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orgaizing outings


jocko126

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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

 

What I've always done is go to the area I'm interested in on the geocaching map.

 

I make up a list of caches to hunt for, and put them in order that will take the least amount of backtracking.

 

I print out the map, zoomed in as much as possible while still showing the targeted caches. I will actually write on the map printout "1", "2", "3", etc.

 

But some times the driver likes to do his own thing, eventually asking me "where's the next cache?" At that point, I'm confused and will say "I have no idea! Where are we???" :laughing:

 

Another idea is to make a bookmark list. The caches will be ordered by distance.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.3. Bookmark Lists and Instructional Video

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=283

 

And there's the "Caches along a route" option, which I haven't used for years. I forget how it works, or if it really was that helpful. I don't think that we look for enough caches in one go to make this helpful for us.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.4. Trip Planner: Geocaches Along a Route

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=53

 

B.

Edited by Pup Patrol
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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

 

What I normally do is to check the map on geocaching's website for potential area of high density caches or power trails. High density caches mean that there is a small area, but a lot of caches. Power Trail are usually a trail where a cache is hidden every 528 feet and you can usually boost your numbers that way. Once I found out where I want to go, I take a photo with my phone of my computer screen of the first geocache I wish to attempt showing the coordinates. I put these coordinates into my car's GPS so that it will take me to the first cache. Once there, I use the $10 geocaching app on my iPhone 5s and load the caches to it. I never use the compass as it's always wrong and iffy at best. What I do is to use the map to orientate myself to GZ, or ground zero. I do this by counting the number of parking spaces on my phone or seeing that it's at the corner of a building or intersection. I find this to be much more reliable and helpful than to use the confusing compass. It might take some practice to use, but it's like using Apple maps.

 

When I started geocaching in 2006, there wasn't an app so I had to use a handheld Garmin GPS. It would take forever to type in all the information and find the next cache. My max that I can remember doing for one day was 13 caches found. My max for a day using my iPhone was 120. What I would suggest is that you plan ahead before going out on any geocaching adventure. Just make sure to have fully charged phones and that there is cell service in the area that you plan to cache in, because this is not always the case. This is common for me while caching in the desert sometimes.

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Seeing as how you're so new to caching, I'm hesitant to offer this, but I'm going to because you can decide whether or not to do this, now or in the future. There's a program, GSAK, that many people use for many things. One of the things it can do is take a list of caches and provide you the optimal route from start to finish. There's a learning curve involved and initially, it's free, but the longer you use it without paying for it, the longer it takes to let you use it (nag screen). It's not overly expensive (I think 25?) but I think it's worth it.

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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

 

What I've always done is go to the area I'm interested in on the geocaching map.

 

I make up a list of caches to hunt for, and put them in order that will take the least amount of backtracking.

 

I print out the map, zoomed in as much as possible while still showing the targeted caches. I will actually write on the map printout "1", "2", "3", etc.

 

But some times the driver likes to do his own thing, eventually asking me "where's the next cache?" At that point, I'm confused and will say "I have no idea! Where are we???" :laughing:

 

Another idea is to make a bookmark list. The caches will be ordered by distance.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.3. Bookmark Lists and Instructional Video

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=283

 

And there's the "Caches along a route" option, which I haven't used for years. I forget how it works, or if it really was that helpful. I don't think that we look for enough caches in one go to make this helpful for us.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.4. Trip Planner: Geocaches Along a Route

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=53

 

B.

 

I make up a list of caches to hunt for, and put them in order that will take the least amount of backtracking.

 

I print out the map,

 

How do you make the list? By hand from looking at the map? Or is there a way to sort and print a bookmark list? Do you just do a screen shot? Thanks.

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Or is there a way to sort and print a bookmark list?
The default "name" field for a bookmark list entry is the name of the cache. But you can add a number to the beginning of the name so that the list sorts the way you want. (For example, I've done this with my milestones bookmark list, so the caches will sort in the order I found them in.)
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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

 

What I've always done is go to the area I'm interested in on the geocaching map.

 

I make up a list of caches to hunt for, and put them in order that will take the least amount of backtracking.

 

I print out the map, zoomed in as much as possible while still showing the targeted caches. I will actually write on the map printout "1", "2", "3", etc.

 

But some times the driver likes to do his own thing, eventually asking me "where's the next cache?" At that point, I'm confused and will say "I have no idea! Where are we???" :laughing:

 

Another idea is to make a bookmark list. The caches will be ordered by distance.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.3. Bookmark Lists and Instructional Video

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=283

 

And there's the "Caches along a route" option, which I haven't used for years. I forget how it works, or if it really was that helpful. I don't think that we look for enough caches in one go to make this helpful for us.

 

Help Center → Premium Membership → Benefits

1.4. Trip Planner: Geocaches Along a Route

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=53

 

B.

 

I make up a list of caches to hunt for, and put them in order that will take the least amount of backtracking.

 

I print out the map,

 

How do you make the list? By hand from looking at the map? Or is there a way to sort and print a bookmark list? Do you just do a screen shot? Thanks.

 

I'm a Luddite, so I make my list of caches in Notepad. I include the GC Code, the cache name, the coordinates, D/T rating, size, any relevant information from the cache description or the previous logs and the decrypted hint.

 

I do that for times when we're only going to be looking for up to 10 caches.

 

I've got xcel spreadsheets set up for major cache hunting excursions.

 

This might seem silly to some, but having those printouts has saved us aggravation at least once. I forgot to load two caches into the gps. No problem, I had the coordinates on a list.

 

The bookmark list is best used for running a pq. I don't print out bookmark lists. There's not enough useful information on them.

 

B.

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Hi all.

I'm new to geocaching. i'm still trying to figure the app out as well as using compass and all the other premium features. My question is is there a way to organize a caching outing to get the most caching. What I mean is I don't want to be driving back and forth doing a bunch of backtracking. Is there a tool or something that will help to organize caches so I can save as much time and gas as possible while getting more caches in the process.

 

Thanks in advance

Sorry if I posted in wrong area or if question has already been answered

 

jocko126

 

I typically cache in one of two modes: planned or ad-hoc. In planned mode, I use website tools in advance of the hunt, namely the mapping tool, to plan a hunt. I'll save these on my phone for offline hunting in case I don't have cell coverage during portions of the hunt (which is likely where I live). If the plan includes any mystery caches, I'll print out the cache info as my spouse prefers to solve puzzles on paper (where I'm more apt to go paperless). Then we'll do my hunt. In ad-hoc mode, I need cell coverage as basically I use "Find nearby geocaches" frequently and click about to decide on what to "navigate" to next. Some days I use a mix of both modes.

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