When you first started Geocaching you were probably unaware of all the different cache types.  You thought that geocaching was as simple as turning up to a set of co-ordinates and finding the container hidden there.  As you progressed you probably became vaguely aware of multi-caches and puzzle caches.  Your first multi had you going to a number of locations gathering clues in order to derive the cache’s final co-ordinates.  Your first puzzle cache had you sat at your computer scratching your head as you tried to work out some cryptic puzzle, designed to test your mental abilities, before delivering you the location of the actual container.

In your day to day geocaching these are the three cache types you will primarily encounter.  But are you aware that there are many other types as well?  Some of you may have attended an event and collected the icon for that, but there are many more besides, running from Benchmarks to the GPS Maze Exhibit.  You may have even been lucky enough to collect the recent new Giga event icon or have visited an earthcache.

Whilst people can, providing they meet all the criteria, set up new caches with these icons, there are a few where they can’t.  Some cache types have been retired, allowing existing caches to remain and be logged as long as the cache remains but not allow for new caches of this type to be set up.  As time passes on and more of these caches get archived, these types only get rarer and rarer.  Some types, such as locationless caches, have completely disappeared from the game with cachers unable to even log one any more.  Others are in danger of joining these archived cache types.

So with that in mind, here are five cache types that we recommend Geocachers go out and find before they disappear from the game. read more

Geocaching.com’s official International Cache In Trash Out (CITO) weekend is scheduled for April 24 – 27. That’s next week! So, if you haven’t found a CITO event near you, then now is the time to create and schedule your own to help do your part to protect the environment. Oh, did I mention you’ll get a souvenir to go along with it! Best of both worlds!

So, whether you’re attending a community event near you or creating your own geocaching community event, here are a few tips to keep in mind this upcoming CITO weekend: read more

If you’ve been geocaching for a little while, you’ve probably heard cachers talk about being premium members of the geocaching.com website.  Some people will swear by it whilst others will feel that it adds nothing to their caching experience.  As a result it can sometimes be difficult to fully understand what benefits premium membership actually confers.  So this month, I thought I would look at some of the main reasons you might want to become a premium member. read more

Well, I have good news and bad news. Last week I saw that the folks over at Groundspeak have revamped a really important part of the popular geocaching.com website: the search tool for finding all of those fun caches. That’s the good part. The bad part is that I’m not 100% sure that the new search feature is worth the trouble. read more

Hiding your first geocache can be a pretty exciting thing, but it isn’t as simple as just stuffing a tupperware container under a log and calling it a day. There are plenty of things you need to consider, and geocaching.com recently released reworked their Hiding a Geocache page with some fantastic information designed to help new geocachers hide caches successfully and responsibly.

Here are some of the main things that you should consider when hiding a geocache: read more

Everyone loves pie–all that sweet, delicious fruity, gooey, sugary filling stuffed between two flaky golden crusts of amazing. Pie is pretty much the best. But, what about Pi? For years, this irrational number has spawned an surprisingly rational national celebration of pie, math and, of course, more pie.

Well, this year’s Pi day happens to this Saturday and it isn’t just ANY Pi day–it’s the first time in a century that the date (3/14/15) falls perfectly in line with the actual irrational number (3.1415…). So, to celebrate this most auspicious Pi day, the folks over at Geocaching HQ have declared that there are not one, but two souvenirs available to intrepid Pi-loving geocachers out there! read more

Nature is a precious thing and it saddens me to see how poorly some people care for it. We’ve only got one Earth, so doesn’t it make sense to protect it? I think that Geocachers in particular are more appreciative of the natural beauty and fragility of the environment, and geocaching.com has sponsored an international “Cache In, Trash Out” (CITO) event to help do their part. read more

With spring looming, a new season of geocaching is nearly upon us.  With it comes an influx of new people to the hobby.  Regular geocachers will be familiar with the concept of a geocaching kit bag but for the benefit of those just starting out, this month we’re going to go over the basic items you need to geocache efficiently and safely. read more

It’s that time of year when we can’t help but look back and review what we’ve accomplished in the past year.  Accompanying it is the inevitable list of resolutions for the year ahead and it’s a safe bet to assume that at least some of them will include aims along the lines of “eat less” and “exercise more”.

This is where Geocaching can help.  Not only is walking along trails, clambering up embankments and battling undergrowth considered good exercise, the fresh air brings its own health benefits as well.  As a result, to “Geocache more” is a good resolution to have.

But what if you’re trying to find some motivation to encourage you to get out geocaching more regularly?  Well, here are some ideas for geocaching challenges that can make perfect resolutions for the year ahead. read more

An assortment of trackables

Becoming a geocacher can be slightly overwhelming.  Not only do you have to learn how to use a GPSr to get to your location and then hunt for a geocache, but there’s also a wealth of information, acronyms and unwritten do’s and don’ts  to contend with.

One of the areas that is a constant source of confusion are trackables.  I wrote an article last year introducing what trackables were and how you went about logging them but there are a number of unwritten rules that a lot of newbies get wrong.  So here to help them out are five things they never tell newbie geocachers about geocoins and travel bugs. read more