I Have No Equipment

[gratiana]

I just stumbled upon this site, and I've already found descriptions of a few caches that I could look for nearby! They're listed as pretty easy ones, and I can follow Mapquest, but I have no GPS equipment. Will it be hopeless without it? Or are descriptions like "Next to the path is a broken tree and the cache is in the hollow stump" probably good enough? It sounds like fun!

[+Tiwica]

If you know the areas in which they are hidden well enough.....give it a try. Try the easiest and most likely first. I found my first without GPSr.

[LupinusNewJerseycus]

I did my first Cache today. It was rated 1 star on all acounts. I would not have found it without my GPS, but I'm a newby. Alot of fun. Great excuse to get out into the world.

 

100 bucks and your in buisness. I've got about 400 invested (for other reasons just call me a techy) but I find mine very useful. Especially if you like to walk and hike.

 

Wuf

[ju66l3r]

You may want to jot a quick note to this guy:

 

WaldenRun

 

He hunts without a GPSr and has hundreds of finds in MA.

 

He might be willing to give you a few tips on how he plans out his hunts so that you can decide if you are interested in that style of caching.

 

I know that in urban areas, the GPSr is often unnecessary (or blocked out by buildings and unusable). So, to each their own, good luck if this is how you choose to do it!

[metaliklabs]

Try using a low scale map and pin pointing the long and lat. I tryed that on my first attempt. I didnt find it but it made me extremely pumped.If you have any friends or relatives with a GPSr Ask them to lend it to you if you want. You can get extremely excellent maps at your towns goverment publishing store or website.

 

Hope this helps.

[+Kite and Hawkeye]

...are descriptions like "Next to the path is a broken tree and the cache is in the hollow stump" probably good enough?

That description is too vague -- really, I wouldn't try to find a cache that's hidden in a woodsy setting or along a trail without a GPS unless the clue was very specific (say, "five feet southwest of trail marker #23 underneath a jade plant"). Especially not as your first attempt at a cache, which we want to be a success! Urban caches are often easy to find without a GPS, or caches in an area with which you're very familiar. Caches are harder to find when you're new, and lack of a GPS is a significant handicap, so don't feel any guilt about using any and every resource you can find. Mapquest and aerial photos are a given. Read the logs, look for spoiler pictures, decrypt the hint, and make at least your first couple caches ones whose hints are dead giveaways. It really helps when they mention landmarks or describe the cache container in detail. We've found a (small) handful of caches without the GPS, and it's a challenge even when you've got plenty of experience. But it's certainly not impossible -- just don't set yourself up for failure. Pick extremely easy targets for the first few attempts and then you'll have that experience to work with when you try more difficult caches.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I Have No Equipment

Sounds like a personal problem

 

You can use topo maps to get pretty close to many caches. Without a GPS, you'll probably use the hints more, but it can be done. It might take a bit more time without one though. I've been to several caches that I didn't really need my GPS for.

[+Renegade Knight]

Try the map feature of lostoutdoors.com It can help you pinpoint the cache without a GPS.

[+bons]

Look for "Letterbox" caches. When properly designed they don't need a GPS to find. You mind find that letterboxing is a great sport. letterboxing.org has more listings if you run out of local geocaching.com letterboxes.

 

Note: Letterboxes have envelope icons instead of cache or ghost icons.

Edited January 26, 2004 by bons

[+SunnyCyndi]

If, after trying a few, you decide to take the plunge and buy a GPS, don't think you have to buy the top of the line. I have a Geko 101 which I absolutely love. I have used it side by side with folks carrying units twice as expensive and my little Geko was equally, if not more accurate. It does not have ANY bells and whistles, but if geocaching is all you are using it for, it is perfect. You do have to punch in your own waypoints, but that takes seconds. You can get new ones on Ebay for something in the 50 dollar range, but I bet you could find a used one for half that price. Have fun!

[+Halden]

There are a couple of Non-GPS Geocachers, some started without a GPS for a few finds and then went on to buy some equipment.

 

I would say try it out, if you can't find caches or even if you do I think eventually you will want a GPS.

[+GeckoGeek]

If, after trying a few, you decide to take the plunge and buy a GPS, don't think you have to buy the top of the line. I have a Geko 101 which I absolutely love. I have used it side by side with folks carrying units twice as expensive and my little Geko was equally, if not more accurate.

I would advise getting a Geko 201 just to get the PC interface. That said, you are correct. Money doesn't buy accuracy - at least not until you're talking $10,000 and up.

[dead_white_man]

I have hunted both with and without. If you use the "convert at jeep.com" feature, then from there click thr topo map. it will give you a topozone map with a VERY accurate location. If you are any good with a topographical map and a magnetic compass, it is easy. but not for multi's.

[+Melrose Plant]

I tried my first cache without benefit of GPSr and I turned out to be 1/4 mile off. Now that I am more educated, I realize that I was dealing with two different map data. I think that I could have found it without the GPS now, given enough time, but it is quite a bit more difficult.

 

Make sure you've got the right datum, and I would say, "Go for it!"

 

To stand with SunnyCyndi (we are both from Central Iowa), I also have a Geko 101, and have found it to be a good caching companion. I don't mind punching in coordinates by hand. However, it might be worth the extra however many dollars to get the 201 if you can afford it. Otherwise, don't feel bad about getting a 101. It works just fine.

[+WalruZ]

as the more or less happy owner of a 101 I would recommend going up the garmin line far enough to get a model that uses AA batteries. the gekos eat batteries like popcorn. After that, the more upscale models have higher resolution screens, which can be nice. connectivity? yeah, whatever.

[+bons]

I can live without connectivity. It takes me just a few seconds to enter in the coordinates manually and I'm used to doing it. This really helps when I'm in the field doing a multi. I'm perfectly happy without it.

[+GeckoGeek]

connectivity? yeah, whatever.

 

Geko 101 is the only one that lacks it. If you want AA batteries, then look at the basic eTrex "yellow". About the same price as a Geko 201, lacks WAAS, slightly bigger but it does use AA. (And yes it has connectivity.)

 

I can live without connectivity. It takes me just a few seconds to enter in the coordinates manually and I'm used to doing it. This really helps when I'm in the field doing a multi. I'm perfectly happy without it.

Yeah, but it's still nice to transfer a whole list at one time and then go out and have fun. It also opens up the whole tracks, routes and save/restore. BTW, have you ever mis-keyed any coordinates? You ain't finding a cache if you do.

[+Melrose Plant]

as the more or less happy owner of a 101 I would recommend going up the garmin line far enough to get a model that uses AA batteries. the gekos eat batteries like popcorn.

The battery life on the AAAs is not that great, I'll admit. They're supposed to last in the neighborhood of 12 hours, but that's if you don't use the backlight, and you turn the unit to Battery Save. The backlight will eat batteries like popcorn. Night cachers, carry spares in your pocket!

 

However, I don't worry about that any more since I got some of the newer generation NiMH batteries. I got Energizers (750 mAh), and they last just about as long as alkalines, as long as they are fairly freshly charged. If they've been sitting out of the charger for a while, wrapped in black tape in my pocket, that's a different story. I had my unit on continuously on Saturday for six hours, very little backlight use, but on Normal mode, and I've still got two little thingys left on the battery indicator. These batteries were fresh out of the charger though.

[+Agent Okie]

I too am Gpsr-less. I logged my 38th find last night. However, most of them are virtuals. I simply pull up the page and use the mapquest zoom to find the location. I have found 4 traditional caches using this method and a little hunting skill. One particular cache has eluded me for three visits. I'm sure I have the location narrowed down based on the info on the page, the mapquest map, and logs/photo posted previously. I think this makes each of my finds all the more thrilling. Keep on searching...I know I will.