C.T.A.K.

Well, I've made some progress. I've installed BaseCamp, found a nice Topo map of Vancouver Island and the northwest, but haven't figured out how to put just a portion of the map on the GPS. Looks like there will be room though. I took my kids out to search for a few caches, but came up empty. We learnt that: - we should have brought a flashlight and a garbage bag. - it would be nice if the GPS included the notes to read. So, we learnt a few things, and discovered a GPS feature that I think we really "need" to have! (The extended notes and comments.) I'm slow, but I'll get there. Thank you for all your answers! Colin

Sorry you had that experience. If people start screaming, I wouldn't bother trying to reason with them - you won't get anywhere. You could stand up to them, but in the end you won't win, even if you are right. Just move on and warn the next cacher's in the log book. You could call your local police station to ask their advice. I thought you shouldn't find a cache with "muggles" around? If the screamers saw where you put it, you can probably kiss that container goodbye.

I didn't have a chance to test this out last night. Once I build a map of my area it should give me a better idea of what to look for. Thanks for the input so far - I really appreciate it! Colin

Thanks, I'll try that tonight!

Thank you for your responses. It gives me a much better idea of what to expect. I've been borrowing a Garmin Venture HC for a few weeks. I've been looking at lower priced units like the eTrex Legend H and eTrex 10. The ones with more storage or ability to add a SD card really jump in price. I can see how they are very usefull for serious hikers and cachers, I am not sure I'll need it. Thus my questions about storage in these inexpensive models - basically wondering if I could squeak by with them. Based on Brians 24k map example, 24MB would cover (very approximately) 50km x 60km, which would cover my home town and surrounding area, but not much more. I can definitely see how juggling maps depending on where I was traveling (not that I travel a lot) would be a pain. Is there an easy way to "cut out" a map section to load onto your GPS? Which tool do you use? I've done a bunch of reading but I don't think it is sinking in! Sorry, normally I'm better at this kind of thing. Thank you for the answers and welcome. I'll check out the Openstreetmaps and gpsfiledepot.com too. Colin

Hi, I am wondering how much map data I could fit on an inexpensive GPS that has 24MB of internal storage. (One city block, one town, one state?) I've searched, and simply can't find an answer. I also tried to generate my own maps from some of the free sites to test it myself, but was not successful. It doesn't help that I don't own a GPS yet. I've borrowed a unit, but I'm leaving it entirely untouched so I don't mess it up for the owner! If someone could generate a topo map for Victoria BC and surrounding area, could you let me know how large the file is? My other burning question is this: Could I use a smart phone without a data provider? I would use wireless to get data to the phone, and then use the maps "off line" while hiking around. Would this work? I understand that I would have to find/buy/subscribe to a geocaching application for the device. Thanks, Colin