I just saw your latest TV commercial and it seems you have the “little guys” out shopping early this year, so I thought I better get to writtin’ ya real quick like. See… I’ve been a really, really, really, good geocacher all year this year.

• I aint’t been in the parks before dawn or after dusk.
• I aint’t crossed any “No Trespassing” signs. (That was hard!)
• I always traded up instead of equal.
• I logged every geocache, travel bug and geocoin the same day found them.
• I ainn’t done no four-wheelin’ where I shouldn’t uv.
• I stayed on the clearly marked approved trails and tried not to step on too many plants.
• I didn’t hold on to any travel bugs or geocoins more than a week. (ok maybe a week and a half)
• I even kept the dog on a leash and (if you can believe this) even picked up her poop!

Really, you’ve seen my dog, I oughta get a medal or something for that last one! Anyway, the point I’m trying to make is… I think I’m bein’ pretty darn reasonable asking for this one geocaching gift this year for Christmas. I’d really like this fancy new geocaching GPS called the Garmin Oregon 550t. (I included the link to it for ya below.)

Garmin Oregon 550t Touch-Screen Handheld GPS Receiver with US Topo Maps & Integrated Camera IN STOCK The navigator with the photographic memory — Garmin Oregon 550t combines rugged outdoor touchscreen navigation and pre-loaded 3D topo maps with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera. The result? A multipurpose device that will make your biggest adventures even more memorable. Also new is the addition of the addition of the 3-axis tilt-compensated compass. This will allow the unit to report an accurate heading even when the unit is not held in a level position.

It sure is pretty! Those geotagged photos could come in handy when the Mrs. just don’t believe I was where I said I was and when. And the 3-axis tilt-compensated compass would come in real handy after a few cups of holiday cheer. I’ve been know to tip at least three ways after the annual Christmas party! Anyway… Talk it over with the Elves and let me know what ya think. Hope you had a great year of Geocaching! ~ CoastCacher

p.s.: I’ll make sure to leave a candle burning for ya this year instead of the fireplace going. Sorry about that one. Hope you aren’t too mad about it.

p.s.s.: I found this review of the Oregon… I hope it helps you make up yer mind See ya soon Santa!Oregon 550t Review

Garmin eTrex Vista, Photo by CoastCacher

I have often been asked why I prefer the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx to the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx. Two reasons: the electronic compass and the barometric altimeter. The Vista has them and the Legend doesn’t. Now you may be thinking that a compass isn’t really important if you have a GPS unit. After-all, once you get to the coordinate location you just have to rummage around and look for the cache. Right? Well, maybe. But, if your are at the cross section of two trails, in heavy tree cover and the cache listing has a hint that says, “the cache is behind the third tree on the southwest corner”. It would be nice to have a “electronic compass”, now wouldn’t it. The same holds true for parking garages and the “barometric altimater” feature. Eight stories of parked cars, surveillance cameras and only one location for the cache. I never thought I would use the altimeter. I was wrong. Variations of both of these situation have happened to me several times over the years. Each time I am thankful over and over again I made the choice I did. I may have spent and extra forty dollars upfront to have these features, but I have saved more than triple that amount’s worth of aggravation on long days of geocaching. Click here to view a side by side comparison of features between the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx and the Garmin eTrex Legend HCx

I still have my first Garmin eTrex Vista Cx. It is still my GPS of choice for urban caching. It is small, fits in the palm of my hand and tucks away quickly without generating much notice from people nearby. It easily blends in with the urban environment unlike my other favorite GPS; the DeLorme PN-40. But that’s another story for another day.

Here is video on using the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx for geocaching.

UPDATE: Congratulations to “StrangeMinds” on your Garmin eTrex Vista Cx purchase!