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What do you do with your GPSr when you are signing?


bittsen

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I use a small lumbar pack that I bought from Canadian Tire for about $10 when I cache. It is easy to carry, and has enough room for my swag box, notebook, bug spray, etc. It also has two water bottle holsters, with an elastic strap to secure the bottles into place. I use one for a water bottle, and the other one for my Garmin Etrex Summit. I use a small carabener to clip the GPS lanyard to the elastic.

 

Leaves it easily accessible, yet my hands are free when needed.

Edited by G_Kelley
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I either let my GPSr dangle from my neck or put it in my pocket. I have a long enough lanyard on my GPSr that allows me to have it around my neck and in my pocket simultaneously. Sometimes, however, I consult the GPSr's clock while signing, because I always include the time of day at which I found the geocache in the log.

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I shove it in my pocket.

 

But, then, I also wear pants. Pants with pockets. Pockets that accommodate such things. But that's just me. I'm not suggesting everyone wear pants with pockets, or pants at all for that matter. That's totally up to the individual. Pants, no pants... Totally up to you. I'm fine with pantsless caching. Paperless too. Guess if you're pantsless, paperless would be the way to go, huh? Just thought of that...

 

But yeah, for me... Pants. With pockets.

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If I have my swag bag that I got on eBay. I'll use the carabiner to clip to one of the molle loops. No swag bag? Clipped to one of the loops on the back of my pants/shorts while I sign the log, then back into my hand.

 

I love my swag bag, got it from seller "Airsofteagle" (The bag is called a "Tactical Utility Shoulder Bag" and available in many colors/camo patterns) on eBay - shipping took about a 10 days, but price was right, quality is fine for the price and it's very flexible with lots of places to hook things (and store things).

 

AS536.jpg

 

I clip my Oregon to one of the molle loops on the top of the bag and it hangs down to the left in the above image (face up). Also works out to be a good carry spot while hiking, keeping the unit face up/out and keeping a good signal.

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I find a nearby still body of water and toss it but just before it hits the water the Lady Of The Lake catches it and holds onto it for safe keeping.

 

If there's no water nearby I just put it back in my belt clip. It's a PN-40 which doesn't have a native belt clip option but I've modified mine by replacing one of the back cover screws with a belt clip button.

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60CSx...

 

In warm weather I use the button-style belt clip included withe the unit. In cooler weather I use a neck lanyard. I don't like using the lanyard unless I have a vest/overshirt/jacket I can drop the unit inside of, still hanging from the lanyard. Otherwise it bangs around in front of me while searching/signing.

 

I do break 2-4 of the belt clips a year getting into and out of the car. My bucket seats put a lot of side pressure on the clip if I get in/out of the car just a tiny bit wrong. The button on the unit always holds up, but the body of the belt clip part breaks. Often.

 

When I am using a belt clip, I also use an idiot cord. I have about 8 inches of cord--actually duck decoy stringing line works perfect--that attaches to a small ring. On a belt loop I keep one of theose S-biners... and various things that I put in my pocket or belt--the GPSr, my flashlight, and my signal mirror all have cords with rings that I clip onto the s-biner ANY time the device is in a pocket or belt clip. Unlike a neck lanyward, it is too easy for anything in my pocket or belt to get away un-noticed. Many, many years as a soldier has taught me a lot of things.

 

Also, all my gear--my GPSr, flashlights, pens, my little notebook, my leatherman, water bottles--everything that goes to the field with me in my belt pack--has reflective tape on it on several sides. I do most of my caching at night and a quick sweep of a flashlight immediately finds what you dropped. In fact my GPSrs, both my 60 and my Nuvi, have BOTH refelctive tape AND cat-eyes, little luminous strips of that green glow-in-the-dark material. I charge them up with my flashlight about once an hour when I go out at night and makes them easy to spot. I have a zippered, padded belt pouch for the Nuvi, but there is no way to attach an idiot cord, so I am very careful about putting it back and zipping the pouch.

 

I would LOVE to find some kind of holster for the 60. A snap-in-snap out plastic holster, like are common with some blackberry models, would be the fo shizzle. Or an open-top nylon belt pouch that I could drop it into quickly when I need my hands and still get it out quickly.

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Or an open-top nylon belt pouch that I could drop it into quickly when I need my hands and still get it out quickly.

 

A nylon pouch for a camera would certainly work.

Many sizes available, almost universally available at most larger stores, padded for protection of the unit, and probably less than $15. Usually there are side pockets for spare batteries or other supplies.

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I am more worried about it falling out of the jeep on the way to the cache. I make sure that GPS is buckled in to the seatbelt (with the lanyard) when driving with out the top and doors. At the cache, I just make someone else hold it.

 

I believe it would be more helpful if you included a picture of your Jeep. :-)

 

I set mine in the recessed area on the dash of my Jeep. If I need it for navigation I have a vent-clip cell phone holder that it goes into. From April to September there are no doors on my Jeep, and it rarely has the top up.

 

My GPS didn't even slide off doing this.

normal_IMG_0314.JPG

Edited by mpyusko
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Since posting my last response in this thread, my method of signing a geocache logbook has changed slightly. Before going out caching, I synchronize the clock on my TI-89 Titanium calculator (yes, it has a clock on it). The instant I catch sight of a cache, I call up a timestamp on the calculator, so I don't have to remember the time of my find before entering it into the logbook. With that, I no longer have to consult my GPSr's clock to verify that I have correctly memorized the time of a find, so I now keep my GPSr in my pocket while signing the log.

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Since posting my last response in this thread, my method of signing a geocache logbook has changed slightly. Before going out caching, I synchronize the clock on my TI-89 Titanium calculator (yes, it has a clock on it). The instant I catch sight of a cache, I call up a timestamp on the calculator, so I don't have to remember the time of my find before entering it into the logbook. With that, I no longer have to consult my GPSr's clock to verify that I have correctly memorized the time of a find, so I now keep my GPSr in my pocket while signing the log.

 

I don't know about you, but the last time I bought a TI-89, it cost more than a GPSr. I'd rather risk the GPS!

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eTrex Vista: Stick it in my pocket and listen to "beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep" when the rocker gets pushed. Then I pull it out and see if I inadvertently "found" all the surrounding caches or added a bunch of waypoints. You would think I would learn not to put it in my pocket, but I've almost walked off without it, so I prefer to keep it on my person.

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I've got a DeLorme PN-40. I usually stick it in a pocket or leave it dangling from its lanyard. I occasionally leave it sitting near the cache. I try not to do that as I did find a GPSr someone had left behind once. Luckily it had the owner information set, and the address was on my way home.

 

One nice thing about the cooler weather, my jackets have big pockets.

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I have a 60csx. I only have the little wrist strap lanyard that comes with it, but, theres a beaner attached to that. The beaner is attached to the pack if im not carrying it in my hands.

 

It has a little swing to it, but it doesn't lose its signal, and i can hike with it there, and still check it easily.

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Dummy cord to my caching bag, because only a dummy will lose something after it has been tied/tethered to something attached to your person or so big you will not be able to walk away and forget it.

**Sniff**, **Sniff**...**Sniff** I think I smell a confession. **Sniff**, **Sniff** :D

 

Oh, me? 60Cx. When it comes off the bike or I'm hiking it's on the short wrist lanyard it came with and gets cradled between my arm and chest or dangles. I also use the screen as a portable desk for nanos and micros.

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If I head out on long caching day I usually have my backpack on so it gets clipped onto my shoulder strap at GZ. This also works good for terrain where you need both feet and hands :lol:

 

Otherwise the GPS is on a lanyard and goes into my left pant or jacket pocket. I used to leave it around my neck but have scratched the screen a few times just bending over. The Blackberry Bold (Cacheberry) goes into my right pant pocket affter making a field note :) so now my hands are free to sign the log book and put the cache back into it's hidy hole. Then I start walking away from the cache and the lanyard gets caught on some bushes and rips the GPS out of my pocket :lol:

 

I have thought about mounting the GPS on my walking poles but I figure it would get pretty banged up especially when I let go of the poles to break my fall. :lol:

 

Now if I could just merge my Blackberry and GPS into one really unit with all the features of each then that would be cool. :smile:

 

I think it comes down to the cacher and where they feel comfortable having the GPS

 

Gecko

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Garmin Legend: I have a long lanyard on it for when I am hiking, but most of the time, I just hold it in my hand. At the cache, I use the GPSr as a hard surface, cover it with the printout I am using (yes, I still print out the no logs cache description), then use the combination to write in the log.

 

Once I have put the cache away, I write my notes on the printout so I can remember them for when I am logging all my finds. Also keeps my GPSr in my hands so I have not forgotten it once. (Well, almost. Started to walk away from a cache that I had placed my GPSr on a nearby stump. The above procedure kind of evolved from that experience so I do not leave it behind) :smile:

Edited by Fuzzywhip
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I'm on the same page as wimseyguy...I love the REI Sahara Pants so well for geocaching that I just went and bought another pair (on the current sale for about $39.00); the pants are lightweight and the thorns and bushwhack don't stick like they do with denim...the cargo pants are great for any GPS, pens, cellphones, spare batteries...I like to have my hands free; I think lanyards are a nuisance. However, my 60CSX in in my hands most of the time; it is my table for signing the log, and then I just hit found and slip it back in my cargo pocket.

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