littlegemsy

Thanks. Looking at whether I'll really make use of a dedicated unit or not. Question - for likes of the extrex 20/30 or dakota 20 (if these sort of level are different from pricier/el-cheapy ones), how much work is it to add caches? Obviously on my phone I can just load a pocket query straight from email or search by cache codes etc... with these can you add pocket queries easily, and can you just add an individual new cache or do you have to connect up to do it? Obviously holding several will be easier, it starts getting a pain on my phone if I have too many... Just deciding if the waterproofness/ruggedness/accuracy is actually worth the money for me or if a waterproof/shockproof case for my phone (about £25) would be a better bet for me. I don't exactly do 5 mile hikes into the middle of nowhere and my S2 gets a GPS signal without a phone signal anyway... But it's still not a proper unit... hmm.

Thanks Langy! Was just looking and can get a Garmin Dakota 20 for about £150 online which is touchscreen and looks very nice... I don't think I'd need anything fancier! Not too bad really. http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/2164/garmin-dakota-20 Seems you can add maps etc.

Hmm yea, I notice they don't have a compass though (how I usually navigate when close). Seems a bit of money needs spending to get something decent! Half wondering about just buying a good waterproof case for my phone How good are the base maps, do most people find they need additional maps? Do any come with google maps? If I could stretch my budget to say 150-200 (obviously a bit more but if I saved for longer) would I be in "good" GPS territory? Are garmin generally the best?

After a fell-on-my-butt-and-dropped-my-smartphone-in-water incident yesterday, I'm thinking I should, maybe, consider a dedicated GPSr... My question is, could I get a paperless and at least somewhat waterproof one for around £100? I'm not going to be able to find much more than that unfortunately. I don't really need anything fancy, I'd just like something I could load caches into and go like I do with my phone. Unfortunately I have less than no idea where to start! My phone has survived (somehow..) but obviously submerging it on a regular basis is probably not a great idea Thought I'd be best posting in the UK part and sorry, I know this probably comes up a lot

Ahhh yes, our dangerous british animals. Badgers, Foxes, Hedgehogs and Squirrels - they're all out for blood I must admit I'm somewhat confused by the concept. I think in the UK the biggest thing to fear is other human beings. Actually... that may well be true of places with bears and poisonous snakes too. As for danger in other senses - it's a choice. And very relative. If you're allergic to them, you're more likely to die from a wasp sting than you are falling out of a standard british tree, frankly. Or being ravaged by an angry hedgehog.

I'd assume anywhere between 1.5 and 4, depending how well hidden. The 1 of these I've found was a 3, seemed fairly accurate on average difficulty to others I'd found of the same rating. If it was plain site from a few feet away, it's obviously going to be easier than if pushed in the ground in a tree stump covered by a rock and some natural foliage.

Only those little plastic preform type things. I guess the dog ID tube would be similar to that. 1.5-2ml containers. Any smaller and I'm not sure you could fit a log book in.

It's standard on a lot of review sites and such too, I've always assumed it's because having 10 stars in a row when 5 will do the job just looks untidy. GCAB123 ***** / ***** vs GCAB123 ********** / ********** I may be wrong though.

I can't help thinking jumping stilts (http://www.ghostbikes.com/categorylist/PowerBock-Shop-Jumping-Stilts-Adult-Pro-Jump-Exo-Pro/) would be kind of cool. Not sure if they'r eok "off road" as such though... But if you really can run at 25MPH on them, you could save some money on petrol (gas) too!

Ooh. Or a sign inspector, an insect counter etc. I may just have to do one as an insect counter...

I wonder if I could make a wooden signpost cache... Sliding back or such. Could be a way to hide a small/regular in plain sight. Hey, it's a bit more on topic. I have to say, while I know I've not done many caches, I have done cache and dash ones, including in fence posts, guard rails, a few magnetics etc, not seen one actually on a sign post yet.

Here 49 is geocaching, 50 is canoeing. I would imagine mark they the website/initiative is simply aimed at under 12s.

Seems appropriate. You forgot a smiley for those with geohounds. Of course graduated as to whether they assisted with finding the cache and how much.

I like the easy terrain caches (which most sign posts will be) due to medical problems, some days doing over a short walk isn't possible for me. Fat lump? Somewhat, but that isn't why I can't do the long hikes. These cache types have opened caches up to the lazy yes, bit also the disabled and those who just can't disappear for a day for a hike.

I'm swinging between relieved that I won't have this to deal with... and jealous that you all get to see these amazing snakes! Our little british adders are pretty much harmless, only really fatal to babies and those with pre-existing conditions if they don't get help quick enough, or allergies to the venom. We're talking a 2 foot snake that would rather ignore or actively avoid you than anything. Mostly seen in rocky areas sunbathing Some can apparently be picked up and won't react badly, but personally I'd not see the point in trying. We also have smooth snakes - which I've never seen but would love to, quite rare, and our common grass snakes whose 1st line of defence if picked up is "exuding a foul smelling liquid from the anal vent" or playing dead. Oh and we have slowworms which are legless lizards, but often mistaken for snakes by non-countryside people. Also totally harmless, and typically just slide away. Some will slide about on you if you pick them up though happily (or in the case of 1 I met, if you stay still, come to investigate you!) - probably not the smartest reptile in the world! But so so cute I think statistically our most dangerous venomous creatures are actually bees/wasps - obviously via allergies.

I'm too new to do 10 but I can add some... 1) Tweezers (really for nanos/micros, though I guess also for any other delicate work) 2) A "wet ink" pen - not sure of the technical name, basically the ink is far less prone to freezing then in biros and similar. 3) Pencil (pen failure backup) 4) Tissues/something to dry things

Thanks Blorenges, all sounds good, will look at that link in a moment! Have read about the site but never gotten around to searching for it

Hah brill, love Inca! Probably one of those things that generally you'd need a very patient horse for. But I guess if it was every weekend they'd get used to it? And of course with all the rural country roads, cornwall would be perfect. Still probably costs more to look after and stable a horse for a year than a small car... Hmm. Still, a geohorse would be good, but not practical while I have a geohound.

Thecacheseeker - thanks, I've read that but I couldn't see anything about places where getting an exact will be almost impossible (even the best GPSr will be hurt a bit by tree cover I gather) - I thought averaging made sense! I saw the minimum requirements but was unsure if basically making an area yours was considered rude or anything! TheATeam - that all makes sense. I do have plans for a layby one but it'll still be thought out (and in that place for a reason!) Looking at ways I can hide them seems the fun idea! Yea, my phone yesterday under tree cover got me to about 4 metres of the hide (and of course with the trees the original coordinates may be out!), on most seems able to be accurate to 1-2 metres so is doing a good job for now. The GPS is a tom tom one, portable, the common type in the UK at least (not sure about elsewhere!), I'm 99% sure it has a coordinates option... will double check. T.D.M.22 / power69 - as I said mine seems to be getting me consistantly under 5 metres (so what, 15 feet) away , often nearer - is that older vs newer GPSr in phones? I'm thinking that if its accurate getting me there, it'll be accurate taking coordinates surely? Bluntly I don't have the money for a GPSr, and when my phone is getting me to each one fine it seems a bit of a waste of money really. Is there any other reason (providing you check, double check and triple check!) the coordinates, not to use a phone if it's accurate finding caches? To be clear (because the internet doesnt convey tone!) I'm asking if there's other reasons, not actually arguing fishingmad - sounds like you've had phone success! Think I'll go and nose where I could hide them today, can work through the GPS issue after I've actually worked out exactly where! Thanks for all the replies, this seems a very helpful forum! Gemma

Ok I'm new to the geocaching idea, so I realise this will seem a little premature but I'm thinking of hiding caches (not quite yet, pre-planning!). Anyway, have a couple of questions as the title says. 1) I've seen there's a little bit of... dislike of those of us using smartphones, is it considered bad practise to hide using one? Mine is an S2 and is well within the 15-25 feet average problem radius Ive seen mentioned, most it's getting me within a couple of metres (obviously those being ones with good signal!). I'd plan on hiding with that and double checking the coords on google maps, and in person with my sat nav. 2) Trees - one of the hiding places I'd love to use (actually, 2 of them) signal is obstructed somewhat by tree cover, is it a case of taking the coordinates a couple of times until fairly accurate, and posting that they may be out due to trees (which I have seen posted) or is there a better way? 3) Is it considered bad etiquette to hide a couple fairly closely (maybe 700-800 feet apart)? 1 place I'd like to do 1, basically Id like to do 1 accessible on the path, but the other is one of the wooded ones that depending how I hid it would be a 2, maybe 2.5 terrain. Plus the wooded one I could do a small or possibly regular container, the other would likely have to be micro/nano/the smallest possible end of small if I wanted to make it accessible to disabled etc. Sorry for the 3 in 1 go, just would like to be able to plan a couple to maybe do end of this or probably next month (by the time I bought/decided the things I wanted to use!). Thankyou

New cacher, but the inconsistencies with difficulty ratings are a bit of a problem. If something is a 2 I'd assume that I'd need to look for more than 30 seconds. I suppose that's the issue of subjective ratings!

Is it just me who loves the idea of geocaching on horseback? Not sure it'd actually work out cheaper than running a car though.

I've posted a couple of times but will probably be mostly lurking! I'm a 20 year old female in the UK, just started cashing. I shamelessly am enjoying the cache and dash type ones (although, more the very well hidden ones, not the ones you can see where it is in 2 minutes tops!). May do longer ones if I can though. Not done any swaps yet, may do the odd one though. Anyway, hello all!

While it's not impossible that one truly is a wolf/dog hybrid, 100% of known "wolf dogs" or "half wolf dogs" or "wolf x dogs" are actually just... dogs. Typically it's husky (sometimes malamute) x german shepherd. But a husky x GSD is worth £300, a wolf x dog is worth a grand or so. A bit like how a collie x labrador went from being a £50 mongrel to a £800 "collador". I'd put good money on a DNA test showing it's just a crossbreed My dog is coming with me for caching - staying in the car for short ones, or coming out for any with a walk. The main thing with most dogs is to be confident, firm but not aggressive. Unfortunately, anyone who's nervous of dogs finds those things hard, I do wish people would train their dogs, gives us all a bad name else. And I love dogs but I'd only expect a dog to jump up on command - a 30kg lab jumping up on someone can be dangerous, no matter how much of a dog lover that person is! There should be a range of rabbit scenting products to pop on caches so we can get our dogs to find them Oh also, the llama story is brill! Llamas are awesome, but I think even I'd be a bit shocked for a minute if I happened upon one while out walking one day!

As a newbie to this it'd never occurred to me that people may be bothered if DNFs are logged or not I quite like the nano caches hidden evilly.