Keep It Simple Stupid.

Hounddog · Post by **Hounddog** » 23 May 07 12:12 pm

I have noticed lately there are many threads going for people wanting to do all sorts of amazing things to their GPSrs to make them more functionial, pretty, and more custom fitting. I'm kinding of wondering why you would need to have custom symbols or fancy map points etc or thousands of pois programmed in your GPS at a time. Maybe I'm missing something here and maybe I'm just strange but I find that too much hoop la on the gps only gets in the way anyway.
When it comes to geocaching I prefer to go by the policy of "Keep it Simple Stupid", and leave at least some challenge in finding the things.
Out in the field I have found too many features just get in the way. Things like "Lock on Road" or endless menus can really trip you up. Searching through endless categories of fancy waypoint symbols to find a cache seems counterproductive. Thats why I prefer to use a basic Gps in the field. No sillines to get in the way, just set in the co ords and let the gps steer you to ground zero. Any old basic Gps can do that. When I first started caching, even color was an option.

It's much more fun to cache with the bare minimum of things, but somehow I think that many cachers today have not learned or forgotten this (probably the same ones that complain about a 5 metre error in co ords) They just want to be spoon fed and do it all too easy. Sad really.

pprass · Post by **pprass** » 23 May 07 2:26 pm

People who have that sort of high tech knowledge and capabilities don't interfere with our caching.

Aushiker · Post by **Aushiker** » 23 May 07 3:30 pm

Hounddog wrote:It's much more fun to cache with the bare minimum of things, but somehow I think that many cachers today have not learned or forgotten this (probably the same ones that complain about a 5 metre error in co ords) They just want to be spoon fed and do it all too easy. Sad really.

Man, it sounds like you need to get out and get a modern GPSr and enjoy yourself. If this posting is your idea of having fun, then thanks but no thanks.

Cheers
Andrew who is hanging out to get out an enjoy myself and my fancy GPSr.

Webguy · Post by **Webguy** » 23 May 07 3:49 pm

Not quite sure what's so bad about having the ability to see at a glance on my map what sort of cache it is by a custom symbol for traditionals, multis etc? Plus, in one click, I can see what sort of container it is, the difficulty and terrain and whether it has trackables or not.

Convenience is what I call that and I've never tripped over any features in the GPS, everything I need is one or two clicks away.

I started with a basic gps, and now would never go back after having colour mapping and the routing ability.

Each to their own of course.

Geof · Post by **Geof** » 23 May 07 4:22 pm

That type of stuff could be good in the city. Nothing worse than "housing" estates with circuler roads etc.

I can see your point of view though. It can be fun working out where to go as long as it stays fun. Seems much easyer to enjoy that type of caching in nonurban areas without traffic lights, traffic jams "housing" estates etc.

Team Falling Numerals · Post by **Team Falling Numerals** » 23 May 07 4:28 pm

I believe that some people like to explore the functionality of their toys/gadgets and use as many of the functions as possible and this is part of their enjoyment of the journey that caching provides.

For mine, messing with gadgets and technology is more boring than watching paint dry but for others its challenging and entertaining. A community should be filled with all types of personalities.

Personally I will stick with my arrow and a reference to a topo map if needed. I don't think that those who enjoy mapping GPSrs are taking the easy way out but I do expect that in return those people are not rude and condescending about lack of gadgetry.

My $0.02 worth.

Mr Router · Post by **Mr Router** » 23 May 07 5:07 pm

Geof wrote:That type of stuff could be good in the city. Nothing worse than "housing" estates with circuler roads etc.

I can see your point of view though. It can be fun working out where to go as long as it stays fun. Seems much easyer to enjoy that type of caching in nonurban areas without traffic lights, traffic jams "housing" estates etc.

Not only urban but rural areas are a pain without mapping ! knowing where you are on the earth to within 10mts, now thats a pain

Have you ever had a road trip caching mission ?? Honesty here, we still get lost even with the whiz bang gadgets

In a nut shell caching with a gps that only shows dots with an arrow and no more are long gone for us. It comes out for the walking part.

Mr Router · Post by **Mr Router** » 23 May 07 5:13 pm

Team Falling Numerals wrote: some people like to explore the functionality of their toys/gadgets and use as many of the functions as possible and this is part of their enjoyment of the journey that caching provides.

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 23 May 07 5:13 pm

I'm still happily use my monochrome Yellow eTrex or my Foretrex with no mapping, and amazingly I'm still able to find caches!

I even convert to UTM and plot in the paper street directory

For the amount of caching I do these days, I don't even bother to upload waypoints to the GPS any more, I simply enter them manually. So you could say that I've taken a step *backwards* technology wise, not forward.

It's still just as enjoyable.

Dave.

Papa Bear_Left · Post by **Papa Bear_Left** » 23 May 07 5:14 pm

We started with a yellow etrex and a Sydways and, while we had some fun driving around following the arrow and trying to get to the right side of the river or the housing estate or whatever, that was always less fun than the cache hunt itself.

Now we have a slightly smart Meridian and seriously smart maps on the Palm and we don't have to fluff around doing UTM conversions to use the street directory and all that nonsense. Getting to the point nearest to the cache is commuting, not caching.

It does seem a bit silly to be longing for the good ol' low tech days, when those days still involved getting instant information from the US over the internet, then using a hand-held device listening to exquisitely faint signals from multiple orbiting satellites and performing calculations based on nanosecond differences between them due to the speed of light...

After that, worrying about the shape of the icons seems a bit trivial!

Webguy · Post by **Webguy** » 23 May 07 5:22 pm

Whatever gets you to the end of the journey the way you want to get there, do what ever you want. if you want to use more basic technology, great, go for it, if you want to use "better" technology, great, go for it.

It's nobody elses business how ya get to the plastic, whatever melts ya butter and makes ya happy is all that matters.

Aushiker · Post by **Aushiker** » 23 May 07 5:40 pm

Webguy wrote:Whatever gets you to the end of the journey the way you want to get there, do what ever you want. if you want to use more basic technology, great, go for it, if you want to use "better" technology, great, go for it.

It's nobody elses business how ya get to the plastic, whatever melts ya butter and makes ya happy is all that matters.

Well said Neil.

Oh BTW I still use a map and compass and my fancy GPSr. Having a fancy GPSr does not stop me using my topo map ... and vice vesa.

Andrew

Mr Router · Post by **Mr Router** » 23 May 07 7:02 pm

Webguy wrote:Whatever gets you to the end of the journey the way you want to get there, do what ever you want. if you want to use more basic technology, great, go for it, if you want to use "better" technology, great, go for it.

It's nobody elses business how ya get to the plastic, whatever melts ya butter and makes ya happy is all that matters.

EcoTeam · Post by **EcoTeam** » 23 May 07 8:28 pm

Webguy wrote:Whatever gets you to the end of the journey the way you want to get there, do what ever you want. if you want to use more basic technology, great, go for it, if you want to use "better" technology, great, go for it.

It's nobody elses business how ya get to the plastic, whatever melts ya butter and makes ya happy is all that matters.

Just as long as you use a Garmin

EcoDave.

Post by **caughtatwork** » 23 May 07 8:58 pm

I like simple.
Basic etrex, 1,200 caches.
Makes life easier without all that button pushing and angst over the best way to get there.
Just drive around until you find a way in.
I've seen more of the country following the arrow that I would have if I'd been told turn left, turn right.

Geocaching Australia

Keep It Simple Stupid.

Keep It Simple Stupid.

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