It can be hard to find the perfect gift sometimes. A present that’s useful, fun and maybe even encourages you spend quality time with your family isn’t something that can be found on every store shelf. But this year, Magellan has a gift that does all those things and it’s sure to put a smile on the face of whoever opens it!
The Magellan eXplorist GC is the first handheld GPS device designed exclusively for geocaching. For those that aren’t familiar with the activity, geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt adventure that has taken the world by storm. The concept is simple. Check out a geocaching website like Geocaching.com, find a location near you and use your GPS or smartphone to track down the cache.
And now the Magellan eXplorist GC is making geocaching easier and even more fun. This device was designed with geocaching in mind and every feature of the device shows that. I loved the rugged outdoor design; the eXplorist GC is waterproof with a transreflective screen to make reading the device out in the sun a little easier. And because sometimes adventures can take longer than expected, I really appreciated that the two AA batteries that powered the device lasted for up to 18 hours.
But of course, what really made the eXplorist GC so much fun was its exclusive geocaching features. The device comes preloaded with the most popular geocaches in the world and by connecting it to my computer, I was able to download new geocaching location to my device. In fact, this little unit holds up to 10,000 of them!
The Magellan eXplorist GC comes with a thirty-day complimentary Groundspeak premium membership and because that membership allows access to features like paperless caching and uploading your field notes, it really does increase the functionality of the device. Fortunately, a premium membership at Geocaching.com is incredibly reasonable; a one-year membership is just thirty dollars.
Because this device is dedicated to geocaching, it definitely doesn’t have the capabilities of a pricier GPS device but with street maps of the US and Canada and the option of setting waypoints, it’s still possible to navigate to locations other than geocaches with relative ease. And I really appreciated the family-friendly design of the device. The icons were bright and colourful and since the device was built for rough use, I could even let my oldest son check the map and help navigate.
If you’d like to head off on some family adventures of your own, you’re in luck! Magellan is very generously offering one lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader their own Magellan eXplorist GC handheld GPS unit, a $150 value! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about whether or not you’ve ever tried geocaching.
I cannot wait to head out on a geocaching adventure with my boys and I have to say, I was a little surprised to find out how many geocaching locations there were right around my rural hometown. If even small-town Saskatchewan has geocaching locations, it really must be a popular activity! Check out the Magellan eXplorist GC for yourself and give a gift that will provide lots of fun and adventure for everyone in the family!
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Sabrina T says
I’ve never tried geocaching, but have always wanted to. The hubby and I had seen a film about it and went out on a mini adventure where it looked like there was a cache on the other side of a very fast moving river. We didn’t want to take a chance with the river but found it rather interesting that we had just seen the film.
Anne Taylor says
I haven’t due to mobility issues, but my eldest daughter has
Alana K says
We tried as a family but had no luck using our phones so this would be AWESOME!!!!
sharon says
geocatching sounds amazing, never heard of it before!! Thanks for sharing info on it and also a great product! Would love a GPS in general, we love to hike the mountains with our kids.
Kaley Davies says
This would be amazing thanks for the giveaway and good luck to everyone!
MrDisco says
I have not tried geocaching, however it sounds like a fun activity for outdoor-minded couples to engage in. Beats lying on the sofa watching tv
Beneta says
My kids have geocached with each other. Haven’t tried it myself.
Nicole Fleming says
Never but seems interesting!
Rose says
My kids have geocached with scouts and we would love one of ourown. Such fun!
Vicky Ess says
I haven’t tried it yet!
stacey dempsey says
I have never tried it but I bet my kids would love to give this a go
Mary Beth Elderton says
I have not. I think this is a wonderful idea, a great teaching/learning experience.
Karen C. H. says
I haven’t but it sounds like something that my son would love to do when he’s a little older – I’ll be looking into it more then for sure!
Lee-Ann Sleegers says
We have not, but we enjoy hiking and geocaching would be a natural extension of that.
debbie says
No, we haven’t, but it sounds like fun.
Sandra Rooke says
would love to have one!
Lisa R says
no we havent but would like to try it
sibabe64 at ptd dot net
Julie G. says
I have not tried it, but have done some research on it & know that there are several geocaches in our town.
Sounds like fun!
Soozle says
Ive tried and loved it!
Becky Barrett Beitzel says
yes i have! we do it every summer with out kids!
Doreen Lamoureux says
No, I have not tried this but would certianly give it a try. 🙂
Audra Weathers says
I’ve never tried geocaching, but it sounds interesting.
TRACI says
No I have not, but it sounds interesting
MargieB says
I haven’t tried it but it definitely sounds interesting and something we could do as a family 🙂
Veronica Savage says
I’ve never tried geocaching but I’ve always wanted to!
Aaron D says
Nope never, but I would love to try it one day
Kristi R. says
I haven’t tried it yet, but it sounds like fun!
effie mclinden says
ive never heard of it before but id sure like to give it a whirl.. if i dont win here im a sure santa will bring one this year!
Amanda Neilson says
I haven’t, but I would love to try it!
Kristina Ziegler says
I have tried with my husbands iphone but this would be amazing!
Jennifer says
never! But I could use it- I always get lost!
Jen Mills says
LOVE geocaching and can’t wait to get my kids into it when they are a little bit older. It is sooo much fun!!
Em Sands says
We’ve been curious about trying geocaching since we accidentally discovered a cache a few years ago!
Jennifer Rote says
We have not tried geocaching.
Beth says
Really wanting to try it. It looks like so much fun. I think my 6 year old would have a blast!
Jeannie says
I have tried geocaching only once and it was pretty fun.
Paula M-B says
I’ve never tried geocaching but it might be fun to do with my Sparks group:)
Doris Calvert says
Once on a scavenger hunt it was fun
D Schmidt says
As yet I have not tried it
Maegan Morin says
I have tried it! Unfortunately the few times I have all that I have found was a log book 🙁
Josie says
I have not tried it but am super curious. Sounds like fun!
Shirley says
No I have never tried it. But it sounds like fun.
Rebecca says
Have wanted to for awhile but havent yet
Seyma Shabbir says
I have not, first I have heard of it
Andrew Pham says
Haven’t tried it
Chris Fretwell says
I’ve never tried it but it sounds great. I have gone wilderness hiking/camping with just a map and compass before though. I love the idea of it.
Tina M says
I have not tried geocaching
409cope says
I have never tried it but my son and his wife seem to enjoy it.
Robert Cronkwright says
I have never tried geocaching
LJ says
Yes this year and my boys loved it!! This would be great.
lisa bolduc says
i have never even heard of this before