I love being outside and love technology and gadgets, so when I can combine the two, it is utopia. One of my favorite hobbies that combines the two is Geocaching. If you are asking yourself what is geocaching, it is essentially a huge global outdoor scavenger hunt where small “caches” are hidden and coordinates are provided to the caching community. The only geocaching gear you need are the latitude, longitude, and a handheld GPS, the geocacher will attempt to find the cache, sign the log book once found, and rehide it for the next person on the quest. There is a TON more that can be talked about geocaching, so I’ll cover that in a separate article, but the most critical component to geocaching is having a good handheld GPS. Whether you are a hiker looking for Glacier National Park hiking or just a city boy who wants to explore the great outdoors and find a few geocaches, the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC handheld GPS receiver is a perfect fit.
So what do I love above the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC geocaching GPS?
- Price – at less than $130 on Amazon, it fits many budgets
- Time to aquire signal – my first time turning on the unit, it felt like I didn’t have to wait at all to get a GPS lock (my older Magellan took upwards of 5 minutes)
- Accuracy – it brought me within 2 feet of my intended geocache, which is absolutely amazing
- Strong/Durable build quality – the unit just feels stury, and can survive a fall in water, which is very important for extreme outdoor geocaching use
Key features of the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC
- 1.3″W x 1.7″H TFT display
- Built-in GPS patch antenna
- Backlit LED display and keypad
- Up to 32 hour battery life using 2 AA batteries
- Can store 500 user waypoints (translates to at least 500 geocaches)
Is the GARMIN eTrex Venture HC the best GPS for geocaching? I can’t say for sure, but it certainly is a great option for anyone from beginner to advanced!
On a side note, if you are interested in doing some great hiking you can head to Glacier National Park hiking for info on the best hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains. If you’d like to pick one up, head over to Amazon for a great deal and free shipping.
