Your Geocaching Kit

[Scubaman2151]

Well I assume that some/most of you guys have a geocaching kit that you take along with you everytime you go out. What do you have in your kit? Any tools, items or other things you have found help you get those caches?

 

Scuba

[jholly]

Well I assume that some/most of you guys have a geocaching kit that you take along with you everytime you go out. What do you have in your kit? Any tools, items or other things you have found help you get those caches?

 

Scuba

 

I'll show you mine if you show me yours

 

Jim

[+Beaverbeliever]

Well I assume that some/most of you guys have a geocaching kit that you take along with you everytime you go out. What do you have in your kit? Any tools, items or other things you have found help you get those caches?

 

Scuba

 

I will take these items to a short cache run:

GPSr, Cachemate (Palm), Pencil/Pen, TB's, Tweezers, paper (replacement logs), and batteries.

 

I will take the above AND these items on a long cache run:

 

Replacement cache (film can's), scissors, and sometimes, some food.

[+joranda]

pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. You should add fishing line and a magentic. It comes in handy a lot.

[nubb1337]

I take my GPS

 

 

lol just kidding.

 

I take a GPS and a pen.

[+StarBrand]

Depends on the cache and the weather. I generally have 3 different ready to go packs.

 

1 for caches that are a short walk from the car (generally can still see the vehicle) - just a ziploc bag with a few trade items, spare batteries, pencil, pen, duck tape, spare logbooks.

 

1 - fanny pack with first aid ki, all of the above, tweezers, wipes, spare hat, room for water bottle, small flashlight, small ache containers etc....

 

1 - nice sized day pack with jackets, hats - general supplies for a day of hiking and a few more emergency items.

 

I always take my hiking stick.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I'm a kitchen sink kind of guy, I take everything!

 

In my cache bag right now I have:

A roll of camo tape

3 nano-caches with logs and spare logs

3 film cans with logs and spare logs

A 1"x3"x4" Sucrets can covered with camo tape, with a log.

Several sizes of caribiner

Spare full-size log sheets in zip-lock bags

Trade items of various sizes and values from foreign coins and geocaching-related buttons for micros to larger and nicer items for full-size containers. (I rarely trade anymore but most always leave something, and if a cache is depleted I will leave several things).

Any TBs I may have.

Six geocoins for personal trading or just leaving in a cache

Spare batteries for GPS and headlamp

A headlamp

A spare GPS (I use a Garmin 60CSx for primary but carry a Garmin 76 in case it fails so that my trip won't be wasted... it has twice saved the day while on a road-trip)

A pocket knife

Long curved needle-nose pliers

 

That's all I remember at the moment, but there's more in there!

 

In the back of my truck I have two stocked ammo cans ready to hide, several bottles of water, a first aid kit, a tire puncture repair kit and two cans of tire inflator.

 

I can maintain, restock or replace any cache when needed (call the owner first before replacing one!!!) or hide a cache when I find an interesting place.

 

Saturday while caching with friends we found a new city park that demanded a micro at a Veteran's memorial.

 

Monday caching with a friend we found an abandoned coal mine and made a 4-part multi of some interesting features.

 

I took the Be Prepared part of my Boy Scouting seriously!

[+Driver Carries Cache]

I'm carrying a Mountainsmith Lumbar Pack, it contains:

 

Adventure Medical's "Light And Fast - Trail" First Aid Kit

Adventure Medical's Pocket Survival Kit (by Doug Ritter)

Petzl LED Headlamp

Surefire LED Flashlight

Leatherman WAVE tool

CRKT M1 Tactical Folding Knife

2 pair 8 in. hemostats (1 straight, 1 curved)

Spare batteries (for everything)

Bic Lighter

Misc. Swag

 

Carry it with me every day. It's here on my desk at work right now.

 

DCC

[+Trucker Lee]

Spare batteries, spare logs, a couple of baggies, spare pens or pencils. Bag of peanuts in case I run across a hungry elephant or need a quick snack.

[+briansnat]

Here is that I usually have along. This is my spring/fall/summer assortment. In the winter I add a down vest, and a thick fleece pullover and ditch the insect repellent, head net and light fleece vest.

 

[Scubaman2151]

Thanks for sharing guys, its nice to see what some of the 'pros' are caring .

 

Scuba

[+FatherAndProgeny]

So for this newbie who takes a gps, pen, batteries and a couple of trade items do I really need all this or is it just for a "just in case" scenario?

[+StarBrand]

So for this newbie who takes a gps, pen, batteries and a couple of trade items do I really need all this or is it just for a "just in case" scenario?

Better to be safe then sorry!!

[+Miragee]

So for this newbie who takes a gps, pen, batteries and a couple of trade items do I really need all this or is it just for a "just in case" scenario?

You just never know when that "just in case" scenario will appear. Recently, we stopped to do a little multi cache and I finally got to use that mirror I have been carrying in my pack for more than two years.

 

I also have a Mountainsmith Lumbar pack and it is amazing how much stuff you can put in that pack. It also carries two quart-sized water bottles. Other than my GPSr, my Palm m500, my camera, and a pen, for me, the next most important things are water and snacks. Then comes the Leatherman, the pocket knife, tweezers, the mirror, a little First Aid kit, and two headlamps and a flashlight . . .

[+TrailGators]

I take GPS, water, snacks, pen, spare batteries, spare logs and sometimes swag for trading. I used to also take my Palm until I smashed it on a rock a few months ago.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

So for this newbie who takes a gps, pen, batteries and a couple of trade items do I really need all this or is it just for a "just in case" scenario?

You just never know when that "just in case" scenario will appear. Recently, we stopped to do a little multi cache and I finally got to use that mirror I have been carrying in my pack for more than two years.

 

I also have a Mountainsmith Lumbar pack and it is amazing how much stuff you can put in that pack. It also carries two quart-sized water bottles. Other than my GPSr, my Palm m500, my camera, and a pen, for me, the next most important things are water and snacks. Then comes the Leatherman, the pocket knife, tweezers, the mirror, a little First Aid kit, and two headlamps and a flashlight . . .

 

The more I read in the news... stories about folks taking a wrong turn, or just getting lost wandering in the woods, the more happy I am to be prepared. It never hurts to bring along a caching buddy for safety and company. Worst case scenario... they make good survival food (kidding... of course)!

 

DCC

[johngps8]

HI

i bring my garmin Etrex H, My ham radio ( kenwood f6a), knife, water, 2 caches to hide, flashlight, pen paper, logbook, notebook, and batteries

 

JOhn

[+vw_k]

What I carry with me depends on the environment and conditions I'm caching in, for caches in a suburban park or drive bys on a motorway journey I'll usually just take:

GPSr

Pen/pencil

Camera (for taking photos needed to log earthcaches/virtuals and photos of anything interesting)

Tweezers (for extracting fiddly nano caches)

and I usually carry a trade item in case I find something I like, these are usually toy cars on keyrings as the only things I usually swap for are other toy cars! (I'm a big kid and a classic car freak!)

 

If however I wasn't just in my local towns but was somewhere more extreme I'd take all the necessary clothing and safety equipment with me, I'm going to be up a mountain at midnight on new years, so I'll also be taking:

Waterproofs

Spare clothing

Headtorch

Spare batteries

First aid kit

Survival blanket

Food

Whistle

Trekking poles

Water

Map

Phone

Gloves

[+Outspoken1]

Since I mostly geocache in urban-suburban areas, here is what I carry almost all the time:

 

GPRs and extra batteries

Palm with Cachemate to read about caches, hints, etc

Pen - Pencil - TWEEZERS!! (learned this one the hard way - found the cache - couldn't get it - had to come back

Small Flashlight

Card about Geocaching (for muggles)

Camera (I also do Waymarking - but I have had some grandfathered caches that required a picture). Camera if also great for unexpected 'neato' caches, beautiful scenery or unexpected features (like the cache in my industrial area that had ostriches across the ditch--real, live ostriches!!)

Swag

Extra paper to replace logs or write clues or ...

Nitrile gloves (I am a massage therapist and I have to protect my hands)

Little magnet - to see what is magnetic when looking for very well-hidden magnetic caches!

Couple of bandages for little accidents

Cell phone - for emergencies

Oh yeah, extra key to truck (yes, I have locked myself out in the excitement to find a cache)

 

In my truck, I keep hand sanitizer to clean up after looking/finding the cache.

I have some gaiters for late summer when the weeds have dried and are now full of stickers when you walk through them.

A small notepad to write down the cache GC_______ so it is easier to log the finds when I get home

 

Summer:

Add bug wipes, water, hat with brim, compass (some caches go indoors and you suddenly need magnetic north instead of a GPS OR in the woods a compass is a fail proof backup, extra swag to fix caches full of broken toys or golf balls.

 

A friend if cache is in a skanky part of town

 

As others have mentioned, items you need depend on location (area) and distance to the cache. If the cache is in a populated area like a local park or shopping mall lot, then probably all you need is your GPSr, pen/pencil, and maybe tweezers. If you are walking along a bike path or in an open space area, then items increase in relationship to the distance you have to walk back to your vehicle to get needed items! Caches in the woods increase to basic day hike items plus Geocaching specific items. If you are walking out of sight of your vehicle with no natural path (like a sidewalk), do waypoint your vehicle so you can always get back to where you parked! Oh yeah, most important - a smile!

 

Have fun,

Outspoken1

Edited December 29, 2007 by Outspoken1

[+cantuland]

I usually take a car with the back seat packed with things like spare containers filled with stuff and logbooks ready to be placed, a roll of thick wire and bolt cutters for the wire, sometimes a pole that extends to 16 feet long...

 

but for a minimum, a good working ball-point pen and my GPS receiver with freshly charged batteries because I just swapped it out with some dead rechargeable batteries. I usually have that minimum on me at all times. Two spare rechargeable AA batteries fit most excellently in a Kodak 35mm film canister, not Fuji or some off-brand, but specifically Kodak. Don't have Kodak canisters? Ask at the local one-hour photolab for some.

 

-cantuland

[+Bad_CRC]

no kit.

 

if it's a single cache, I just take the GPSr.

 

if it's a road trip, I'll take my old PALM and the GPSr.

 

if I'm traveling to another state on a work trip, or vacation, I'll bring my dell axiom PDA so I can have all the info, and the GPSr in one unit. Very nice, but not too durable.

[+Team Teague]

We have the GPS, our PDA, swag, first aid kit, extra batteries, extra logs (in case we find a cache with a new log) and a few snacks... In our car we keep a loaded new cache container ready for placing).

 

Well I assume that some/most of you guys have a geocaching kit that you take along with you everytime you go out. What do you have in your kit? Any tools, items or other things you have found help you get those caches?

 

Scuba

Edited December 30, 2007 by wavesprite

[+Airmapper]

I used to pack a lot, but now I just take what I'll use.

 

In a GPS Outfitters Large belt case:

GPS

Digital Camera

Spare Batteries

Mini-Mag Flashlight

Lighter

Pens/ Pencil/ Small Sharpie

 

Each of these has a belt case or fits in a pocket:

PDA

Cell Phone

Knife

 

Most of that will stay in the vehicle unless needed, and I leave with the GPS and a pen. If the cache is out of sight of the vehicle I'll take the PDA in case I need the hint.

 

I also have an Ammo box geocache filled with various smaller caches for if I fun across a good hiding place, this stays in the rear area of the SUV.

[+PrincessBTigress]

I just got started a couple days ago (REAL newby here) but things that I take with me, a plastic ziplock bag full of goodies (as small as a ring up to about 2in square stuff), two pens, a note pad (writing down cordnates and clues and spare paper if needed), my husbands GPS, my cell phone, my camera (I'm a photographer, I never go anywhere without the camera).

I keep in my car two flashlights that have already come in handy. And I take along my husband if at all possible, not always good for a woman to be out alone (even if I do look like I can hold my own thereby scaring off most folks) and he is much better at using the gps that I am, it's his and he's a computer geek so technology is his thing.

I'm a total "be prepaired" type so I'll likely add more as I find more. I even keep a blanket and pillow in my van at all times incase I get stuck somewhere when it's cold so I'm sure more will be added!

[CachingWithCanines]

I am a real newbie, too, but I am also putting my kit together. This is the list so far, and keep in mind all this is for emergency reasons. I also Geocache with my dog so I have stuff for that, too, but here is the list thus far!

 

GPS unit

pens

extra log books

5-10 trade items of various sizes

extra batteries

digital camera

flashlight

cell phone

notebook for cache info

water

a lighter

pocket knife

whistle

food(depending on length of hunt)

extra socks(at least 2 pairs)

mirror

first aid kit

hand warmers

bandanas

spare plastic bags

extra leash and collar

2 days worth of dog food

dog bowl

list of emergency contacts and veterinary information, also dog's vaccine record

 

So there you go, there's my list. I am sure it will take a little while to build up thius whole list as I am going out for my first finds tomorrow but this is the stuff I am planning for. Hope this helps! Happy hunting!

~miinganharmony~

[abhllnd]

Dang! I've got some work to do...

 

gps, palm, pen, trade item and sometimes my ipod

 

going to add:

 

camera

spare batts

spare log paper

 

just getting started, most of my hunts are right around town. I plan for the day. If I was heading to a state park to do some hiking then of course...

[Tir19 & GreenTerra]

Many good items mentioned.

I've added a compass (since an unfortunate event I'm too embarrassed to go into ) and check my bearings when I start out in unfamiliar territory.

[+Karen2408]

So far I've only been doing urban or city park caches, so I don't have to take "survival gear" with me!

 

GPSr with whistle attached to lanyard

PDA (Palm Z22)

Cell phone

Digital camera

Overview map of where I'm going that day

Swag

Pen

Zip-loc bags (snack & sandwich size)

Clipboard (disguise! )

Beverage

Duct tape (non-camo), will replace with camo tape when I find some. (Just added this after finding a cache with a hole in the side. Thought I could have done a patch if I'd had it!)

 

Vehicles have first aid kits in them, so until (if) I do a longer hiking cache, I'll rely on them. Don't stay out long enough for batteries in GPSr & PDA to run down, but do have a 12-volt cord for GPSr that I can plug in and recharge on the way to the next cache if needed.

[+SwampFox4Christ]

1. Tire Repair kit w/plugs and 3-16oz CO2's.

2. Rain Suit w/gators, gloves.

3. Medium Breaker Bar.

4. Compass w/g.i. can-opener attached.

5. Four bottles of water.

6. first aid kit.

7. 2+Knives.

8. Pen, paper.

9. Trade Items.

10. Gold & Silver Wire - in case I need to make a really cool Trade Item.

11. 5-Micro caches.

12. Lighter.

13. fire Sticks.

14. Bottled Fuel.

15. Food Stuffs.

16. Para-Cord.

17. Flashlight.

18. Tool Kit - sockets, wrenches, etc.

19. G.P.S.

20. Bible's.

21. Camera.

22. Batteries.

23. Duct Tape.

24. Super Glue.

25. Extra Socks!

26. Cell Phone - when it works.

27. Safety Pins.

28. Fishing line, sinkers, hooks, and spoons.

29. Tabasco.

30. Spoork.

31. Purell.

32. Motorcycle.

Edit: 33. I Use a camping Hammock at home so it usually comes with me in case I take bike off road

I'm forgetting a bunch of stuff, lol.

Edited January 3, 2008 by SwampFox4Christ

[+VO2WW]

In my Geocaching backpack I normally have at least,

Camo tape wound over an Asprin bottle which holds lapel pins

A nano-cache and Bison tube with log and spare logs

A 35mm film can size container with log and spare logs

Several sizes of Lock n Lock containers, one at least stocked

Spare full-size log and geocache sheets in zip-lock bags

Swag items of various sizes including Pathtags and Sig Trade dollars

Any TBs or Geocoins I may have

Spare batteries for GPS and LED Mini Mag, pens and pencils

A headlamp and spare AAA's and small First aid Kit

A Leatherman Super Tool, Cell Phone and Compass

Assorted size Zip Locks, wire, lighter, rope and string

Fold up Folstaff Fly Fishing staff and belt holster

Light weight blaze orange vest and personal protection.

 

In my truck I have a stocked larger Lock n Lock and an Ammo Can ready to hide.

Breakfast bars, several bottles of water and juice, a first aid kit which comes

with the Xterra, a tire puncture repair kit and 12v air compressor, shovel, Ham

Radio, rope and tow strap at a minimum, love that roof storage place.

[+Rattlebars]

 

And, I cannot extol enough the virtues of the smallest lightest brightest flashlight in the world: The Fenix P1D CE

[+voyagersheart]

My kit is a sling bag [one strap backpack that goes across chest] with the following contents in it right now:

 

Garmin ETrex

Extra batteries

camera

car gps

geo-log book [printouts of the clues, logs etc of what i'm hunting]

Zipper bag of my signature "Hearts with sneakers" [get it, I'm voyagersHEART]

Swag bag

zipper bag of extra short pens

extra log books/pages

travel bugs

first aide kit

flashlight

water

snacks

two micros ready to place

one size three cache ready to place

sunblock

sunglasses

 

Oh, and i ALWAYS bring my poles. I have lupus, and those poles have been my lifesavers on many 'poor muscle control' days.

[+We Gotta Hunt]

Great topic

 

I was about to ask this one myself..

 

The wife and I just got started this week.We found our first benchmarker on Jan 1st Had to look under the snow but it was there

 

I'm a firm believer in "Be Prepaired" also..you never know.

[+KJcachers]

hurrying down a small mountain this past week we missed a turn and ended up off course and racing daylight. All we had with us was a penlight so from now on there is going to be a 2D Maglight in the pack. BTw, we made it out with plenty of time to spare but it got me thinking.

[Gforce4]

We have just gotten started geocaching. We try not to carry too much around with us. We cache with the kids, so we keep it simple.

 

We usually take:

 

handheld gps (of course )

 

car gps (just got this for Christmas and totally love it , we leave it in the car though when we go out on foot )

 

Extra paper (in case a log is wet or damaged)

 

pen

 

extra batteries

 

lots of trade items in various sizes (you usually never know what will fit until you get there )

 

extra ziploc baggies (for enclosing delicate trade items or if you notice water/moisture getting into the cache - be curteous to the owner and bag their log until they can get there to do some maintenance)

 

cell phone (I take mine with me everywhere anyway )

 

and last but not least, the printout of the cache, comments, hints, etc...