ganlet

the cache was just published so im off to find it.

I'm a computer network engineer so i might not really count but i have my laptop wiht me everywhere. when im geocaching the laptop is always in the car. even if it wasnt always with me. if i saw in the cache page that i would need it, i would make sure to take it along. internet access is another thing because remember wifi isnt everywhere

there is a series of caches being placed in my area following a route that an old stage coach followed. i have been FTF the first 3 caches in the series and i check many times a day for the 4th cache to become available. because of the effort that the owner has put into these caches (giving the history of each location where a cache is placed) i feel compelled to put energy into my log for the 4th cache. so i got a head start. nearly finished it before the cache has even been published. has anyone done, this work on a log before they ever find the cache?

i own a explorist 210 and a etrex vista. my geocaching friend uses a legend. for me its an eternal struggle between the 210 and the legend(i perfer over the vista). they are both very capable. i dont see how you can go wrong.

i beg the battery gods we dont venture into alkaline rechargable batteries

actually its funny. i remember seeing this thread the first time around. since then i have decided to look into gettin my motorcycle license. not just for geocaching but for my daily driving. im lookin forward to better mpg. i would like to be able to geocache in surrounding areas but its so costly. motorcycle or not this is one geek who will never give up his jeep (just might save it for the weekends)

But what you are saying... that's not right in my opinion... Maybe the owner is saying "Once it is Archived, that is the end of logging"... but that is excessive if you ask me. But it is up the Cache Owner what is allowed and not allowed... I fear you are at their mercy. The Blue Quasar As a finder i really appriciate a warning like this. owners seem to have very different opinion on what is appriopriate in a post. some allow photos of the finders with the cache. while others dont allow any descriptive comment about the cache at all.

this is touchy. it all depends to me what the buisness the parking lot is for. i recently found a cache in the back of a banks parking lot. while there is a specific reason for the cache being at that bank i got alot of strange looks geocaching around a bank, no matter how hard i tried to look normal (i didnt take the gps outside of my car just guestimated the distance and direction then pretended like i was on the phone.)

what can i say us californians love being pro enviorment. This topic breaks down to this. there are different batteries for different applications. every battery has its ups and downs. for instance i run NiHM in my GPSr but i use disposable alkaline in my tv remote. like i said eariler not one battery works best in every situation. so use the one most fittin of your needs. if you are concerned about the enviromental effects find your local recycling drop off and make a difference.

"* Since 1993, domestically produced alkaline and carbon zinc batteries contain no added mercury and are essentially mercury-free." http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dshm/redrecy/battery.htm there are many other sites that give you a breakdown on battery types and their enviormental impact. they tend to be considerably better than my above link but i tend to site gov pages for things like this (facts are only as good as their source). my point is all alkaline batteries from usa are mercury free. a side note no one battery is perfect for all applications. some can be tossed away while others need to be recycled. there is nothing wrong with using a battery that needs to be recycled. as long as your responsible. personal note i can't wait till lithium batteries make their way into AA form. (i mean rechargeable lithium batteries)

Ive never thought of naming my gps units, although after this thread i kinda want to. my geocaching friend says my explorist 210 is my baby (not sure i like that. i'll have to give it a proper name sometime. as for all you people who seem to call them something less than postive when they loses signal i tend to strongly disagree. i feel if there is any time to be sucking up that would be the time.

my 2 cents, i own a explorist 210(primary), a yellow etrex, an etrex vista, and an etrex legend. im a firm believer that the yellow etrex which i got on ebay for 57 dollars is as capable as any of my other units. the others have features that i enjoy for instance the ebay 90 dollar legend has a lil nicer screen which i perfer. unless your going for bells and wistles the basic yellow etrex which sells on ebay for 57 dollars will get you close enough to any cache for eye balls to take over. having had a chance to own most of the sub 200 gps units if you have any questions let me know. i personally suggest a used etrex legend (the old bw one) its simple like the yellow yet for the extra 30 bucks major screen improvement. i tend to buy gps units used because they are very durable and you can get a drastic price reduction.

Own explorist 210 (one i use) etrex vista yellow etrex have owned etrex legend (sold it to my geocaching friend, they were so fond of it when i let them use it) 2 lowrance ifinder go another etrex yellow

I geocache with an explorist 210 and i own a few garmins for friends who join me; a yellow etrex and an etrex vista. I picked these units because i first used gps when i would hike long distances in the mountains and durability has always been important. more and more though ive been getting into geocaching and would enjoy going paperless (as much as possible). from what i read on the forums most people who go paperless do so with a palm or pocket pc. my question is are these devices durable enough for hikes. my gps units are the most durable electronics i own. ive seen that yellow etrex live through things that just blow me away.

you did very good picking the legend. between myself and my friend we own the yellow etrex, the legend and the vista. the legend is the best of them all. Im the one wiht the vista and im still regretting it

Ok first off I am a newbie as far as geocaching goes. I dont know this forum very well nor its moderators. Havin said that I have been part of countless forums and IRC channels since as long as I can remember. I agree that monkeygirl didnt deserve the attack that she received but what I find most distasteful is the one who made the comment was a moderator. moderators exist to keep forums civil and organized. They typically should be the ones offering help. Please dont take this as me saying they shouldnt have their own opinion but monkeygirl wasnt asking for an opinion on whether she was doing something good or bad, she just wanted help. if you didnt want to give her any then dont. As far as my beliefs on it (once again im a newbie) I have no problem seeing people being helped on things as long as they note it in their log. I geocache with someone but every time, I log who I was with. I enjoy forums because they allow a window into a specific culture. To see a moderator make negative comment towards a new member is distasteful. thats just me

Ive used the "needs maintaince" once and plan to use it on another cache soon. i used it in a situation where i searched repeatedly 3 times in an area i knew like the back of my hand since i was little; I normally wouldnt do it because i am a newbie and i dont trust my finding capabilities but there 3 others who failed to find it, one of which found 1933 caches. the user who owns the cache also hasnt logged in for months. I did it in hope of getting the owners attention. also its in a mall which i know gets maintained daily. I'm planning on using it on another situation where i searched 3 times (i dont write a thing anywhere unless ive tried 3 seperate times) for a cache that is in the middle of a creek and hasnt been found since the last rain season. this time people who have found it before are unable to find it again. Same user as the one above, hasnt logged in for months. both situations many users had posted notes asking for the owner to please confirm its still there. i only did it to try to get the owners attention. as for when there is soggy log book. i typically replace it, put the old one in a plastic bag and notify the owner.

Was going after "creekside in Carpinteria" and just as I was rehiding the cache police stopped me and asked what I was doing. I did the best I could describing it but they just gave me a blank look. Asked if I had any drugs then searched the cache and moved on.

I see how that works wonders for people who are in a large city where there is a forum for that area. but for people who dont participate in forum or arent responsible there has to be a better way of identifying those willing to help.

I went to run an errand and all the while this topic was on my mind. Its unreasonable to think that the reviewers can catch it all. also it can be a while before the cache really needs maintaince. I guess its a personal issue for the owner, realizing they can't maintain it and hand it off to someone closer. Having said that I like arrows idea regarding an adoption method where someone can submit a cache to the locals. or a simplier idea having a way to identify local cachers who would be willings to maintain a cache for someone who is unable to. the idea is those who get bored with the game or are unable to maintain it have a list of people who are willing to take over their responsibilities. I think arrow had a good idea. I know I wouldnt mind taking care of some of the near by neglected caches. i mean i already add fresh log books when the current one is soggy and new containers when the old ones leak. all im sayin is it could be handy for people if there was some type of way to identify those in the area who would take on caches. this would be helpful for both vacation caches and people who gave up the game thoughts?

I just wanted to say, as the one who started this topic I didnt mean to talk about new rules. I realize the error of my way by titling this "stricter enforcement" instead of more appriopriately "vacation caches" I was curious first off how many of us run into them and secondly how strictly the reviewers are regarding them. I am happy to hear the reviewers point of view and I thank you. I also realize that quite a few of the caches that I run across are from different times before the guidelines were in place. I guess more than anything i was curious how strictly they were enforced and once again thank you to the reviewers who replied

I may be way off base here, but I live in a tourist area and i have ran into quite a few caches that no longer exist and the geocacher who posted them live in whole other states. To them its an annoyance having people complaining. To the geocacher its frustrating. I realize we have a guideline about this but it doesnt appear to be enforced in my area. also I think there is a personal responsibility if you are going to move from an area to have a local cacher adopt your caches so that they can be properly maintained. I realize this is more frequent because of my location but has anyone else ran into this.

oh man im jealous of you people. im sittin here wiht poison oak all over my right arm. its starting to appear on my left arm and else where on my body. from someone that has had it bad a few times you all should be awfully thankful. im one of those that can identify it if i have it infront of me but if im running along a trail well im out of luck.

ok i realize the appeal of cheap gps units for children and that this forum isnt equipment related. but the geko have an accuracy of 49 ft. speakin from experience when tryin to keep track of lil kids its nice for them to want to head it the same direction as you are. also entering the points manually for your kids is annoying. the basic etrex gps goes for 50-65 on ebay, it has both was and pc connectivity. once again only reason im posting is incase a parent is after GPSr for their kids. i own to spare etrex just incase i go wiht someone its just more fun when you have a unit

I sometimes feel the same way. (I'm 10.) My friends are sometimes like "whatever" and not caring, but I like being the only one who geocaches. I realize im a lil old at 18 to reply to ur post but if geocaching was around when i was 10 id so be out there. problem with geocaching is its something u have to get someone to do a few times for them to understand. also its really only fun if they have a GPSr in hand