images/ApisphereAny GPS can get you to a cache, but the Apisphere Geomate.jr. is an especially accessible and affordable tool. Many units can cost upward of $400, so at $69.95, this is a great starting point for kids or for newbies. The unit is lightweight, durable and splash proof, and has a simple design with a power switch and two buttons for operation.

After a quick study of the User Guide, the controls are easy to use. Once it is turned on, Geomate.jr calculates its position and displays the twenty closest preprogrammed caches. The geocacher can scan each of the twenty caches to determine the difficulty of the find, the size of the cache, difficulty of terrain and the distance to the cache.

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Not every cache at the website will be preloaded on the device. For instance, new caches or caches with a high degree of difficulty will not be included. Apisphere filters out these searches to ensure first timers have a successful experience. If you manage to find all the preloaded caches in your area that have been into the device, there is an update kit available sold separately. But geocaching has been around since 2000 and lots of caches (250,000 preloaded in the United States) that will show up in the surrounding area. It will take a long time to exhaust the searches.

Once the Apisphere Geomate.jr is out of that package, it is ready to go. It doesn't require premapping or downloading of coordinates. Kept in the car or backpack, it can be turned on at whim, for an impromptu treasure hunt. It may not have every bell and whistle that a pricey GPS unit may, but for this price, it is exactly what a new geocacher needs. It's an on-the-go GPS for geocaching that for any hikers young and old.

video/Apisphere & YouTube