How do you find your caches?

[Bozatron]

Hi All 

 

Sorry if this is a newb question, but I am still new to the hobby and so curious how others are playing.

What device do you use for searching for caches?

• Smart phone using the app only?
• Smart phone with app and google maps?
• Hand held GPS?

 

Thanks Brian

[+niraD]

13 minutes ago, Bozatron said:

What device do you use for searching for caches?

Now, I use my Android smartphone with an app for most of my geocaching. I use a (now discontinued) handheld GPS receiver only when I need better durability, battery life, and/or GPS reception than my phone provides.

 

I'm getting by with Groundspeak's app ("the app") for now, but other apps that use Groundspeak's API are much better. Unfortunately, the last two apps that I used became abandonware, and then Groundspeak changed the API in ways that were not backwards compatible and they stopped working. I'm not doing much geocaching right now, but before I get more active again, I'll choose one of the API partner apps.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I keep a GSAK database of geocaches I might want to find in the future. It's far larger than I would find anytime soon, but excludes the majority of geocaches. (Less than 10% of the caches in my state, for example.) I use this to plan where I'm going caching.

 

I preload a file from my database onto my Garmin Etrex and the GCdroid app. The latter can display on my offline database and mostly helps navigate my driving to the trailhead or parking. The former is my primary method for navigating to the cache once on the trail.

 

I also have the Groundspeak app on my phone for any on-the-fly caching or short stops when I don't need the Garmin. I'm pretty happy with this app.

 

If you like hiking, paddling, or the like while geocaching the battery life and durability (especially water resistance on most units) makes a standalone GPS worthwhile. Especially for areas with cell service. GSAK and preloading caches depends on a combination of cell service reliability, data plan, and how particular you are about the caches you seek. 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by JL_HSTRE
Clarity

[+barefootjeff]

I guess I'm old-fashioned (some may just say old), but I plan all my caching trips with the website, studying the cache pages and recent logs, and upload them to my Garmin GPSr (now into my third one, having worn the first two out) either as individual GPX files or as a PQ if there are more than a small handful. On most of my trips I'm mainly targeting one cache plus any others that might be close by. I've occasionally had to use the app in a pinch, usually when spontaneously adding a cache I didn't upload to the Garmin, but I much prefer the latter for numerous reasons, including the daylight-readable screen that doesn't need a backlight constantly running, can zoom in closer on the map, there's a scale on the map (I don't know why app maps don't have scales on them), generally smoother navigation, physically more rugged, longer battery life (much longer with the latest model) and no need for a mobile data connection.

 

Yes there are some drawbacks, such as not being able to see cache page (or log) images on the Garmin, but I have my phone with me to do that if I need to or, particularly for caches that are out in the wilderness, I'll print and laminate the images (they proved invaluable on a recent group kayaking venture away from phone coverage).

[+kunarion]

53 minutes ago, Bozatron said:

Hi All 

 

Sorry if this is a newb question, but I am still new to the hobby and so curious how others are playing.

What device do you use for searching for caches?

• Smart phone using the app only?
• Smart phone with app and google maps?
• Hand held GPS?

 

Thanks Brian

 

Handheld GPS for the actual search (Garmin Oregon 750) loaded up with the entire town's caches and beyond, for the place I plan to hunt.  Phone with The Official App and Waze, for street routing.  Also on the phone, I have a cache List named "Go Find" with select caches that I don't want to miss.  I have Cachly on the phone also, for times when The Official App is broken.  And I have a car GPS and street routing on the Garmin as backup for when Cachly breaks as well.

[+Viajero Perdido]

2 hours ago, Bozatron said:

• Smart phone using the app only?
• Smart phone with app and google maps?
• Hand held GPS?

 

I'd add:

• Smart phone using a 3rd-party app only.

Cachly was mentioned above; that's a highly-regarded caching app for iOS.  I'm on Android, and use Locus Map, which is a full-featured map app first, and a fully capable caching app second.  I appreciate both in one package.  Not cheap, but I see the value.

 

"The" app (the one from Groundspeak) looks designed for beginners and upsell, though a lot of experienced cachers do use it.  Not me; I want better maps.

 

https://apidevelopers.geocaching.com/partner-list/

 

 

Edited June 7, 2023 by Viajero Perdido

[+GeoElmo6000]

I use Cachly as my primary way to find geocaches.  Someone gave me a Garmin Montana 680t GPS receiver, which is awesome for a full day of geocaching but not for every day.  I like the convenience of being able to open my app up wherever I am and see what's close, like at a highway rest stop that I hadn't planned to visit.

 

Something I appreciate with Cachly is when I travel internationally, I'll download every cache in the city I'm visiting plus the map ahead of time, as well as the Google maps for that area.  Then when I'm visiting the city and being my cheap self not having an international data plan, I just put my phone on airplane mode and can use it just fine.  My iPhone gets GPS signals in airplane mode just fine.

[+The Leprechauns]

For route/target planning, I use GSAK because I believe the search features are superior to those native to the website.  It's easier for me to filter on just the types of caches we like to hunt and, in particular, to identify which County a cache is in.  I also use Project-GC for planning, like seeing what challenge caches I'm qualified for, seeing which Counties need to be colored in on my map, and spotting holes in my grids & statistics that need to be filled.

 

Once my planning is finished, everything lands on a bookmark List.  I edit the cache names in the list to add a number at the beginning (01, 02... 10, 11, etc.) so that the list can be printed out to display the caches in the order we plan to find them.  If I'm on a "county run" I will add the County name into the cache title so that I don't inadvertently skip a County.

 

Next, I send a link to the bookmark List to my wife, and she loads it into her Cachly app.  I also have an iPhone, but I use the official App.  The List I made shows up and I only see the caches on my List.  I also like the "Trails" map available to Premium members on the official App.  Between the two of us, one phone or the other often supplies helpful information for navigating efficiently to the cache.  We especially like how Cachly overlays Adventure Lab stages on the map.

 

Once in the car, I use Apple Car Play to connect my phone to the big screen display.  Then, I select the next cache and navigate to parking using Google Maps on the car's screen.

 

On occasion, a handheld GPS is the right choice, like when we're kayaking or when driving and hiking in a remote area.  The same filter I used in GSAK to create a List can also be used to export those same caches to my Garmin GPS.

[+terratin]

For long hikes or anything remotely dangeroys always a gps because i mught need the phone battery for emergency service calls. Otherwise for ios cachly app, Wherigo and waymarkly app from the same developer. And adventurelabs app when I want to feel dirty (no, not a fan)

[+cerberus1]

4 hours ago, Bozatron said:

Sorry if this is a newb question, but I am still new to the hobby and so curious how others are playing.
What device do you use for searching for caches?

• Smart phone using the app only?
• Smart phone with app and google maps?
• Hand held GPS?

 

JIC...  If you're curious because you're having a tough time finding caches, that comes with time. Hints help.  

Most realize now there's little difference in "accuracy" between a handheld GPSr and a modern smartphone, it's just what you're used to.

The other 2/3rds is fine with a phone or GPSr, and she'll use whatever means it takes to find caches. 

 - She'll use all the above-mentioned third-party sites if need be.  

I still load caches manually to a handheld GPSr, centering on green areas of the map, writing notes and maybe hints on a small notepad.

I found one cache IIRC with an iphone 13mini. Still took notes and wrote the online log at home...

[fendmar]

4 hours ago, Bozatron said:

Hi All 

 

Sorry if this is a newb question, but I am still new to the hobby and so curious how others are playing.

What device do you use for searching for caches?

• Smart phone using the app only?
• Smart phone with app and google maps?
• Hand held GPS?

 

Thanks Brian

D. All of the above.

[+NanCycle]

5 hours ago, barefootjeff said:

I guess I'm old-fashioned (some may just say old), but I plan all my caching trips with the website, studying the cache pages and recent logs, and upload them to my Garmin GPSr (now into my third one, having worn the first two out) either as individual GPX files or as a PQ if there are more than a small handful. On most of my trips I'm mainly targeting one cache plus any others that might be close by. I've occasionally had to use the app in a pinch, usually when spontaneously adding a cache I didn't upload to the Garmin, but I much prefer the latter for numerous reasons, including the daylight-readable screen that doesn't need a backlight constantly running, can zoom in closer on the map, there's a scale on the map (I don't know why app maps don't have scales on them), generally smoother navigation, physically more rugged, longer battery life (much longer with the latest model) and no need for a mobile data connection.

 

Yes there are some drawbacks, such as not being able to see cache page (or log) images on the Garmin, but I have my phone with me to do that if I need to or, particularly for caches that are out in the wilderness, I'll print and laminate the images (they proved invaluable on a recent group kayaking venture away from phone coverage).

Everything Jeff said, except the part about printing--I occasionally print a map if I'm going to be out of cell coverage, but I don't print cache pages anymore.

[+terratin]

3 hours ago, terratin said:

For long hikes or anything remotely dangeroys always a gps because i mught need the phone battery for emergency service calls. Otherwise for ios cachly app, Wherigo and waymarkly app from the same developer. And adventurelabs app when I want to feel dirty (no, not a fan)

 

and to add to this: I plan cache trips with the website mainly, with the old-fashioned map and not the search map or whatever it's called. I usually select the open street map (I wish it would remain default), sometimes the cycle map. Alternatively I might use project-gc to search for specific caches for specific aims. Sometimes I use cachly to move a whole pile of caches into a list on gc.com, and then sort them from there. But the main work is always done from the website here, on a laptop. Note: I do lots of EarthCaches, and c/p the questions into a cache note and check whether I need special equipment.

[edwardteach17]

When I first started, I didn't have a GPS or smartphone (I do now, though.) The way I would find would be to just look at the satellite view map, and try and figure out what the area would look like on the ground and go find it from that. It certainly made things more difficult, but it was a lot of fun at the same time! The biggest limitation was how many I could find on a trip; I could only remember the location of 3 or 4 at a time.

[+niraD]

5 hours ago, edwardteach17 said:

When I first started, I didn't have a GPS or smartphone (I do now, though.) The way I would find would be to just look at the satellite view map, and try and figure out what the area would look like on the ground and go find it from that. It certainly made things more difficult, but it was a lot of fun at the same time! The biggest limitation was how many I could find on a trip; I could only remember the location of 3 or 4 at a time.

I started the same way. Well, not counting the first four, which I found in a group, with a friend who was introducing us to geocaching. But after that, I found a few hundred using Google maps and satellite imagery. Urban and suburban caches are certainly easier to find that way, but more remote caches along hiking trails can be found too, as long as there are recognizable landmarks that show up in the satellite imagery.

[+Mysterion604]

I use a smartphone with the main app, the Adventure Lab app, and one of the unofficial apps called [censored, Can't Give it's namE On here], and one of those free trail apps.

(I learned that Google maps is nearly useless in some wilderness situations.)

 

I have never owned or used a dedicated GPS device like a Garmin (they are not cheap, and I'm not outdoorsy enough to need it for any other activities like hunting or fishing).  

 

 

 

 

[+SoonerCardsFan]

I use the app and google maps. 

I have lists saved by area in a 30 mile radius from home. And a number of locations of solved puzzle caches saved in google maps.

[+Jayeffel]

As you can tell there are many ways. Try some and find what you like best .I use the geocache.com site to locate the cache and find a route to get there  - select Directions and use the map, satellite views is good to narrow down what you see. Then going to the site I use the  iPhone app to see when I am getting close  ( this is where a partner comes in handy - one to drive and one to navigate). Then when at the site use the iPhone app, or the Cachly  app to locate GZ. I have a Garmin Eurex with a lot of caches in the  unit, but usually forget to take it! The iPhone app suffices most times- once at GZ and close to the cache (several feet) you can follow the direction line and distance indicator or use the compass button to there top of the app screen which will show the same thing but a bit more obvious-- but I find the direction may  be off up to 180 degrees. But it is a help.

[+kroger23]

I'm new too. For about the first hundred, I used an old gps (etrex vista hcx). Since I've gotten the app, I've gotten lazier. The overhead map is cool, but its definitely a different experience.

[+kroger23]

On 6/8/2023 at 4:51 PM, edwardteach17 said:

When I first started, I didn't have a GPS or smartphone (I do now, though.) The way I would find would be to just look at the satellite view map, and try and figure out what the area would look like on the ground and go find it from that. It certainly made things more difficult, but it was a lot of fun at the same time! The biggest limitation was how many I could find on a trip; I could only remember the location of 3 or 4 at a time.

I did the same thing! I would take pictures of the map and reason it out from there. Sometimes I would just copy the website map onto a sheet of paper. I ended up with a lot more DNFs that way.