Cost of geocaching

[+Downrigger1]

With the advent of outrageous gas prices how much does our sport cost you? I figure I spend about 5 dollars on every hide and close to that for every find. Maintenece in our area so far, on my 10 hides, 2 maitenence visits ( 1 muggled and 1 vandalized) in 3 months is averaged to about 1$ per cache over 3 months or 4$ per cache per year. That isn't too bad for something I love to do, certainly cheaper than going out to eat twice a week! I know our caches aren't too far away and some of you have huge distances between caches so where are you caching and how much do you spend on hiding, finding, and Maintenece? I'm in the upper midwest.

[+Team GeoBlast]

With the advent of outrageous gas prices how much does our sport cost you? I figure I spend about 5 dollars on every hide and close to that for every find. Maintenece in our area so far, on my 10 hides, 2 maitenence visits ( 1 muggled and 1 vandalized) in 3 months is averaged to about 1$ per cache over 3 months or 4$ per cache per year. That isn't too bad for something I love to do, certainly cheaper than going out to eat twice a week! I know our caches aren't too far away and some of you have huge distances between caches so where are you caching and how much do you spend on hiding, finding, and Maintenece? I'm in the upper midwest.

 

Breaking Geocaching down to cost per increment like this is something I am not willing to do. It is mostly because I don't want to know.

[+NOV8TR]

By design, all my cache hides are within walking/bicycle distance from where I currently live. Also on weekends when I cache, I ride my bicycle about 80% of the time (great work out). When I geocache in the car, it is useually on the way to some other destination (dinner, movie, visiting friends, etc..). For the long distance cacheing, I ride my motorcycle which gets better than 40 MPG (if I keep my front wheel on the ground and the road is not too fun!). So, my cost to geocache is pretty low. maybe $20 a month? All my cache containers are recycled items, so so far I have spent nothing but my time (and that is fun stuff anyway!).

[knowschad]

It costs a lot less than many other pasttimes. Consider downhill skiing... for that matter... have you been to the movies recently?

 

I've been taking some time off from caching recently, due to some Achille's tendon issues. I've been finding that I'm actually spending a lot MORE money in attempts to alleviate my boredom than if I were out caching.

[+briansnat]

A lot, but it's worth it.

[Skippermark]

I don't it effect me, but I do try to find more at each location so I'm not going somewhere to get just a few finds.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Per knowschad, if you weren't caching what else would you be doing? unless the answer is just staying home, I'd guess caching is cheaper than most pastimes.

 

We used to cave dive, which involves as much driving as caching, and trust me, equipment costs >>>>astronomical.... with no wiggle room. If your gps is getting wonky, you might miss a find; any part of your cave diving equipment fails, it could kill you.

[+angelashley1018]

Well it does cost money, dont get me wrong though there are a lot of ppl out there that dont spend a lot of money on it. A lot of times you will find trade items in the cache that cost like 5 cents. If your not going to get right into it, and not buy the coins, you can keep your costs pretty low. Yes gas costs money and its really not cheep, but if you do your caches while on other erands (visiting friends, going to the lake, shopping) You will greatly reduce your cost of gas. Overall its what you put into it that matters. If you dont want to spend much money on it, then you wont be going out much and you wont find many caches. If its something you love you will be dying to go out and do it. It really comes down to how you feel about caching. For myself it gets me and my family outside and away from the TV. Its something we can all do together and we all are enjoying each other a lot more lately because of it. We also plan geo caching days. Just like you would plan to go to the lake for the day we plan the day for caching. Just pace yourself and only do what you can afford.

Edited July 14, 2008 by angelashley1018

[+wheezor]

We visited an amusement park a couple weeks ago and for a few hours of fun it cost $110.00 plus food and snacks. Needless to say it was an expensive afternoon.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

As I have said before in past threads devoted to similar topics, I feel that geocaching is a very inexpensive sport, and particularly so for me. On the other hand, if someone feels the need to compulsively drive hundreds of miles per week to find more and more geocaches, and/or needs to keep buying the latest and most expensive GPSr and handheld PDA technology, then I am sure that the costs can add up!

[+wapahani]

We visited an amusement park a couple weeks ago and for a few hours of fun it cost $110.00 plus food and snacks. Needless to say it was an expensive afternoon.

 

The cost of gas does effect the general majority of the population, thus affecting geocachers.

Some live in locations that don't have caches in nearby locations. So travel is a must.

 

We decided not to even go out caching this weekend because of gas, but that was our choice and other things got done! Sometimes its not all about caching, or is it?

[+brodiebunch]

We go geocaching on weekends but not every weekend.

 

Luckily we both take the bus to work during the week so we really only use our cars on weekends and we try to incorporate errands into our trips too, the same with maintenance or emergency cache replacement.

 

I think the alternative is worse: Sitting at home surfing the web or watching TV. UGH!

[the3gmen]

I am lucky enough to live in a cache rich area (New England) so I can fairly easily find destinations within 50 miles where I can grab 5 to 10 caches with minimal driving once I get there.

 

Caching is pretty much my only hobby that costs much so It hasn't gotten to be a problem yet.

[+TNgeopals]

Being pretty new to this the only major expense I have had thus far is the purchase of a gps. I have eleven caches under my belt at the moment so I have not been out much. I am doing this with my 2 young grandkids, so when I think of the alternatives that cost money, this is pretty inexpensive.

 

Look at it this way, a family of four or five can go in one vehicle. You can take along your own snacks and drinks. You set your own pace for the day. That is pretty inexpensive compared to going to the movies for a couple of hours or to an amusement park. I think this is money well spent.

[+ShowStop]

I try to keep my gas costs to $0.50 or less per find. Thats usually obtainable, but with 200-300 finds a month, it still adds up in the long run.

 

My hides can average from $1.00 or less for micros and $10 or so for ammo can hides with good swag.

[CacheCoeur]

"For myself it gets me and my family outside and away from the TV. "

 

That's priceless

[+Harry Dolphin]

As previous posters remarked, you do what you feel like doing within your budget. I'd rather be out caching than sitting home rotting in front of the TV. And costs will vary depending on what you want to do.

Examples: Went into the city Saturday to see the waterfalls. 35 miles each way at 35 MPG = $7.96 in gas. The guagua is $2.50 each way. Two trips on the subway = $2.00 each way. Saw the waterfalls! Searched for four caches, found one. You could say that that cache cost me $14.93. Geocaching was secondary to seeing the waterfalls. We returned Sunday to work on stages for two multicaches. (One has 26 waypoints!) Another $14.93, with no caches found. Did locate 13 waypoints, though!

Our recent Geocaching Invasion of Maine... The maine idea was to help my sister on the Maine DeLorme Challenge. Five hundred miles each way. Four nights in motels, and meals. Twenty two DeLorme pages. One hundred thirty caches. Probably ran us about $500 each. $3.85 per cache. Colored in Canada and New Brunswick on my map. Priceless! That includes the hour and a half ferry ride (each way) at $14 round trip, to Vinalhaven to get a cache on that page.

Early in my geocaching career, my sister and I did the Presi Transverse. We were still working on hiking the AT then. (We have since given up. I've hiked half the AT.) With four nights in AT Huts (they're expensive!) That probably ran about $500 each. I think I found five caches on that trip. So those were about $100 each. But the main import was the Presi Transverse, and nine of the NH mountains over 4000'.

On the other fin, we did fourteen caches a previous weekend. All within five miles of the home coordinates. Those probably cost us about ten cents each.

You do what you enjoy doing. Figure your budget, and plan accordingly. That's sort of what life's all about.

So: The Cost of Geocaching? Anywhere from $.10 to $100 per cache.

[+Royalott]

With the advent of outrageous gas prices how much does our sport cost you? I figure I spend about 5 dollars on every hide and close to that for every find. Maintenece in our area so far, on my 10 hides, 2 maitenence visits ( 1 muggled and 1 vandalized) in 3 months is averaged to about 1$ per cache over 3 months or 4$ per cache per year. That isn't too bad for something I love to do, certainly cheaper than going out to eat twice a week! I know our caches aren't too far away and some of you have huge distances between caches so where are you caching and how much do you spend on hiding, finding, and Maintenece? I'm in the upper midwest.

 

I agree with Team Go Fast. There are some things I just don't want to know I find myself using my Honda Helix much more while casheing, it gets 70mpg

[+Lil Devil]

Geocaching comprises approximately 78% of my life, so approximately 78% of my expenditures are spent on geocaching.

[Mag Magician]

Per knowschad, if you weren't caching what else would you be doing? unless the answer is just staying home, I'd guess caching is cheaper than most pastimes.

 

We used to cave dive, which involves as much driving as caching, and trust me, equipment costs >>>>astronomical.... with no wiggle room. If your gps is getting wonky, you might miss a find; any part of your cave diving equipment fails, it could kill you.

 

Cave diving, heck! I'm a divemaster, and the cost of volunteering for any kind of dive can kill your wallet.

 

I have to agree, caching is way cheaper, and almost as much fun, so to heck with the cost.

[+Snoogans]

Most of my finds are made on the way to or from other places I already intended to go. I like to cache the most on trips and I take the caches around home pretty much for granted. I don't think the actual activity costs me much more than what my usual outings cost me.

 

Most of my hides are done in the same fashion for ease of maintenance.

 

Still, I have spent THOUSANDS on geocaching....

 

I've hidden 46 caches and hosted 24+ events including one that was just a few people shy of a mega event where I gave away 13,000 ready to hide caches. (300 regular to large caches filled with 12,500+ micro caches)

 

I bought a 4WD SUV because of geocaching.

 

I bought a coin press ($$$) mainly because of geocaching.

 

I met my wife because of geocaching (during the planning stages of GW4) and now we have a child. (That pretty much wiped out my savings and put me in debt, but it was worth it.)

 

I did nearly $900 damage to my previous cachemobile while geocaching.

 

While caching, I've gotten 2 speeding tickets and 1 $200 seat belt ticket in 5+ years of caching.

 

I got poison ivy SO BAD that my doctor told me he had seen pictures of radiation burns that looked better than my arm.

 

I recently got a SEVERE case of poison oak while caching on the PCH after GW6. I went through 2 bottles of Caladryl and 4 tubes of steroid cream. Not to mention my wife wouldn't let me near her or my son for a week.

 

I had to get tested for Lyme Disease.

 

I nearly got myself into a life threatening situation caching in the Mojave Desert.

 

I've ruined more clothes and shoes than I care to add up....

 

Yeah, caching has cost me a bunch, but it has been worth it.

 

 

Geocaching comprises approximately 78% of my life, so approximately 78% of my expenditures are spent on geocaching.

 

 

I'm gonna show this to The Snoogstress to PROVE I'm more balanced than some cachers.

[+Downrigger1]

OMG! and I was worried about a little thing like gas prices?

 

We're working on the Delorme Challenge Minn. Travel costs but as everyone says"geocaching is worth it". It does get me out of the house.

[+briansnat]

Compared to so many other things, geocaching is inexpensive. I've hidden over 230 caches and I'd conservatively estimate they run me an average of $15 per cache. Not to mention gas to travel there to scout and hide, and new swag for subsequent maint visits. Add it all up and it comes to over roughly $4,000 spread out over 7 years.

 

In those same 7 years I've probably spent triple that on skiing, 4 times that just traveling to watch my daughter play soccer (hotels, gas, airfare, meals), roughly the same amount on fishing, a bit more on dining out and going to the movies.

 

And most of my geocaching expenditures are optional. Nobody has to hide caches. In reality all you need is a GPS, a few bucks for swag and gas money. You're gonna spend money on gas no matter what activity you enjoy, unless it's video games or sitting on the porch rocker.

Edited July 15, 2008 by briansnat

[knowschad]

there are a lot of ppl out there that dont spend a lot of money on it. A lot of times you will find trade items in the cache that cost like 5 cents.

 

Tell me about it. I've seen their swag left behind in many previously well-swagged caches. That is NOT a place to save money on geocaching (well, if they want to trade a 5 cent item for a 5 cent item, then I guess I don't have a problem with it)

 

My hides can average from $1.00 or less for micros and $10 or so for ammo can hides with good swag.

 

I'd sure like to know where you're getting your ammo cans and your swag! Where I come from, an ammo can is going to run you about $6, and the remaining $4 would not buy much more than the log book, pencils, and baggies!

[leswon]

Gas Money = 0$ extra for geocaching.

1. The cache is on the way of wherever I am already going.

2. I walk or bike to the cache.

 

Maybe I'll grab a few caches on my bike ride from the MI/OH state line to the Mackinaw Bridge.

[+baloo&bd]

Not nearly what it is worth.

[+Fuzzywhip]

When I first started caching, gas was about $0.90 per litre, I used to go on geotrips every weekend. I thought the cost of my GPSr was the big expense.

 

Last year, gas was about $1.16 per litre. I still took geocaching holidays, as I was combining geocaching with a urge to travel. I bring my own food and sometimes camp in my minivan so I have more money for gas by keeping my other expenses down.

 

This year? Well, gas is $1.45 per litre, so I don't know if I can do much travelling, but I will continue to cache. Maybe get a part-time job delivering papers or flyers to make money for my trips. Regardless, I have to cache, so I have to travel! I'm waiting for after Labor Day, when hopefully the gas price will drop.

 

PS: I just wish I lived in a high cache density area like the Puget Sound in Washington state. Then the cost of gas wouldn't be such an issue as there are soooooo many caches to pick from. However, to compensate, I have been hiding more of my own caches, further from home to help the local caching community.

Edited July 16, 2008 by Fuzzywhip

[Lumpy223]

My other big hobby is shooting. Ammunition prices have gone through the roof over the last 18 to 24 months so what little I spend on geocaching is not painfull.

 

I also ride a motorcycle when it is warm enough to do so. The extra gas milage helps. I might have to cut back on my caching a little bit once cold weather arrives.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Whatever it costs it is generally worth it!

 

Yesterday cost me about four gallons of gas, but what fun I had for that cost!

 

I saw yesterday where someone had posted in a Groundspeak forum

"My worst day of caching was better than my best day at work"!

 

Isn't that the truth!

 

I got the emails at 9:28... a new series... Cache Course 101... 15 of them, but I didn't check my email until after 10 o'clock.

 

I haven't chased an FTF in years, but this is too good to pass up!

 

Order a PQ, load the query into my Garmin 60 CSx and into Cachemate on my BlackJack II and I'm on the road by 10:30. It's a weekday morning after work hours have already started... surely I won't get 15 FTFs... but maybe!

 

Got to #101 just before 11 - Old Boy Hiker (OBH, locally known as the Cache Ninja for how fast he gets FTFs) and Villagers3 have already found it! Looks like the Cache Ninja has a Ninja-ette hot on his heels!

 

Dang - This calls for a change of strategy!

 

Head for #115... FTF! Yes!

 

#114 FTF! Woohoo!

 

#113 FTF! There is a God!

 

#112 FTF! Signing the log and up comes We5Fish.

 

From then on it's a race, but neither of us wants to ACT like it's a race, so we just sorta casually saunter to the next few caches... trying to casually saunter one step ahead of the other, ya know. So, while he's signing the log I saunter on down the road!

 

#111 I get to ground zero first, but We5Fish nabs the FTF. I better step up my casual sauntering technique, this guy is quick!

 

#110 is a replay... score 2 for We5Fish. Huh. Drive faster than he's willing to. The hell with casual.

 

#109 Arrive at ground zero together. Guess he was willing to drive faster than I thought. He comes up with the FTF by literal seconds. That's my story and I am sticking to it!

 

#108 Okay, he got the darn FTF, and this is gettin' embarrassin'! But I am glad he did, turns out this is #400 for him! Woohoo! Took a picture for his milestone.

 

#107 Get there together, but he's on the phone! Oh yeah, I have it! Ooops... Villagers3 and OBH have been here. Not bad! We5Fish and I both got 4 FTFs and met the Cache Ninja in the middle!

 

#106 Got a 30-second lead on We5Fish, grab it... but the Cache Ninja and Villager3 have beaten us both. There won't be any more FTFs.

 

#105 Stopped at Play Ball! on the way to this one as I saw our friend Betaman there looking. I had already found it so I left We5Fish to find it with him and moved on. Was signing the log for this one when a Deputy rolled up. Can't have a Rambler Cache Run without cops! He wants to know why an old one-legged fat man is caressing his sign post. Not in those words, but the 'Jeez there's a lotta nuts out here' came through. I start to explain the game and his eyes glaze over... "Have fun" he says and off he goes.

 

#104 GPS says ground zero is right over there... just about right where that guy is working a bull-dozer! 'Well' says I to me, 'this ain't good'. Read the hint - Yep, the cache has gotta be right there where he's working. So I walk over to ground zero, about five feet in front of his big blade. Now, you think the cop thought I was nuts, wonder what the dozer driver thinks when I walk in front of his path and stand there with my GPS! The hint tells me it's in an oak tree, and this is the only oak left standing... in fact it's one of only two trees left in the area! The dozer driver shuts down his machine and quietly asks if he can help me. The underlying message I can read in his face is 'What the HELL do you think you're doing?!'. I explain the game, he thinks it sounds cool, gets down from his machine and joins the hunt... and finds it before I do! Now he explains that he is the property manager and gravedigger, and that they are expanding the cemetery. A co-worker walks up and they debate leaving the tree so the cache can stay there! How cool is that?! But it was decided that roots and caskets don't mix, so the tree had to go. He told me the cache was welcome to stay and pointed out an area about 60' away where it would be safe. I moved the cache, marked the new coordinates, then went and put a note in #s 105 and 103 with the new coords for 104 so that people coming from either end would see that it had been moved.

 

#103 Uneventful, TFTC!

 

#102 Since I started at 101 then went to 115 and worked backward this was the end of the run for me.

 

Jack and Jill Watch Out For The Hill is just across the street from #102, so I went after it. The manager came out and questioned me, said that he personally didn't care but that it was a corporate thing, we'd have to remove it 'till we got their permission. Liability, he says. So I moved it a block up the road and sent the owner the new coords.

 

On the way home a friend called and wanted to take me to lunch, so 16 caches, 4 FTFs, met We5Fish, saved 2 caches, and got a free lunch... now that's what I call a good day!

 

Oh yeah... we were supposed to record our completion times... I didn't, but I started at 11 and was done by 2, so subtracting talk-at-the-site time and moving the two caches I did it in about 2 hours.

 

Oh yeah... I got my money's worth!

[+Zop]

I'm with the others here. Some caching costs the shoe leather it takes to walk down the street but some like last weekend cost me a few hundred. It is what we make it. Some of my friends fly for fun, others SCUBA and most spend their hard earned money on their Amateur Radio hobby.

 

I used to be heavily into restoring Arcade games and am also an Amateur Radio operator. This hobby seems cheap in comparison and it's something the kids enjoy too!

 

Priceless.

[+ThePetersTrio]

The money spent on caching is cheap compared to the money I've spent on geocoins.

[+belair56]

With the price of gas so high I try and combine other trips along with geo-caching, More often than not I don't do FTF's, And when putting out new caches I try to set urban caches out, and not as many microes.

[+aknatn]

This was a concern I had about geocaching. I am working on an idea that may help a lot of people out. Please review my very first forum post (I'm new obviously but hopelessly addicted to geocaching).

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...p;#entry3561976

[+Team Geologynut]

Geocaching is our main hobby. Like all hobbies, there is cost involved. Take an avid fisherman. He'll spend $50,000 on a bass boat and won't think twice about it. If your a geocacher with a lot of money, you can travel the world and geocache. If you're a starving mapper like myself, you can see a few states. Regardless of how much you spend, it's about having fun and making new friends!

[+Team Geologynut]

Geocaching is our main hobby. Like all hobbies, there is cost involved. Take an avid fisherman. He'll spend $50,000 on a bass boat and won't think twice about it. If your a geocacher with a lot of money, you can travel the world and geocache. If you're a starving mapper like myself, you can see a few states. Regardless of how much you spend, it's about having fun and making new friends!