One description of outdoor geocaching is that it combines the latest in the world of technology with one of the oldest "sports" around - treasure hunting. Geocachers, armed with a portable handheld GPS unit, can seek out the hidden caches around the country utilizing GPS coordinates posted on the Internet by those hiding the cache. Following directions given by their rented or purchased GPS unit, they navigate to the hiding spot of the treasure.


There are countless hidden caches available to be discovered. They come in a wide range of varieties. For instance they can be anywhere from large to small; easy to get to or require a lot of trouble to reach; and then can be hidden at different degrees of difficulty. None should be buried and typically no digging is ever required. A great resource for lists of hidden geocaches to search for is via the geocaching.com site. You can refine your search by town, zip code or a nearby address from there.


Once you've identified the hiding place that you want to navigate to, you will need a GPS unit to lead you there. Because of the limited and imperfect feed transmitted by the global positioning satellites, you device will not take you exactly to the spot, but should get you within about 20' or so. At that point you need to use your eyes and brain!


Good GPS units to use for geocaching searches include the Garmin GPSMap Series, Garmin eTrex, DeLorme handhelds, Lowrance trail models and InReach handhelds as examples. Sometime there are clues in the write-ups about the hidden item that will help you finally find it once you get close enough to it. The item is typically placed within a waterproof container and is discreetly placed within the local terrain, including a logbook and inexpensive items such as toys, coins, small paperbacks, costume jewelry, trinkets, etc.


Once you arrive on the scene, use your brain and look around for something that seems just a bit out of place. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left for you to enjoy.


If you're not real sure this activity is for you, save the money and just rent a GPS from us at LowerGear first, to see how you like it before you buy a new one. We'll ship the unit direct to your home or anywhere in the lower 48 US states. We can also provide you online the user manuals and suggestions for the rental unit. We're also always available to help out if you need assistance on how to use the GPS if needed.


We have several how-to articles on using our units for your geocaching adventures. Help yourself and browse through the articles on using them below, or give us a call if we can help you better enjoy your geocaching adventure.

What does WAAS Mean for a GPS
Our GPS Overview page
Using a GPS for Geocaching
How to Use a GPS to Find Your Location on a Map
How to Change Measurement Units and Map Format Setting on a GPS
How and Why to Change Map Orientation on a GPS
How to Manually Enter a Waypoint Coordinate into a GPS
How to Mark a Waypoint with a GPS
How to Navigate to a Waypoint with a GPS
How to Record a Track of Waypoints on a GPS


We provide GPS rentals in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, West Virginia, Wisconsin, or Wyoming.


We will promptly process your order and ship the item to you anywhere in the lower 48 US states within in 5 business days or less via Ground service. If you need it quicker than that, then you can select one of our expedited shipping methods for an even quicker delivery.