re: Drive-by Nightbox?
Board: Letterbox Chatter
Reply to: #801555 by Kirbert
Sep 29, 2013 7:42am
Thread (disabled) Board
[...] firetacks will be seen by every car driving by.

My night cache is actually a drive-by. If other drivers are seeing them then the tacks are being ignored.