What To Wear To Cache

[Seekret]

Newby here (or should I say Neocacher?)

 

I'm looking into what other kind of personal gear I need, like hydration packs, hiking shoes, hats, etc. What do other folks wear when they go out? What's the best hydration pack, shoe, do you bring walking sticks? I've taken a few tours around REI and am looking into hiking gear, is that the right place to search?

 

I like the idea of finding caches in open, natural areas that may take me up to 10 miles on foot. Any hints to help get dressed would be great...

 

Thanks!

[geotrouvetout]

It depends on where you go and how long. For hydration I like Camelbak, I have 3 of them. I found $15 hiking shoes at Payless, surpisignly they do the job very well. If you go in deep woods or wetlands with high plants, I would recommand NOT to bring a polartec fleece or similar because they catch sticky seeds and it's a nightmare to remove them, trust me, I tested.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

Unless you have a lot of experience with hiking equipment, you should stick with the basics to begin with and even consider used equipment. A great place to look for discounts is sierratradingpost.com for last years fashions or overstocks you can often get great price cuts. I once bought a pair of Lowe alpineering boots that were way over $200 locally for $46 dollars plus shipping.

 

Basic gear:

 

Comfortable boots / good socks

synthetic clothing (keeps you dry and cool/warm)

walking stick for many, many uses

water bottle & candy bar

small first aid kit

 

That's more than you'll probably need, but start small. You'll discover what you're looking for over time and add to it. Don't forget to check out your local army/navy for great deals on just about every kind of equipment and a good price for stuff that's near indestructable. - F&tH

[+Renegade Knight]

F&H has a good short list. Over time I've got some cache specific gear I carry but that developes over time.

 

For hydration I've had Kelty (came defective) and CamelBack. Of the two the Camelback was easier to fill and clean. The Kelty had the better pack, however since then Camelback has come out wiht some new designs and I'll probably upgade. The Kelty will be retired (with a Camelback water bladder instead of the Kelty one) to one of my kids.

[+Lord Stirling]

REI is a good place to start.

Edited February 22, 2006 by Joy Division

[+briansnat]

It all depends on the kinds of caches you like to do. Since you seem to prefer longer hikes, you're best off with a pair of hiking boots. If you're not carrying a lot of equipment, lightweight day hikers will do fine for most hunts, depending on terrain. Look for a Gore-tex liner, particularly if you choose a fabric/leather boot instead of an all leather boot. There are many good brands of hiking boots. Some quality bootmakers are Scarpa, Salomon, LL Bean, Rachile, Asolo, Technica, Merrell, Lowa and Vasque. Its impossible to recommend a specific brand or model of hiking boot though. Anyone who does is giving you bad advice because what is heaven on their feet may be living hell on yours.

 

As far as a pack, I prefer a hydration pack so I don't have to keep taking it off to get at my water. Right now I'm using a Mountainsmith Approach II (See review here.). A few other geocachers picked one up on my recommendation and they seem to be happy with it. But there are many great packs out there. You just have to decide what features are important to you (e.g. top load or panel load, hydration compatible or not, many outside pockets or few, small or large, single compartment or divided, with or without a framesheet, padded or unpadded hip belt, narrow, or wide profile, etc...)

 

Outside that, if you are a veteran hiker you should already know what to bring. If you aren't you need to read up on the

10 essentials. REI's website has loads of great tutorials ranging from how to select packs and hiking boots to what to do if you are lost here. Its great reading if you are new to the outdoors, and even veteran hikers can learn something reading these.

 

As far as a hat, for me most of the time its just a baseball cap. If it rains, its a Seattle Sombrero. I also like to use trekking poles to help me with my balance while crossing streams and take some of the pressure off my knees.

 

As the above poster mentioned, Sierra Trading Post is a great place to go for deals. But only if you know what you are looking for. There is no substitue for going to a specialty outdoors store (and by this I don't mean Dicks or Sports Authoritiy) to speak to a knowledgable salesperson and try things on.

Edited February 22, 2006 by briansnat

[+wesleykey]

Newby here (or should I say Neocacher?)

 

What do other folks wear when they go out?

 

I have cached in a suit and tie. I don't recommend it to others, though. I have jeans, t-shirt, hiking boots, and a kids school backpack for the gear.

[+Snoogans]

Never wear white shoes to a cache after Labor Day. It's just tacky!

[+CarlfromOH]

I normally wear a tie, shirt and dress pants to work. I also do some caching to and from work. I keep wind pants and a wind breaker, bought at the thrift store, in the car. Depending on what cache I am going after, I can normally use these to do most of my caching. I keep a pair of hiking boots in the car too.

 

I also take advantage of frozen ground. Several caches around here are listed as muddy - no problem when the temps are in the teens.

[+JaySTE]

REI is a good place to start.

 

or http://www.rei.com/outlet/index.html

 

I've gotten some fantastic deals there.

 

JayST

[+Miragee]

Probably the most important thing I take with me, besides my GPSr, my Palm M500 (for cache data), and water, is my walking stick. It has become indispensible. I don't know how I used to hike without one. I finally invested in a Leki stick that can also be used as a monopod for my digital camera.

 

I carry my gear, including the ten essentials and even more stuff, in a fanny pack. It is more comfortable for me than a daypack, although I have one of those for carrying ammo cans when I'm in the mood to place some caches.

 

I invested in excellent-quality Lowa hiking boots and for summer hiking, a pair of Chaco Z-2 Terreno sandals.

 

 

I probably should have had my hiking boots on for some of the hikes I made in those sandals, but they got me to my destination, and they sure are comfortable on hot summer days.

[Seekret]

WOW! Thanks to everyone for all of your help, you are most kind and I appreciate the advice.

 

Although I'm a beginner triathlete and endurance road cyclist, the wilderness is completely new to me and I can't tell you how wonderful all of you are to share your advice!

 

Happy Caching!

 

K

[+briansnat]

WOW! Thanks to everyone for all of your help, you are most kind and I appreciate the advice.

 

Although I'm a beginner triathlete and endurance road cyclist, the wilderness is completely new to me and I can't tell you how wonderful all of you are to share your advice!

 

Happy Caching!

 

K

 

 

If you are totally new to the outdoors consider picking up The Complete Walker IV. Lotsa great info.

[+Airmapper]

Normally I wear heavy pants, hiking shoes (the shoes should come above the ankles), and whatever coats/ cold weather gear needed. I also have a fanny pack for trade swag/ radio/ GPS/ TB's/ and all that good stuff. I have a Wal-mart hiking staff, more for poking around than walking with, it's good for keeping your hands out of places where things that bite live.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

WOW! Thanks to everyone for all of your help, you are most kind and I appreciate the advice.

 

Although I'm a beginner triathlete and endurance road cyclist, the wilderness is completely new to me and I can't tell you how wonderful all of you are to share your advice!

 

Happy Caching!

 

K

 

Hmmm... you must be training for triathlons in a city! Back in grad school (Western PA) in the early 90s, the only times I ever went running with my friend and fellow grad student who was a heavy-duty triathlete, all our running was wilderness and near-wilderness, often thru fields, thru swamps, thru ponds and creeks, across forested slopes, and often downhill directly thru 7-foot tall briar patches! We would end up pretty dirty and bloody after those runs, and would be pulling thorns out of our skin for days afterward while sitting in class!

 

And, how you dress for caching depends -- as others have said -- on what type of cache and where it is. If you are pursuing a cache in a storm drain, a Tyvek bunny suit and respirator my be most advisable; same for a cache in an abandoned nuclear reactor housing, where wearing even a full-body radiation suit may be considered to be under-dressed.