How Are You Prepared?

3.8k · April 30, 2005

I was a Boy Scout; I think their motto, Be Prepared, has had a profound effect on my caching (and other) activities. When I go out, I always take too much stuff. My pack/canoe/bike is always embarrassingly plump, and heavy.

For years, I’ve tried in earnest to lighten my burden but alas, I’m always over-prepared for the task at hand. I’m well done. What are you?

Well Done: Always prepared for the snowstorm in the tropics.

Medium: You’ve got everything you need, and nothing more.

Rare: There is always something you knew you should have brought.

1.3k · April 30, 2005

Just starting to scratch the surface of all Geocaching has to offer so I'd defiantely fall in the "RAW" category!!

April 30, 2005

Make mine Medium, Please! Sawdust92

1.6k · April 30, 2005

Medium here as well .

Star

6.7k · April 30, 2005

Some folks might think I am way over-done!

I carry 3 GPS, a laptop, 2 PDAs, a CB and 2 Ham radios, six FRS radios, 2 lanterns, 3 head-lamps, four hand-held flashlights, and a bunch of other stuff in a box in my Suburban!

It sounds silly until you realise that 90% of my caching is done with others and fully 60% done in groups, where a bunch of us may decide to go geocaching after an event and end up staying out for 15 hours!

On such trips I use some if not all of that extra gear as loaners. Many couples or families will own only 1 GPS, and it's fun to be able to loan the spouse or child a GPS so they can hunt independantly!

38.2k · April 30, 2005

Well done definitely. I was never a Boy Scout, but I'm always prepared. If you look into the back of my car, or see the way I'm packed for a backpacking trip, canoe trip, day hike or just to travel, you can tell. I'm not known for traveling lightly.

2.6k · April 30, 2005

Currently? Medium. But it varies.

Initially, I started light, then began to add more and more gear, as I noticed various things that would've been handy. Then I realized the longer hikes were becoming a chore, and I didn't want to carry a backpack when I did the little urban parks ones.

For a while I wore a fisherman's vest sort of thing stuffed with doodads, until I realized I looked like a woman who lives out of a shopping cart and talks to elves.

So I managed to pare it down to a minimalist kit, all of which fit in this neat little waterproof oilskin Swiss medic's bag that I loved dearly. I'd occasionally think of something I needed that wasn't there, but I'm sort of pursuing a one trip, one smiley regimen now, so I don't have prepare for a variety of conditions. Then an unfortunate DEET accident melted the rubberized coating into a gooey mess.

So! Now I'm experimenting with various bags and packs, and my kit varies accordingly.

1.1k · April 30, 2005

Medium Well, LOL. I have done so much for so may years I tend to start out Medium but then I get to the car and think, hummmm remember it snow this time last year so I grab a heave jacket, yeah an I lost a hat once so I grab an extra hat. It just seems to go on that way. Now that summer is kind of here, there is ann inch of snow on the ground right now, UGH..... But then when I go out there are always folks that are so raw it hurts, no water etc... So I think I have to be prepared for them, sigh.

cheers

1.2k · April 30, 2005

Medium. I have pretty much everything I need. with me when I cache...although the longer I cache, the more stuff I need (pda, etc). I have a cache bag that is always at the ready in my car

Ed

April 30, 2005

Medium rare here. Chloe my 5 year old and me carry a butt pack each one has a first aid kit and the other a snake bite kit. and our trade items plus a can of off. We each carry a hiking pole. We each have camelbacks and in the truck is 2 of the big cell flashlights and a shakelight(not what its cracked up to be). Also a PDA and 2 frs radios. Usually always have a stocked ammo box ready to drop off if/when we find a spot. Several maps and baby wipes, and an extra pair of socks, a rain poncho and an umbrella and a box of capri sun juice boxes and some extra trade items. Wow!!! I didnt realize we carried that much stuff. oh yeah extra batteries and a power inverter and cell fone. The cachemobile is an S10 and when we go caching the truck is pretty well packed.

3.1k · April 30, 2005

prepared?

22k · April 30, 2005

Well done. It's when I try to go rare I can't find exactly what bag I put something in. I just take everything and sort it out later.

April 30, 2005

Rare, still mooing. There's always something I could have used, brought, got on the way. This can include sweatshirts, tweezers/long stick, food&water, pants, Off!, and my printed cache notes (thank you paperless).

Not necessarily in that order of preference.

April 30, 2005

Raw seem to be my plan. I just carry a minimual first aids kit, some water, geoswag, pen, spare batteries for GPS and some gloves, pen and of course GPS... There is a back country saying... "Pack it in, pack it out".... And my addition to that is "dont make pack to heavy for round trip"...

Dale

April 30, 2005

And yes, i've forgotten a pen as well.

2.6k · April 30, 2005

Medium Well. Just a little pink.

For the most part I'm over prepared. However I always forget the thing I need.

April 30, 2005

Medium well most of the time. The leader of the pack complains that the weight of the cache bag always seems to be growing as I add more things we "need" He has finally decided we need a small backpack for caching.

3.8k · April 30, 2005

For the most part I'm over prepared. However I always forget the thing I need.

As over-done as I like to think I am, I usually have that problem, too.

2.6k · April 30, 2005

Right now I'm planning a three day hike. I am struggling very hard to keep my pack under 75 pounds!

April 30, 2005

My "fanny" pack, which I take on MOST cache hunts, is medium-rare. My pack, which is for longer hunts or for when I am alone, is medium, my CAR, on the other hand, is well done!

Edited April 30, 2005 by Cool Librarian

April 30, 2005

I'm a Boy Scout...

Happy Caching

Jeff

Edited April 30, 2005 by uber_bike_geek

April 30, 2005

Right now I'm planning a three day hike. I am struggling very hard to keep my pack under 75 pounds!

I've had a 40 lb daypack on quite a few occasions... I've hit 60 for single-overnight backpacking trips... Pretty good, seeing as I had no trouble with the weight, and I only weigh about 115lbs (yeah, I know it was WAAAY over the recommended weight limit of 1/3 your body weight...Whoops )

Happy Caching

Jeff

April 30, 2005

Rare, I usually forget something.

Blue, I have the things I need at a bare minimum...but that's it...no extras...and I've forgotten some things that I really should have.

AS to steaks...well done!

11.3k · April 30, 2005

Medium . . .

but sometimes I come home Rare, like the time I left my swag bag near the cache location . . .

3.8k · April 30, 2005

Blue. I should have added that as a category.

In my dreams, I am blue; I need only the shirt on my back and a sharp stone or two. In fact, as heavy as I pack, I don't even carry a tent (OK, I carry a tarp, but I usually sleep under the stars).

I have a friend who wants to hike Indiana's own "little Appalachian Trail," (Knobstone Trail) a 60-mile trek. He wants to do it barefoot, carrying nothing but some water.

This same friend usually packs well-done; often his pack (for a two-night adventure) weighs 75 + lbs.

I could do that...with a sherpa.

April 30, 2005

I am currently in the rare category but preparing to move to medium. I use a fanny pack that carries extra batteries, travel bugs, tweezers and a pen. Sometimes I add a compass or specific tools if the cache I intend to find calls for it. I have a Camelbak that will allow me to carry more stuff, though I am not sure I want to.

2.7k · April 30, 2005

When I pack up to go into some of the back country around here, its usually well done. Sometimes almost smoking. My pack is 3000 cu. in. ; large by most standards but I can carry what I need and somemore to be safe.

But too much is less than what the S&R folks have to carry out if I don't know what I'm doing. If one is careful when they can pack they can get by on a lot less than they really think they need. Be prepared to keep dry and warm, and hydrated and you will be ok, even if you have to spend a day in the wilds.

Edited April 30, 2005 by Tahosa and Sons

April 30, 2005

Rare - never take the right stuff. Like long pants!

5.7k · April 30, 2005

Boy, I wish that I could manage to get by with only a 75lb. back pack. And if my legs weren't so dadgum cute I might be able to remember the long pants too.

Edited April 30, 2005 by Team cotati697

4.8k · April 30, 2005

I am usually well done and kick myself later for hauling all the extra junk with me. Did I really need all that gear for the .3 mile easy park walks that day?? Of course the few times I have been rare have resulted in ticks, thirst, hunger, seeing something I wished I had brought the binoculars or camera for, and finding a cache with something I really wanted to trade for but couldn't because I left my trade items in the car.

April 30, 2005

I have a GPS

1.7k · April 30, 2005

For a while I wore a fisherman's vest sort of thing stuffed with doodads, until I realized I looked like a woman who lives out of a shopping cart and talks to elves.

Auntie Weasal, going the same route as you in terms of paring down. You might want to take a look at this Field Vest. Its designed for bird watchers the pockets tend to be flatter and closer to the body.

May 1, 2005

Usually rare. Sometimes fried.

I used to backpack with every possible doodad in the catalog. I was younger then. Now, I'm more comfortable the more spartan I am. Usually, I carry enough to be safe and warm, and a little more. And I often go alone too. My wife really hates it when I do stuff like that... it makes me feel loved.

2k · May 1, 2005

That all depends. If its a day or urban caching I would say medium rare, but if its a day of rural caching I tend toward the medium well done side. Its better to be safe than sorry in the back woods.

1.8k · May 1, 2005

This is my cachemobile. You be the judge. :grin:

1.4k · May 1, 2005

Being prepared is much more a state of mind and training than how much gear is in your pack.

Being able to apply simple tools for multiple uses cuts down on the gear, but increases your preparedness. The same tools in the hands of an inexperienced person might leave them woefully unprepared.

Using your gray matter before you leave the rig is much more effective than hauling 100# of carp into the woods.

I once took a survival course that ended in a 2 day wilderness scenario where all I had were the clothes on my back, a poncho, canteen and a knife. I'll admit that I wish I had a few other items, but I managed to stay warm, fed, and comfortable.

I'm almost always medium, and almost never well done.

3.8k · May 1, 2005

Being prepared is much more a state of mind and training than how much gear is in your pack.

Being able to apply simple tools for multiple uses cuts down on the gear, but increases your preparedness. The same tools in the hands of an inexperienced person might leave them woefully unprepared.

Using your gray matter before you leave the rig is much more effective than hauling 100# of carp into the woods.

I once took a survival course that ended in a 2 day wilderness scenario where all I had were the clothes on my back, a poncho, canteen and a knife. I'll admit that I wish I had a few other items, but I managed to stay warm, fed, and comfortable.

I'm almost always medium, and almost never well done.

You're absolutely right, Andy. It's also dependant on a certain comfort level one is willing to endure.

My problem is, every time I start out on an adventure, I just keep thinking of more and more things I could take. No matter how rare my intentions, I still usually wind up on the burnt side of things.

And there's just some creature comforts I just won't do without. What comes to mind immediately are binoculars (so I can get a better look at that ivory-billed woodpecker), my camera and (most recently) FRS radios.

It seems like I'm beckoned to fill any loose spots in my pack with things that could/would be useful, and then just before I go out the door, I think of something else.

I think it may be some kind of disease or something. :grin:

1.8k · May 1, 2005

For caching (we don't have any mountains around here - no two-day caching), I think I'm medium. I have a tacklebox full of caching goodies. It even has a couple of extra copies of the geocaching explanation for muggles which I can donate to caches, and a couple of extra film canisters to replace along the way. On the trail I have a compass and a small belt pouch of trade items, pencils, baggies & such.

But you ought to see me when I take teens to a Youth Conference. I take an extra box of stapelers, duct tape, tools, etc. for emergencies.

May 1, 2005

I guess I am medium, since I have only forgotten one necessity (my gps) once, but I dometimes forget little things (like my camera or walking stick). I'm thinking of making a laminated checklist that I can keep in my bag and go through a inspection before leaving.

11.3k · May 1, 2005

I have a nylon duffle-type bag my car cover came in. It is big enough to hold my swag bag, my fanny pack, and other stuff. As long as I remember to keep everything in there, and replace the GPSr and Palm in one pocket of the fanny pack before I walk out the door, that helps keep me organized and ready to go. :grin:

1.6k · May 2, 2005

Medium. I don't feel like I need too much when I'm caching.

May 2, 2005

caching in town is bloody rare, usually gps and a pen, maybe a note for the caches..

any kind of hike and out comes the backpack. unfortunately, i've been looking at new packs.. and they're cheap.. and the faraway caches keep calling to me......... :grin:

so, any kind of hike over 3 miles is medium, although i've got more than a few overnights planned for better weather.. i think i'll be bringing a hammock for that, rather than tenting it.. gotta love trees!!

May 7, 2005

I'm medium, but my kids would say Well-done.

Instead of a pack, I opted for a fishing vest. has all kinds of small pockets to keep things in. and a large pocket in the back for my camel-bak.

It distributes the weight equally and I don't get sore shoulders from straps.

I keep it at home or in the back of my car and when I'm ready, all I have to do is fill the camel-bak with ice and water, grab my Vista and I'm off. !

In the pockets, I have wire, and cable ties, and sig stickers, pens and pencils,

leatherman tool. first aid kit, extra medicine (sinus and pain meds) DEET lotion,

hunting knife, mirror, cigarette lighter, matches, extra batteries. Digital camera.

etc. (there's that Indiana Jones theme, playing, again)

May 7, 2005

Medium, but thats not too hard since I live in Holland and we have no real wilderness here.

May 7, 2005

Medium rare. Bicycle, GPS, PDA, Pencil, cell phone, the occational flashlight.

I mostly do urban caching in cool Norway, so no need for tent, snake anti-venom, extra clothing, bug repellant, compass, hiking boots, paper maps or fishing equipment. Knifes are illegal to carry. Neither need nor want a gun.

May 7, 2005

Medium Well. Just a little pink.

For the most part I'm over prepared. However I always forget the thing I need.

Same here plenty of everything but memory. Last hunt I forgot my water. LOL

1k · May 7, 2005

Medium rare.

I agree with the "mindset" comment. Its always good to have what you need and want on hand, however, if you really "need" something, it can almost always be located, crafted, or caught.

1.6k · May 7, 2005

I'd have to say well-done, with the tendency to end up slightly rare. I've forgotten, water, and even my GPS on many occasions, but I generally seem to have at least 2-4 flashlights in my bag, plus two more in the car...

1.2k · May 7, 2005

I was a Boy Scout; I think their motto, Be Prepared, has had a profound effect on my caching (and other) activities.

This comment probably qualifies as Too Much Information for non-intimates, so feel free to skip over the navel gazing.

I don't know if it was the Eagle Scout thing or not, but "be prepared" is an essential part of my behaviour. Mostly for neurotic reasons.

In my own strange worldview, my failure to have thought ahead is a serious error, and could have led to serious consequences in harsher circumstances. I take that experiences as a warning shot across the bow by fate: "you got away with it this time, but it could have been Bad."

I find it an embarrassing to have to borrow things or to be perceived as needy; my underpreparation is exposed.

When I do buy things, I do it with an eye as to what is small and packable so that to the ordinary eye I do not always appear to have too much gear. But I have been called on it several times: "got enough stuff on that belt"?, etc. (phone, leatherman, and some other small pouch). "Why do you carry that daypack?"

Although I rarely say it out loud, my views on the unprepared/underprepared are uncharitable and unmerciful. It is not the most attractive part of my personality.

Of course, there is an upside to this neurosis: I'm rarely caught without things I need, like a windbreaker, fully-charged cellphone, something to take notes with, etc.

3.8k · May 7, 2005

So that would be a well.

(It's always nice to hear from another Eagle.) :wub:

How Are You Prepared?

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