TopangaHiker

Big Agnes rules! They're a great company for customer service as well. I did my research and decided on a specific bag but it was made to accommodate a 17" Thermarest. Well, I'm 6'5" and I use a 25" T'rest and I'm not going to change. When I called BA I spoke to the owner and explained my problem. He suggested that they do a special modification to accommodate my 25" pad! How do you like that for service? Anyway, it's a great product! Forget the retailers. They only carry a limited selection of BA products They're online web site is the best place to buy.

Hello everyone, I'd like to be part of this discussion. First off, I'd like to say that I'm glad that I discovered this topic. I've been a scouter going on 10 years now. I was a Tiger Cub Coach when my son was in first grade, then became a Den Leader, ACM, CM and now I'm ASM in his troop. He's a Life Scout with 2 more MB's to earn before he performs his Eagle project. This summer our troop traveled from Southern California to Utah. We incorporated GCing into a few of our hikes. The state of Utah actually sponsors several GC in their state parks. Anyway,on the subject of GCing and scouts I want to comment and also make a few suggestions. GCing and scouting go great together. It offers so much potential as a lot of you folks have already pointed out. However, I would hesitate to create a MB centered on use of a GPSr. This takes away from the rudiments of outdoorsmanship. Also, and I'm probably setting myself up for some criticism here but reliance on the use of electronics just doesn't seem scout-like. Orienteering is done with compass and map. Remember, we teach our scouts to hike and backpack with their 10 essentials. That includes a map and a compass. The only electronic device in the 10 E's is a flash light. BSA has a couple of alternatives to recognizing activities. We have snorkeling, kayaking, mile swim and scuba. Those are inherently physical and really differ from using a GPSr and PC or Mac based software program. Am I being old fashioned? Maybe. My idea of formally incorporating CGing into BSA would be through High Adventure. That way GCing would not be an end or centerpiece activity but rather a middle activity built around an extended outdoor experience. I say make it a H.A.T. Award. Besides, they have the best patches in all of scouting! PS. I wonder if we could talk the owners of GC.com into giving this thread it's own topic? Who would we ask? After all, the kids are the future of GCing.

So, on the 2000 along with everything a GPSr does you get a flashlight, 2 MP digital camera, a voice recorder and a digital music player. And it runs on two AA batteries? For how many minutes?

The bear situation is taken very seriously in Yosemite. In short there are several rules but they're easy to follow if you're an aware type of person. Those unaware face huge fines, destruction to their cars and the sadness that comes from knowing that they've contributed to the future death of a bear. Use the bear boxes that are in everywhere. Lock up every single bit of food and everything else that has an odor including soap, shampoo, etc. That said, you should know that Oct and Nov are months when it starts getting cold. If it's your first time then I would suggest camping somewhere in Yosemite Valley. It's really beautiful. This web site is great. Try to get there to see the fall colors. http://www.yosemitefun.com/

^Thanks so much. The sweet deals must be at the store and not online. I'll call them. Thanks again.

It looks like the last Army-Navy surplus store in Santa Monica is now gone. Are there any west side cachers out there who know where to get ammon cans retail? Where do you get yours? TIA

It looks like the last Army-Navy surplus store in Santa Monica is now gone. Are there any west side cachers out there who know where to get the goods? TIA

Want deadly, pin-point accuracy in your GPSr? Simply enlist in the the U.S. Armed Forces.

I've used a screen protector on my Palm Treo Smartphone once. The problem was that it lessened the sensitivity and functionality of the touch screen.

You hate pictures of dogs? You mean like this? And this?

Mike, I have a Garmin 60CSx for navigation as well as GCing. I'm really glad that it doesn't talk but just beeps. Heres how I mount it in my car. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...=169446&hl=

I personally think that you're right to feel the way you do, Getting that close to a grave is a kind of personal space that ought not be violated if you know what I mean. Besides, it's borderline disrespectful. Now, OTOH if when you downloaded the CG and it said something about how the dearly departed was a GC'er and he or she requested that a GC be hidden on or near the final resting place then that would be another story!

Come and get it!

So we got up early this morning and went back to the spot I had previously chosen to hide the cache. It's good that I had already picked the spot because I was able to verify that the coords were correct. And guess what? They were. Anyway, I hope I've clicked on the right links and have successfully sent it to the reviewers. It seems like every time I went to edit the listing it created a new entry. Oh well, lets see what happens. I have a question: Is there a bricks 'n morter retailers down in Los Angeles that sells all the CG gear, like TB's, etc? There are several online sellers of GCing.com gear but I'd like to support a more local economy before I send away for stuff.

I tend to lean towards this view, also, but I do understand Groundspeak's position on the matter. Still...I carry knives around pretty regularly. In fact, more often than not, I've got a leatherman on my person. Many places I go, I'll probably end up getting in trouble for it (when someone eventually notices and complains about it). But really, I don't view it as a weapon so it never occurs to me that I might ought to leave it at home or in the car. In all reality, you can use nearly anything as a weapon if you hit, stab, or cut someone with it. I could poke someone's eye out with the arm of my sunglasses. Does that mean I can't carry them on an airplane or put a cheap pair of sunglasses in a cache? Meh...rules. All good points. Obviously you get it. Here's a great example of what I'm talking about: Everyone knows you don't bring a knife on a plane. But according to the TSA you can bring a 7" screwdriver! TSA Permitted and Prohibited Items

That "military background" is what gives us the freedom to have family friendly parks, and a hobby such as Geocaching. "Military background"?? Just who do you suppose developed GPS in the first place? What about Jeeps? How silly! If we're going to strike everything that has anything to do with the military, we're going to have a pretty bland sport. If they don't have actual belts of 7.62mm rounds in them, I say their "military background" is totally irrelevant. True 'dat.

I really appreciate all the positive feedback. It's funny about the "knife". I don't really consider it a knife in the sense that I would use it as a cutting tool. It's a true piece of 'swag" as it came as a giveaway item. Also, the blade is an inch long and it isn't really sharp. There's a nail file and scissors though. It even has those tiny tweezers too. When you press the shiny round button looking thing on it's side it makes a tiny flash light come on some of the time. It is a great back-up key chain for those extra house keys or car keys people have laying around the house or stuffed in a drawer. Jeez, you're even allowed to bring scissors and nail files on board a plane nowadays which could inflict more damage than this little thing. Still, I'll delete it from the cache. I'll just say one more thing: I'll echo Thrak's point. If your GCing you're probably outside doing outdoor types of activities that would include and emphasize hiking. I never leave on a hike without my 10 essentials. Of course, that's how I've been brought up and how I'm raising my kids as well. A knife is on that list of 10 essentials. The first thing I taught and teach kids about knives is this: A knife is a tool, not a weapon.

Like I said, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait. Why the concealment? <snip> Someone can see the number and can log that TB, if they are of a mind to, without ever having seen it in person . . . Oh, fer crissakes. OK, it's done.

Like I said, I'm not telling. You'll just have to wait. Why the concealment? Great point, Harriet. I'll take your advice. In fact I'll leave both.

This will be my first hide and it's just about ready to be placed. I'm pretty happy with how it's going to turn out and I think it will be a great addition to the sport. I'm not divulging any info on it's location here but I can tell you that it's in the western hemispere and north of the equator. OK, enough hints already... As you can see it's made from a 7.62mm ammo can i bought in Utah just for this purpose. For some reason they were a good deal there. I've repainted it a less menacing green. Not that O.D. green is scary but it's less ominous looking now. Also, as you can see I made it pretty obvious that it's a GC, wouldn't you say? OK, for the important part. Some sweet swag awaits the more materialistic of you that go Geocaching. Also, note that a TB awaits the continuation of it's journey! FTF gets a gift certificate for a double latte at an area coffee house! You guys talked me into spending five times as much money as a regular notebook on a Rite as Rain notebook for the log. And of course we see here the obligatory geonote. Well, that's it. Now all I have to do is hide it, log and see if it gets OK'ed. I've scouted the hiding placed already. Thanks for looking and I hope some of you like it.

Try the different different color schemes and see if that helps. Main Menu-> Setup-> Display-> v Daytime Color Scheme v Nighttime Color Scheme

I found another bricks 'n mortar source for those nifty Rite In The Rain products. If you live in Los Angeles there's a store called Botach Tactical. http://www.botac.com/ They sell 'em for cheap too. I guess the Cop store's are the place tp get 'em.

Here is a place in your general area that claims to have them for $2.93. http://www.copquest.com/37-1000.htm Here are the driving directions and store hours. http://www.copquest.com/driving.htm Don't bother with the big box stores, I'm sure they won't have them. Good luck, as others have said. If you start with a good container like an ammo can and use a ziplock you probably don't need Rite in the Rain. I like using them, I think it shows that a little extra thought and care went into putting the cache together. Well heck, whatdayknow? Not exactly around the corner but not out of the realm of possibilities either! In fact, at that price it's worth the drive. Actually it's less than a half-hour away. Thank you very, very much. edit: I just called them and they're quite courteous and they have them in stock. w00t! Thanks again.

Wow! $9.50. That makes the big, official geocaching ones look like a bargain. I've used the 3x5 Rite in the Rain notebooks in all my regular caches and I really like them, but I wouldn't if they cost $9.50. Look around at places that sell surveying supplies. I've found them locally for about $3. Wow, 3 bucks from a bricks & morter store? I live near a major metro area (Westside of Los Angeles, West San Fernando Valley) with all the big box retailers close by. If anyone knows where these can be had at for somewhere around 3 to 4 bucks please let me know. In addition to stashing one in a GC I'd like one in my 10 essentials.

Although those waterproof notebooks are very cool I'm now thinking that it would be overkill. Yes, 3 or 4 bucks isn't a lot of money to spend but I'm in a pretty dry climate, I've gone all out and have an ammo can ready to go and I already have quality zip lock bags. The other thing is that I don't want to have to send away for something like a spiral bound notebook. Also, shipping is almost $5.00. There's an REI near me but they want $9.50 for the 3x5 book. I don't see the value. That's how much I spent on an ammo can. http://www.rei.com/product/608506?vcat=REI_SEARCH Hey everyone, thanks for your input.