Most necessary and unusual Geo-tool

[+klipsch49er]

This has probably been done but perhaps a refresher is useful.

 

I cache with a few items, other than my GPS, that I find very helpful.

 

• Folding 4in knife
  
• Pilot Gel pen(s)
  
• Sharpie mini(s) various colors
  
• Small mirror
  
• water
  
• batteries
  
• munchies
  
• flashlight
  
• Telescoping magnetic probe
  
• Hiking staff
  
• First aid kit
  

 

Geocache triage kit

 

• Replacement log sheets
  
• Various Zip Lock bags
  
• 35mm film containers
  
• swag
  
• Rubber bands
  
• Tie wraps
  
• Duct Tape
  

 

What other items should I include?

 

What is the most unusual item you have brought with you to make a find?

 

[+lamoracke]

how about a dog leash? I did not have my duct tape with me and realized the cache was 9 feet in the air. Had my walking stick and grabber in the trunk. I attached my walking sticks abd grabber together using the dog walking leash. For now on, I put duct tape in the car, not just the backpack.

 

as far as stuff essential to bring, my leatherman has a screwdriver attachment and have used that. Of course, tweezers for the micro / nano logs. My leatherman has those both.

Edited February 25, 2012 by lamoracke

[+G & C]

Bike-n-Find gave me a bicycle spoke with a hook bent in to it on one side at an event last year and told me to put it in my bag. It doesn't take up any room, but I didn't really think it would have been of any use.

 

I probably use that little spoke more than I use any other TOTT.

[+dfx]

Scuba gear

[+niraD]

I've found a cache that required a magnetic compass. Without the compass, it was a needle-in-a-haystack hide. With the magnetic compass recommended in the cache description, it was relatively easy to find the magnetic cache container.

 

Another cache required a tape measure or ruler, but that was for an on-site puzzle. And again, the cache description recommended bringing one.

 

Others have required UV flashlights.

 

I always carry a Leatherman Micra. I'm usually able to extract/rewind nano-cache logs without any tools, but I've needed its tweezers a couple of times.

 

Some caches have required various specialized tools provided by the CO.

[+Lil Devil]

Even better than tweezers is this custom tool that a friend made. It's simply a safety pin with the end bent a little. Makes it a snap to remove nano logs or any other small logs. Best thing is it's always on my keyring so even when I leave my pack at home or in the car, this tool is still with me.

[+Totem Clan]

Even better than tweezers is this custom tool that a friend made. It's simply a safety pin with the end bent a little. Makes it a snap to remove nano logs or any other small logs. Best thing is it's always on my keyring so even when I leave my pack at home or in the car, this tool is still with me.

Ok. Now that one I have to make.

[+ShaunEM]

I bought a bag of disposable knitted gloves (like for using in a freezer). I am always grabbing a pair of these, especially in the colder weather. When they get soiled, I just toss them!

 

And hand wipes.. those are handy too!

 

Shaun

[+klipsch49er]

Even better than tweezers is this custom tool that a friend made. It's simply a safety pin with the end bent a little. Makes it a snap to remove nano logs or any other small logs. Best thing is it's always on my keyring so even when I leave my pack at home or in the car, this tool is still with me.

 

That one is going on my to do list!

 

I'll update my initial post to include the most popular or best ideas!

 

 

And hand wipes.. those are handy too!

 

Shaun

 

I forgot to note that I never cache without my hand sanitizer!!

[+wimseyguy]

I keep a paper clip with a similar hook to LD's safety pin in the door handle of my car. Most nanos aren't too far from parking around here. I forgot to stash it in the coin tray when I went through the car wash last week and they tossed it. Good thing they are cheap and easy to make.

[+W7WT]

A bobbie pin with about a 1/4" cut off the end to roll back up the little strips in magnetic nano containers. I carry mine in with my little change purse.

[+Team Pixos]

The safety pin is used frequently

 

Paper towels to dry things out

[+AKStafford]

I've got a mini-Swiss Army knife on my key ring. It's got little tweezers on one side of the handle that are great for pulling logs out of micro's and on the other side it has a little ink pen that pulls out. It's save us a hike back to the truck for a writing implement many times.

[+The Jester]

Scuba gear

Climbing gear! I used it on TMA-1 in California.

[+power69]

This has probably been done but perhaps a refresher is useful.

 

I cache with a few items, other than my GPS, that I find very helpful.

 

• Folding 4in knife
  
• Pilot Gel pen(s)
  
• Sharpie mini(s) various colors
  
• Small mirror
  
• water
  
• batteries
  
• munchies
  
• flashlight
  
• Telescoping magnetic probe
  
• Hiking staff
  
• First aid kit
  

 

Geocache triage kit

 

• Replacement log sheets
  
• Various Zip Lock bags
  
• 35mm film containers
  
• swag
  
• Rubber bands
  
• Tie wraps
  
• Duct Tape
  

 

What other items should I include?

 

What is the most unusual item you have brought with you to make a find?

 

if you cache in arizona, TWEEZERS are a must[needed for bio sample containers and mr magneto's[nanos]

[+RobDJr]

A pair of thin gloves, such as mechanics gloves. Thin enough to feel around with but good enough to protect your hand from sharp objects, bugs, or whatever is in that dark hole that you think the cache might be in. They don't take up much room and give me a little peace of mind when I need to grope around in questionable places.

 

Funny thing about most of the things I carry is that they almost never get used. At least I know they're there if I need 'em, though.

[+Isonzo Karst]

My regular kit is a bit different from yours, in that I always carry some form of DEET and Stingeeze.

But mostly, Leatherman Micra, batteries, pen, pen, pressurized pen, pencil and ......a spare pen.

 

Weirdest thing I recall carrying was a small ladder.

What made this weird, was that I had to strap it a kayak, paddle some, then carry it about a half a mile of brutal swamp bushwhacking. Carry it back, and strap it back on that kayak. Return. I got some looks at the ramp.

 

It was that, or grow about 10 inches, or get miraculously 15 years younger and 200% stronger and more agile. I settled for ladder on 'yak.

[+user13371]

Lately I've been thinking a small borescope would be cool to have.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I need to get one of those telescoping magnets but I never see them in stores.

 

I definitely recommend UV light. A small one can be gotten for about $5 and the use of them for various multi/mystery caches seems to be slowly increasing.

 

I would include a headlamp in addition to a regular flashlight. The hands-free aspect is immensely useful and if you do night caches the firetacks are frequently at or near eye level.

 

I also recommend gloves and some kind of handwipes or hand sanitizer. Some caches end up in the mud, the dirt, with bugs, some bad swag melts, etc etc. There's always some caches that after searching for, touching the outside, and/or touching the inside I wanted to clean off my hands. Work gloves also make me less reluctant to stick my hands some place that might otherwise get scratched or cut. (But still look before you reach, regardless of what gloves you have.)

[+buttaskotch]

Where did you get the telescopic magnetic probe?

[+CanadianRockies]

Where did you get the telescopic magnetic probe?

I bought mine at the local dollar store (in the hardware section).

[+Moose Mob]

Where did you get the telescopic magnetic probe?

Tool store (Harbor Freight, etc) or an autoparts store for the longer stem and more powerful magnet.

 

I seem to recall seeing a small set with the small magnet and an matching extendable mirror for cheap good price.

[+JJnTJ]

Common Sense.

 

 

(I'm totally making one of those safety-pin nano tools. That is a genius idea.)

Edited February 27, 2012 by JJnTJ

[+Sky King 36]

A few things that I use a LOT that others don't seem to rely on or think about as much as I:

 

1. A mirror, especially telescoping. A total game changer.

2. Thin, high quality work gloves. Being able to reach confidently into little cracks and crevices with fewer concerns about sharp edges, spiders, etc. often shortens a search dramatically.

3. I carry two pieces of wire. One is insulated 14g copper solid wire... from residential NM wiring, about 6 inches long. Just handy to make quick hooks out of. The other is about 8 feet of thick 8g solid copper wire, uninsulated. This is pretty rigid, I fold it down to about 1 foot long and bend it into retrieval tools as needed. Not rigid enough to reach 8+ feet like up into a tree... but put a wad of inside-out duct tape on the end of it and you can retrieve non-magnetic items from storm drains, hollow logs, fence posts...

4. An a**-ton of lumens (a technical term). I am mostly a night cacher and try to move to/from the GZ with no light at all, even in tough terrain, and use only a minimum of light at the GZ. But when you need to find a little micro in a crack or crevice, sometimes 200+ lumens of serious light makes the difference between success and failure.

 

I fabricated a nano log roller tool by epoxying two needles together side by side, touching. You slide the log end between the needles, spin it to coil up the log, and because the needles are ever-so-slightly tapered it slides right out easily. But I have to say, the moment I saw the bent-tip safety pin above, it hit me like a ton of bricks, "why didn't I already think of that!" I may also add the bike spoke to my arsenal.

 

A friend of mine that has a borescope said, if you get one, be sure to buy one that has a mirror attachment for the end so that you can look at angles or back up the bore once you are in.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Sky King 36

[+Z3ROIN]

Even better than tweezers is this custom tool that a friend made. It's simply a safety pin with the end bent a little. Makes it a snap to remove nano logs or any other small logs. Best thing is it's always on my keyring so even when I leave my pack at home or in the car, this tool is still with me.

 

This is amazing!!!! I'm going to go do this right now!!!

 

Man i don't carry half the things you guys do, my mobile phone has my geo-app, a torch and a camera on it, apart from that i regularly carry a notebook containing a pencil in the spine which comes in super handy as most of my caching is ad-lib these days. Must make more of an effort to do full days like i used to!!

 

Interesting thread, thanks.

[+Dancing_Duo]

I fabricated a nano log roller tool by epoxying two needles together side by side, touching. You slide the log end between the needles, spin it to coil up the log, and because the needles are ever-so-slightly tapered it slides right out easily.

 

I don't have a photo of it, but I just made something similar. Used a needle, cut the "eye" end then made a handle out of polymer clay. The end that is cut creates a small slit in which to wrap the nano paper up with.

[+Sol seaker]

My small inflatable boat.

 

My favorite caches are boat caches.

One of my favorite caches was the WA state Island Challenge, where you have to find caches on 23 different islands in WA State. That was really fantastic!!! Some of the best fun I've ever had!!!

 

There was a few on an island that you had to boat around the island, land, and then climb a rope up the cliff to get the cache. There were two caches up different ropes. You can't walk across the island to get the other. The berry bushes are 7 feet high and DENSE.

 

Another favorite cache is a multi that you have to pick up a bag of tools at the beginning. The bag has a mirror, flashlight, bag of balloons, bag of rubberbands, bag of nuts, a statue, etc. etc. etc. Tons of stuff you end up carrying around. You end up using most, but not all of it. At each stop in the multi you have to figure out what you need. It is a whole lot of fun. At one stop I started laughing so hard I had three people stop to make sure I wasn't crying. :laughing:

[+jeffrae]

About the best thing I have found for rolling nano logs is a quilling tool.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Darice-1162-42-Slotted-Quilling-Handle/dp/B001TM03WS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1330429888&sr=8-11

 

A local geocacher has been giving them out as prizes at events and everyone that has one loves it.

[+Dancing_Duo]

About the best thing I have found for rolling nano logs is a quilling tool.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Darice-1162-42-Slotted-Quilling-Handle/dp/B001TM03WS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1330429888&sr=8-11

 

A local geocacher has been giving them out as prizes at events and everyone that has one loves it.

 

That's basically what mine ended up looking like (except ours had a polymer clay handle that's painted). It fits great in our altoids can that we use for "emergency cache repair kit".

Edited February 28, 2012 by Dancing_Duo

[+klipsch49er]

Where did you get the telescopic magnetic probe?

 

Just about any auto parts store has them. I got mine as a booth prize at a local auto show.