+wildlifewriter Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 I thought this new thread might help newcomers to the hobby (me, for instance) if people contribute their thoughts on good gear for geocaching. Obviously, similar equipment as for serious walking - proper clothing taken as read. Here's my own list, to start... Belt with pouches containing: GPS unit, mobile phone. SAK, Silva compass (lanyards, straps on everything) Spare batteries for the GPSr Spare batteries for the spare batteries. Current map in waterproof sleeve. Mini Maglite torch, sunglasses Pack with... Showerproof jacket, trousers. Dry socks, spare dry socks. More dry socks. Basic first aid kit, incl cream for nettle stings. Other maps, if applicable. Gardening gloves. Trade goods, extra pencils, in loc/loc box. Tissues, or bog roll. Insect repellent wipes. Various disreputable hats. Even more batteries. Things I always forget, or leave in the car... The cache notes. My wallet. Quote Link to comment
+Haggis Hunter Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 (edited) That's a good list of things that you have put together there, here are the only other things which I take along with me - Digital camera (Why digital? you can get your photo's onto the log the same day) PDA, paperless caching is the way forward. and you can write your log at the location. Most important of all A Sense of Humour Edit: Oh Yeah nearly forgot, your own signature item, whether this is a sticker, keyfob or anything else that says you have visited the cache. Edited August 18, 2004 by Haggis Hunter Quote Link to comment
+MarcB Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 I take... 2x Spare Pens 2x Old tissues to wipe up blood 2x Spare batteries (often flat) 1x Mobile Phone 1x Gps 1x Plastic bag (preferably Asda) to put it all in. Needless to say I'm not a model cacher! Quote Link to comment
+snaik Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 A Wee "Hipper o Grouse" Hic! Quote Link to comment
+Team Maddie UK Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Don't forget the water and the dog's lead in case of sheep. Also water for the dog and a dish of some sort is a good idea. Munchies for yourself is also a plus. Quote Link to comment
markandlynn Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Batteries, spare log book, spare pens, spare this is a geocache laminated card in 3 sizes, spare film, nettle sting stick thingy, insect bite kit, insect reppelent wipes, sealable bags , plasters, germolene, PDA, kids carry own swaps now. Calling card (sig item) things we always forget OS map and drinks cause 0.6 on the arrow always ends up as 6.0 on the ground Quote Link to comment
+Cave Troll and Eeyore Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Most of whats already been mentioned plus Joan Quote Link to comment
SlytherinAlex Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Most of whats already been mentioned plus Joan ditto.. plus Kendal Mint Cake.. minus Joan... Quote Link to comment
+Pengy&Tigger Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 (edited) Most of the stuff already mentioned (including Joan sometimes!) plus a 2-way radio each. Useful when searching in the woods and a bit mere discreet than shouting 'found it!' at the top of your voice. T Edited August 18, 2004 by Pengy&Tigger Quote Link to comment
+Team Ullium Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 All of the above...plus :- Elastoplast in various sizes and types even bigger elastoplasts imported from Sweden Heart spray insect cream insect amonia stick Boots electric Click for numbing midgie bites bandages antiseptic wipes Complan plasters in two sizes pain killers tweezers for extracting foreign objects Avon So Soft spray midgie net emergency whistle head torch as well as small hand torch card giving blood type (rhesus neg) and doctors details and last but not least...my goodly length of rope Ullium (aka The Medicine Man) Quote Link to comment
+minstrelcat Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Accompanying us on our caching trips are: swaps log book stickers 2 x GPSrs 2 x PDAs (one with Cachemate on it, one with Fugawi maps) 1 or 2 mobile phones paper maps (if near home) digital camera tons of batteries tissues wet wipes insect repellant (summer) gardening gloves compass sunglasses (depending on weather) 'swiss army' pen Plus whatever is lurking in my handbag. Lisa Quote Link to comment
+Lost in Space Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Most of whats already been mentioned .. ........plus defibrillator, (for Dad) Quote Link to comment
+Birders Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Goodness... we thought geocaching was supposed to be fun, not an endurance test! We take: PDA GPS Walking/poking stick Swap items Quote Link to comment
+nfa Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Hi, I bring my backpack, which is loaded for geocaching adventures long and short. nfa-jamie Quote Link to comment
+Subarite Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 (edited) Well I take... GPSr (just the one) Cache printouts which include MemoryMap topo map - no PDA for me! OS maps of whatever area I am caching - I have lots! Vehicle mouting kit for GPSr - suction type on windsreen 12v power cord to lighter Compass Swaps Pen and pencils Penknife Spare sets of batteries Torch Water 750cl or 1.5l on hot days Digital camera Mobile phone TB's if I have any Napsack to put it in Andy. Edited August 18, 2004 by Subarite Quote Link to comment
+Cave Troll and Eeyore Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Don't forget the water and the dog's lead in case of sheep. You put sheep on the lead? Quote Link to comment
+wildlifewriter Posted August 18, 2004 Author Share Posted August 18, 2004 You put sheep on the lead? I wondered about that, too but... well... one doesn't like to ask... Quote Link to comment
+Team Maddie UK Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 What can I say she always wants to bring them home with her. Guess thats what sheep dogs are for Lynn and Maddie Quote Link to comment
+Bill D (wwh) Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Mady wrote:What can I say she always wants to bring them home with her. Guess thats what sheep dogs are for I know. I take two border collies with me sometimes. And it's so much easier to take the sheep home on leads... Quote Link to comment
+Bill D (wwh) Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Caching bag containing: Two GPSrs PDA (just replaced paper) Digital camera Spare batteries Compass Paper maps Mobile phone Spectacles Whistle Torch (when appropriate) Tissues Pencils Pencil sharpener Spare logbook Ziplock bags Water Quote Link to comment
+Naefearjustbeer Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 for short caches I have the gps and some of my keyrings and my camera, If it involves any distance away from the car I usually have my pda with maps and cache info first aid kit + emergency blanket compass whistle mobile phone walkie talkie platypus water pouch waterproofs midge repellant (skin so soft) camera + mini tripod spare bateries more batteries leatherman tool torch food If Caitlin comes with me then I will have all sorts of extras that a 2 year old might need, wipes, dry clothes, wrist strap etc etc. And some extra swaps so that she can swap things out of the box. Quote Link to comment
+The J J Noodle Fan Club Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Pushchair Rain cover for the pushchair Baby sling Nappies Changing mat Baby wipes Gripe water Change of clothes for the baby Same for the 4yo Drink for the 4yo Biscuits for the 4yo Toys for the 4yo Something to put in the cache so the 4yo can swap it for that car he fancies (he hasn't got the concept of putting in something of his yet) Oh yes! If we remember the GPS JJNFC Quote Link to comment
+M3ZPY Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 I take my daughter- she carries everything and if we forget anything it's her fault! Quote Link to comment
+DomHeknows Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 i take a walking/hiking pole for smiting the unholy nettles and to help on the marathon caching days. oh and the mobile phone numbers of cachers who have been there before (which isn't difficult when thats mainly arrks around here :-) Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 (edited) In the pack - GPSr - Geko 301 at least two lots of spare batteries for GPSr Mowbli swaps + TBs wet wipes (forest fragrance ) Digi cam iPaq with Autoroute Streetmaps and GSAK Leatherman Wave© - lol Doggy Doo bags Anti-hystemine (seasonal) BOOTS! waterproofs (seasonal - yeah right I wish!) fleeces (seasonal - yeah right I wish!) Sun Blok (Seasonal - sometimes!!!) Groundspeak Pencils Some OS maps when location is covered by my small collection Prescription Sunny G's (seasonal - OMG!) ...oh and Organ Donor Card! In the cachemobile - Refreshment for the humans and the canine (liquid and solid) First Aid Kit - Stays in car normally! D'oh! charger and handsfree kit for mowbli Spare Shoes and clothes when necessary Road Maps - various sweeties - also known as travel or journey enhancers! Having read this thread I will be adding mini-maglite (2xAA version) to pack! Having read another thread I will soon be carrying Avon Skin-so-Soft! [EDIT - spelling - probably not got 'em all tho! - D'oh!) Edited August 19, 2004 by The Hokesters Quote Link to comment
+aRRKS Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 (edited) What lovely lists everybody has given this a lot of thought. However we always take one more thing that you have forgotten to mention, we couldn't possibily go without it, ever, it's for the kids - the bribe.... CHOCOLATE Edited - just remembered something else - the mobile phone for when DomHeKnows rings Edited August 19, 2004 by aRRKS Quote Link to comment
Deego Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 Think I should pack a DomHeknows. So he can ring aRRKS when I get stuck B) Quote Link to comment
+The Hokesters Posted August 19, 2004 Share Posted August 19, 2004 Think I should pack a DomHeknows. So he can ring aRRKS when I get stuck B) Lol - I think we could all do with one of those - its about time globalpositioningsystems.co.uk stocked them! Quote Link to comment
+The Forester Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 Cache bag + pocket contents: Printout sheet(s) GPSr Digital camera Spare batteries OS Map Scale rule Pencils (2 of, 1 to donate to a cache and one for plotting and note-taking) Pencil sharpeners (2 of, ditto) Pen Orienteering compass Sighting compass Swaps: small; medium and large Small (8*20) binoculars Small first aid kit Small pack of tissues Spare socks Kitchen sink (Nah. Just kidding!) A very small torch in summer; also a larger hand-torch in winter Mobile phone (switched off to conserve batteries and to prevent an interruption in a pleasurable walk in the country by some irrelevant call) 500ml water bottle Summit snack Stout garden/ building refuse bag to replace torn/worn outer bags of old caches Gardening gloves in summer for those nettle and thistle covered places A couple of ziplock bags to replace worn or wet ones A spare blank logbook to replace a soggy or full one Calculator (for those burgeoning caches which demand that you calculate the lowest Mersenne Prime number which must be divided by the ASCII value of someone's mother's maiden name and multiplied by the square root of minus one and multiply it by Avogadro's Number and add it to the number that the cache placer first thought of and then XOR it in binary with the Haversine of the CoLatitude at the Longitude of the carpark to find the cache co-ords in milliSquarks per fathom) In remote areas, such as are favoured by Snaik caches, or on other off-path walks in the Highlands, I also carry a small additional kit of stuff in case of emergencies: A note of the phone number of the local copshop and MRT (and deer management people in the season in that type of terrain) A note identifying myself and giving elementary biometric details such as my blood type and a declaration that I have no known allergies or pre-existing medical conditions; and a couple of emergency contact telephone numbers in case I'm incapacitated in some way A CD. This makes a brilliant signalling mirror if you know how to use one A whistle A 'space blanket' A bottle or can of high energy drink A couple of packets of high energy food A multitool (of the 'Leatherman' type) A NATO standard wire saw A box of waterproofed matches Lightweight bivvy bag (winter only) Two tea-light candles A tiny placard, from an RAF survival pack, which lists all the ASR ground signals Looking at the above list(s), it looks a lot, but it's actually quite light and fits easily into a smallish diddy bag. Cheers, The Forester Quote Link to comment
+wildlifewriter Posted August 28, 2004 Author Share Posted August 28, 2004 (snip) divided by the ASCII value of someone's mother's maiden name and multiplied by the square root of minus one and multiply it by Avogadro's Number and add it to the number (snip) Well done, Forester. Now, class - who can tell me what Avogadro's Number is? ... No not you Avogadro give the others a go... Yes, Stallone? ... uh,huh?.. good... no - that's Planck's Constant you're thinking of. Anyone else? Blair? Well, I think we DO have to worry about the day-to-day details, Blair. This is a Physics class, after all - what is it NOW, Bush Jr? Hurry up then - you should have gone before you came in. Now then: come on IIIB - Avogadro's Number, anyone...? Quote Link to comment
+Seasider Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 Blimey! I just take my GPS & a piece of paper with me! Cheers! Seasider Quote Link to comment
+The Forester Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 Blair? Well, I think we DO have to worry about the day-to-day details, Blair. This is a Physics class, after all - what is it NOW, Bush Jr? Hurry up then - you should have gone before you came in Memo to self: Remember not to drink tea while reading one of WLW's posts. I laughed so hard at his Joyce Grenfell Class 3b cameo that tea actually came out of both nostrils. Quote Link to comment
+Team Maddie UK Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 You should try reading it while suffering from pneumonia and serious stomach problems at the same time. Martin Quote Link to comment
+mongoose39uk Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 Me and a yellow etrex for 99% of caches. Sometimes Tigger Two and Max (the dog) if I am doing a serious one on the moors or hills then I will kit up. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.