Geocaching to me started in 2008. Of course that’s several years after the actual start of the game, but for me it was in February 2008.
That’s when a friend first told me about it.
We went out to find our first few geocaches on March 1, 2008 on a snow-covered day. We ended up with five finds that day, and I remember grabbing my first geocoin to move.
For the first few weeks, I used one of said friend’s GPS units to cache some. I knew, though, I needed to buy my own.
Remember, too, that this was before the boom of smart phones. This was a time when paperless geocaching was just starting (I used a Dell Axim for paperless caching – anybody remember those? Google it if not!), and some people printed out all the caches they were searching for etc. I did that for a while. I think a lot of paper was wasted.
I still remember when you would decode the hint in the field.
I still love my original GPS… still going after all these years!
Now, life is easier. Smart phone apps make Geocaching an easily accessed game. So much so that people don’t even need to go back and log online anymore – they can do it from their phones. (For the record: I still log each find of mine via my computer, not my phone).
Recently, I saw in a geocaching group on Facebook about a GPS somebody was selling – the Garmin 60 CSX. The reason wasn’t that it was broke or anything, rather they were looking to get a new GPS with all the bells and whistles.
If you talk to some geocachers, the 60CSX is the best GPS ever made for caching. Its reception in the woods is excellent. It’s durable and can withstand a beating. I know all of this because I own the 60CSX and I dread the day it stops working as they don’t make it anymore.
It’s the first and only GPS that I’ve owned in eight years of playing the game.
I don’t need all the bells and whistles. I don’t have all these different maps on there, either. I use it to point the way. It’s not a GPS I use for navigation, and that’s why I love it so much.
Now, I do have another Garmin that can do things like Whereigos etc. It was a gift to me and, one day, it might be needed to be my main one. But for now, the 60CSX is still the boss.
I read through comments on this thread and there were people who fully agreed on how good this GPS is and questioned as to why somebody wanted to sell it. By the photos, it was in mint shape.
Sometimes, the upgrades aren’t always better.
As it is with many things in life, the “next best thing” is always coming out. But is it worth the money? The 60CSX, when I bought it, was a $300+ GPS. I’ve looked out of curiousness, and some of these new ones are anywhere from $400-$600! Some are higher, some lower. But if you are upgrading from the one that is like the granddaddy of them all to something else – you aren’t finding it cheaper, that’s for sure.
Smart phones can do a lot of the things that the newer GPS units do. That allows you to keep a great old GPS for use when geocaching – at least that’s the way I look at it.
This is just me rambling, of course. It’s not money being spent. But if you have something that works well, then stick with it. The grass isn’t always greener, so utilize what you know and what has been faithful to you!
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