Hobo2

Great thank you, everything came through ok, but the logo is upside down. As I look at it, even after cutting and folding it, it would still end up with the logo upside down. I’m I looking at it wrong, or am I dumb?

I have used the search, looked in the "getting started page", and even looked in FAQ, but can not find anything I can print that, more eloquently than I can talk, explains what it is we do, and or how to play. What I would like is a short but sweet explanation, printed on cards or something, that I could hand out to others. I would also like something similar that I could place in each of my caches explaining the rules to others. Can anyone send me in the right direction?

I like this one... cool Hey, do we take our dogs? Where are all the dogie back-packs, then we can wonder freely with our GPS's... sure like the Sam Colt addition.

I like this one... cool

The thread for which this topic started is: New item for a well stocked Geocaching backpack, or http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?act=ST&f=6&t=163178. Forgive me, I don’t know the correct way to post this thread… hope I did it correctly. I know some of you are thinking more should be added, which you can do with your bag, obviously. But (with help from others), I think we have come up with a good "basic essentials bag" that is lightweight and easy to grab. I wanted my Geocaching bag to include some things that would be essential and helpful for the day cacher like me, and to also include some basic safety items, just in case. My intention here is to have a well stocked bag that I can grab on the fly, without much time or thought trying to remember what I will need before I go. Basic supplies for bag are as fallows: GPS unit Camera Small 10x25 binoculars Small first-aid kit Small flint & steel Extra fine steel wool-(good for starting fires) Pocket knife/Multi tool Small flashlight-(that uses AA) Extra batteries-(AA for flashlight, GPS, camera) Bear spray-(when needed) Whistle Small “tin” cup-(for drinking & or cooking if needed) Insect repellent (wipes) Benedryl & or aspirin/Tylenol Iodine pills-(for water purification) Tweezers Small notepad, extra pens & pencils Trading items Replacement zip-lock baggies-(for the caches that need help) I guess I should take a moment and talk about bag types. Please feel free to add any ideas you may have, but remember to think small and lightweight. I have backpacks, and while they serve a function in there own right, they are usually much to big and cumbersome for what I am striving for here. I know there are some smaller kid-type backpacks, which I have heard some of you use, but I personally don’t like them. I find a backpack to be hard to get on and off, and they tend to become like a junk drawer, piled at the bottom with stuff that just ends up becoming extra weight. I like fanny packs, but they tend to wear a sore on the side of my hip if I where them for more than two or three hours. Besides, most don’t have any separate compartments to keep things orderly. Not to mention, I think they just look funny. I also like a bag with a strap, this is what I have and use now. They work well but have there own limitations as well, like; wearing sores on your neck, or becoming lost because your not use to having one with you so you forget to pick it up, which happened to me. And they can become a junk drawer like a backpack can. So I think the winning idea here is a vest. I like the vest idea that ROOKIE49 had. I have a well stocked fishing vest now, I cant believe I didn’t think of using one for this sport as well. ROOKIE49 is right, they are not restricting and easy to put on, lightweight, and have lots of pockets. The best part is, it is hooked to me so I wont forget it somewhere! Moreover on ease of carrying things, my camera, GPS unit, and binoculars, all have cases that have belt straps, this makes it nice for carrying each item separately on my belt. So there we go, everything we need to have a fun day out Geocaching! Again, if there is anything anyone would like to add, please do! Have a great summer caching!

Thank you Fox & The Hound

I have added the new items others have suggested here, plus the tin cup came to mind. Can you think of anything else? Forgot multi tool and Mountain Money, two other good ideas.

I have added the new items others have suggested here, plus the tin cup came to mind. Can you think of anything else?

How does steel wool help you start fires? Steel wool (extra fine, 000) is one of the best fire starters... the kind without soap added. It will light even if it gets wet, just shake it out and away you go. Steel wool can get started easily with flint & steel, or with your extra batteries. Try it, just place a couple D, or three AA bat. end to end, hold them tight. Tare off a small portion of your steel wool stretched out (about a pencil width, no need to have it twisted together just leave it loose), hold one end on the negative end, and strike the positive end with the rest. You will get a spark that will start the steel wool burning quickly. Blow on it as you set it in your tinder, and walla... fire. A little 9v battery works very well too. I've made a couple little 'kits' that contain a fresh 9v, some steel wool in a tiny ziplock, all vacu-sealed with the foodsaver machine. I made the two I have for my own use, but I'm thinking of making more and leaving as trade items. ~k This is a good idea, but I am thinking lite. If we need to carry extra batteries for our GPS units already, which take AA, wouldn't it be prudent and save on weight to carry a flashlight, camera, etc. that take the same AA's? So then learning how to use AA's to start a fire is best, don't you think? But ya, I'll bet those little buggers get the steel wool burning fast!

I am going to add some of these great items (some I already have), to the list above. Then I think I will start a thread and calling it something like: Items for a "SMALL" well stocked Geocaching bag, how does that sound? Or has it been done and people are tired of looking at it so it would be locked?

I appreciate all the help, thank you! I am just wound up is all. I have been on the road for a while, and was looking forward to a nice day out in the field Geocaching. But as everyone knows, nothing works out like we plan, epically for me it seems lately. I was looking forward to placing another cache (I have a great spot in mind), and sending my first coin on its way in this new cache, but now it will have to wait. I spent at least four hours trying to activate the coins I have, but it was a waist of time I fear. Now I need to get other stuff done before the day is over. I will try some other day, hopefully soon. Thanks again Signed Frustrated Hobo2!!!

Here are the coins I need activation codes for: Alvin’s Phone Line PCxxxx 3 2006 Utah coins: UTxxxx UTxxxx UTxxxx 1 2005 Olympic Coin UTxxxx 2006 I Love Geocaching Coin PCxxxx I sure hope you guys can help me find these. The manufacturers I feel are neglectful in not providing the codes up front. After all it is my coin now, give me the information I need so I can use it. I think they want us to come back to there sites so we will see there new stuff. But I don’t care to have this game commercialized, everything already is. This does nothing for me but leave a bad taste in my mouth for there costumer relations, and make me NOT want to mess with the hassle when I buy there product.. Here’s an idea, the first manufacturer that promises to send activation codes along with my coin, is going to be put first on my bookmark list! PS. I did receive some of these coins as a gift (can't remember which ones now), so I am not referring to those kind folks that sent them to me. Its just the manufacturers practices I would like changed. I'd edit the codes out of that right away!!! just list the coin names, not the tracking numbers! I did it but why, what could happen?

Here are the coins I need activation codes for: Alvin’s Phone Line 3 Silver 2006 Utah coins: 1 Gold 2005 Utah Olympic Coin 2006 I Love Geocaching Coin I sure hope you guys can help me find these. The manufacturers I feel are neglectful in not providing the codes up front. After all it is my coin now, give me the information I need so I can use it. I think they want us to come back to there sites so we will see there new stuff. But I don’t care to have this game commercialized, everything already is. This does nothing for me but leave a bad taste in my mouth for there costumer relations, and make me NOT want to mess with the hassle when I buy there product.. Here’s an idea, the first manufacturer that promises to send activation codes along with my coin, is going to be put first on my bookmark list! PS. I did receive some of these coins as a gift (can't remember which ones now), so I am not referring to those kind folks that sent them to me. Its just the manufacturers practices I would like changed.

I am new at this coin business, but I never knew how dumb/new I truly am. I found nothing in GC’s FAQ on coins that would explain how difficult it may be to find an activation code. I foolishly thought I could go ahead and buy some “tractable” coins and send them on there way. Little did I know that trying to find each coins activation code would be such a daunting task… I am still looking. I sent a letter of thanks to each person that sent me a coin, but never kept there e-mails/information. Now I have 6 coins out of 8 that I can’t activate without the code. Two of the coins I received came with the codes inside, big thanks to the folks who do that. But the rest, why are you making it so difficult for me/us? I found the manufacturers list on GC, but now do I have to spend countless hours going through each website to try and find who made my coins so i can get the code? Please send me a short-cut to this task if anyone knows of one. Otherwise I just don’t have the time to do coins.

If a park ranger were to encounter you hacking your way to a cache I think that might be the end of geocaching in that park system. I concur, plus it would leave a fresh and distinct trail right to the cache. I just don’t think it would be a good idea for any of us to go into the forest and start cutting brush… destruction of the environment is hopefully not what we are about. But I do like the knife!

Tweezers, outstanding idea! This is one of the things my bag needs, THANKS! All make a list with all these ideas and post it after a while... just for us Geocachers that want to pack light. I am sure there are a lot more things I could include, but my aim/want was to keep it lightweight, tweezers are just the ticket.

He is trying to express the fact that too many people place caches just for the fun of it, without regard to the rules. If you place a cache, you must be able to maintain it. riviouvevr, don’t listen to the smart as*** here, I know and agree with what you are saying. I have also seen people who have as many as 50 or more (we wont say who), caches. How in the heck could someone maintain that many? Do they spend 50 days out of the year looking after all there caches, instead of out finding some? I have already ran across some caches that obviously aren’t maintained at all. I think you are right, if your not going to fallow the rules by taking the responsibility of maintaining your cache, don’t play the game.

Extra pens and or pencils are a thoughtful idea too, but I prefer pencils though... pens tend to freeze.

I’m intrigued, magnets for what?

Not much poison oak around here, but good idea! As far as that big knife goes, WOW, I don’t know if that’s for cutting foliage or defending yourself. I think if I have to use something like that to get into a cache, I’ll pass. But protecting myself is wise, so I let Sam Colt do that for me.

Great idea!

How does steel wool help you start fires? Steel wool (extra fine, 000) is one of the best fire starters... the kind without soap added. It will light even if it gets wet, just shake it out and away you go. Steel wool can get started easily with flint & steel, or with your extra batteries. Try it, just place a couple D, or three AA bat. end to end, hold them tight. Tare off a small portion of your steel wool stretched out (about a pencil width, no need to have it twisted together just leave it loose), hold one end on the negative end, and strike the positive end with the rest. You will get a spark that will start the steel wool burning quickly. Blow on it as you set it in your tinder, and walla... fire.

I just found something in a cache yesterday that I thought would be a great addition to my Geocaching backpack, so I thought I should share it with you. It is a small box of “Cutter” insect repellent… they come in individually wrapped packets of wipes. I have been trying to think of different items (because I’m a newbe) I may need with me while out in the field, and thought this was a good one. I have not seen the wipes before, but what a great idea. They will not freeze, or expand with the heat and leek, as I have had the spray do. They will also make putting insect repellent on the grandkids easier. I also would like some suggestions you may have that I haven’t thought of yet. My backpack contains: GPS unit Small 10x25 binoculars Insect repellent (wipes) Bear spray-(when needed) Small first-aid kit Small notepad & pen Camera Small flint & steel Extra fine steel wool-(good for starting fires). Pocket knife Small flashlight Extra batteries-(AA for flashlight & GPS) Trading items Replacement zip-lock baggies-(for the caches that need help)

Your own quote of the guidelines helps my case: "This means that we (Groundspeak and the volunteers for Groundspeak) reserve the right to edit/remove inappropriate messages, or to lock a discussion thread. Before taking any of these actions, a moderator will attempt to steer the discussion back to the topic, if this is possible and appropriate". The key words here are "BEFORE TAKING ANY ACTIONS", I just wish it would have been handled this way. I will try to do some research (although this sounds more time consuming than reading a redundant thread), before I post any more threads. I apologize if I came on too strong, but this sort of stuff does rub me the wrong way. Please don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the work you do, I just think it was inappropriate the way my thread was closed without any prier notice. I don't understand what you meant by saying "no big deal to you", but I will let that slide as well. I am done with this, lets move on. Hobo2

Since I am the offender, let me explain some of the reasoning. Yes, there are lots of subjects that will get posted again and again. We look at them in their context. If someone comes into the forums and posts a topic that is asking a genuine question to help them understand or clarify some aspect of geocaching, we tend to let it go and run its course. Lots of those topics tend to be new cachers just needing help. They usually don't run long and fall off the page quickly. In your case, you came in and posted a topic which was simply humor, which is not necessarily a bad thing. You admitted that you started a tangent topic yourself very recently, which was allowed to stay open. This particular "one liner" topic has been done a number of times though. Part of the reason why that original topic has been bumped so many times over the years is because this same thing has happened -- someone thinks they are starting it for the first time and the topic is closed and we link to the existing topic. Honestly, there is no useful information being generated. No one is being helped. It is just comedy, which, once again, is not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of having all of the same additional "one liners" being redone again, you can read through the existing five pages and get all of the stuff that has been posted before. The difference is the intent of the topic. I hope this helps clarify and explain the rationale. Ok, your the boss.