The Do's and Don'ts of Geocaching

Summer is right around the corner, and you may be wondering what your family will do with the kids enjoying a nice break from school. Many families enjoy the popular hobby of geocaching! It is fun, safe, and excellent for people who prefer a great outdoor adventure to sitting inside.

This is my brother Stephen and me finding our first ever Geocache!

Geocaching is marvelous for people who love an adventure, but don’t otherwise have a reason to get outside. It is a wonderful activity to do with friends, family, and even a household pet. Geocaching also helps get people off of the computer, and away from the T.V. to go out and have some fun. And best of all, it's free!

Why Geocaching is Good for You

When geocaching, your goal is to find caches. These are containers which hold anything from prizes and small toys to just a small piece of paper, called a log, to add your name and date to prove you found it. Please do not keep the caches as they are there for everyone to find.

The cache can be large, medium, small, or tiny in size. This helps to train your eyes, which can help in many other situations. Geocaching is also a swell way to get out and walk, as sometimes parking is not always optimal and you sometimes have to walk.

This is often because of parking not being optimal, the geocache having been moved a few feet from the original spot, or the geocache being hard to find. The feeling of finding the cache is incredible, it will surely have your heart racing.

A Few Things to Remember While Geocaching

While geocaching, especially when the weather is balmy or chilly, you will always have to pack certain items, depending on the weather. A backpack makes a superb “go bag” for geocaching, especially ones with many pockets on the outside to hold something.

• Several bottles of water (1 or 2 per person or pet)
• Snacks if you are planning a day of geocaching
• Swag, i.e. something to leave behind
• A few simple first aid items, such as band-aids and some sav for bee stings

These are only a few things you should take, you should also take some area specific items, for instance sunscreen if you are going to be geocaching in a warmer climate with open areas. Also you should always pack enough supplies for everyone going with you, maybe even extra. Here's the backpack I like to use:

It has enough pockets to keep me organized on the go while the interior space holds my favorite geocaching snacks, like trail mix and beef jerky, and bottled water. The pocket on the front is perfect for holding my phone, which I use in lieu of a GPS device. Click the picture to learn how you can get your own from Amazon now. Prime members get 20% off and FREE 2-day shipping!

What Not to do When Geocaching

While geocaching can be fun, there are always things not to do, below I have included a few important ones in a list, but as with any activity, common sense can save.

• Don’t forget to bring a coat in chilly weather.
• Don’t forget your GPS while walking to and from the cache so you won’t get lost.
• Don’t forget to bring an emergency kit, even a basic one can help if something happens.
• Don’t geocache in extreme weather including, harsh temperatures, rain or snow, etc.
• Don’t geocache barefoot.

These are only a few of the don’ts of geocaching. There are more, but most are simple and are easy to remember. Check online for more geocaching etiquette.

In Conclusion

Geocaching is a healthy activity for your whole family, this article only lists some of the benefits of and tips for geocaching, but there are more. There are lists online for kits you can put together for hiking and walking which also work well for geocaching. Try it, and I’m sure you’ll have fun! Let me know about your geocaching experiences in the comments section.

About the Guest Author

Jarod Muth is a blogger who hails from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. A home school student who graduated at age 16, he's now pursing interests like freelance writing and internet marketing while furthering his education through online classes. In his spare time Jarod enjoys gaming, geocaching with his family and their rescue pups, and flea marketing.

Geocaching Friday - Confessions of a Geocache Fail

My name is Becky, and I failed at geocaching.

The reason for the fail was not failing to locate the cache itself. That part I did perfectly fine. And boy was I ever excited to see a trackable coin!

For those who are unfamiliar with or new to geocaching, trackable coins are just what they sound like - coins with a special code that, when entered at the appropriate website, allow the owner of the coin to track its whereabouts. It's pretty fun for both parties!

Let the Woes Begin!

Sadly just after I found the coin, I began to have car trouble. I've been in my house for the past 5 weeks. The worst part is this coin that hangs from the key holder by the front door, taunting me.

Adding insult to injury are memories of all the forum posts at www.geocaching.com from disgruntled owners of coins that were picked up never to be seen or heard from again.

And to make matters worse, this trackable has a really awesome story and a request not to hold it for more than 15 days. I have had this coin for going on 15 weeks. OUCH!

Reaching Out with an Apology

Finally I decided that enough misery was enough misery, and it was time to take responsibility for my fail. I decided to man up and email the owner of the trackable.

I told them all my car woes, not to mention that my beloved dog died during the same time frame) and tried to assure them that I am not the type of geocacher who gets into the hobby and then flakes out, coin in hand.

If they respond then I'll post in a future episode of Geocaching Friday. I don't blame them if they don't, though.

Sticking My Trackable Swag on the Line

In the meantime I think it only fair that I plan to put my own trackable swag on the line. After perusing all that Amazon had to offer, I've decided to go with dog tags.

These tags come 4 to a pack which makes them quite the deal from an economic standpoint. And as many as 85% of the reviews give this item a 5-star rating, which was a big factor in my decision.


If you're a geocacher, then you know the value of great swag. And if you're new to geocaching, why not start out by dropping a trackable or two?

Clicking the picture takes you over to the Amazon site where you can order your own trackable swag. The quicker you place an order, the quicker you can track the whereabouts of your tags!

And if you have geocaching adventures - fails or successes - to share then I'd love to hear about it in the comments section. Until next Friday - happy geocaching everyone!

Geocaching Friday - Why Lock & Lock Make the Best Geocache Boxes

If you are a geocacher then you are no stranger to the term Lock & Lock. They make great geocache boxes because they offer exceptional durability for a low price!

Originally used for food storage, these containers are meant to keep your kitchen pantry or refrigerator tidier. However I was using them for non-food purposes long before I knew about geocaching! I used these plastic containers to hold craft supplies. My older son uses them to organize his model train accessories. And my younger son uses one to hold the loot he finds when metal detecting.

Once my family discovered geocaching, it was not long until we began pondering, what if we created our own geocache location? What kind of container would we use? Would the location have some kind of special meaning? Would we use a theme and create several? Did we want to use riddles? Or would we be completely random?

As I posted a couple of weeks ago, there are plenty of options for creating safe, eco-friendly geocache containers. Sadly not all things that you can recycle make great containers, though! The plastic may have BPA or break down if left exposed to the sunlight. Metal can rust. And never use glass, which could break and create sharp edges.

Why Use a Lock & Lock Container

Sure you could use other types of plastic containers, but it is doubtful that they have a 4-sided locking mechanism to help keep the contents dry and the critters from getting inside. Here are some other reasons why Lock & Lock containers make the best geocache boxes.

• 100% silicone gasket helps keep it both air and watertight
• BPA free
• Holds up to both humid and frigid temperatures
• Plastic resists stains
• Easy to camouflage as you can see from the above picture!

You can find Lock & Lock containers at places like Target or Wal-Mart. Personally I prefer ordering mine from Amazon. If you belong to Amazon Prime as many people do (including my family) after purchasing a Kindle Fire, then you can enjoy free 2-day shipping!

Click this link above and order some Lock & Lock containers to make your own geocache boxes now!

Geocaching - Get Your Swag On!

Geocaching is a game similar to a virtual scavenger hunt that uses GPS coordinates. You find the cache site, sign the log book, and if you're lucky, trade out a bit of swag. When I go geocaching, it's all about the swag. The general guideline regarding swag is, "Trade even, trade up, or don't trade at all."

So far my favorite bit of swag found has been this guy here:

What Trackables Are and Why Geocachers Love Them

However I recently snagged my first trackable coin swag! I have to say, that was a real thrill. Trackables are items people register online. When you find it, you log in and record it. When you drop it somewhere else, you record that, too.

The above trackable coin is the first one that I found. I have found another one since, but that first one is my favorite. These are the gold nuggets of swag, and the people who invest in them enjoy tracking where these bits of swag adventure as much as we geocachers enjoy finding them.

Swag Doesn't Have to Cost a Fortune

But swag doesn't have to be expensive, or even anything big. Swag can be something as trivial as a cheap plastic party favor. As my oldest son's BFF remarked after finding his first bit of swag, "All this work for a plastic stink bug."

Sometimes that is exactly how it feels. But then you look at that plastic stink bug and remember the satisfaction of finding the container, and being able to mark one more location as "FOUND" at the Geocaching website. Here are some things that make excellent swag.

• loose change, even pennies and nickels
• plastic army, cowboy, indian, or any other men
• dice and game tokens from old board games, like Monopoly
• plastic party favors like you'd see at a child's birthday party
• anything made with plastic pony-style beads

The Best Swag for Your Buck


Plastic party favors make great swag because they are weatherproof. Unlike baseball cards, they won't fall apart due to rain or snow that leaks into the container. And unlike the coveted trackables, they are fairly inexpensive.

I personally like the cheap plastic swag because it never fails to put a smile on my face. It takes me right back to the birthday parties of my childhood, and reminds me that even if it is only because I followed the coordinates to the site container, I am still a winner at something.

Click on the picture above now to order swag for your own geocache bag. As always, if you are member of Amazon Prime you will enjoy an additional bonus discount along with free shipping. And if you have other ideas for swag, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section!

Welcome to Geocaching! (Or, Size Matters!)

We've heard about this Geocaching things for a while now, but never gave it any real consideration. With the home school portfolio deadline looming we are in panic mode, doing all we can to throw as much as possible in at the last minute. While I have no doubt that we did more than enough in the last year for the boys to progress on to the next grade level, I am constantly paranoid that our social media updates make it appear as though all we do is sit around playing Xbox or watching the History channel.

Geocaching is a form of modern-day treasure hunting. Someone hides a container and lists it along with its GPS coordinates at www.geocaching.com where other participants will use those coordinates to find it. What is inside the geocache container? That really depends on its type! Here are the four primary sizes:

• MICRO - These are less than 100ml in size. It could be something like a film canister, or a two-part magnet the size of a button. Typically all you will find in this size container is a log book.
• SMALL - Ranging between 100ml and less than 1L in size, this could be a small Tupperware or Rubbermaid container, or a Ziploc sandwich bag. It will typically hold a log and also some small treasures.
• REGULAR - These are larger than 1L, but less than 20L. Think shoebox size, for regular geocache containers. They can hold bigger treasures, or even just a lot of smaller treasures, and of course the necessary log book.
• LARGE - Anything larger than 20L in size falls into this category. Examples include a five gallon bucket, a large wooden crate, and so forth. What treasures await depends on the geocachers!

On our first day of geocaching we headed to 9 different locations. We found containers at 7 of those locations. My favorite treasure of the day was a little knight in shining armor. One of my sons took a wooden nickel, and the other selected a patch. We left behind army men, baseball cards, and loose change. Following the unofficial "trade even, trade up, or don't trade at all" guideline, we always left more than we took.

Here are some pictures of my boys enjoying the geocaching. Hopefully none give enough hints to ruin it for future geocachers.

First container of the day was in a forgotten cemetery. It was aptly named -- I've driven by here hundreds of times in my lifetime, and never knew that cemetery was there!

I walked right up to this box, thanks to the app on my iPhone.

This little wooden puzzle box was a cinch to open for my oldest, who saw something similar in Agatha Christie's Poirot!

We were looking for a full-sized ammo box. Tricky containers are the most rewarding!

This tricky container, hidden in some bushes, nearly eluded us!

The smallest micro container we found that day!

Awesome sunset on the way home that evening.

If this sounds like something you'd like to do with your family and friends, sign up for free at www.geocaching.com and look for me there under "beckythehobbit". While you don't need to buy the premium membership or the app, we did. All total it was less than the price of a new Xbox game, and inspires my family to get off the couch, into the fresh air, and spend quality time together.

Thrifty Thursday - Rock On!

Today's thrifty tip is something fun you can do with kids. It's very exciting. I wish we'd home schooled when the boys were younger and they would have gotten more out of this instead of just throwing rocks, namely at each other. The tip is - rock collecting!

Here are 10 reasons why you should start a rock collection with your kids.

1. It's free.
2. It gives you a chance to recycle things like egg cartons or any other box-like container where dividers can easily be divided for sorting.
3. You might actually find something valuable.
4. You will learn more about geography than you ever wanted to know.
5. Other rock collectors will be interested in seeing what you found.
6. The internet can tell you what kind of rocks you find, saving you from buying expensive rock-identification books.
7. It's a great family hobby.
8. You have to go outside and enjoy fresh air and sunshine to do this.
9. You can do it anywhere that there are rocks to be found (except National Parks, and on private property unless, in the case of the latter, the owner gives permission).
10. Collecting a rock from vacation destinations is much cheaper and more meaningful than a t-shirt that you'll outgrow or a coffee mug that will get shoved to the back of the cabinet over the stove.

And there you go! Because I live a stone's throw (haha, get the pun?) from a National Park, let me reiterate that you should never, ever, ever take ANYthing from National Park property. This includes but is not limited to rocks, shells, tree branches, pine cones, berries, sand, animals, insects, or anything else. They are serious. They will escort you to put it back.

Other than that, have fun and happy collecting!

Becky