Am I doing this right?

[+Cindyj2]

One more question for the day and I hope I have this in the right area. I have the etrex venture hc so I cannot do paperless? I don't really do the PQ's. What I do and have done is if i'm going somewhere and know I have time for a cache i'll sit here ahead of time and load each cache in that area to my gps and print off a copy of the cache page as well and then put it in a binder but now my binder is getting quite full. Think the etrex can hold like 500 caches and i'm nowhere near that yet. I figure eventually i'll get them all in the gps and printed and then once in a while look for the new ones. But this paper is mounting up and getting heavy. Am afraid to take the found it printed cache pages out for fear i'll nead them whe I start getting my cub scouts out geocaching. I'm a single divorced mom with a not so great car so I don't see me going farther than around 25 miles from home and there were approximately 460 caches with in that area.

 

I like having the binder handy to show my scout parents and friends to help get them interested when there is usually no computer handy to show them. When we get to a gache we just take those cache pages out of the binder and into our caching bag before we leave the car.

 

I don't mind the loading them individually cause then I can make sure they all get printed as well. I've been out before and looked for one and found I had not printed it off and ended up not being able to find it. I got my gps from my neighbor and she had some loaded on there but had never went out. Once I went though those and took off the archived ones and did some printing I don't have to worry about that anymore. I probably wouldn't mind the pq's if there was a way to print the cache pages all at once as well.

 

But was wondering if i'm doing this right or is there and easier way and a better way to handle all the paper?

 

Thanks a ton guys! I really appreciate the help! Hoping the weather warms up again so we can really get out and get started caching!

[+pppingme]

Paperless is generally defined as having the full cache info (description, recent logs, etc) on your unit so you can read it at any time.

 

I've found a ton of caches before i went "paperless" with an etrex unit, I did also carry a PDA, but only really consulted it when I had problems finding the cache, so for probably 90% of the traditionals I found, all I relied on was the etrex.

[+Harry Dolphin]

Umm... For paperless we have the nuvi 455, and palm Z22. Gupy (Garmin Vista HCx) has 12000 caches installed, with hints and other waypoints. (Every unfound cache in New Jersey, and within 65 miles of the dolphinarium.) Miss Bossy (the nuvi) has that, as well as the complete log pages (excepting photos). But she stays in the car. Paw (the palm) has complete cache pages on 700, or so, caches in areas where we might be hunting anyday. (He seems to slow down with more than 900 caches.) On the memo page on paw, we list what we found, didn't find, and any notes we might need, and TB drops and retrieves. We don't need any paper (well, except for benchmarks. There's a way of doing that, but I haven't tried.) We log our finds from the memo on paw.

We only carry paper for doing math on multis, or adding a piece with our names on a cache with a soggy log.

Works nicely for us, and I'm verry happy to not have to print out pages!

[+Cindyj2]

My cell phone is a motorola razor and I don't have a data plan and not looking to change that but where I work the guys have these little palm things by compaq that they use out in the field could something like that work where I could load those cache pages onto that with a usb cord so that I don't need a data package?

[+jbar]

Your doing it right. I used to print the cache pages before I got paperless. I still print a map of where I'm going, to give me an Idea where all the caches are.

[+Mom-n-Andy]

My cell phone is a motorola razor and I don't have a data plan and not looking to change that but where I work the guys have these little palm things by compaq that they use out in the field could something like that work where I could load those cache pages onto that with a usb cord so that I don't need a data package?

 

Back before smart phones were invented some people used PDAs for paperless geocaching. There is a great little Palm app called Cachemate that allows you to view geocaching files on your PDA. I know it works with Palm PDAs, not sure what other brands it works on. This actually still works perfectly well.

[+mpilchfamily]

I use an eTrex Legend H and an iPod Touch withe the Geocaching app to go paperless.

[+Chokecherry]

I use my 60csx for finding the caches and my phone for the paperless stuff. My mom will usually print out the cache pages for herself though. And if we're doing a bunch I will sometimes print out a map and mark them on the map.

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS and Technology forum.

[+Cindyj2]

Thank you Keystone! I wasn't sure which way this was gonna turn or wether it just needed to be in the getting started since i'm still trying to get things going the right way and all. lol

 

mpilchfamily, I'd love to hear more about the iPod suggestion! Is that something that i'll need a data plan or pay more after the cost of the iPod. Surely I could get an ipod pretty cheap on ebay don't ya think?

 

Chokecherry I so wish I could do that! It was funny how I got my garmin cause I said something about it on facebook and my next door neighbor who i've know all my life said she had one and would sell it. I only knew that it was a garmin and had checked and saw that they were anywhere from $50-$100 bucks or so and this is the green one and she's hardly ever used it and gave me it and the maps and software for $30. I figured that wasn't too bad.

 

And dad and I are due for an upgrade but we don't want to do the data and texting stuff so i'm sure that won't change unless it's just a few bucks more. So I doubt having a smart phone will happen or where I could get on the net for one. lol

 

Thanks everybody for the help!