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Hey, everyone!

 

I got to wondering something; what does everyone wear and bring with them when they go out Geocaching? What I mean is, what do you wear for clothing and footwear, and what do you bring with you in terms of extra gear? As of right now, I wear cargo pants and a t-shirt, running shoes, and I bring a hydration backpack stocked with a 3L hydration bladder, snacks, and small medical supplies. I also bring my knife with me, because you never know when you might need one.

 

So, what does everyone else bring? :)

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Posted this earlier but I'll repost here.

 

This is what I take on any trip/hike/walk that will take me out of view off the trailhead/houses/road/and such.

 

On my person.....

 

cell phone

GPS

Tritium Lensatic Compass

Zippo lighter

personal survival kit like the one my kids carry tucked in a cargo pocket.

4-inch bladed pocket knife in front pocket.

small first aid kit in other cargo pocket.

 

In/on my day pack is...

 

2 L. CamelBak

50 feet of paracord

tri-fold shuffle

6-inche survival knife.

flashlight

2 rain ponchos

one MRE

map of the area I will be in

extra batteries.

fire starter kit.

two 1 L. water bottles with filter straws.

food/snacks for the day if hike is long enough.

back up GPS.

extra socks.

fully stocked first aid kit.

leather gloves

multi tool

small bundle of twine

pad of paper and a pencil

four unlubricated condoms

some rubber bands

water purification tabs

sewing kit

 

I wear my boots, cargo pants and a sturdy, normally long sleeve, shirt.

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That's quite the impressive loadout you've got there! I may have to consider adding a few items to mine based on yours! The long sleeve shirt I can see as being a good idea, and I may have to try that. The only thing that concerns me is that I would get too hot wearing it, but at the same time, I got some scratches and scrapes from sticks and twigs on my forearms today, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. I know that I'm going to start wearing gloves though!

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That's quite the impressive loadout you've got there! I may have to consider adding a few items to mine based on yours! The long sleeve shirt I can see as being a good idea, and I may have to try that. The only thing that concerns me is that I would get too hot wearing it, but at the same time, I got some scratches and scrapes from sticks and twigs on my forearms today, so maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea. I know that I'm going to start wearing gloves though!

loose and breathable

 

After many hours in deserts all around the world I've learned to carry my own shade. Covering your arms will make you cooler as long as it is loose fitting. In humid places it may not work as well. However in the jungle of Central and South Armerica I wore long sleeves to keep the bugs off.

 

Also I don't wear the gloves. They're just there if I need them.

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Depends a lot on where I am going caching:

 

Around town near the Jeep - just a gallon sized ziploc with a few small trades, extra logsheets, pens, pencils. My camera.

 

Short walk/hike - I carry a shoulder bag (Maxpedition) with mylar blanket, first aid kit, hat, emergency poncho, spare batteries, insect wipes, garden gloves, tweezers, water, snacks, waterproof matches, whistle

 

Long walk/remote area - day pack with hydration bladder, all of the above plus spare socks, rain pants, warmer hat, firestarter - generally enough to keep me going overnight if necessary.

 

Always appropriate clothing for the season.

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loose and breathable

 

After many hours in deserts all around the world I've learned to carry my own shade. Covering your arms will make you cooler as long as it is loose fitting. In humid places it may not work as well. However in the jungle of Central and South Armerica I wore long sleeves to keep the bugs off.

 

Also I don't wear the gloves. They're just there if I need them.

 

That's not a bad idea, actually; it makes a lot of sense. I have a couple of long-sleeve shirts that aren't form-fitting, so the next time that I go out, I'll give it a try, but pack a t-shirt with me in case I get too hot and need to change out of it. The gloves I could have used today; I've got a few scrapes on my hands from branches and what not, so I'll bring them and keep them in the cargo pocket of my pants for easy access. :)

 

Depends a lot on where I am going caching:

 

Around town near the Jeep - just a gallon sized ziploc with a few small trades, extra logsheets, pens, pencils. My camera.

 

Short walk/hike - I carry a shoulder bag (Maxpedition) with mylar blanket, first aid kit, hat, emergency poncho, spare batteries, insect wipes, garden gloves, tweezers, water, snacks, waterproof matches, whistle

 

Long walk/remote area - day pack with hydration bladder, all of the above plus spare socks, rain pants, warmer hat, firestarter - generally enough to keep me going overnight if necessary.

 

Always appropriate clothing for the season.

 

I like the way you think! :D

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GPS

Cell Phone

Water (2 miles-ish or longer)

Leatherman (if I remember to take it from my truck)

Depending on how my feet feel, and the weather, I'll wear either my sneakers or hiking boots.

Northface convertible pants. Under that I usually wear sliding shorts.

Light shirt with an underarmour compression tee underneath.

 

I tend to sweat a lot. "Compensation sweating" as a result from surgery I had a few years back to eliminate the sweating in my palms. My chest and back sweat a lot and the compression tee helps wick it away. Nothing more uncomfortable than a sweat-soaked cotton tee-shirt <_<

 

Same with the sliding shorts... Sweat + friction = no good!

 

That's really it. A huge percentage of my caching is done on Long Island, and there just isn't anyplace far enough away from civilization to justify bringing much else!

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GPS

Cell Phone

Water (2 miles-ish or longer)

Leatherman (if I remember to take it from my truck)

Depending on how my feet feel, and the weather, I'll wear either my sneakers or hiking boots.

Northface convertible pants. Under that I usually wear sliding shorts.

Light shirt with an underarmour compression tee underneath.

 

I tend to sweat a lot. "Compensation sweating" as a result from surgery I had a few years back to eliminate the sweating in my palms. My chest and back sweat a lot and the compression tee helps wick it away. Nothing more uncomfortable than a sweat-soaked cotton tee-shirt <_<

 

Same with the sliding shorts... Sweat + friction = no good!

 

That's really it. A huge percentage of my caching is done on Long Island, and there just isn't anyplace far enough away from civilization to justify bringing much else!

 

I really like the idea of the Under Armour! I have a pair of slider shorts from when I played paintball that I could try wearing for some added protection (I slipped and fell on a small ridge today). Great ideas! :)

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I taylor my gear according to whatever risk factor I think might be involved. If I'm doing a run of caches that are all 50 ft from the roadway, I take only the gear I think I need to find the cache. If I'm doing a 5 mile hike, I make sure I have food, water, a way to make fire etc. most times I travel light and literally only have a gps/phone and a pen.

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One black, smushed banana

Compass

At least 1L of drinking water/fruit drink

One sandwich, also smushed

One washed Anjou Pear, lovingly wrapped in paper towel and packed in a Lock & Lock

Ten spare sets of NiMH AA cells

Small hand mirror (Lord it's hard to be humble...)

Stick, for poking in places I'd rather not stick my fingers just yet

Two or three cameras, each with its own strength and weaknesses (Dear Santa, I want an Olympus OM-D E-M5 for Christmas...)

Therapak canister full o' travel bugs and geocoins

Clif bar, expired by 10 months and smushed

Bubble soap (hey, I like soap bubbles)

Spare log sheets

Twenty or so spare pens, some of which actually work

Bag o' Swag - mostly Crazy Bones, but also anything else I find on my dresser

Binder clips, various sizes

iPod - smushed, with half dead battery

30 ft climbing rope and one industrial strength carabiner

Whatever book I'm currently reading (something to pass the time waiting for the EMTs to get to my broken body)

About 100 mg. various leafs and twigs which have entered my pack by some means

Edited by DragonsWest
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Anything off the sidewalk/road I wear good boots with ankle support. Mine currently have a 6 inch ankle, It helps prevent snake bites, thorns and such, and generally prevents you form injuring yourself. Think walking on a muddy, rocky trail up hill. You slip and with good boots or even hiking shoes you get back up and walk. With runners/tennis shoe whatever you call them, you are more likely to roll and injure your ankle.

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Anything off the sidewalk/road I wear good boots with ankle support. Mine currently have a 6 inch ankle, It helps prevent snake bites, thorns and such, and generally prevents you form injuring yourself. Think walking on a muddy, rocky trail up hill. You slip and with good boots or even hiking shoes you get back up and walk. With runners/tennis shoe whatever you call them, you are more likely to roll and injure your ankle.

 

Yeah, I've started wearing my hiking boots. :)

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I can usually be found caching in hot pants and a tube top, generally hot pink in color. 6 inch stilletos and a frilly parasol round out my attire if I can pull them away from the gimp in the closet.

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. GPS, pen (i'm not great about this one :ph34r: ), water, gloves, compass, spare batteries, some spare containers (in case I find a good place to drop a new cache), a small assortment of swag, and some snacks are all pretty standard. Longer hikes mean more stuff, but that's pretty much the basics.

 

If I'm caching in town, it's generally because I'm killing time between errands so all I have is a GPS and whatever's in my pockets or in my car.

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I'm an urban cacher, for the most part. So I wear my business clothes, and carry an umbrella. I have a small bag I grab out of my briefcase for my caching lunch walks. It contains tweezers, a few small swag items, a pen, a small assortment of plastic bags, one pair of disposable rubber gloves, and some nano and micro-sized RITR logs. I also bring my cellphone, GPS, and cash for lunch etc. I wear sensible flat shoes. The umbrella is for rain, of course (Seattle), and is a wonderful shield from muggles if I have to make a grab and avoid their prying eyes. The gloves protect my hands if I have to poke and prod disgusting places. The bags come in handy for picking up litter (nice way to disguise my search - to the wary muggle I just look like an obsessive lady), ridding the area of doggy doo, and protecting nice swag from the elements if the cache is a bit moist. The tweezers are good for extracting logs from nanos and micros. The extra logs are so I can replace sodden or full ones and save the CO the trouble. The cash is for lunch!

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Anything off the sidewalk/road I wear good boots with ankle support. Mine currently have a 6 inch ankle, It helps prevent snake bites, thorns and such, and generally prevents you form injuring yourself. Think walking on a muddy, rocky trail up hill. You slip and with good boots or even hiking shoes you get back up and walk. With runners/tennis shoe whatever you call them, you are more likely to roll and injure your ankle.

 

I'm the same way. If I'm going to be off paved paths and grass I wear my leather hiking boots. I like the support. If I'm caching around town or in suburban parks, I wear Gore Tex lined trail runners. I like that they are waterproof so my feet don't get soaked walking through dewy grass.

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We have a backpack that is loaded with swag, first aid items, bug spray, plastic grocery bags, pens, extra log sheets, etc. What I wear depends on whether we are going in the woods or doing more urban caches, but I love my shorts and t-shirt even though I have to deal with scrapes and bites down here in the South. I am going to start taking a pair of baseball gloves this year as they are nice and form fitting. I also crocheted myself a trail hat that has the ammo geocache patch and a trackable patch on it. I'll post some pictures of it in a separate thread when I get a chance.

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I don't like wearing sunglasses in the woods--micros tucked into dark spaces disappear--so I always have a baseball cap with me. It also keeps branches and thorns from getting caught in my hair, and makes me less paranoid about ticks. Otherwise, I'm wearing whatever I was wearing at work (which, being at a forest preserve, generally means sneakers or hiking shoes and woods-appropriate clothing).

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Anything off the sidewalk/road I wear good boots with ankle support. Mine currently have a 6 inch ankle, It helps prevent snake bites, thorns and such, and generally prevents you form injuring yourself. Think walking on a muddy, rocky trail up hill. You slip and with good boots or even hiking shoes you get back up and walk. With runners/tennis shoe whatever you call them, you are more likely to roll and injure your ankle.

 

Same here.

 

I have my sneakers ($15 at CostCo) for casual walking around.

 

Light hiking boots ($35 at the local mega shoe store) for good weather and short trails.

 

Then there are the $200 back country boots (REI), serious equipment where survival and/or health may depend upon it. Full ankle support, dry up to 1 foot of water, sturdy soles with good traction. And always I pack a spare pair of hiking socks.

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Anything off the sidewalk/road I wear good boots with ankle support. Mine currently have a 6 inch ankle, It helps prevent snake bites, thorns and such, and generally prevents you form injuring yourself. Think walking on a muddy, rocky trail up hill. You slip and with good boots or even hiking shoes you get back up and walk. With runners/tennis shoe whatever you call them, you are more likely to roll and injure your ankle.

I like my almost woren out wellington style cowboy boots. Keeps the dirt, rocks and sand out better. Also no need for extra shoe laces.

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I just wear what I wear to work, which is cargo shorts, a tee-shirt, and hiking shoes. My tee-shirt always has a breast pocket, as I've discovered that is amazingly convenient for keeping the pen handy and for holding tops and small containers while I sign the logs.

 

My critical equipment is 2 or 3 pens, a small notebook -- I'm amazed to find many people don't carry something like this, not only for notes, but to provide a nice surface for signing logs -- 6" long tweezers, and an expandable hook that extends out to a meter long. I have some other tools, but I rarely bring them with me because I don't need them often enough to clutter up my pockets. I have a bag with mainly spare containers and logs, but I normally leave that in the trunk, too.

 

Santa brought me one of those camelback backpacks; I haven't used it yet, but I'm sure I'll pull it out lots more often when the warm weather starts demanding that I carry water with me.

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Got put some sunscreen in the pack. I got a little sunburn on the face today while out hiking.

 

Being Irish, I'm naturally "thin skinned," and therefore I burn extremely easily; I apply sunscreen before I go caching, and I bring it with me so that I can reapply it every now and again to make sure that it I don't sweat it all off and end up burnt anyways. I always look for the highest SPF count as well. Right now I have a bottle of SPF 45 that seems to work fairly well for me. :)

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The answer to the original question is situational depending upon the areas are you cache in. There are some good items that have been mentioned so far but I decided the lists needed a couple odd balls. Based upn my cross country experience here are two polar opposites:

 

1) Florescent orange mesh vest

 

2) Clipboard with contractors inspection aid (laminated)

 

 

Have you determined why they are opposites?

 

While out in the woods or along a roadside I wear the florescent orange mesh vest. I want to stand out an be obvious, I don't want to get shot(particularly a risk in the southern U.S.) or run over (well, in Boston they will run you over anyway).

 

While urban or sub-urban caching I carry my clipboard. That small prop renders me invisable to nearly everyone. I can lurk around inspecting buildings, trees, and any mannner of mechanical contrivance without so much as a sencond glance by passing muggles. Anybody noticing my activity immedeately dismisses my presence and accepts that I must know what I'm doing and should be left alone to do it. It is particularly helpful when retreiving playground hides. The young lionesses guarding their young give me only a passing look as I search the structure for the upbiquous magneto-hide.

Edited by klipsch49er
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While urban or sub-urban caching I carry my clipboard. That small prop renders me invisable to nearly everyone. I can lurk around inspecting buildings, trees, and any mannner of mechanical contrivance without so much as a sencond glance by passing muggles. Anybody noticing my activity immedeately dismisses my presence and accepts that I must know what I'm doing and should be left alone to do it. It is particularly helpful when retreiving playground hides. The young lionesses guarding their young give me only a passing look as I search the structure for the upbiquous magneto-hide.

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That is a great, great idea! :D

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GEOvloger Facebook

@GEOvloger

GEOvloger tumbler

 

Woo, where to begin. I guess i will start out with what i wear. I shoot a youtube channel while i geocache so i tend to have an 'outfit' of jeans, t-shirt, boots and a neck tie.

 

As far as gear is concerned, now it gets a little involved.

Here is the list:

Camera bag

Digital camera

cases camera remote

2 extra batteries

wireless microphone and receiver

extra AAA batteries

sunglasses

sunglasses case

bear spray

handle/monopod mount for camera

portable sewing kit

flashlight

IR flashlight

cache swag

tripod

weight bag

and last but not least... a camel bag backpack

 

If you would like to see what all this gear allows me to make then head over to:

GEOvloger - YouTube Channel - subscribe for content updates!

 

photo.jpg

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One black, smushed banana

Compass

At least 1L of drinking water/fruit drink

One sandwich, also smushed

One washed Anjou Pear, lovingly wrapped in paper towel and packed in a Lock & Lock

Ten spare sets of NiMH AA cells

Small hand mirror (Lord it's hard to be humble...)

Stick, for poking in places I'd rather not stick my fingers just yet

Two or three cameras, each with its own strength and weaknesses (Dear Santa, I want an Olympus OM-D E-M5 for Christmas...)

Therapak canister full o' travel bugs and geocoins

Clif bar, expired by 10 months and smushed

Bubble soap (hey, I like soap bubbles)

Spare log sheets

Twenty or so spare pens, some of which actually work

Bag o' Swag - mostly Crazy Bones, but also anything else I find on my dresser

Binder clips, various sizes

iPod - smushed, with half dead battery

30 ft climbing rope and one industrial strength carabiner

Whatever book I'm currently reading (something to pass the time waiting for the EMTs to get to my broken body)

About 100 mg. various leafs and twigs which have entered my pack by some means

 

Haha. Great list! From now on I'm taking my kindle with me, just in case!

 

I'm a clumsy girl, so if I'm walking in the forest I take my entire geobag, which has enough for me to survive comfortably for a night or two. I can easily slip down a hill, lose my phone, and remain injured until someone notices I'm missing.

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Hey Geovlogger I just watched a few of your videos earlier! LOL As to the ops question Clothing I wear comfortable clothes and either sneakers, or Combat style hiking boots.

 

Gear wise, Flashlight, small plastic mirror, some swag, multi tool, plastic bags, extra Log sheets, lot of pens, Tweezers, engineers compass, notebook, Trash Bags, and a photo buddy, (I usually hunt alone so I don't have anyone to take my picture so the photo buddy gets in the pic.) Cell phone.

 

You'll notice I didn't say GPS as I don't have one.

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Now that the weather is getting into the 80s (South-eastern US) I wear shorts and a t-shirt. If the trails are well established I wear my walking shoes but if the trails are a little more rugged I wear my Timberlands (which I've had for 15-16 years). I want to get a nice hybrid hiking boot/shoe but I haven't had much room in the budget. I'm usually a bargain buyer but I want some reliable shoes that'll last.

 

On me:

 

DeLorme PN-60

iPhone w/ Olloclip

Hardcover moleskine for notes, sketches, and a hard surface to sign logs

Bottle of water

5" blade

On my keychain I have a Leatherman Micra (tweezers) and a Streamlight nano (great flashlight)

 

 

My bag:

 

Swag box full of trade items

Lots of pens

Small first aid kit

Matches

Toilet paper (you never know)

Spare log sheets, notebooks

Bug spray

Large multi-tool

Emergency bottle of water

Extra batteries

Various sizes of baggies

Several emergency ponchos - also can be a good trade item

Several printouts explaining Geocaching in case I meet some curious folks

 

Most of the time I have no need for these items as the trails I usually frequent aren't that remote but I'm the type of person that would rather be prepared.

Edited by JK_81
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