msrubble

A "neck gaiter" is what Woodlit is suggesting.

A nontechnical suggestion for those of you getting ready to jump in: consider inviting a local cacher to go with you on your first outing. Is there a geocaching organization near you? Or has someone hidden several of the caches near you? Or has someone recently found several caches in your area? I think that many cachers would be glad to help a newcomer get started.

You could also show the property owner a cache listing. On every page, there is a warning symbol before the description, and a notice that to use the web site, cachers must agree to the disclaimer. The disclaimer says in larger, bold type:

Sure, I like to see if later finders take what I left in the cache. That gives me an idea of what swag other cachers like to find. But if cachers are swapping several items at a time, all that detail could be tedious for them. In that case, I think the short explanation in the first post is almost perfect. I would prefer to have a general idea what you left; just saying, "sig item," is not enlightening. So something like, "Swapped toys, left temporary tattoos and our beaded hemp bracelet."

Stash note. If it's not a micro: pencil, pencil sharpener, maybe a pen.

A mechanic's pick-up tool can come in handy. Like the extensible magnet but with little claws on the end. I don't take it with me to every cache, but I keep one in the car. I have not encountered a situation yet where the magnetic version would have been useful. YMMV. Sometimes Channel Locks are useful but, again, not to lug to every cache.

It sounds like good swag to me. But if it is all "Catholic" swag, people are likely to get the impression that you have an agenda. More so than if you set out a themed cache that was all one soccer team. Think of how a non-Catholic, maybe with young children, would react. Some kinds of swag could fit the theme without seeming to push an agenda. The FTF prize of a cookbook, for example. Maybe postcards or bookmarks or refrigerator magnets with photos of the church. Some of the prayer cards might be attractive to other Christians or even people of other faiths. Maybe the best approach would be to have a mix of trade items. Some for children, some for adults, some swag with no religious connection. You can certainly say that the cache is starting out with some swag that fits the location and that you think Catholics will like. If you as the cache owner are willing to visit periodically to make sure that there is always some special Catholic swag, you should say so. The main goal is a rewarding experience for visitors. If a good proportion of the swag is not Catholics-only, and especially if you are willing to restock the cache with special items, I think cachers in the area would appreciate the theme and not feel as if the cache owner is proselytizing.

Have you seen a Mr. Magneto? It's a round metal container about the size of a fingernail, is magnetic, and unscrews to reveal a narrow scroll of paper. I am under the impression that "blinkies" are very similar, perhaps the same thing.

Oops, Papa-Bear-NYC was faster. Never mind.

Think about small inexpensive items that you would like to find. Also, what would children like? Some things people are glad to find because they are useful at the time. Some cachers take their dogs with them. They might like dog toys. When I started caching, I was looking for a new keychain. I would be happy to find a WheresGeorge dollar, pen, local map, fresh batteries. Seasonally: insect repellant wipes, hand warmers. Depending on weather and cache: moist towelettes, emergency rain poncho. Some ideas to get you started for children: toy car, play jewelry, travel games, kaleidoscope.

The GO is a good basic unit. How will you stand it until the 31st? Maybe you could look for benchmarks while you're waiting.

Welcome, welcome. I think it is safe to say that caching is even more fun when you are well. Meanwhile, maybe there are some easy ones nearby that will let you have the fun of finding without pushing yourself too hard physically.

I don't know what format BeeLine prefers. Here's a web page that converts between various formats for coordinates. There is undoubtedly software that does the same thing. ddd.mm.mmm (which gc.com uses) to ddd.ddddd (which some mapping sites use), and vice versa is fairly easy. Anything involving degrees minutes seconds is more complicated. Minutes divided by 60 gives the part of decimal degrees following the decimal point. So 30 minutes divided by 60 gives .5 degrees. To go the other way, multiply the partial number of degrees by 60. In other words, include the decimal point. .25 times 60 gives 15 minutes.

Own: keychains Found: baseball carabiners fishing

If the cache has been "temporarily disabled" for more than 6 months, give reviewer Surfer Joe a heads up. He's been contacting owners of long-disabled caches. If you are certain that the cache will not be reactivated, you can post a "Needs Archived" note with your reasons. Or you could contact the owner if you'd like to "adopt" a cache.

Shaped to fit the pipe (and disk).

I have placed a keychain-themed cache myself. Others I have seen, not yet mentioned, are a fishing cache and an all-carabiners cache.

Some descriptions of Minnesota Department of Transportation survey markers end with a note saying something like, "The rod is encased in a 6-inch PVC plastic pipe that is flush with the ground surface." For example, COSP RM 3 (QP1160). Does this mean that: The pipe is conformed to the rod. The pipe is conformed to the rod, and the disk is covered. The rod is driven approximately in the center of a pipe. I haven't found any benchmarks that MnDOT or the NGS say are encased in PVC pipes. I have found two that are approximately centered in PVC pipes. I think it would be worth mentioning in the description, if Option C is what is meant by "encased." One of them can be spotted from across the street.

Welcome, upto0013. I am new myself, and have not tried my hand at geocaching in winter. I am counting on being able to get to some caches more easily in the winter. If the lake or river freezes over, one might not need a boat to get to a cache on an island. If it's a reasonably short walk to a cache, bugs won't be a problem. If fewer people use an area in winter, there is less need for stealth. Do you know about the Minnesota Geocaching Association?

Mr. Magneto. When people talk about nano caches, this is often the kind of container used. Pog tube: Sorry, don't have a picture. If you were not a child of the 90's, think in terms of a prescription pill bottle.

If it were me, I think I would start small and try it with one class or a Scout troop and see how it goes before inviting the general public. Or you might invite the class and their families. For other cachers who might help out, is there a college near you? Maybe they have a geocaching student organization, or outdoor activities staff. How about a sporting goods store? Salespeople might be willing to demonstrate their GPS units.

Hi, Bouwman. I've got an eTrex Legend too. From the screen that first pops up (probably the Satellite Page), you want to go to the Main Menu page. Then go to Setup. It's in the lower left. On the Setup Menu, choose Units. The first two things in the list are what you should look at. Position Format should be set to hdddºmm.mmm' for geocaching. That's the format geocaching.com uses. Also, on the next item down, please verify that Map Datum is set to WGS 84 There are other datums that you might see on printed maps, but geocaching.com uses WGS 84.

There are two parts to your comment/question. The first is the type of things found in caches. The first cache you found seems to have started out with nothing for the kids, and now it is all children's stuff. This is why I usually carry two things with me for possible trades, one that kids would like and one more appreciated by adults. If I see that the cache has nothing for children, I'll take the car dealer keychain or 1st State Bank pen and leave the trade item I brought for kids. And the other way around. If it's all McToys, I'll take one and leave something an adult might like finding. If the quality of the contents is disappointing, you could always make it your project to leave a cache a little better than you found it. The second part of your post was about what to leave in your cache for visitors when you place your own. Something to remember the cache by sounds great. People are not going to pay, though. If it is in a scenic area, maybe a photo keychain or photo magnet. Or something cachers would find useful, like a pen or pencil.

GPSr pen swag cache repair kit cell phone I sometimes also carry one or all of: mirror flashlight memo book printouts trash bag disposable gloves

How do you feel about photographers? Artists? Amateur genealogists? Any of these might be engaged in recreational activity in a graveyard. If geocaching in a cemetery feels uncomfortable to you, don't do it. As for other cachers (and photographers, etc.), one can hope that they are sensitive to the purpose of a cemetery.