[First day Caching!]

Congraulations! This is such a wonderful way to spend time away from the TV and get enjoy nature and other humans (spouses, kids, friends, whatever)! Is it just me, or have most people never heard of geocaching? My husband thought it was a boring...he said the same thing about wine tasting (which he now enjoys)

Fast forward to Tuesday; we went to Big Bear! Wow what a wonderful NEW way to experience places you've been to before. We each found one cache, and yes my husband had LOTS of fun!

Thank you Big Bear Cachers!

 

I took my 12 yo daughter today for our 1st time. We didn't find anything but she is still game to try again. Once we get the hang of it we will get the boys involved (teen son and DH), who don't have a lot of patience for trying things

[NEWBIE! Most important items to carry with you]

This is a great thread!

[How important is an electronic compass in a GPS? And do I need any other hardware?]

Thank you so much for all the replies! I have never used a compass at all of any kind, LOL, and won't be venturing off in the wilderness anytime soon so I will think about it and hopefully get one for Mother's Day!

[How important is an electronic compass in a GPS? And do I need any other hardware?]

I have been lurking a lot and reading here and am ready to jump into Geocaching! I have narrowed my GPS choices to the GarminLegend HCx and the Vista HCx. I did a side by side compare at the Garmin site and it seems as though the Legend is slightly cheaper, but the Vista includes an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. How helpful is the compass?

 

Also, I already have a car GPS so I do not need to worry about using my handheld for that purpose other than when geocaching. Will I need any other "stuff" or can I just take the GPS out of the box, charge it, enter my caches and hit the road?

 

Thanks!