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Clothes/Utility Belt


ADavid09

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As a new cacher, I was just wondering - what clothing is appropriate to go caching in? As a follow-up, are there any items other than a pen and my items that I need to bring with me?

Long pants is a good suggestion for any caching terrain, but you can get away with shorts in urban areas. Long pants help protect from thorns, pokey sticks, some bugs, poison ivy, cutting grass, etc.

 

Wear hiking boots if you're in rugged terrain, otherwise good athletic shoes. Flip-flops are generally bad caching footwear.

 

But basically, dress appropriately for where you're going. There are caches in, along, or on urban parking lots, forest trails, mountain tops, deserts, storm sewers, under water, abandoned radioactive bunkers, and Antarctica.

 

As for what other things to bring...

You'll find gobs of forum threads about here about what to bring along on caching trips. I suggest:

- GPS Receiver

- Pen/pencil

- Cell phone

- Small notebook/journal for field notes

- Small flashlight (with backup batteries)

- Tweezers

- Magnet

- Multi-tool

- Towel (not just a HHGTTG joke, a small dry towel is really helpful if you get caught in a downpour)

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You probably don't want to ask this guy: http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=4e...4a9347&ds=2

 

Seriously - depends on where you are going, what kind of caches you like and the season. Comfortable and seasonal is my best advice without more information.

Having problems with your eyes today? The statement was "as a new cacher" not "as a nude cacher". ;)

 

BTW he is a really nice guy and he usually wears clothes even when caching, just not always.

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If you are in a wilderness area, bring an old fashioned magnetic compass.

Batteries and electronics can fail unexpectedly. I recently took my brother, a scout leader, on a hike, to show off my new GPS phone, and place my first cache. The terrain was tricky, and kept turning us away from our intended direction. Several times, we walked 100s of yards before finding that we had to retrace our steps. Without the GPS, we could easily have strayed far from the road, and possibly had to wait for clear skies to navigate our way back.

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If you are in a wilderness area, bring an old fashioned magnetic compass.
Yep, forgot to mention that one. A good, old-fashioned, magnetic compass is a must for your caching bag if there's even the slightest chance you'll be straying far from civilization.

 

Also, a paper map. Topo/trail map for off road navigation, a road map/street atlas for driving.

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Funny, I was just talking with my kids about this the other day. Our big thing is to bring something to wash our hands!

Yep, the first thing we do upon returning to the car is get out the bottle of antibacterial hand santizer & use it from our fingers all the way up our arms.

 

I would also suggest a hat (for ticks) & gloves for the sticky ouch bush situations.

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A hat for sure with a brim or a baseball cap - I've gone back to wearing my Tilley T3 that's been to many a remote location with me.

 

GPS, Pen and Hat are the crucial things for me.

 

You will spend a lot of time pushing through twigs and undergrowth. Keep that hat on and your head down whilst going through ^^

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My Caching Cousin, Loony Lori has come up with a VOMP (vest of many Pockets) that holds all necessary trinkets for caching pretty much anywhere....in there she has: an extraction tool, bandaids, splenda, batteries, pens, pencils, wet wipes, signature cards, magnet tool, multi-tool, scizzors, extra carabiners, string or small rope, bug spray, sunscreen, eyeglass cleaning cloths, compass, small paper tablets, (for logging her TB discoveries) and possibly many more things I've yet to see her use!!!

Edited by gramacindy
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What I bring depends on where I am. If my wife and I are just poking around a city park, then just a pencil and GPS usually suffices.

 

If we're out in the woods, we both bring CamelBak MULE's w/a GPS, magnetic compass, flashlight, and topo quads. One of us normally carries an iPhone and water bowl and snacks for our dog. If there's any chance that we might have to cross a creek, then we normally bring sandals and extra socks.

 

In the summer, I prefer to wear shorts, t-shirt, and a boonie or ball cap -- I can see why so many people like to wear long sleeves, pants, and gloves. That's what we did when I was in the Army (infantry) but as a civilian, I tend to just bypass obstacles that I know will ruin my day (briers, poison ivy, etc.). I guess all of it really depends on where we're going and what the weather is like. As a rule of thumb, I like to pack very lightly and typically value a lighter load over increased comfort.

 

I do think the CamelBak MULE is the perfect size for 90% of one day outings.

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