Geocache Gear

[+KraftyCacher]

just wondering what people carry when they go out for a hike to cache?

 

-rope?

-change of boots?

[+briansnat]

Depends on the type of cache and the season. A suburban 1/1 in the summer and I'm only carrying my GPS and a few trade items in my pocket. A cache in the mountains in the winter and I have a full pack, with survival gear.

 

As you might imagine this has been discussed before and you will find plenty of great information in many of these threads:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=76912

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=74690

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=89054

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=69796

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=57765

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=58613

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=53416

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=64154

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=7761

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=7112

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=8058

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=54584&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=54681&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=58613&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=54753&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=51482&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=55962&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...topic=53681&hl=

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...wtopic=9250&hl=

 

Last week I emptied out my pack and photographed the contents. This is my winter hiking/geocaching gear. On the right is a down vest, raincoat and extra socks and gloves. Top center is a windshirt. Left center is a small camera tripod. I'm sure the rest are self explanitory. In the summer the down vest, wool hat and gloves will go and I'll add insect repellent, sunscreen and a few other summer related items. When it gets real cold I ditch the Camelbak Unbottle and replace it with wide mouth Nalgene bottles, because the Camelbak's drinking tube freezes, which makes it useless.

 

Edited January 25, 2005 by briansnat

[+JohnnyVegas]

1) Extra Batteries

2) Water

3) Deet based insect repeent

4) Good hiking boots-Not the garbage they sell at k-mart or Wally World type outlets

5) Notes paper or on a PDA

6)Three GPSr

7) Light weight hiking sticks for better footing (Again Lightweight)

8) Ham radio-Yaesu VX7R, GMRS/FRS radio, cellphone, scanner

9) Map

10) compass

11) More water

12) Whistle

13) Hat

14) Sun glasses

15) Flash light

16) You know you cannot have to much water

17) Camera

18) Pencil or pen

19) binocuars

20) food

21) Vest with lots of pockets

22) Day pack durring winter with rain gear

23) Fanny pack, if it is a short hike durring warmer months

24) small first aid kit

25) Sig items to leave in caches

26) Pepper spray

25) A ready made cache in case you find a place to hide one, Say your on a long

hike, you can place an "One the way to_______Cache" cache

 

In my truck

1) More ham radios, Yasesu FT100D, FT8900 Two meter/440, Motorole radio for 900Mhz

 

2) A cache repair kit in a tool box, kit contians zip lock bags for larger caches and micro, new logs, Camo fabric, Camo tape (Two Patterns), 2 part epoxy, assorted magnets, pliers, scissors, containers for making replacment caches in. I use this to do repairs on dameaged caches in the field, mine or someone elses cache.

 

3) Extra shoes

[+Renegade Knight]

Dang guys, I need more equipment.

 

I've added the Uni-Bal Power Tank pen to my list of equipment. Writes on damp paper (you have to at least get the dripping water off the log sheet) and the ink doesn't run. Plus it's cheaper than the space pen.

Edited January 25, 2005 by Renegade Knight

[uber_bike_geek]

There was a similar topic in the "Geocaching Topics" section not more than a week ago, if I remember correctly, and I replied to that one, so I shall not be redundant and post again!

 

Just trying to keep Jeremy happy by not bogging down the servers

 

Happy Caching

Jeff

[+Thot]

Something I don't seem to see listed is rubber boots

 

Here in Houston many (most?) wooded areas are wet, muddy or boggy from about November through May. It rains a lot and somehow the ground doesn’t seem to dry. Remarkably it hasn’t rained near me for about 2 weeks, but when I was out trying to check on one of my caches today I couldn’t get to it because of boggy ground. This area is dry as a bone in the summer, but must stay wet from late fall to late spring. There are lots of caches in areas like this. There’s one near here named Mudbog At Friendship Park. It’s a mud bog all winter but dry in the summer. Areas that aren’t boggy continuously are often that way for a couple of days to a week after a rain. I don’t have a pair of rubber boots, so I have to pass up some caches ‘til summer.

Edited January 25, 2005 by Thot

[+The Waldo's]

Gps'r, pen box of Slim Jims and a pocket full of cheap toy race cars.

[+scott9282]

This is a little trick that I learned at my job. For those of us who carry flashlights while we geocache (and that should be just about everybody who does it in the dark) this is a great tip.

 

Wrap a thin piece of Scotchlite tape around the barrel of the flashlight. I know it sounds silly, but if you drop your flashlight and it is not on, this makes it very easy to find the thing in the dark.

 

Then all you need to do is shine another flashlight around the general area and there it is.

 

This is also a good tip for other gear. A strip of Scotchlite on your GPS, compass (you do carry a compass don't you?), canteen, whatever. The first time you need to find something you've dropped in the dark, you'll thank me.

[Miss_Duracell_Bunny]

I have not found a cache yet but I would take the following.

 

 

1 my brothers dog

2 hairbrush

3 pocket mirror

4 lip barm to stop my lips cracking in the cold weather

5 can of diet coke

6 GPS

7 pocket tissues

8 Cell phone to I can chat to my mates when I am geocaching

[indybill]

I just ordered one of these to carry my field gear in for day hikes, biking, etc. while looking for caches. 1000 cu in capacity and can be worn as a waist pack in summer or as a small backpack in winter. They're on sale right now at rockcreek.com for $55 in this color. They're regularly $80!