geocaching - great family fun!

About three years ago, I while sitting in a waiting room (I'm telling you, I find great inspiration in waiting rooms) I came across an article about geocaching - my first thought was, Geo-what?  Then as a read on I learned that it was basically a high-tech version of a treasure hunt. 

With one little boy at home, and one on the way, I knew this could become a very popular pastime for our family.   And I began visualizing all the wonderful places we could go treasure hunting...

 
As soon as I got home I informed my husband that I wanted a GPS unit for Christmas...  he was a little shocked at first, but when I explained to him what geocaching was, and about the adventures that we could have in our own back yard (and all over the world), he was excited too.  

Buying a GPS is kind of a steep up-front cost, but you might not even need to buy one if you have GPS-enabled cell phone or PDA.  (The iphone has great ratings.)
Geocaching in 8 easy steps: (list from geocaching.com)

1. Go to www.geocaching.com and register for a FREE account.
2. Click “Hide & Seek a Cache.”
3. Enter a postal code or address and click “Search.”
4. Choose any geocache from the list and click on its name.
5. Enter the coordinates of the geocache into your GPS device.
6. Use your GPS device to help you find the hidden geocache.
7. Sign the logbook and return the geocache to its original location.
8. Share your geocaching stories and photos online.

 

So, here we are three years down the road.  Summer is right around the corner, and we are itching to get out and so some exploring.  I download some new caches and began to pack a bag so we could go on a hike. 

While searching the house for all the items we needed, and I realized that it would be so much easier if I just had a bag to keep all of the essential geocaching items in.  A bag that we can just grab and go at a moments notice - when the sun decides to peek out from behind the clouds.  (Although, I might not be able to wait that long, so some ponchos might need to be added to the packing list.)

After making the first round of Hobo Sacks from Dana's wonderful tutorial over at MADE, I knew they were the perfect size for a geocaching bag.  I grabbed some fabric from my stash (navy linen, gray quilting cotton, and orange jersey) and set to work. 

 

Feeling like I needed to label the bag, I searched the internet and came across the geocaching symbol and stenciled it on using freezer paper.

But I couldn't stop there, I then decided that we needed a First-Aid pouch, AND a bag for all our treasures to trade (swag). 

I had so much fun making these bags - super fast and easy!
Our Geocaching bag includes:

• GPS
• notebook
• pen
• trash bag - cache in, trash out (we use plastic bread bags)
• Swag Bag with various small items for trading
• first aid pouch
• sunscreen
• (poncho)

 
Other items we throw in the backpack:

• camera
• extra clothes
• snacks

I hope you get out and try geocaching, it is fun for the whole family.  And you might even learn something along the way, because many caches are linked to historic sites! 

Happy Hunting!