Welcome to RV Geocacher. This site is dedicated to the popular world-wide sport of geocaching.
What is geocaching?
Geocaching is a game being played world-wide by people from all walks of life. Using a GPS device, coordinates to a hidden cache, and sometimes a clue, you go out in cities, parks, mountains, lakes, anywhere to find hidden boxes, cans, canisters, pill bottles, etc. filled sometimes with just a log to sign and other times with treasure to trade for. There are also virtual caches where you find something like a monument and provide some info from the plaque on the monument, multi-caches where you must find several caches using the coordinates found in each one to find the next one until you get to the last cache which often contains trade items, puzzle caches where you must solve a puzzle to get the coordinates of the cache, earth caches which provide a bit of earth science education along the way, and more. Geocaching can be played 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Why geocache?
To get treasures which is like having Christmas every day, to learn an area, to enjoy the company of family and friends on a nice day, to skulk about in secret like you are doing something naughty (though you are NOT!), for the pleasure of the secret smile you get when you watch others (known as Muggles or non-geocaching folk) pass a geocache without ever knowing it is there, etc.
How do I start?
Go to Geocaching.com to signup for a free account
What will I need?
At the very least, you will need a GPS device. Please see our GPS page for more info. I suggest you also create a geocaching backpack with the following:
- cheap trade items for both children and adults (toys, books, CDs, DVDs, AA batteries, knick-knacks, old jewelry to get rid of, etc. Change and dollars are always nice as well in a pinch. Please no explosives, knives, food or scented items that might draw animals, and only G rated items.)
- pens ( to sign the logs or take notes)
- gloves (for reaching into unknown places or a small rod to poke)
- tweezers (to remove logs from tiny containers)
- small and large plastic bags to repair caches
- trash bags to clean up some areas (Cache In Trash Out)
- first aid kit for the inevitable scratch, mosquitoes, etc.
- extra paper to add to logs that are full or water-logged
- extra batteries for handheld GPS
- flashlight with extra batteries (for some night caching fun)
Don’t forget to also load your GPS with the coordinates of all the geocaches in the area that you are interested in. Start with a level 1-1 cache (difficulty and terrain) then you can move up to the harder caches once you get the hang of it and learn to use your GPS.
Happy Hunting!
