Geocaching Devices

[Ben and Benji]

Just wondering what everybody thinks is the best device for geocaching. I know the Iphone 5 is good but are there any other better ones?

[Tuena]

Any dedicated, modern GPSr.

I believe your IP5 would struggle against my current model for accuracy & durability. I had a nasty fall recently & the Magellan crashed to the rocks, slid & bounced about but apart from dints in the casing didn't suffer any ill effects. Perhaps you could do a crash test on your IP5 & let us know the results. Don't fall over yourself though - it hurts. It's inevitable that you will drop your device. My old 60CSx has cracks & dints in the casing & has slid down as many rocks & embankments as I have (it even slid past me one day near Jindabyne, a race it won) & it shows no ill effects either. And my older GPS72 was driven over by my 4X4 on soft sand (left it on the roo bar) & didn't miss a beat. I do have a smart phone but leave it in my knapsack out of harm's way.

[Ben and Benji]

Which magellan is that? We have been looking at getting the eXplorist 610.

[ian-and-penny]

Garmin Oregon is better IMHO

(it's a Toyota vs Nissan, PC vs MAC, Engel vs Waco thing).

[fluffyfish]

Smart phones are ok for urban caching but if you leave the 'burbs, you'll need some form of dedicated GPS unit. Tree coverage and mobile phone reception are the killers for smart phones.

[oldfella]

I was only useing my Magellan explorist XL but upgraded to an Garmin Oregon300 and was given a Magellan Xplorist710 for my birthday last year. I use the new Magellan and Oregon about the same about of time and find them both good to use.

[Browngang]

Think GPS, not phone, for the most reliability. My Explorist 610 has been dropped, slid along the road etc, etc and still doesn't miss a beat. Once I still had it plugged into the car charger and got out of the car with it in my hand and slammed the door. The GPS went sliding down the steep road. The only porblem was the battery and chip must have momentarily disconnected and I had to restart it
Had fun today, miles and miles from phone service.

[budgietas]

IMHO the biggest advantage of the GPRS unit (I use an Oregon) is that you can replace the batteries when your out and about. With the iphone and some other devices with fixed batteries you could find yourself having to stop caching while the device charges.

[Ben and Benji]

Yea might keep an eye out for a cheap gps. Is it true that the magellans have the geocaching app?

[Tuena]

Which magellan is that? We have been looking at getting the eXplorist 610.

I own the 710. My old Nuvi was out of date so the 710 was the perfect choice as it is an in-car navigator awa a hand held. I don't use geocaching apps other than the one released by mtrax for Geocaching Australia but as far as I know you cant load them onto GPSr's.

I use lithium batteries awa rechargeables & get great value out of them. There is a very helpful forum at http://www.magellaninsiders.com/index.php
Use GSAK to load caches, all of NSW if I wanted to & a bit of QLD. You can see the screen easily in full sun, the mapping is amazing, cache navigation & accuracy far better than my previous Garmins - even found a micro yesterday which I had previously DNfd.

Best to purchase a high end GPSr from the start I think. Providing you stick with the activity you will be way ahead. I also use mine for waymarking & the ability to record details (when its not windy) & attach them to the waypoint saves confusion later on.

[jonnosan+2]

A stand-alone GPS unit might be OK in the city or for short hikes, but if you are doing longer walks, especially if it's on faint or non-existant tracks, I strongly recommend you get a smart phone loaded with the 1:25K topo maps, along with a decent case and a few spare batteries. I use the "Memory Map" app (available on both android and iOS).

[LouiseAnn]

I would never cache on my phone, I love my to Garmin Oregaos and their fairly lame standard issue maps. The phone just doesn't stack. Beside the GPS. althought from chatting to people it seems to all depend on what you starred out with. There are some great open source maps out there

[Tuena]

The 610/710 have 1:250k topo GeoScience Australia maps awa the Summit series of topo maps. These can be viewed in 2D or 3D. I have trouble seeing the screen on my daughter's IP5 & my blue tick phone in sunlight so wandering around the bush relying on it for navigation is not an option. The 710, & presumably the 610, doesn't show all tracks but has a track back function so you should be safe.

[Ben and Benji]

Yes. We have recently done some research and have bought an explorist 710.

[gmj3191]

I have found a Subaru Outback to be the most useful caching device, closely followed by a Garmin Oregon 550, with a Samsung GS2 in third place.
Oh yes, and the utility of a pen cannot be over looked.