The cache list has been put together, and the GPS receivers loaded up with the coordinates. Now comes the time to load up the cachemobile. What we pack now helps to ensure a good day on the hunt!
First of all, we have to determine which vehicle to use on our adventure. We currently have two at our disposal: The Cache Wagon (reference travel bug #TB3VQ3B) is our primary cachemobile. It has the advantage of fuel economy while providing all-wheel drive capabilities. It is our everyday vehicle, so the car seat is usually pre-loaded into this one. It blends in well in the urban retail and residential neighborhoods. The other vehicle option we have is the Cache Rig (reference travel bug #TB3R93T). This vehicle provides rugged 4WD capabilities (quite often useful in more rural settings, particularly in winter and early spring), and is similar enough to standard-issue agency or town work trucks that it does not seem too out of place if it is just pulled off of the road at a service access area. The diesel truck does seem out of place in quiet residential neighborhoods and certain municipal areas. There is also the disadvantages of the higher price of diesel fuel and the lack of closed trunk space.
If we’re taking the kids on an outting, we need to make sure we pack enough toys to keep them entertained for the trip. We also like to pack our lunch if we’ll be gone for the day; it is much cheaper, and it lets us eat on the move instead of losing almost an hour of prime caching time!
We have a caching backpack ready to go at a moment’s notice, already loaded up with the trackables that we happen to be carrying at a given time, and some of the tools that we’ll need on the field. Handy things to have on the hunt are spare pens, extra batteries for the GPS receiver, a compass, a pair of tweezers (for extracting the log from nano containers, or in some cases for extracting the container from it’s hiding spot!), a small LED flashlight (handy for searching in some of the deeper, darker hidey spots), and swag to use for trading in case we come across anything cool that we just have to have from one of the caches that we find! In the future, I plan to add spare logs, baggies, and even spare containers to the supply. These items will help make temporary or permanent on-the-spot repairs to caches that we come across with maintenance issues (unfortunately, not everyone that places caches takes good care of them after the initial hide).
Lately I have been printing off record sheets to bring on the hunt. These sheets are simply an Excel spreadsheet with column headings including Date, Time, Find #, Cache Name, Cache Condition, and Notes. I have a supply of blank sheets, but in preparation for a specific hunt (especially number runs), I will print off a sheet with the cache names listed in the order in which I want to hunt them. (I’ll go into more detail about how I plan an outing in another post). If the record sheet and clipboard are not handy, we use a spiral-bound notebook that we keep in the car as a standby. I do make a point of logging all of that information, one way or another.
Have you ever tried to take advantage of the field notes capabilities of the more current GPS models? The latest Magellans and Garmins allow you to track your finds, including find number along with notes to help you remember the find.
I’ve tried to use pen and paper but I find doing it electronically so much easier. I can upload all my field notes when I get home making logging a lot faster.
The Magellen eXplorist GC that we use does have the capability of entering comments when you mark the find, but the idea of typing up the log using a joystick does not appeal to me! I like to leave a little more than just “TFTC” in my logs (at the very least, I like to include our find # and time, as well as the cache condition for the owner’s benefit), so if there were a device that allowed input through a keypad, then I would probably consider the electronic notes.
The clipboard does not bother us too much on the hunt; the sheets that I use have space to log about 50 caches, with spots to mark off find #, date, time, cache condition, and any quick notes. The clipboard has the added benefit of making us look “official” to any muggles that may happen to be in the area. It seems to me that, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, people will leave you alone if you seem intent on studying your surroundings with a clipboard in hand!
While I haven’t used it yet due to it’s size, I also have a courier-type of clipboard that I used when I worked as a security officer in college. It could look just that much more offical as I step out of the truck in my role as “lightpole inspector” or “guardrail technician” on the hunt!