TexTrex

When I find time to go caching, I will usually get the GPS and PDA loaded up, print a map or two, then distract the kids from their TV/Gameboy/Legos/Polly Pocket, etc long enough to see if they would like to go along. About a fourth of the time, my daughter (8 yrs) will go, and about half the time, my son goes (11 yrs). They both enjoy finding the cache, they just don't always go for the bushwacking, or the long walks. The wife has yet to go with us, she always has 'too much to do, and no time". I use it as an opportunity to get out with the kids, talk with them, and teach them about the outdoors and the world around them. They both like to use the GPS and find the cache, and my son likes to use the PDA, so I just follow behind and keep them safe. Of course, everytime we go out camping, or out with the Boy Scouts, my son and I plan to cache where we camp, or along the way, so by nature he gets more involved than my daughter does. Man! Makes me want to go snag them out of school and go caching now!

I find I can get 6-8 hours out of a fully charged set of 2300mhr rechargeable batteries. I use a lighter adapter whenever I am in the truck. I recently figured out that I can swap batteries in the unit when I am using the lighter adapter, and not have to re-calibrate the compass. I always carry a spare set of fully charged rechargeables, and a spare set of regular batteries, just in case.

My son, a few friends, and I go on ATV trips yearly in SE OK. The second trip there, we got a little lost, and got frustrated with the maps and the lack of road markers. Once we returned to civilization, I decided to research GPSr's to prevent having that occur again. When I first looked around, I decided it was too expensive. This year I finally had enough money to buy a GPS and went searching on the internet. I ran across this website and the forums and was hooked. Geocaching helped me learn how to use my GPS before I had to rely on it to get me from way out in the woods, back to my truck when riding ATV's. Now I often leave it in the car all the time just to play with, check my speed and distance, and have it handy for when the urge hits to go searching for treasure.