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What's in your Geocaching pack?


Riverwind

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This is my first post and I would like to start off by saying hello to everyone! I was a lurker on this site for a little while and finally decided to join up...So far I love the hobby!

 

So, to my question...Whenever you guys head out in search of a cache, what sort of gear do you take along with you?

 

Just curious, as I feel I made need to revise my current setup...

 

Thanks for any info you might contribute!!

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Anything I'd take hiking. Here is a recent thread that addresses this very issue (check out Markwell's link in that thread).

 

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day" - Dave Barry

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on July 21, 2003 at 07:28 PM.]

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I pack along (and have used) all of these items:

 

Kleenex, tweezers, antibacterial handcleaner, first aid wipes/bandaids/medicated cream, scissors, qtips, dental floss

 

Pen, pencil/sharpener, sketchbook, inkpad, ziplocs, 2 cameras (nikon and disposable), cache trades, trail maps/cache printouts, emergency whistle (actually haven't used that one)

 

Granola bars, water bottles, assorted mints and coughdrops

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Hi!

I didn't initially realize all of the items that I may potentionally need. In my "official" geocaching backpack I take: BUG SPRAY, pens, batteries, plastic bags, a bandana, a hat, camera, flashlight, water, a cell phone (you can't be too careful, antibacterial wipes, bandaids, and items to trade.

 

In the trunk of my car I keep extra water in a cooler, DRY socks and a clean T-shirt. There is nothing more miserable than a long drive home in wet socks!

 

Happy Caching! Strohem

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I just got a camelbak and have to say Water is now in my pack. We just did a hike in 100+ temps and I went through 4 liters of water on the hike.

 

Almost everything else in my pack was ditched for water.

 

My pack normally includes, Gloves, Flashlight, Compass (for caches that require them) GPS (duh), First Aid Kit, Trade items. I'm normally packing a cell phone, leatherman and knife. I've also got a compact mirror so I can look where I can't see.

 

Everthing else I've not needed yet or I'd of put it in the bag.

 

The rig carries a larger first aid kit, Bug Spray, Sunscreen, Trash Bags and of course geocaching music.

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Our bag is a work in progress. We carry GPSr, bug repellent, trade items, small notebook, pens/pencils, poison ivy cream, socks, cell phone, flashlight. Probably going to add some stuff. Matt usually wears a boonie hat while caching.

 

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.---Matthew 13:44

 

Matt & Julia

 

To view our online geocaching diary/blog, click here

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quote:
Originally posted by Riverwind:

This is my first post and I would like to start off by saying hello to everyone! I was a lurker on this site for a little while and finally decided to join up...So far I love the hobby!

 

So, to my question...Whenever you guys head out in search of a cache, what sort of gear do you take along with you?


 

A picture is worth 1000 words.

 

PICTURE.

 

It has changed a little since the photo was taken. But essentially it is the same.

 

BTW, I hike way more than I geocache. I am a volunteer in a 37 square mile desert mountain park. I do back country trail patrol. Most people wouldn't carry what I do.

 

Welcome to Geocaching.

 

Mike. Desert_Warrior (aka KD9KC).

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!

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Hi, Riverwind!

 

First of all, I want to say that even though I've only been doing this for a couple of weeks, I am thoroughly addicted, and I suspect it won't be long before you are too (if you're not already.)

 

Anyway, my list o' stuff will probably change when it gets cold, but for the time being I'm carrying an old Army LBE vest (which doesn't get your back as sweaty as a backpack) full of: Magellan Meridian GPS, extra batteries, cell phone, trade items (including two Harry Potter straws and a DVD of My Fellow Americans at the moment), LOTS of bug spray, some band-aids and antibacterial stuff, Gatorade, a couple of pens, my Clie PDA (which is more useful than I can tell you), paper, plastic bags, and some paper towels. For the moment, I also have a floppy tan boonie cap living in there, but that comes out the minute I hit the road - it's my GeoCap icon_cool.gif

 

Have a total blast - I know you will!

 

Wolfie

 

------------------------------------------------

"Is it peas?" - Ellen

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In addition to all of the above (less the handgun), I carry a collapsable walking stick. Besides providing balance on slippert hillsides, It is handy for poking under things before sticking my tender pinkies somewhere that might be inhabited by unfriendly creatures.

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What I carry varies of course. If it's an urban type cache, or less than say an hours hike, a couple trade items in a pocket, and my GPS. Lately I've also been carrying my Pocket PC loaded with queries.

 

Now that it's full blown hiking season however, most of my caches have been in the minimum 10 mile round trip arena, and have included at least 4,000 feet of elevation gain, in fairly remote areas. For these, as Renegade mentioned I carry lots of water. It's really hot out here this summer, so I often take as much as 2 gallons if their won't be a filterable source on the way. Other items in my pack.

 

Sawyer extractor snake bite kit

Small first aid kit with 4 rolls of gauze bandage added and a dozen extra butterfly strips. Couple rolls of ace bandage in extreme territory.

Compass

Maps

Space blanket type sleeping bag, or small bivy bag depending on area/temperature.

Small plastic pancho

Combo LED/Bulb headlamp

Rain Jacket and Pants

About 5000 calories worth of high density food

Waterproof matches and windproof lighter

themometer/windspeed gauge

Utility knife

Wire saw

Trade items of course.

Spare batteries.

TP just in case

Sunscreen/bug repellant lotion

Depending on area, hiking water filter

 

With 2 gallons of water, this setup gets into the 25 pound range weight wise, lot's less when you don't need to carry as much fluid.

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Ooh, yeah, I forgot about the walking stick (probably because I don't carry it in the LBE, of course - it's in the bed of my truck.) But it's UNBELIEVABLY useful, especially in Florida, where the wildlife you encounter pulling caches from under logs is as likely to be of the two-fanged variety as anything else....

 

------------------------------------------------

"Is it peas?" - Ellen

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In addition to the above:

 

Wadded up gum wrappers.

A smashed beer can I found in the woods.

A couple of lint covered dog treats.

dirt.

a stick the size of my pinkie.

a small stone.

about 1/4 of a pine needle.

And something I really cannot identify.

 

===========================================================

"The time has come" the Walrus said "to speak of many things; of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and Kings".

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I got tired of wearing a pack, and then having to stop walking every time I needed something. Geocaching requires lots of tiny little items. So, I now wear a fisherman's vest with lots of little pockets to hold everything, and a Camelbak MULE on my back. Here's what I carry, and the list is from memory... everything stays in the same place so no fumbling around:

 

Upper vest, outside pockets: GPS receiver, camera, pen, notebook, cache page printout, calculator, CITO trash bags, emergency poncho, LED headlamp, penlight.

 

Lower vest, outside pockets: First aid kit, compass, pocketknife, kleenex/toilet paper, emergency blanket, signal whistle, waterproof matchbox & matches, bug repellent, tweezers (for ticks), mirror (for checking inside of things), trade items, letterboxing stamps and stamp pad, and snack item (usually the ever-present blueberry pop tarts).

 

Inside vest pockets: extra batteries, extra camera film, head strap for mini maglight, wallet.

 

In the Camelbak pack: 100 oz. of water, rain suit, heavy work gloves, D-cell flashlight, nylon rope, and cache repair kit (extra ziploc bags, duct tape, logbook, stash sheet, marking pen, pens and pencils)

 

On the Camelbak's shoulder straps: cell phone and GMRS radio.

 

With this setup I almost never have to stop walking in order to get at the item I need. I keep the vest and Camelbak in the car, fully loaded, so I can go caching on a moment's notice without fear of forgetting anything. In the cachemobile, I always carry an assortment of spare clothes and jackets, as well as my tent and sleeping bag. You just never know.

 

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

Next time, instead of getting married, I think I'll just find a woman I don't like and buy her a house.

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In reading all of the above posts, I realize that we are usually woefully under-supplied for our longer caching treks! I have no idea how we've managed to survive the past two-plus years icon_eek.gif At least we always over-do it on the water; it rarely turns out to be too much. Guess we need to re-think our provisioning. Of course, when we go rock-hounding in the Mojave, we certainly do over-provision, and it's saved us a time or two.

 

So many caches; so few pairs of decent shoes

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At first...NONE OF THE ABOVE...just GPS, printout and went for it...now I hike farther than the local parking lot..I have been doing 6-10mi. roundtrips on foot & generaly try to carry all of the above mentioned...

 

Now I bring ALL of the above and thanks to a few ideas here I am now bringing a fish vest with me too now!!!......

 

DON'T FORGET AFTER BRISKLY WALKING TO CACHE SITE TO LET YOUR GPS S-E-T-T-L-E A LITTLE BIT..I have saved as much as 50ft' by just standing there for a minute to let the signal settle down!!

 

The very minimum I would bring is EXTRA BATTERIES, basic first aid, Lots of water/food & a cell phone if you have one!!!!! and then some MORE BATTERIES

 

EXTRA EVERYTHING in your vehicle upon return is not a bad idea either!!

 

I carry EVERYTHING mentioned in this forum as well as a small survival kit for the unexpected..mainly water-purifying tablets (tatste sucks but you dont get sick from the water) snares and fishing stuff if I ever need to eat in an emergency!! Yeah it gets heavy but you will be prepared!

 

Sometime you get so focused on finding the cache you don't realize you walked so far into the "bush" that you could get into trouble alone!!

 

I ran out of water once 3mi in on a 103'hot day with NO WATER IN SITE and NEVER AGAIN...

NO reason to EVER get stuck or be without.

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icon_smile.gifI take: a backpack, small first aid kit, knife, flashlight, emergency whistle, cell phone (if I know they'll be reception), a large container of water, power bars, moist wipes, sunscreen.

 

I use treking poles if I'm going up or down significant hills - lets me go faster and helps prevents injuries from twisted ankles and falls by providing stability. Also transfers some of the work to upper body and off of knees. Middle age Geocachers will appreciate that!

 

Oh yeah.....I take the GPSr! And extra batteries.

 

[This message was edited by showbizkid on July 29, 2003 at 06:39 PM.]

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