How to "handle" everything with only 2 hands!

[+WalkInThePark]

Every time I go out to find a cache, I end up needing 4 hands to finnagle everything. I've got the GPS, the page from geocaching.com (which usually ends up in shreds), something to write with, something to write on. If its cold I have gloves to handle. If its raining or snowing everything gets soaked.

 

Thought maybe someone has some ideas on keeping everything dry, at the ready, and not look like a total geek!

 

Thanks!

[+Bloencustoms]

I had a couple of suggestions untill I read the part about not looking like a geek. But seriously, get a small pack, or camelbak, or something similar. My camelbak has loops on the shoulder straps that the belt clip on my GPSr's case slips into. It holds the unit right on top of my shoulder for easy access and a better view of the sky than my pocket affords.

 

"Searching with my good eye closed"

[+Marky]

Having two people in the cache team helps. I usually have the GPS and Joani has the cache page. My GPS clips to my belt while I'm logging the find.

 

--Marky

"All of us get lost in the darkness, dreamers learn to steer with a backlit GPSr"

[+The Leprechauns]

Most people use a knapsack, fanny pack or belt pack for keeping things organized. But me, I wear a fisherman's vest with approx. 20 small pockets of various sizes, where I carry ALL my caching gear, except for wearing my Camelbak MULE on my back, and packing raingear and a flashlight in the pack's pockets. You can see a picture on my profile page.

 

In a top pocket, my GPS fits snugly, and its antenna pops up above shoulder height so I maintain satellite lock. When I reach a trail intersection or landmark, or am getting close to the cache, I take out the GPS and look at it.

 

In front breast pockets, I keep the cache description page and map, a camera, a notebook and pen, a penlight, a headlamp and my wallet and keys. In the lower pockets, I keep a first aid kit and other emergency items, cache trade items, our letterbox stamp and stamp pad, compasses, knife, toilet paper and extra batteries.

 

With this gear setup, I never have to stop walking in order to grab something out of my pack, or to take a drink of water (just sip the Camelbak's hose). You can find fisherman's and photographer's vests at Sporting Goods stores, Discount chains like Target, and online.

 

Other cachers who use this setup include Criminal and MrSnazz.

 

As for "geek factor," I chose an olive drab vest, and I also wear OD pants. I am sometimes mistaken for being a park ranger or law enforcement official. And I am stopped for questioning more often than the average cacher. I don't know whether my gear setup makes me look like a geek or a terrorist, or just an outdoorsman.

 

Good luck in whatever solution you choose!

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

.sdrawkcab dootsrednu tub sdrawrof devil si efiL

 

[This message was edited by The Leprechauns on April 18, 2003 at 07:52 AM.]

[+Jamie Z]

What you do is get you one of these:

 

 

Jamie

[+Veda]

Along the same idea of the fishing vest, I find cargo pants with multiple sets of pockets on the legs useful as well as stylish.

[Scamp]

Thanks for mentioning the fisherman's vest. I have a photographer's vest in my closet and for some reason I hadn't even thought to use it for caching-- I've just been getting everything mixed up in my backpack!

 

Next time I do a non-urban cache, I'm wearing that thing. (It might look a little odd to run around Chicago looking like I'm on safari...)

 

<3)~

[+CYBret]

Yep, the vest sure helps.

 

 

Bret

 

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again." Mt. 13:44

[+briansnat]

"Cargo" style pants, or shorts are useful and the geek factor is low. Example1.

Example2

[+sbell111]

The last time I flew to Southern California, I had forgotten to take the multi-tool out of my backpack. It went through the x-ray machine without a blink from the security staff.

[+Poindexter]

Well, it's tough to not look like a geek, ecspecially if you use an external antenna as I do. One other accessory I use is this neat holster that has a bendable metal frame to position it just about any way you want. It also has pockets for ink pens and a larger pocket where I put the folded up cache descriptions.

 

[+sbell111]

I bought a holster like that, but I didn't like how it worked with my 3+. I'm giving it away as a gift.

 

(Could that sentence be more redundant?)

[+Zartimus]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Poindexter:

Well, it's tough to not look like a geek, ecspecially if you use an external antenna as I do

---

 

Especially with a userid like poindexter<grin>.

Hey I'm one too, I think that thing is cool!

 

On the vest front, up in Canada we call those 'VOMPS' for 'Vest Of Many Pocketsess'.

 

Tilley Endurables

 

Also home of the best hat in the known universe.

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

I need to find myself some desert camo BDUs, and I'll be set.

 

Brian

Team A.I.

[Swagger]

quote:

---

Originally posted by sbell111:

The last time I flew to Southern California, I had forgotten to take the multi-tool out of my backpack. It went through the x-ray machine without a blink from the security staff.

---

Ditto here when I flew to Las Vegas and back in January. The so-called "security" enhancements in the airports are purely aesthetic.

 

--

Random fortune:

[+DustyJacket]

US$ 285 for a VOMP ?

They must be trying to take advantage of those gullible Americans.

 

I guess that I'll keep using my waist pack for a while.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[+Alan2]

 

Of course, if you have a GPS with a built in compass, you eliminate one device. That also helps.

 

Good luck.

 

Alan

[+st_richardson]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Alan2:

http://img.Groundspeak.com/cache/14514_300.jpg

 

Of course, if you have a GPS with a built in compass, you eliminate one device. That also helps.

 

Good luck.

 

Alan

---

I've been looking for a way to attach my GPS to my hiking stick. Where did you get that adapter?

[+Alan2]

First, that isn't my picture but I do have the same setup. The adapter is from RAM. I used the bicycle mounting ring permenently attached to the stick. WHen I get back to the car you snap off the adapter and GPS and I snap it back on the suction cup that's stuck on the windshield. While I still use the windshield mounting arrangement, I stopped using the stick configuration because it makes it very unbalanced for me to walk with.

 

Of course on the stick there's one less thing to carry. Plus if you lose the satellites, you can stab the stick into the ground. Letting the GPS allows it to more easily pick up the sat signals plu you hands are now completely free to do other things.

 

However I strongly recommend RAM for the windhield mount. Combine it with the lighter cable, you conserve your batteries while driving to the cache especially at night when you can leave the backlight on all the time.

 

Good luck

 

ALan

[greatwhite6]

A backpack and some shorts with cargo pockets should be more than sufficient. I keep a first aid kit, extra batteries, cache "gifts" etc in there at all times.

 

Any belief worth having must survive doubt.

[+Zartimus]

quote:

---

Originally posted by DustyJacket:

US$ 285 for a VOMP ?

They must be trying to take advantage of those gullible Americans.

 

I guess that I'll keep using my waist pack for a while.

---

 

Hehehehe, They are incredibly well-made and the last one you will ever buy (of course the ability to buy three others brands at that price may be appealing as well<grin>.)

 

It's the hat that is my fave. It's famouse for surviving the digestive tract of an elephant three times in Toronto. Scroll down to the bit titled: Eat your hat.

 

'Wear a hat an elephant shat!' I live in mine during the summer, and especially while caching.

 

[+H. & N.]

I agree with Marky as to the two person deal. I like hunting with someone else. Specially my significant other. Heather & Nate... Heather AND Nate...

 

[+JDan150]

Hear is a solution for the GPSr. Still needs a little tweaking though

[Tahosa and Sons]

Here's an idea for you, found this site thru the forums last year and it's on my agenda for supplies this summer.

Cruiser Map Case

 

Tahosa - Dweller of the Mountain Tops.

[SuperAlpha]

I wear a tactical vest. It has flashlight pouch, extendable baton pouch, knife pouch, handgun holster, magazine holders, camelback pouch, 1st aid pouch, radio holder, pen holder, and a few other accessory pouches (some of the carbine magazine holders could be used for other items).

 

[+Criminal]

It's times like that when I wish my ***** would work like a monkey tail. At least it could hold on to things for you.

 

http://fp1.centurytel.net/Criminal_Page/

 

[Edited so that readers may use their imagination.]

 

[This message was edited by Keystone Approver on September 29, 2003 at 02:25 PM.]

[+geospotter]

All you need is a little preparation. You've got a printout, GPS, pencil, and paper. Read the printout before you leave the car (tuck it in a pocket). Put the pencil and paper away (you won't need them until you find the cache). That leaves you with just the GPS to handle.

 

Truth be told, I have a great backpack for everything.

[+sbell111]

Ditch whatever you are bringing to write on. Stick the pen in your pocket. Fold the cache page and stuff it in your other pocket. Pull the page out if you need to refer to it or write your notes.

[+Sandrich]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Heather & Nate:

I agree with Marky as to the two person deal. I like hunting with someone else. Specially my significant other. Heather & Nate... Heather AND Nate...

 

---

Yeah! What Heather & Nate said, that Marky said

 

[Dogmom]

They need to invent a pair of glasses where the GPS screen is on the inside. Try holding two dog leashes in one hand and a GPS in the other-not fun when your dogs decide to walk around every bush and tree and get their leashes tangled! I envy those that can put their GPS down and just hike. Even if the cache is 2 miles away I want to stare at that little screen.

 

Dogmom

[Jake - Team A.I.]

I was thinking the same thing about the glasses with the 'HUD' (heads up display). But I would want more information to be displayed than a single page of my GPS. The directional arrow, a map and the coords/speed/altitude and other info on one page would be nice. that way you could wouldn't have to hit a button to see each page of information.

 

Jake - Team A.I.

[+DustyJacket]

I take a bearing with my GPS, then turn it off and put it away.

I use the compass on my hiking staff during the hike and check the GPS once every half mile or so.

 

It also keeps me from dropping the GPS or falling or stepping in something because I was looking at the GPS and not the ground.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[+robert]

This is what I use.

 

~robert

www.CacheGear.com

 

[+amishangel]

Hmmm...Lets hope the local hoodlums don't key in on the valubles we carry into the wilds. We might become fodder for the beetles.

 

You may need to pack a Kimber as well.

 

Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?

 

[SuperAlpha]

quote:

---

Originally posted by amishangel:

Hmmm...Lets hope the local hoodlums don't key in on the valubles we carry into the wilds. We might become fodder for the beetles.

You may need to pack a Kimber as well.

---

 

Eaxtly why I wear a tactical vest or just conceal carry.

 

The vest:

extendable baton pouch - baton will act as a great tool, weapon, snake killer, etc

knife pouch - duh

handgun holster - duh

 

[+robert]

quote:

---

Originally posted by amishangel:

You may need to pack a Kimber as well.

---

 

Ruger GP-100 with Wolff springs.

 

~robert

www.CacheGear.com

 

[+FarSideX]

Cargo pants and for longer hikes a backpack too. Can't find those cargo pants with the zip off legs that also have the pulls to close the bottom of the legs around here anymore.

 

Took tupperware container - Left nothing.