My Geocaching Kit

As I've mentioned before, I've never been an outdoorsy type.  Until I started caching the closest I got to camping... well, it was actually camping, but back when I was five years old.  Anything that took me outside was usually tied to some other nerdy interest, so I would gladly go out to launch model rockets or build a race track for my beloved RC car, but only because I loved my model rockets and car so much.

I started spending a lot more time outside once my son was born.  We live right across the street from a park, so that helps a bit, and as I've gotten older I've certainly developed a better appreciation of nature.

That being said, I have absolutely no experience packing a backpack for a hike.  I'm sure there is a better method to this than what I have come up with, and I'm also sure that there are better bags and supplies than what I'm using.  However, almost everything I have here was stuff that I had lying around the house, so the expense was minimal.

My kit has also evolved over the months since I started caching, and I'm sure it will continue to do so in the future.  This is really just a snapshot of what I carry with me now.

Backpack
Cost: $0
Value: Useful

...and I don't even remotely like Apple products.

I worked at Circuit City for many years and have accumulated a lot of vendor bribes.  Well, not really bribes as such; many vendors would give us presents as an incentive to sell more of their products.  So yeah, Ok, bribes. Anyway, I have a few backpacks that were given to me over the years, and this one has the most pockets and pouches.  I'm about as far from an Apple fan as can be, but hey, the free bag has been just fine for caching.

The backpack holds all of my stuff and has room for food and water if needed.


Garmin eTrex 20 and Accessories
Cost: ~$200
Value: Totally Worth It

Best birthday gift ever!

I actually got this as a birthday gift from my parents, so I'm listing the cost that you would spend if you
bought it from Amazon.  My wife got me the case, which is an absolute must.  I used to carry it in a ziploc sandwich bag before the case (to prevent scratches) but this makes things so much better.  There are quite a few case options out there, so pick out whatever suits your fancy.

The cable.

I also keep a spare cable for the GPS on hand, in case I'm at someone else's computer and need to load a GPX file or copy over a track or something.  I had quite a few of these cables lying around, so this was another freebie.

Spare batteries.

You also can't have enough spare batteries.  I'll probably eventually switch to rechargeable, but since we always have AAs on hand for Jack's toys I just replenish as I need them.  I keep these 4 together, and have a further 2 with the camera shown below.

Trinket Case
Cost: $1
Value: Needed it, but could probably find something better.

Not the best case, but it was only $1

I picked this up at a local dollar store.  Not really the best case, but it works and only cost a buck. I keep a few things in it:

Assorted trinkets and a Travel Bug.

I haven't spent more than maybe $7 or $8 on trinkets since I started caching.  I just try to trade for items of similar value.  I have many more that I didn't show - I just didn't feel like cleaning up a big pile of stuff.

Sandwich, snack, and pill size.

I also always try to keep some bags with me. I've generally used them to help waterproof contents of caches that have gotten damp, assuming that I can dry the damp items out a bit and not just make the situation worse.  The pill bags are great for log sheets in bison tubes etc...

Gloves
Cost: $10
Value: Priceless

I picked these up at Home Depot.

Gloves are probably the single most used item in my bag, aside from the GPS.  Many caches are in areas that range from simply grungy, to thorny, all the way to hazardous, and these were a great investment.

Sunscreen / First Aid Kit / Hand Sanitizer / Bug Spray
Cost: $20
Value: A Necessity

Sunscreen, in a plastic bag to avoid it getting everywhere.

I had the sunscreen on hand, which is why it's not travel sized. I was using it a lot in the summer when I was spending hours outside looking for caches.  I haven't needed it all that much recently, though I still carry it with me.

Mini first aid kit.  A small bottle of bug repellent is inside.

The first aid kit was very handy when Jack got a thorn wound.  I have not needed it since, but it's important to have one on hand, regardless.  Not shown: I keep a little spray bottle of bug repellent and a bottle of hand sanitizer in the first aid kit.  I used the bug spray quite a bit in the warmer months.

Camera and Accessories
Cost: Varies
Value: Don't bother with this is you have a decent camera on your phone.

Older model Canon camera with CHDK running.

I had this camera and its accouterments from my Kite Aerial Photography kit, so I didn't spend anything on it for caching.  When I bought this stuff several years ago it was about $100 for the camera.  The batteries are conveniently the same AA ones that my GPS uses, so I have a second set of spares just in case.

I like the Canon because I can run CHDK on it.  This software lets me hack the camera to do all sorts of stuff that it wouldn't normally be able to do, like time lapse (which is what I use for Kite Aerial stuff) or motion detection. If you have a lot of scenic cache areas and are into photography, you probably already have a better camera than this, so just bring whatever you feel is appropriate.

Of course, if you have a modern phone (I don't) you'll already have a better camera, so just use whatever you have.

Notebooks and Pens
Cost:  Less than $5
Value: Very Handy

Cheap notebooks from Staples.

Two pens and a stamper (which was a gift).  I always have at least two more writing utensils on hand, just in case...

I always have plenty of pens or pencils handy.  Right now I'm using pens, because that's what I have on hand.  My folks got me the stamper a while back, so that's been great for signing logs when I'm trying to be quick and stealthy.

I keep the notebooks as spares for larger caches, and I can tear sheets out if I need to replace a missing log sheet.  I have enough notebooks on hand that I could replace a whole log book in a bigger cache if need be.

No clues for you!  I blurred this to prevent spoilers.

I also keep one notebook for any notes I need to take while out caching.  This is very handy for multi-caches, as the Garmin only keeps one additional stage no matter how many multi-caches I'm working on.  i.e. if I get the coordinates for stage two of  Cache 1 I can add those coordinates to that Geoache in my GPS.  But if I then add stage two of Cache 2 instead of finishing Cache 1, the ones I originally stored as stage 2 in Cache 1 disappear.

It sounds confusing, but the long and short of it is that I keep all of that info written down in this notebook anyway.

Supplies to Repair, Replace, and Create Caches
Cost: About $15
Value: Not sure I should keep carrying this stuff with me.

Magnetic keyholder, nano cache, bison tubes, and canister style cache containers.

Some of this stuff I had on hand, other stuff I picked up cheap.  If you don't mind the wait, there are often some freaky good deals on bison tubes at dealextreme.com  I've been carrying this stuff with me for a while mainly because I store all of my caching stuff in the backpack.  I have not needed to replace an actual cache container, so honestly, I could probably stop carrying this with me and only bring them out if I know I need to replace a cache and have the CO's permission.

A bunch of cheap carabiners.

I picked up a whole bag of cheap carabiners for $3 at MicroCenter.  I've used these when placing my own caches, but as above, have not needed them otherwise.

Plenty of zip ties.

I have used several zip ties to replace fallen caches.  I'll keep these with me even if I stop carrying the other stuff.

I took a solemn vow to try to make my cache containers interesting, but 95% of what I've found have used regular cache containers, as shown above.  At this point, I like knowing that I have the stuff on hand if I need it, but if weight ever becomes an issue with my backpack, this'll be what goes first.  Knowing that I have the ability to repair caches is not the same as actually needing that ability 24/7.

12 Feet of Nylon Cord
Cost: Cheap
Value - Possibly useless?

If there's a good use for this, I haven't found it.

I actually usually have a big spool of 250lb kite line in my kit, but I lent it out.  I've used it to hang fallen caches and generally attach things to other things.  Once I lent it out I decided that I wanted to have some sort of cord in my kit, so I scrounged up some nylon stuff I had lying around and decided to teach myself how to make a paracord bracelet without actually having real paracord on hand.  The good thing is that it was pretty easy; the bad thing is that I will never use this and I only keep it on hand so I don't feel like it was a totally wasted experiment.

CITO bags
Cost: Free
Value: Worthwhile

These happen to be from Staples.

Yes, I know I could pick up some real trash bags cheap, but I always have these bags on hand and I'd just as soon use them.

Tools
Cost: Cheap or Free (except for the Leatherman)
Value: Handy

Picked from several old computer toolkits.

In order, I have use the tweezers the most, followed by the little grabber dealy (they come with 90% of all computer toolkits).  I've used the magnet and the mirror once or twice apiece.  I work in IT and have accumulated tons of computer toolkits over the years, so I just scrounged for this stuff.  MicroCenter has lots of things like this in their cheap section, so if you can't scrounge for it you can expect to pay about $2-$5 for each tool.

The Swiss Army Knife was a bribe from Lexmark.

I never actually got a chance to use my knockoff Swiss Army Knife because I ended up getting the Leatherman Wave from my wife on my birthday.  I have used it quite a few times, though in hindsight I really think that I'm going out of my way to figure out ways to do things that require me to use it.  i.e. "Rather than cross the footbridge, I can make my own by using the saw tool to cut down several small trees, the knife to cut and sharpen wooden pegs, the file to smooth things out, and the pliers to put it all together!"

Flashlights
Cost: $6
Value: The flashlight was worth it.  The blinky thingy... not so much.

One useful, and one not so much.

I have used the flashlight a lot, as many cache hiding areas can be quite dark.  I have never used the glowy light stick thing, though - that was an impulse buy at Home Depot when I was there with Jack.  At the time I had all of these crazy ideas about using it for night caching, but since every park in a 30 mile radius from my house closes at dusk, night caching is really just pipe dream.

I think I really keep it in the kit to keep my wife from finding out that I bought it in the first place. I mean, it was only like $3 or something, but she doesn't really appreciate my need for glowy flashlight things like she should.

Final item
Not Shown - The Official Geocaching Brochure

If you don't have one or two of these printed out and on hand in your kit, get it here.  While I have never been actually hassled by anyone about my caching, I have been approached by people curious about what exactly I am doing.  Having the brochure on hand makes any explanation easy, and it has the fringe benefit of introducing new people to the hobby.  I usually keep a few of these in my kit, and one or two in my car in case I am caching without my kit that day.

Final Thoughts

Since I do the bulk of my caching during lunch breaks at work, and many of the hides in that area are LPCs, nanos, and the like, I don't actually bring my kit with me 75% of the time.  I usually just have my GPS and a pen on hand.

If I'm planning ahead and I know I'll be in a larger park I'll take the full kit, though I think in the near future I'll be looking at a smaller bag to have with me on my day to day short trips.  I'll keep this one for times when I'm caching for an entire day, or need to bring my lunch etc...  I'll cross that bridge when I get there, though, and considering that I haven't had to spend all that much money on caching (so far, at least), I'm pretty happy with what I've put together.