rob.marsh

Just out of interested, why do you recommend non leather? I have had noth over time, and have to say, am leaning toward favouring leather again. Technology makes them far lighter thanthey used to be, and IMHO the maintenance and cleaning is far easier. Clean em down, G wax em up nicely ready for next time and your good to go. Follow that proccess and I reckon they will stay water tight for far longer than fabric boots. I'm not saying your wrong, just interested in your thoughts. As I said, its very much a personal thing, boots. As others have said, make sure you get the best fitting show/boot you can. Look after your feet and they will look after you. They are the most important tool of hikers, geocachers and all outdoor types, and often the most abused and mal treated. You try not to trash your GPSr while out walking and caching, so why trash your feet in bad shoes?

Brasher make great boots!

Having bought a fair number of walking trainers nd boots, I have to say I rate blacks as a chain. Each one I have been into have staff who are friendly and know what they are talking about in. Mainly becuase they too tend to be the outdoor type. It also helps that Blacks tend to be reasonably competitive as far as highstreet chains go. I don't mind paying a few quid more than internet for that personal touch and help you get in store. That and I get 10% scout discount too! Boots and shoes are very much a personal choice, and whilst i recommend merrells, its worth getting into a shop and trying as many pairs as you can. It is also worth remembering that Gore Tex does not always mean best as far as waterproofing and breathability goes now. Many manufacturers are developing very very good rival technology now. Keep an eye out for Event fabric. A rival to gortex that is very good indeed. I have a pair of Karrimor KSB boots that are Event rather than Gore Tex and they are superb.

Inov8's are trail running shoes primarily, I have had a pair bur much prefer my merrels it has to be said. I wouldn't be confident that Inov*'s would stand up to abuse of lots of hiking.

I fell out of love with solomans after I had a pair hike boots by them and the soles de-laminated. I haven't bought any since. I wear Merrel gore tex trainers. I have done for a few years now and love them. Light, waterproof and very comfy. Available ni Blacks and most outdoor stores.

nope

If this happens...then Good news, but i'm not sure it will be the end of the papaer map. I for one will not be going electronic. It may mean the end of the OS printed maps, although I doubt it as there will be a market for tourists, and those who like to have the "proper map". I think you'll simply see sales drop that's all. It will be interesting to see how this affects Memory Map. I also don't see why making them a free resource will mean that the government will stop updating them. Also, I don't know where your buying your OS maps, but My local OS at least, Explorer 135 is dated 2007.

I have to say, as a Scout Leader (Explorer Section) and having come up through the movement since i was 6, I find the idea of electronic mapping great, but you won't catch me out on a hike withough my OS explorer map in its case, and my silva compass round my neck. Caching I'll have a GPS with OSM on it, but my main navigation will be done with the OS map. How else can you take reasonable long distance bearings with only a few inches of screen? Yep the GPS can do it, but batteries die and your shot. I use MM, mainly for planning competition hikes within scouting. Its great for plotting routes etc, and sending out prints of the locations of each checkpoint etc etc. Printing out the smaller areas and laminating them is great. That said, you can't beat a map in a map case. I have tried the laminate versions, and personally hate them. You can't fold them as well, and when you do fold them without following the premade folds I found the laminate would crease. Not only that, as earlier mentioned, a map case is far cheaper than buying a set of the laminated maps! Each to thier own though, we all have our ways of doing things.

As you may know the Daffodil is the symbol for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity. Marie Curie, won 2 nobel prizes in her time, one for Physics, and one for Chemistry in 1911. what year did she win the Prize for Physics?

I'm gonna go with England, as I know Cornwall and the Channel Islands grow a lot of them. I also know that we export them.

Is there any way I can see my sent messages through the contact member link on Geocaching.com? I can't remember if I chased a TB holder last week or not! Normally I check the email me a copy but may have forgotten! (it was a long week last week ok! :-p ) I really want to try and stir the TB on again, after 3 weeks of being with the same person, but don't want to bombard them if I only emailed last week. I have 12 keen explorers keep asking me where it is and I keep having to dissapoint them at the moment. A shame as it started off moving quite quickly. Rob

Maybe I'll email the owner to make certain then.

Cool. Well it doesn't say anything like that on the page. also, what about "dipping" it into one of my own caches that I'll be swinging past to check on along the way?

Hi all, If you pick up a TB that you then discover is in a race, is it deemed "acceptable" to dip it in and out of caches before dropping it in a final cache? The Reason I ask is this, I have recently picked up a TB that is in a mileage race. It has a year to try and get the most mileage behind it. I am planning a days caching, where I am oping to do a series of caches and finish up with a couple of individual caches, one being large anough to leave the TB in. Is it ok to dip the TB in all the caches I find that day, and then leave it in the last one. It would rack up the miles i do in that day and is then left to continue on its way in the race helped by others. It seems a shame to have it in my bag, but only logging the one it gets left in if that makes sense? Cheers! Rob

At risk of stirring up the whole OS vs other maps debate that is an endless raging debate, there is always the Open Street Maps that are a good source of detail.

I am saving for the GPSMAP 60CSX. It has great reviews and most report it works well under cover of tree's. The Garmin Newly Overhauled is about £185 and comes with a one year warranty.

Double checking so you don't destry/damage/hurt an SSSI is surely doing no harm. I can't see how a blanket agreement on the land in general can apply to a protected SSSI within that area too. The whole point of geocaching is to help people enjoy areas of beauty/interest by placing caches there. I'm struggling to see what the problem is when a reviewer simply checks that a cache has permission and doesn't have a negative impact on the area. What's the harm? Ok, so it takes you an extra 5 min to prove the permission, so what?

I think your onto something with it being around the first world war. 1915? I don't think it was Victorian, but the idea has been around since around the 1700's I think. Wasn't it mooted origionally as an off the cuff kinda suggestion by Benjamin Franklyn?

Getting there.... She ended up getting the boos and jeers meant for Brando and thus continued the ill-treatment he was protesting against. That was the line I was looking for! Sorry for the late reply peeps, I do apologise. I went away with work and I completely forgot about. Forgive me!!

I'm the samem but only heard about this last month. Up to 17 now. Off to the dentist 20 miles away in a mo - disappointed I don't go close enough to any! Hey Dan, and welcome! although I have been wandering the website and forums for a while, I really only entered into the sport in Jan, and now me and the wife are hooked. You'll find everyone on here very helpful and friendly, I certainly have. Don't be afraid to ask anything! The Baggster, if you don't have any caches en route to/from the dentist, your taking the wrong route!!

I found that one out the hard way!

The driver you need to install is the prolific USB serial port driver. I can't find a link at work. but some googling should get you the result. I think gpsbitz.co.uk link to a download.

Cheers! The first time it happened it did panic me a bit. I semed every cache I got near I was causing to go inactive! LOL!

I use the iPhone 3G alongside my etrex legend, as a second opinion and to log finds. Recently an odd thing has occured to me as it seems to have done with pigglet family. As I have approached GZ, the cache status on the Groundspeak app changes to inactive/disabled (wording escapes me), shown on the status bar on the cache page. I checked online at home and hey presto, its active. Thankfully I ignored the app and found them any how. It only happens as I approach GZ. Its odd. Ill upload a screenshot if it happens again.

Thank-you both for your replies. MrsB, your spot on about them wanting some action, each week I get at least 3 "where is it, why hasn't it gone far?!" It's great to see them fired up. I'll check out the other TB, thanks for that one! I did wonder about sending an email to each perso who picks it up, written from the unit, as a thanks for helping our TB kinda thing. To adde to the personal out reach from the Explorers. I haven't as yet though, as I don't know how well it would be viewed, ie as Spam.