Geocaching Swag

[Kenm810]

With there being a few posted comments about the Hobby of Geocaching on the forum,
I thought I might make up a simple pattern for a bit of Geo-swag,
(The little trinkets, markers, coins, and other small mementos left in a Geocaches container)
in the form of small Key Chains, (1/8" stock on a 1/2" Sled) the finders collect, trade or swap these small items,
often by taking one from a cache and leaving another.
I have a couple of the hand held Garmin Gps units and We belong to one of the local Geocaching Clubs,
Barb and I have taken the Grand Kids to several of the Metro Parks in the area for a day of Hi-Tech Treasure Hunting.
Barb and my Daughter tell me they often see Geo-swag items being made and sold at Craft Shows to and for Geocachers to use.

PS. Hint, Hint, AL -- You all ready have all the best equipment for making some Great Geo-Swag
Geocaching Swag (http://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai=C8E_k9AecSpCrGI_kM8-DqcICpvuajgHKroDcBIPt2_0FCAAQAyDtit8GKANQzc7Wlfr__ ___AWDJlraJkKToD8gBAaoEHE_QmPsIr3B3AQ5y5gstEdPNvmO 0ehQyP-VcBWM&sig=AGiWqtzXZ4oYC2vXFX6JFWMtdWjcjXHfbg&q=http://www.webcrawler.com/webcrawler301/ws/results/Web/geocaching%2Bswag/1/417/TopNavigation/Relevance/iq%3Dtrue/zoom%3Doff/_iceUrlFlag%3D7%3F_IceUrl%3Dtrue%26s_kwcid%3Dgeoca ching%2520swag%7C1169816520)

[Tom Spaulding]

Nice,

I just read up on Geocaching today, sounds like fun family outing.
There are 6 caches in a park only a couple blocks from my house, I think we'll give it a go this weekend.

-Tom

[dbfletcher]

I have found the that 'sport" outdoor handheld gps units are best for geo caching... (personally I like and use the garmin rhino's... they are a gps & two way radio combined in one unit), but I have also sucessfully used windshield mount automoblie gps's as well. The trick with thoses is that most of them have a "snap to nearest" road feature that you will want to turn off before you use them for geocaching. Also, they will need to have there own powersupply or you will need to rig something for them. I find that most 12 volt devices seem to be pretty happy running off a 9 volt battery.

It is definately a good "family activity". Most of the times when we go in groups... we make it a rule to to "announce" where the cache is until everyone has located it... or they give up and just want to know where it was!.

Happy hunting.

Doug Fletcher

[brdad]

I've been caching for 7 years now, and love to see the signature items in caches. I even met my wife at a caching event! I might have to make a few of these just for the fun of it.

[Kenm810]

Swag Tokens
My Son in-law saw the Geo-Swag Key Chains I drew up yesterday,
And asked if I use Designer to draw up some Swag Tokens for him to use.

Caching equals = More Quality time spent Outdoors with the Kids and Grand Kids! :grin:

These will be carved in 1/4" Western red Cedar on a 1/2" Sled with his Geo-Info on the Back.

[chebytrk]

I've been caching for 7 years now, and love to see the signature items in caches. I even met my wife at a caching event! I might have to make a few of these just for the fun of it.

OK...... excuse my ignorance, but what is caching all about and how is it done?

[mikemel]

I started geocaching just a few days ago. Good excuse to get the graqnd kids (and myself) some exercise. I usually leave a "round Toit" as SWAG that I create on the CC. See attached.

[dbfletcher]

OK...... excuse my ignorance, but what is caching all about and how is it done?

Just hop over to this website. All the info you will need.

http://www.geocaching.com/

I've been geocaching since the late 90... several hundred successfull finds. It is the ones that you cant find that really drive you crazy!!! And you get to see lots of intersting sites and places.

[mtylerfl]

Just hop over to this website. All the info you will need.

http://www.geocaching.com/

I've been geocaching since the late 90... several hundred successfull finds. It is the ones that you cant find that really drive you crazy!!! And you get to see lots of intersting sites and places.

Dang - that does sound like fun! Wish I had time to actually do it!

[Kenm810]

Geocaching is not nearly as expensive as some Hobbies I know of -- hint, hint, plus the whole family can get involved in the fun.
We’ve found Caches of all sizes and shapes, some easy to find, and other that darn near drive you nuts -- (literality)
--I made three trips to an old abandoned piece of farm machinery in a field rear our house,
the last time with a set of wrenchs, one of the Bolts, like the one pictured below wasn’t as rusted as the rest --- and there it was!!
Others catch you by surprise along the trail when you least expectto come across one -- yep it was a Cache -- we all had a good laugh,
then had to helped John down out of the tree and with a lot of reassurance back on to the trail.

There are nearly 30 caches or more within One Mile of our house, a few Hundred within Five miles.
I’m going to bring a hand full of different CW Carved wood tokens to our next local Geo-Club meeting
to pass around and see what happens. :wink:

[Steven Alford]

OK, I'll bite!! (pun intended), what is it with the pic of the snake and the fool with sandals??? I hope that is a fake snake.

[Kenm810]

Yep! the Snake was the Cache itself,
Some are quite clever'
We saw one made up to look like a owl in a tree. :razz:

Ps. at the time it sure looked real

[brdad]

The best caches take you to historical, scenic, or otherwise unique areas you may have passed by for years without knowing. One of my most memorable cache locations was about a quarter mile from L.L. Bean, right in the heart of Freeport. I went on a warm day in November and took a small trail down over a hill behind an apartment building and ended up in a small abandoned granite quarry. There was icicles 20 feet long hanging everywhere - it was like I was in another world.

Other caches take you to odd items, like this one several miles across a blueberry field, aptly named "Frog, Dog, Snake or Hog?":