tzipora

No, I'm talking about actual caches. So far, all the ones I've identified are traditional caches, level 2 difficulty. Since I break up my pocket queries by difficulty, it seems I have problems with one of them. It has happened for the last 2 PQ runs.

I've got the Oregon 400t, running 2.98b, and I'm trying to load it up with 1100-1200 caches. I ran pocket queries, and put all the .gpx files in the Garmin/GPX folder at the same time. Unfortunately, the Oregon isn't treating them all the same way. Most show up with the icons familiar from the geocaching.com maps, but some do not. Those have the same treasure-chest icon my 60csx uses, and they don't have any paperless caching information available. Does anybody know what I should do to fix it?

All the schools and scouts that I know of in the area are using eTrex.

It's still there. Garmin :drive > Garmin > startup.txt Thanks. I was looking for a setting on the unit like the 60csx has. I never would have thought of that.

How many caches can the 400t store? Garmin's website says the new 550t can hold 5000, but it does not specify for the 400t. One might presume that they would be the same since both models have 850 MB of RAM, but oddly the number of tracks (and waypoints) are not the same according the the Garmin website. Thanks They are different. The 400t holds 2000 waypoints/caches.

Did they take out the customizeable start up screen? I can't seem to figure out how to get that working.

I have the Garmin Oregon 400t and it pretty much rocks. I very much like paperless caching, because I appreciate having both less waste and less preparation time. I have pocket querys that cover all the caches in the areas I'm likely to be, so I can just fire the thing up and go. I find that it's actually getting better reception than my Garmin 60csx, which is not the case for most. I also like the waypoint entry screen much better than the 60csx. Instead of scrolling and toggling, I can type the numbers in using the touch screen. It saves a lot of time for me. I also like the map that came with the unit better than my previous maps. There's more detail, although depending on where you are, your mileage may vary. This one has bike paths and common trails, which my other Garmin map did not. I also notice the topo lines more on this unit than my other. Of course, its price tag is much higher than your stated range. I thought I'd share my experiences with you. Most of the folks here have Garmins, and many have great success with the eTrex line. I don't have much experience with the other brands.

I draw the line at "homeless person sleeping in the seach area". Homeless camp, fine. I'll usually cito the trash and call it a show. Place I could possibly find a dead body? Fine. There have been a few found in my city this month, all in places near caches. You find one, you make the appropriate calls and continue on your way. Needles aren't such a problem here (our folk are more into pills), but so long as I could transport them safely, cito those. Putting them in a pop can or a bottle would probably be close enough. I'd leave a note in my log, of course. I know that this is a family actvity, and I know if I had kids, I wouldn't want to drag them into a homeless camp or a needle disposal site. It's a courtesy thing; people deserve to know what to expect.

Basic bag: 1L Sigg bottle, GPS, iPhone, camera, trackables, pen, pocket knife, extra batteries, paper. Expanded trip: all of the above, plus 2L hydration bladder, bear spray, dried fruit, extra socks, Buff, fire implement, water/windproof shell, water purifier. Camp usually has a solar charger, bear keg with more food, tent, sleeping bag, sunscreen, extra clothes and the like.

This post was pointed out to me as a way to extract the update on a Mac. I used its instructions to load the 2.97 and now 2.98 beta. It worked great. That was perfect! Thanks so much! I don't think I would have found that by myself.

A Garmin eTrex will do the trick. I'd go for the high sensitivity chipset, so you don't lose signal as much under tree or cloud cover. A lot of the really elite cachers up here just use that. I have the Oregon, but I got it cheap (employee discount on top of sale price and rebate after that). I love it, but I don't think I'd pay retail for it. I work at REI, so i'm a little biased, but I definitely recommend talking to the guy at the GPS counter about what you want to do, and he can probably help you narrow down your choices a bit. He'll probably even put a display model in your hot little hand so you can figure out if you like the interface, or if the screen size is good for you. He can also make sure you know what accessories and software are included with each model and which ones are purchased separately. After that, when you're down to two or so, come to a place like this and see what you can download for free. Then buy and have fun. Keep in mind that geocaching is a relatively inexpensive hobby once you have the GPS.

When I've had this problem, I went to the map app and had it locate me. Then I web back into geocaching, and it knew where I was and managed to find nearby caches. I've also had the problem when I'm off the network. Without connectivity, there's nothing the app can do unless you've got the caches on your saved list.

I went invisible shield, too. Only used the unit once before I installed it. Once I realized that my fingers were dirty, I just didn't feel comfortable without some sort of protection. I think it's the only exterrior weakness of the thing.

There are also programs like MacCaching that can put cache descriptions, hints, and recent logs into the notes section of an iPod. That mght be a way of paperless caching. I have my iPod loaded up to use with my Garmin 60csx, which works, if you don't mind using 2 devices. If you go with the iPod, you can also go cheaper on the GPS; the high sensitivity Garmin eTrex line are popular up here, and they get the job done. I carry my iPhone with me, even on the trail, and I do have the geocaching app on it, and that works, but I don't like the GPS feature very much because I can't get the accuracy I'm used to. I just got a Garmin Oregon 400t, and it's pretty fantastic. I get good accuracy, and I have the info I need. When you consider that the maps are included, it's not much more expensive than a 60csx.

I can't seem to find the software updates for those of us who have Oregon 400ts and Macs.

I usually have ShotBloks (the caffeinated orange ones are my favorite). I always have water. There will usually be a Luna Bar, fruit leather, or GORP.

I bring my lhasa apso with me more often than not. She's mostly into the riding, walking, sniffing, and marking, but she does very well finding the clearest trail. Sometimes she manages to bring me to the cache, but that usually only happens if the only person recently in the area was a successful geocacher. I thought she might tire out a bit, too, but she'll keep moving as long as I do. She might lay down every time I stop, but... Juneau's a trooper.

I carry a backpack with my GPS, a pen, a mechanical pencil, a sharpie, bear bell, fruit leather, bug spray, chapstick, iPod, headphones, cellphone, pocket knife, headlamp, a small notebook, and poo bags. It covers just about everything I need for up to a 5 mile hike. Anything more than that, and I'll probably add in some water for me and the dog, a first aid kit, and maybe a few other things that should help me negotiate that particular area.

I've been using my BPA-laden Nalgene bottles. They won't fit a traditional size log, but they get the basic job done. We've also managed to find a couple at thrift stores for under $1, since others are trying to get rid of them now, too.

Too bad you're talking Christmastime. That would be a bad time for the cache I was going to suggest. It's only accessible during the summertime, after an approximately 7 mile hike out of Seward, AK. But you get rewarded with an amazing view and the chance to explore a WWII outpost. I will do that one next summer, hopefully it will be a milestone cache.

It is all better. My life is good again. You have helped me. When you told me not to load Ibycus' maps onto the TOPO card, I switched them out. Turns out, there's a lock on the TOPO ones, so you can't load over them. Nice safety feature there. So that issue is resolved. When I replaced the TOPO card, I learned that I am...not always so smart. The TOPO card hadn't been correctly installed before, so the GPSr wasn't reading it. The map is glorious now that it works! Thanks for your help, coggins.

Lucky for me, it hasn't worked!

Hi. I'm a mac user, and I'm trying to get a decent map into my Garmin 60CSx. Whatever came in the GPSr is pretty inaccurate for my area. It's missing several lakes, for example. I bought the Garmin pre-loaded topo map chip, but I don't see any change in my map, nor does anything show up in my map information sub-menu. I tried to load ibycus map, but I don't see that as a choice, either. I can get it to show in Bobcat, but not on the actual GPSr. I have Garmin mapinstall and Garmin mapmanager installed, and I've tried to use them. I can get mapmanager to do something with the ibycus map, but when I try mapinstall to get it into the GPSr, it tells me that my GPSr does not support map transfer. Based on what it says on Garmin's website, I should be able to load a map. I'm getting frustrated. Can anybody help me figure this out? Thanks in advance for your help.

I take screenshots of the geocaching.com page and save them to my photos section. When I do it that way, I don't need any connectivity to get my info. This is important to me, because a great many of the places I go lack decent reception...or reception at all.

Are you sure? When I look at the map software at rei.com, the description for TOPO! Explorer says that it's compatible with most GPSr units, and the one specific to my state specifically says that it's compatible with Garmin. I'm confused. But I guess it's better to be confused before you've spent the money than afterwards.