Tools of the Trade

By RadioAngel

I have found that being prepared is everything when Geocaching and every cacher carries something different. I have a tendency to be a little OCD/Organizational/Neat Freak.. okay more than a little. I also have a tendency to make my husband mad by taking stuff from around the house to put as trade items, SWAG, in my Geocaching backpack!

As my Geocaching skills grow, the more things I realize I need to have on me at all times, you know, just in case. One thing I never leave the house without is my GPS.

GPSMAP® 60CSx

I am obviously still learning to use my GPS as most of the time I end up threatening to smash it with a hammer or throw it over a cliff. Sometimes Weston offers to help destroy it. The biggest problem I have, which is probably user error, is that I can be standing in one spot and it says 3 feet to the west to cache. So I take a step to the west. It than says 23 feet east to the cache. So I turn around take a step east and the GPS reads 3 feet to the west. This leads to:

Which leads to my husband thumping me on the arm ( I'm trying not to cuss around Jase and that was my solution. Not the smartest deal I have ever made with Weston. He seems to enjoy it way too much).

This GPS is not a paperless caching GPS, which is why I carry this:

 

I usually print off the cache information and stuff it in this notebook if I know we're going to a specific area. Needless to say it is getting quite thick as I print off tons of cache info sheets thinking by some glimmer of hope I will be able to cache soon!





Did I mention I am a little OCD with a touch of crazy....

However, Weston does have a Droid 3 which we use to pull up geocache information and log finds if we 3G coverage. We use the C:Geo app for the android system and it works pretty good for us. It can store caches for when your phone doesn't have 3G.

I also carry what I call my "Geocaching Backpack". It is stuffed with SWAG, cache replacement supplies, first aid kit, extra batteries, tweezers, etc. Basically you name it, its in the bag!! And yes tweezers are a must have, sometimes you need help getting the stupid log out of that nano cache!!!

Weston recently insisted and bought me some legitimate hiking boots. I had up to that point been hiking in my square toe cowboy boots.... not really recommended. The balls of my feed would hurt at the end of the day from sliding around in my boot for miles and miles.

Cabela's Women's Leather/Nylon Trail Lite™ Hiker

I purchased these and so far I am pleased. I have only wore them on one hike so far though and it wasn't a real difficult hike.