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Do You Have A Geocaching Backpack?

bonnjer

By bonnjer
in General geocaching topics

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Lizooki

+Lizooki

Posted
Posted

I have a pretty big fanny pack that closelt resembles the description of the Subaru pack...minus the name. It also has the lashings on it for strapping on jackets etc.

The belt is very wide....and expands where it meets the pack and is also padded. very comfy....much more so than any other pack I've used (fanny or back).

It typically carries...

Main pocket:

2-GPSr's ( unless they're in use) (of course!) (duh!)

2-palm pilots

2-5 ink pens

2- zip baggies w/ various sizes of baggies in them for repair

1-compass

1-mini-maglite

4-5 "nicer" swag items (bigger than most items)

1-stamp for LB Hybrids

 

small front zip pocket:

1-firstaid kit

2-rain ponchos

tylenol

*these items always in the pack*

 

side mesh pockets:

1 or 2 water bottles.

 

Extra side straps can hold 1 flashlight on each side.

 

I have carried it FULL w/ 2 water bottles and 2 flashlights on log treks w/ no problems.

 

If we need anything else it'll be because one or both of our daughters are along.

We'll just put a backpack on the kid...load it down...drive them to the cache site like an oxcart. :ph34r:

 

Matt :lol:

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Chiro75

+Chiro75

Posted
Posted

I don't have a whole heck of a lot to contribute to this conversation other than a brand recommendation. I used to wrench in a bike shop and we carried JANDD bags. Darn near every bike shop on Earth carries their handlebar bags, panniers, etc, but I've never seen any outdoor stores carry their other bags, which is a shame. I own about 15 bags from JANDD altogether and they are all bombproof and very well thought out. They get the job done comfortably and well, but without all the marketing hype. Anyway, they often have closeouts, discontinued colors, etc available at great prices on their site. You won't be disappointed:

http://www.jandd.com

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SparksWG3K

+SparksWG3K

Posted
Posted

I use a Kelty Blanca 2000 when out hiking and geocaching. It is very roomy and has lots of compartments for storing, well, everything! It even has a water system onboard.

 

Contents:

Extra pair of boot socks for me.

Extra pair of boot socks for Madana (and she needs them!)

Digital Camera

Chewy Bars (at least four)!!!!!

Straight, locking forecepts

Extra GPS batteries

First Aid Kit

VHF/UHF Amateur Radio (Madana has the other one)

Blackberry (because if it isn't in the bag...)

Poncho

Plastic bags

Gloves

and if it is a longer hike some chow

 

An excellent bag!

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Lighteye

+Lighteye

Posted
Posted
:rolleyes: Well, being ex-U.S. Army, I carry the same pack that I have for the last 20 years: my issue ALICE pack/s. I have my large one for multi day trips, and if it is a day trip in the woods, I just drop my medium pack on the frame. If it is urban numberwhore micro day, I use my U.S. Army map bag ;)
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Former Hawkeye

+Former Hawkeye

Posted
Posted

I have my fanny pack from 2000 olympics-well worn since I wear it on bike tours.

 

Cold weather-I have a back pack with a plastic tent hammer and protective edged chisel for freeing frozen containers-works great and doesn't do damage.

In warmer weather I leave my stuff in the car and take my folding walking stick with a bottle of water clipped to me. When riding-A few light things are carried in my bike pack mounted on the rear. I like to carry a spare log book and ziplock bags to help out a cache in need.

 

I can hardly wait to geocache while doing Ragbrai (Registar's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) in July :rolleyes:

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ranger-rob

+ranger-rob

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have (and use) several depending on the situation from a CamleBak "Viper" (lotta water, little swag) to a well-traveled Army LC-2 big ruck w/a lot of pockets (lotta everything!).

In between is a fanny pack, an "El Cheapo" Wally Whirled day pack, and my small (not so well traveled) Army ruck.

I choose and pack accordingly depending on the situation and how much junk I think I need to haul with me.

Edited by ranger-rob
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Mij-aka-Julie

+Mij-aka-Julie

Posted
Posted

I have a basic $10, large backpack from Sam's club that I got a few years ago. In my opinion, it's not so much what kind of pack but more importantly that it is dedicated to geocaching only-part of a long ago New Year's resolution to be more organized. I keep it ready to go which works out very well for us. I have most of the same things others mentioned, but I never thought of work gloves-that is a great idea. This pack is where I keep my binoculars, as we are often hiking longer trails with nice views and interesting birds. One thing I do not take, but recently decided I better, is my cell phone. I do not want to be 3 miles up the Appalachian Trail and have one of my kids call to say they need some money or a ride. I decided I am going to start taking it, but not turn it on! I enjoy the peace and quiet too much to be interupted and if they don't like it, they can come with me and talk all they want and it will be just fine because we will be outdoors, which puts us all in a great mood!

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Dunadan

+Dunadan

Posted
Posted

I keep a Camelbak Blowfish filled with all my geo gear on the back porch. It`s ready to roll on a moments notice. For my upcoming birthday, LadyEeyore bought me a new Camelbak with twice the room. I highly recommend some emergency items. An Air Force Rescue Squadron Huey from Fairchild AFB winched LadyEeyore out of a draw in the dark to the hovering Huey 150` above. This was March 2005. She had been laying on the ground from 2 pm till 9 pm, cold & wet with a suspected broken pelvis. Turned out to be a severly mashed hamstring. But a better space blanket & some hand warmers to place on the carotids, under arms and possibly in the groin area would have gone a long way to keeping her warm after her nasty spill in that icy creek. With a little bigger pack we will be better prepared & I absolutely love the water bladder!

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Night Stalker

+Night Stalker

Posted
Posted

For the majority of my adventures I use a fanny pack that I bought at the Army Surplus store. It has a pocket on each side for a water bottle. I actually use one of them for a water bottle, but the other one is just perfect for holding my PDA.

 

for those back country adventures I have a large Camebak pack with a 3 liter blatter. It holds everything including my pistol.

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[RR]Macavity

[RR]Macavity

Posted
Posted (edited)

Right now, I use a military-surplus mailbag for my essentials bag - I call it an "essentials bag" because I take it with me everyhwere I go - with a cell-phone pouch attached to the strap (which is where I keep my GPSr).

 

The gear I have in it is:

 

*Garmin Geko 101 GPSr

*Converted Strathmore sketchbook/journal (I hot-glued some stuff to the cover and painted it)

*Military-surplus Type II Jungle Hat (aka "boonie hat")

*Small Sterilite tub with chocolate-covered coffee beans

*30GB Creative Labs Nomad Zen Xtra with plenty of music

*Driver disc & USB cable for the Nomad

*Combination stick radio/flashlight (mainly for weather reports)

*Black pen/mechanical pencil

*Small trade goodies

*Spare AAA batteries for stick radio/GPSr (both alkaline & NiMH)

*Cell phone

*Battery charger

*Power adapters (cell phone & Nomad)

 

I'm hoping to be able to pick up a Grundig 100 FM/AM/shortwave receiver and a Mini Maglite soon.

Edited by [RR]Macavity
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All4OfUs

+All4OfUs

Posted
Posted

I have a REI Singular Shoulder Pack. It is pretty much packed at all times. It holds pen, cache descriptions, compass, gps, swag, wallet, cell phone, and depending on where we're going, sometimes snacks and water. Dh gave it to me for by birthday a couple of years ago and it's great. I love it! :ph34r:

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countrycachers

+countrycachers

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have a Mountainsmith Bugaboo from that is about 2000 cu.inches. It is more or less my ultimate cache-sack. It holds all the safety essentials, geocaching essentials, raingear, fleece jacket, and enough room for food, enough water and anything the kids might like to play with. I can certainly bring this bag into the woods to cache, but as noted, most of the caches around Iowa are within a miles walk, and this is overkill. So also in this bag is a Mountainsmith Lumbar Pack, maybe 12L. It can be worn arround my waist, over the shoulder with a detachable strap, or if you purchase other straps, you can wear it as a backpack. I used this to summit Long's Peak, a 16 mile round trip. There is ample space for food, 2 pouches for nalgenes, caching essentials and rain gear. I think of my big bag as my storage bag that I keep in my car, and my Lumbar Pack as my "pack as needed" bag. This system has worked out really well. I'm prepared for any short hike to a day's hike. Overnight's are obviously a different story. B)

Edited by cacheconsultant
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TEAM RETRIEVER

+TEAM RETRIEVER

Posted
Posted

I just ordered the Mountainsmith Approach II that "briansnat" spoke off. It should be here in the next day or two. As soon as it arrives, I'm planning a 12 mile hike with caches along the way. Be a good test for the pack! B)

 

"Briansnat" should get some reimbursement from Mountainsmith, since his review has sold a few of these packs to geocachers!!!! LOL!

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted

I just ordered the Mountainsmith Approach II that "briansnat" spoke off. It should be here in the next day or two. As soon as it arrives, I'm planning a 12 mile hike with caches along the way. Be a good test for the pack! :)

 

"Briansnat" should get some reimbursement from Mountainsmith, since his review has sold a few of these packs to geocachers!!!! LOL!

 

Hey, where'd you find it? Its a 2005 model and it seems most places are sold out of the mens model.

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TEAM RETRIEVER

+TEAM RETRIEVER

Posted
Posted

I just ordered the Mountainsmith Approach II that "briansnat" spoke off. It should be here in the next day or two. As soon as it arrives, I'm planning a 12 mile hike with caches along the way. Be a good test for the pack! :(

 

"Briansnat" should get some reimbursement from Mountainsmith, since his review has sold a few of these packs to geocachers!!!! LOL!

 

Hey, where'd you find it? Its a 2005 model and it seems most places are sold out of the mens model.

 

Brian,

 

Sent you an e-mail through the geocaching website. :)

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CJOttawa

+CJOttawa

Posted
Posted (edited)

I've had a bunch of packs in the past but recently switched to a "fast and light" for caching.

 

It's a Gregory "Stimulus" designed as a deluxe Camel-back holder but it's got great storage for swag, extra batteries etc. So small you barely notice it.

 

Stimulus05_l.jpg

 

http://www.gregorypacks.com/prod.php?ID=63

 

Contents usually includes...

- a Rites-In-Rain notebook or three (may leave in a cache if it's log is filled)

- multiple pencils/pens

- micro-swag (metal lapel pins mostly)

- a few micro-cache containers

- water bottle or bladder

- several geocaching brochures to educate curious muggles or the muggle-fuzz

- flashlight or two (LED & a Streamlight Scorpion)

- cell phone, wallet, keys (otherwise in my pockets)

- 4 extra AA NiMH batteries, fully charged (Maha/Powerex)

 

The GPS may be in the pack if I'm cycling.

Edited by af895
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wheetree

wheetree

Posted
Posted

I'm currently using a courier bag that was a freebie from an Army recruiter. I have a better one a Navy recruiter gave me (fringe benefits of being a DoD employee), but haven't taken it out of the package yet.

My ALICE is buried in a box somewhere in the basement.

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Sevilon

+Sevilon

Posted
Posted

I have a Mountainsmith backpack as well. I have had it for a few years now, and I like it.

 

I am thinking of buying each of the kids a fanny pack as well, with a few "just in case" supplies in it. Now that we are hiking further with them, I'm thinking this might be a good idea.

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hummingbirdkiss

+hummingbirdkiss

Posted
Posted (edited)

I am such a newbie here so if you think I am carrying too much or not enough tell me please!

 

to start I am using the same butt pack I use for mushroom hunting..I suppose it will be ok?...it has the 10 essentials in it (more or less) for day trips... my GPS, pepper spray, cell phone and pocket PC and a wad of latex gloves with a trash bag so I can pick up and haul out what other people think is ok to leave behind :anitongue: and swag of course :rolleyes: I have been hiking and backpacking most of my life ...I am of the belief less is more when it comes to carrying stuff ....so if someone comes with me I check out what they have and never duplicate items ...except when it comes to the water ...I drink a lot!!!!

 

my butt pack is a boring generic one that works well and holds just what I think I need ...

 

 

I am so excited about this new passion!!!!

Edited by hummingbirdkiss
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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted

I am such a newbie here so if you think I am carrying too much or not enough tell me please!

 

to start I am using the same butt pack I use for mushroom hunting..I suppose it will be ok?...it has the 10 essentials in it (more or less) for day trips... my GPS, pepper spray, cell phone and pocket PC and a wad of latex gloves with a trash bag so I can pick up and haul out what other people think is ok to leave behind :anitongue: and swag of course :rolleyes: I have been hiking and backpacking most of my life ...I am of the belief less is more when it comes to carrying stuff ....so if someone comes with me I check out what they have and never duplicate items ...except when it comes to the water ...I drink a lot!!!!

 

my butt pack is a boring generic one that works well and holds just what I think I need ...

 

 

I am so excited about this new passion!!!!

 

I think that's a good start. I might add a small first aid kit. It all depends on the caches you are hunting. If you're going deeper into the backcountry, you should be prepared to spend the night if necessary. For suburban and urban parks, you need a lot less.

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hummingbirdkiss

+hummingbirdkiss

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

I think that's a good start. I might add a small first aid kit. It all depends on the caches you are hunting. If you're going deeper into the backcountry, you should be prepared to spend the night if necessary. For suburban and urban parks, you need a lot less.

 

thank you so much for responding I do have a minimal first aid kit with the "10 essentials"

 

and you are right I wander off all the time and should be hooked up in case I end up having to spend the night someplace!

Edited by hummingbirdkiss
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oldsoldier

+oldsoldier

Posted
Posted

I use my old Blackhawk 3 day assualt pack, leftover from my military days. Has a hydration sleeve, and can hold a ton of gear, more than I'd need caching. I usually pack a "ditch pack" in the winter, and leave in my jeep; bivy clothing, food, extra flashlight, etc, in addition to all my caching stuff I keep in there.

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Team Webguy

+Team Webguy

Posted
Posted

We started out using a day pack, but, it tended to attract too much attention when doing more urban ones like parks and city ones, so, we now use a medium sized fanny pack. Obviously we can't fit much in, but more than enough swaps go in, a torch, the palm, a compass etc.

 

If we know we are going to a big sized cache, we just carry the larger sized swaps.

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SUp3rFM & Cruella

+SUp3rFM & Cruella

Posted
Posted

Medium-sized backpack containing:

 

- A Swiss Army Knife (no, it's not GSAK, it's only SAK!)

- Usual swag (for kids and grown-ups)

- Plastic bags for CITO

- Ziplock bags for logbooks

- Couple of logbooks

- pencils & pens

- Couple of flashlights

- Lots of batteries

- Pair of gloves

- A micro and a regular cache ready to be deployed. :)

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rbrugman

rbrugman

Posted
Posted

I use a Walmart "Outdoor Equipment" hiking backpack I picked up for $29.95. Big enough to hold an ammo box, plenty of pockets and has the ability to use the bladder out of my Camelbak for water. Sometimes when my brothers don't feel like going with me, I venture out alone so I bring quite a bit of stuff just in case I should get lost, injured or stranded.

 

In/on my backpack I have:

 

GPS (Garmin GPSMAP 60Csx)

Map of area (currently unused but worth the weight of the paper just in case)

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife that I purchaced in Austria because it was cheaper than Switzerland :rolleyes:

Military Surplus foldable shovel (sometimes)

Princeton Tec Apex Headlamp

Digital or desposible Camera

Maglite non-LED flashlight

12-16 Energizer 2500 mah rechargable batteries

Polarized sunglasses

Silva Polaris compass (useless in some areas where I live due to large iron deposits)

Cell phone

Swag

Extra ziplocks, logbooks, pencils, pens

Camo Duck Tape

CITO bags

Bug spray

Small survival/first aid kit

Motorola Talkabout radio

 

I think that's about it. In the winter there are a few additional items:

 

Snow shoes

Polarized ski goggles

Heat packs

Extra socks & gloves

 

If I'm on my bike in town I pack a lot lighter and usually just bring my camelbak, gps, compass, cell phone and a couple items for caches.

 

Robert

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