Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tells everything you need to know about geocaching. The "Complete Idiot's Guide" series is usually very well written, and this title is no exception. Written by the editors and staff of [...], the people who started the whole geocaching craze in the first place--who better to write a book about the subject? Well, ok, if they couldn't write, then they might not do a great job, but I think that the book is very well written and organized. It probably contains more information then you want; I skipped over some of the map stuff, but I know where to look if I ever need to find an exact GPS coordinate on a paper map. The chapter "Choosing a GPS for Geocaching" actually did help me decide which GPS to buy, the chapter "Geocaching Tips and Tricks" gives good advice from people who know what they are talking about, and the "Resource Directory" points you to lots of websites that cover every aspect of the game. Very comprehensive, you won't be dissapointed.

For someone starting out geocaching this is a must have. It gives the rules and teachs you the lingo. A must have!

This book gives a simplistic, direct and user-friendly guide to people who are interested in the relatively new sport of geocaching. It is written in such a way that one is keen to go out and try it, given the understanding of how it came about, the knowledge of who is involved, and the feeling of outdoor freedom that supports the environment in its pursuit. Also, knowing that there is a world-wide interest and support group to join in with, or that you can be as individual as you like with this sport, is refreshing, and this is reflected throughout the book.

I have always found books in the "Complete Idiots" series to be extremely helpful. This one is the only exception. One of the earlier reviewers said the book probably contains more information than you want and I agree with that. I found that the book contains a lot of technical details about GPS technology and geocaching that are interesting, but not useful to a beginning geocacher. I expected the book to be like other "Complete Idiot" books and be targeted at the beginner and I found little practical information for a beginning geocacher. What I expected to find is much more practical advice about finding caches, like examples of places caches are hidden, what a geocache container looks like and how to get advice from other geocachers when you are stuck. Pictures of typical geocaches would have been helpful. Pictures of containers used for geocaches like bison tubes, film cannisters and magnetized containers would also be helpful. The cloverleaf technique on page 87 is interesting, but so far I have not gotten it to give me any better accuracy. The chapter on selecting a GPS Receiver was too generic for me to select a specific unit, but it did give some good ideas to think about. Because units change so frequently, it will probably always be impossible to have any more than generic advice in this chapter.

I gave the book a rating of 2, because while it gave interesting ideas to think about, I just did not find it to be practical enough for a beginner. It frustrated me because the beginning information I need, is not in the book. This is where I expected to find it. I would suggest this book to someone who is interested in an overall look at geocaching or someone who wants more details about it, but not a beginner who is looking for tips that will help them be successful quickly. Normally, in "Complete Idiots" books I find a good bit of information to make beginners successful, but not in this one.

Being that I've been geocaching 5+ years. A lot has changed thru the sport of geocaching, somethings were removed and some new things added. This book explains a lot of it. A good book to give for yourself or to the geocacher in your life.

I bought this along with the eTrex Venture GPS. I have been geocacheing only a few months and found this book explained everything that I needed to know to continue and enhance the experience of geocaching. I recommend this book to all new geocachers as well as those who have been at it a while. You just might learn something ou didn't already know.
This book offers so much more info than what I had found on the internet, even on the geocache.com site handled by the same folks who worte this book.

We are just getting started geocaching and this book was very helpful and informative. I would definitely recommend this book for a newcomer to geocaching.

A few years ago, I was sitting in front of a restaurant in southern Wisconsin with some friends. It was a Saturday night and the establishment was busy so we had to wait out front until a table became available. While sitting there we discovered a container in one of the bushes. It had a message in it that it was a geocache. I had never heard of geocaching before, but one of the guys in our group had. He told us to leave it be, but if we wanted to, we could write our name in the paper inside. We left our names along with a humorous note of some kind.

That was my first experience with geocaching and until a few months ago, it was my only one. However, recently I was hired by a local tourism organization to set up some geocaches along a famous roadway that runs through our state. The organization felt that it would be a good way to help bring some tourists to some forgotten, but memorable locations. Since my only experience with geocaching had been by accident, I needed to do some research. Beyond the Internet, the best book to do general research on an unknown topic are usually either the "For Dummies" series or "The Complete Idiot's Guide to" series. Personally, I like "The Complete Idiot's Guide to" books better than the "For Dummies" series; I find the "Complete Idiot's Guide to" books are usually more coherent and structured than the "For Dummies" books. I found this to be the case with the perspective books about geocaching and I ended up buying and reading THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO GEOCACHING.

The book is written by the editors and staff of Geocaching.com, the official website of geocaching. The book has a great format. In the first three chapters, it provides all the information a person needs to get started geocaching: an explanation of what geocaching is, a short history of the game, how the game is played, and how a GPS works. The rest of the book expands upon this basic info: tips and tricks are given, there's more in-depth history, handheld GPS devices are discussed in detail, a thorough explanation of travel bugs and geocoins is given, geocache communities are examined, and there's a look at possible future developments in the game.

Personally, I found THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO GEOCACHING to be extremely helpful. I enjoyed the work I did so much, that I've now become a regular participant of the game. If you've never went geocaching before, but would like to learn how, I highly recommend THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO GEOCACHING.

This is a great guide. It is written by the people who started geocaching. This is a great "sport" and easily explained in this book. Great fun for kids and families too.

We bought this item for a family member who loves the outdoors and has not experienced geocaching. I thumbed through the book and found it to be just what we were hoping it would be, a good beginners guide. He and his family have started geocaching and found the book helpful. I recommend this book and geocaching to everyone.