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thesharpeteam

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Hello everyone

 

heard about this on radio 2 yesterday (19/04/17). it sounds great fun and thought it would be good for me and my girls to get involved with.

but my question is this, do I need to buy or bring anything with me on the hunts and if so how do I know what to bring for what hunt? like a spade if it buried how would I know till im there with out the needed equipment

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You should never need to dig to find a geocache. That's one of the most basic rules/guidelines:

 

Geocaches are never buried, neither partially nor completely.

If one has to dig or create a hole in the ground when placing or finding a geocache, it is not allowed.

 

For most geocaches, you only need the basic things you'd need if you were hiking in the area for any other reason (water, snacks, the ten essentials), plus whatever you're using to navigate to the geocache (handheld GPSr, phone, etc.) and a pen to sign the log. And perhaps some trinkets if you like trading when you find a cache large enough to hold trade items.

 

There are occasionally caches that require something special. Sometimes the owners of these caches add attributes like:

rappelling-yes.gif Climbing Gear

UV-yes.gif UV Light Required

s-tool-yes.gif Special Tool Required

 

Sometimes the owners of these caches describe what is needed in the text of the cache description.

 

Sometimes the owners of these caches let the requirements come as a surprise to seekers. Sometimes the logs posted by others will offer hints about what you might need.

 

Also, be sure to check out the Learn > Geocaching 101 menu item on the geocaching.com site.

 

And welcome to the obsession geocaching!

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Hello everyone

 

heard about this on radio 2 yesterday (19/04/17). it sounds great fun and thought it would be good for me and my girls to get involved with.

but my question is this, do I need to buy or bring anything with me on the hunts and if so how do I know what to bring for what hunt? like a spade if it buried how would I know till im there with out the needed equipment

 

Thanks for asking. The most important answer is DO NOT DIG - CACHES ARE NOT BURIED. There are many different size caches. The general size is indicated in the cache listing. Hides can be in a woodland setting or in an urban setting. Those can be quite different experiences. Under a pile of sticks or rocks. In a guardrail or lamppost skirt. Possibly magnetic. Actually the possibilities are mostly determined by the imagination of the hider. Try to think like a hider and look where you might have put it.

 

Some nice coins and some items with a bar-coded tag are NOT trade items. They are only meant to be moved from cache to cache (they won't fit is the smallest caches).

 

The usual advice to new cachers it to start by looking for the larger size caches. They will be easier to locate. They are more likely to have trade items in them. So certainly bring some nice little trinkets to leave behind after your girls have picked something to take out.

 

When you do look for the smallest size caches, a tweezers can come in very handy to extract the log. Always have a writing instrument so you can sign the log with caching name. For very small logs it could be best to abbreviate with just first letters, perhaps as TSPT in your case.

 

A mirror to look into certain hiding spaces can come in handy. This should help you get started. Your own experiences will suggest if there is anything else you might want to keep in a small kit that always goes with you on a cache hunt.

 

Find local events. Attend some if you can. You will meet a lot of knowledgeable geocachers who can offer more advice. I would expect some will become new friends after you get to know them.

 

You didn't ask anything about a GPS device or a GPS enabled smart phone. You think you have that figured out? Your first few finds will always be remembered as great fun (after you have managed to find them). Don't just stop at the one spot that might be indicated. Our stuff isn't that accurate. Move around a little bit and search a bit wider area. Good Luck.

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Looking at it again, could the initialized version of your caching name simply be TST ??

You will be surprised just how compact some of the very smallest cache containers and logs can be. Having such a shortened version ready to use as needed will come in very handy. But seriously, don't start out looking for those right away. Gain some confidence with the larger size caches first. And another trick. If you get to a decent size cache, and there are not any interesting trade items in it - be prepared to slip something into it for your kids to "find". If that is a part of the game they find interesting, you don't want to disappoint them too often. And there will be disappointments. There is no such thing as a guaranteed cache find.

 

Also note who was along for the find in your log. If any of them decide to create their own account at some point, they can come back to those logs to determine which caches they had been a part of finding in the past - and then create their own find log for it.

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Hello everyone

 

heard about this on radio 2 yesterday (19/04/17). it sounds great fun and thought it would be good for me and my girls to get involved with.

but my question is this, do I need to buy or bring anything with me on the hunts and if so how do I know what to bring for what hunt? like a spade if it buried how would I know till im there with out the needed equipment

Hi and welcome!

I always have a bit of a kit with me when I go caching. You never really know what you'll need out in the field so I like to be prepared. It may be overkill but here's what's in my kit:

  • Mobile phone
  • First aid kit
  • GPS
  • Tablet with the geocaching app
  • Tweezers/forceps
  • Mirror on an extendable stick
  • Flashlight/torch
  • A couple of pairs of gloves - I pack both some disposable and some sturdy ones so I'm ready for anything
  • Pen, pencil and paper
  • Compass
  • Walking/hiking pole
  • Adequate water and food
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Camera

Obviously this list can be modified to your needs. You probably won't have to worry about water, food, compass and a hiking pole if you're caching in the city, for example.

GPS units are definitely advisable if you're going anywhere remote but for most cases I find the app on my tablet is adequate to get me to the cache. You can also put the app on your phone to save money rather than buying a tablet. My phone is a piece of junk though hence why I bring my tablet.

 

Really though, the barest minimum you'd need to go caching for the most part is a GPS enabled device, be it a phone, tablet or dedicated unit, and a pen or pencil. It doesn't have to be an expensive hobby by any means.

 

Definitely take some items to trade if you're planning to take any treasures from the caches you find. The rule of thumb is that you should replace whatever you remove from the cache with something of equal or greater value so that there's something fun for the next person to find. That said, you don't HAVE to take anything from the cache. I usually just sign the log and move on but I do on occasion pick up a travel bug.

 

Another thing to be aware of is that it's probably a good idea to have some ID on you just in case the police show up. For people that don't know about geocaching it can look very suspicious to see people hunting under bushes or sliding containers behind dumpsters. If the cops do show up be completely honest with them. Show them your GPS device with the cache on it and show them the cache if you're next to it still and chances are they'll be fine with it and you'll have no problems.

 

That said, if muggles (people that don't know about geocaching) show up and ask what you're doing you can feel free to tell them any lies you like (within reason) to throw them off the trail! There are some hilarious stories out there of people being caught and spinning tall tales to muggles!

 

Like other posters have said in this thread, if anything really specific is needed for a cache it will be mentioned in the cache description so always read that carefully! And if you have any questions about specific caches do feel free to message the CO (cache owner) or someone who's already found the cache for a hint! You can also feel free to ask any general questions you have on the forums!

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