oobnuker

I started on a 3Gs, then got a 4, then a Magellan Explorist GC, and now have sold the GC and replaced with a Dakota 20. The iPhone 4 + Dakota 20 make a great team.

The Dakota 20 is great. Has the compass and paperless.

If you're bent on buying these o-rings, why not see if the .com will send you a sample for a small cost? Give it a try and then order in bulk if it suits you. What about applying petroleum jelly or something to one side of the container and some RTV sealant to the other? You'll get a custom fit for each container. Or, as others have mentioned, find a different container that doesn't require extraordinary effort to make suitable.

I hate to say it, but I jumped ship. I enjoyed playing with the GC/310 but not ACTUALLY being able to put the maps that I needed on it was making me mad. I reverted it back to a GC and sold it for 85% of what I paid for it 3 months ago on eBay. I put that money toward a Dakota 20 at Cabelas and have been happy with that so far. Honestly, I liked the sharpness of the GC more than the Dakota 20, but touch screen is nice and the fact that I can actually add maps and whatnot to it makes it a winner. I would have stayed with the Magellan line as the x10 series seems really nice, but the 510 is the lowest model that has an electronic compass and was at least $40 more online - and like $70 more in the store - than the Dakota.

I had a similar issue using the Maps4me maps. As soon as I enabled the US NE maps the device rebooted and stuck there. I had to plug it into my PC and hit the reset button to delete the map in order to get it out of there. I tried deleting all maps besides the US NE one and tried again with the same results...

jmgazer - what did you try? I am at the point where I wouldn't mind buying the Digital Globe subscription to get the satellite images on my GC, but it doesn't seem like I can purchase unless I have a device registered with Magellan that is compatible. Anyone know if this is true or if there is a work around. Was toying with the idea of "registering" a 310 banking on the chance that it will just accept whatever serial number I put in...

OK - I did the procedure as described and everything went well! I did some more research and realized that there are all sorts of licensing issues with converting Garmin maps to Magellan, etc. so that seems like it's not really an option. HOWEVER - I did find this site: http://maps4me.net/basemaps/basemaps_explorist/ that has a lot of downloads for Magellan devices. It looks like there is a small yearly fee for downloads over a certain size or something, but it's a start. I am intent on getting satellite imagery on my GC/310!

Not sure if the Garmin maps can transfer over to the Magellan or not but some Googling found that the 310 and up can take satellite maps. This would be a really cool thing to get on the GC. THAT would make the map much more functional for me at least. Like I said, without the turn by turn, the map on the GC is just a novelty. Having a satellite image would make the swaps over to the iphone less frequent when I'm stumped because typically I look at the satellite imagery to get a better idea of where I should be looking.

http://www.gpsfiledepot.com has a pretty extensive selection of free maps. I have loaded them on my old Garmin Etrex Legend CX. I wonder if they would be able to be loaded on the GC somehow. I am going to try the conversion soon. I don't use the map on GC anyway because it doesn't give turn by turn so it's really just a reference - but I have my iPhone 4 so I generally have full mapping and satellite capabilities on that if I need a visual. The GC gets me to the GZ once I'm already in the vicinity. Maybe someone with a 310 will help us out a little...

This seems like a fun diversion! I just started geocaching a few months ago and I want out and bought the GC as a Christmas gift to myself without really knowing anything. I have been toying with the idea of selling it and getting a different GPS unit but I still haven't found anything that justifies the cost of a different unit other than the electronic compass... So until I can find some way to justify the expense, I'm stuck with the GC and this sounds like something that could make it a little more interesting. One question - does the new firmware then enable the other features of the 310 that are missing from the GC? It looks like the 310 has a few features in the navigation area that the GC is lacking. If nothing else, this will get rid of that silly rotary menu in the GC - I hate that!

Marshalls and TJ MAXX have an off brand that is pretty sturdy. Usually like $8 for three sandwich sized ones. They are not the super cheap ones - they are actually pretty tough.

Another thing you could do is go all out tourist or "photo journalist" student. Take pictures. Make it completely obvious that you are hanging around doing something. The bigger the camera the better!

Some snippage has occured for continuity of the coffee shop micro story. I might come off as arrogant, and a cache snob to some, but I ignore caches like that, and the story barely even sounds like the same game I play and call Geocaching. That's how foreign finding caches in front of 15 people at a stop light and a lady parked next to the cache itself at Dunkin' Donuts is to me. So my question is, do you like finding caches like that? Do you like being "stealthy" as the parking lot crowd calls it? I'm big, dumb, and ugly, and not cut out for that stuff. But many people over the years have stated they like being sneaky in public. It's not ideal... I just started in the beginning of December here in CT so I haven't had much time to get out and enjoy longer hikes to wonderful places yet. I also work about 50 miles from home, so with short, cold days, I've been concentrating on just having fun and getting out at lunch and finding some caches. I've hit most of the larger parks in the city that I work in and have even ventured out 10 miles or so from work. It's tough to do anything meaningful in an hour (minus walk from desk to parking garage, minus drive to cache area, and back). I really only have at most 40-45 minutes if I hustle. It beats sitting on my butt and working through lunch. I'm not going to get home any sooner... I'm definitely not the "stealthy" sort... I'm a big, bald guy, with a goatee. I'm far from non-descript. But HEY, it's just a game right? These inconsequential micros in CT's urban blight infested capitol city are keeping me going for now. Edit: And not to sound defensive...but BoulderCache? I guess that was a truly inspired cache - on private property - must be a different game we are playing indeed. Oh wait! Quick grab at lunch. Hmm... Not worth responding to. I asked you a question. You respond by making a snarky comment after "investigating" me? You want my Foursquare username, so you can keep tabs on me? Yet you responded... Honestly, I would hardly call it "investigating". I was curious about what types of finds you had. Generally speaking, I find it interesting that all of the so called, and often times self-proclaimed, "cache snobs" who have thousands of finds have PLENTY of "those annoying micros" under their belts. And to my surprise (not really), you were no different. Even more interesting was your "quick lunchtime find" was a micro in clear view of someone's house or private property. Granted you have some nice trails and lots of parks (I only went to page 2 - some investigator...) as well. I really don't care. I'm having fun. I'm grabbing the low hanging fruit during my lunch hour in an unfamiliar city and quick grabs on the way home and when the honey-do list allows me, I take the kids out on the weekends and we try to do some more meaningful caching. I take my GPS just about everywhere I go so I can grab something quick if I have time. And really? I had quite an elaborate response. The snarky comment was an after thought... Why so serious, batman?

Some snippage has occured for continuity of the coffee shop micro story. I might come off as arrogant, and a cache snob to some, but I ignore caches like that, and the story barely even sounds like the same game I play and call Geocaching. That's how foreign finding caches in front of 15 people at a stop light and a lady parked next to the cache itself at Dunkin' Donuts is to me. So my question is, do you like finding caches like that? Do you like being "stealthy" as the parking lot crowd calls it? I'm big, dumb, and ugly, and not cut out for that stuff. But many people over the years have stated they like being sneaky in public. It's not ideal... I just started in the beginning of December here in CT so I haven't had much time to get out and enjoy longer hikes to wonderful places yet. I also work about 50 miles from home, so with short, cold days, I've been concentrating on just having fun and getting out at lunch and finding some caches. I've hit most of the larger parks in the city that I work in and have even ventured out 10 miles or so from work. It's tough to do anything meaningful in an hour (minus walk from desk to parking garage, minus drive to cache area, and back). I really only have at most 40-45 minutes if I hustle. It beats sitting on my butt and working through lunch. I'm not going to get home any sooner... I'm definitely not the "stealthy" sort... I'm a big, bald guy, with a goatee. I'm far from non-descript. But HEY, it's just a game right? These inconsequential micros in CT's urban blight infested capitol city are keeping me going for now. Edit: And not to sound defensive...but BoulderCache? I guess that was a truly inspired cache - on private property - must be a different game we are playing indeed. Oh wait! Quick grab at lunch. Hmm...

The last three caches I did were nothing but muggle-mania. I setup my game plan in the hours before lunch. I had three quick and easy caches in sight with a bonus 4th if I had time. I run out at lunch and drive to the first stop: A magnetic set in between two coffee shops. I pull in to the lot and can see the keyholder on the fence - but I am given the stink-eye from a lady who is jibber jabbering on her phone in her car in the spot closest to the fence and there were about 15 cars sitting at the stoplight within 30 feet away. OK - I know where it is, I'll go back for it. On to the next. Half a mile away, a micro in an urban cemetery. I pull in and drive around. I get out of the car and zero in on the cache - a pill container zip-tied to a branch on a tree in the corner of the cemetery. The corner closest to all the traffic. Just as I go in for the kill, a LEO pulls in and drives into a cul-de-sac at the entrance to the cemetery and parks it... OK - again, I know where this one is, I'll get it after. On to the third. Another micro - this time in the woods off the edge of a parking lot in an urban park. No problem. As I drive in the compass arrow swings around and points DIRECTLY at the ONLY car parked in the entire acre lot. Hoping beyond hope that it will start veering off to one side or another, I keep driving. NOPE. The GPS says that the cache is still 250' away so I figure what the heck - I've wasted half of my lunch hour with nothing, I'm going for it. I park a little bit away from lonely muggle and just get out and walk straight into the woods. I make the find easy enough and walk out, hop in the car, and take off. Maybe they thought I had to pee or something - who knows. I was done with the nonsense. I drove back to the first one - the magnetic between the coffee houses. This time all is well and clear. I park in the SBUX lot, walk over to the fence, grab the cache, and proceed to walk to the D&D adjacent. I get a sandwich from D&D and while they are making it, I sign the log. On my way back to the car, I was about to return the cache to the fence pole, but the chatter from 30 minutes ago is now walking out of SBUX with her chat buddy heading straight for the car that is 10' away from GZ. She gives me an even dirtier look this time as she has now seen me once, seen me leave, seen me return, and now I'm walking right past her car... WTF. I head into SBUX and get some coffee with the cache in my pocket. I head out to the cemetery and luckily, LEO is gone so I get that one under my belt. I end up kidnapping the magnetic coffee cache for 3 hours and returned on my way home from work... This time I just zipped into the lot, jumped out of the car and stuck it. I didn't even care who saw me this time.

I often use my GPS as my "cell phone" - my bright green Explorist GC... HAhaha!

I think a combination of caches would be good. Put a few easy ones out there on the farm fence line. Use unique containers or something to make them more than just a park and grab, but easy enough to pull in the folks who are just going to zip through and grab the quick ones. Then place a few more difficult or elaborate ones for the people who have the whole day to kill. You could easily put 5 2/2 caches out there for the numbers runners, and another handful of more interesting caches for people with more time on their hands. Yesterday I grabbed series of 5 caches at lunch that were all pretty easy but what made them interesting is that most of them were in unique containers - a black bird, a snake, a turtle, a spider, etc. It made it a little more fun than just a key-holder on a guard rail even though they weren't any more difficult. I just started in December and the majority of caches that I have found have been P&G's - mostly due to time and weather constraints right now. I work 50 miles from home so often run out at lunch time in the middle of a big city and grab what I can or stop quickly on the way home. Once the weather warms up and it stays light out longer I'll be in for some more involved caches that take me to more interesting places as I'll have more time.

I use them both and think they complement each other nicely. Yesterday I was out in heavy pine cover and while I was using my Explorist GC primarily, I found that due to the interference from the trees the iPhone 4 had a more consistent reading - likely with help from the 3G network. The two work very well together and saved me a lot of bushwhacking. To reduce the risk of damage to the phone, I purchased a Griffin Survivor armored case on eBay for $20 (retails for $50). Google it! Watch the video! It is well worth it. If you can trade the sexy styling of the iPhone 4 for an impenetrable fortress of a case it is a no-brainer. I must admit, every now and then I take it out of the case and get all "awwwwwwwww" about the phone because it really is a nice looking phone and the Survivor adds considerable bulk - but it makes it about as safe as it can be without actually leaving it at home. I have used it without hesitation in steady rain and snow. I have dropped it several times on rocks, concrete floors, etc. Take it out of the case and the phone is MINT.

You can't add maps to the GC unfortunately.

I did not know that at all! I did know I could hit it once and get the slider. Thanks!

I recently bought a Griffin Survivor for my iPhone 4 on eBay for $20. Watch the video - they put the phone through hell and it survives just about everything. It's not exactly waterproof but it is certainly rain proof and extremely protected now. I have dropped it a couple of times while caching and not even flinched. In the past I would just brace for the inevitable broken screen, but the way the screen is recessed with this case, you have to hit it squarely on the corner of something in order to damage it. I love it - well worth $20 for the peace of mind while out in the wild...

Thanks for the response - I figured as much. Like I said, I have no complaints about the unit other than that - so life is good.

As the title states, my backup GPSr is a Garmin Etrex Legend Cx and while I have no major complaints about it, my only gripe is that every time I turn it on, it starts with the backlight fully dimmed and I have to increase the brightness. I've tried adjusting the brightness controls in the setup of the unit for Day and Night, etc. but nothing seems to work. Is this normal behavior? Is there any work-around to make it start up bright? Thanks for any help!

How about short, tall, grande, and venti? Extra Medium? Light and sweet?

I like this one... "Easy walk into the woods if you follow the reflectors. Was going to make this a 2 terrain because there are some roots and loose rocks in the area but bumped it up to 3 because of the bum in the tent."