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Revolution!!!!


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Thats it. Ive had enough. almost every cache i find has hardly any trade in them that is of value (when i do trade i trade up though). even my own caches are falling apart as far as the trade goes. i try to keep them up but people keep coming with junk. i think they cache with a trash bag (and I'm not talking about cache in trash out). its time to change. what can we do? :unsure:

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Just put a nice logbook in your caches and forget the the junk. That would be my preference. However that's not popular, so how about just placeing "one item" caches. Put in one acceptable item and hope they feel responsible enough to leave an equally acceptable item.

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I have tried to lower my expectations so I will not get so upset over it and some times I just have to laugh when I find used chapstick, a plastic whistle with chew marks, hotel soap, a dollar bill torn in half and the dog toy that their dog played with all the way to the cache :unsure::huh::blink::huh:

 

I try to promote it locally by discussing swag with local cachers, I have often asked what they trade and we empty our cache bags and compare. New cachers around get to here the discussion and I know of it helping one person to stop leaving 15 cent cheap cars for $2.00 items. Being new they thought it was item for an item and they were "finding treasure".

 

I think the one thing that has helped more people is placing their own cache. when they go for maintenance after about 14 finds and have to restock the cache they start trading better. So you could give out cache boxes to new cachers. (This might help with the "whatever container is available cache" that is thrown together in a fit of excitement. )

 

I was talking this weekend with a local cacher, the problem we have around here is that all the caches look the same after about 12 finds the cache is full of the local cacher's signature items. They are great signature items, don't get me wrong, bet we all have each other's signature item and the 13th local has nothing to trade, and visitors see carbon copy swag. So I am going to address the issue at the next meeting and ask everyone to to not use signature items to trade in local caches. If they want to trade to use a trade item and and leave the signature item as a bonus.

 

I see it as a pay it forward sort of thing. If you can influence just 3 people and in-turn each of them influence 3 people, before long we all have great swag.

 

Viva La Great Swag"

 

GEO.JOE

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...I see it as a pay it forward sort of thing. If you can influence just 3 people and in-turn each of them influence 3 people, before long we all have great swag.

 

...

I agree. I try to upswag caches whenever I can, and I consider it part of the cost of geocaching (which is still fairly low-cost as hobbies go). As I only do one or two caches per weekend, the cost of putting 2-3 dollar store goodies in each cache is not huge.

 

With a little bit of effort, it is easy to find good stuff cheap. My local Wally World currently has boxes of 24 Crayola crayons for 25 cents. I bought a bunch of them. My local dollar store is currently selling DVDs for a buck. Each DVD has two movies on it. They are older movies, but definitely worth the price.

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I have only one cache to my name and it's only a couple of months old. I've added to it already, upgraded, mostly because I didn't stock it well but also because the trade items weren't good. It's part of the maintenace of owning a cache. Not worth all of the whining. Just my opinion.

 

You could put a web camera on the cache and catch the rat bastards in the act! Now there's an idea!!!

 

:D

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It's the people trading who are the problem, eliminate the bad traders and you eliminate the bad trades:

 

Make them multis or puzzle caches - only the dedicated seem to hunt those - a lot of people filter them out and don't even start to attempt them

 

Make the difficulty and terrain high

 

Make them members only

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Thanks for the sarcasm :D i was just curious if you guys were suffering the same fate and what you more experienced geocachers did about it. thank you those of you who did answer seriously :D

 

i guess ill just have to grin and bear it. if i have to replace contents so be it. i guess its just a responsibility of owning a cache.

Edited by Stony2008
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You put a lock on the box, with the log outside of the box, so when the cache is found, the finder has to call or e-mail the owner for the combo. Before the combo is given, proof of good swag must be given. If the owner considers the swag good enough, then the owner gives out the combo. if not, the finder can still log the find with SL TNLN-LS (Took Nothing Left Nothing - Lame Swag). The cache owner can change the combo weekly which also ensures cache maintenance and CITO. :D

 

Eventually, the game will evolve from just cache approvers to swag approvers. They will be on call- 24/7 - to ensure that only trading up can happen - since lateral trading = zero net gain, and lateral trades are subjective. :D

Soon after, we will see threads of "Lame Approvers Did Not Approve My Swag"

:D:D

 

Finally, micros will be banned since they, well, cannot hold swag, and thus finally answering the age old debate of "WHY ARE THERE SO MANY MICROS"... :D

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Thats it. Ive had enough.

 

Geocide?

 

almost every cache i find has hardly any trade in them that is of value

 

So? Is your reason for caching to FIND things of value? Or to find CACHES?

 

its time to change. what can we do?

 

Um, stop using caches as places to find THINGS? If you want something nice, go buy it.

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Thanks for the sarcasm  i was just curious if you guys were suffering the same fate and what you more experienced geocachers did about it. thank you those of you who did answer seriously

 

i guess ill just have to grin and bear it. if i have to replace contents so be it. i guess its just a responsibility of owning a cache.

 

you really should read the posts above your own. i already covered that. (i cant believe i had to post the same thing :D:D )

Edited by Stony2008
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Well it is like the other threads that seems to come up on an almost monthly basis complaining of the same thing. Sarcasm on this topic alone should be expected and taken with a grain of salt. Bringing this up in a crowded room will elicit the same tongue-in-cheek comments.

 

Take for example, this thread started last September and still going strong today making this topic redundant.

 

The truth is caches degrade no matter how you try to make it any different. It doesn't matter if you make them MO. Lower your expectations and don't be disappointed.

Edited by TotemLake
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Take for example, this thread started last September and still going strong today making this topic redundant.

Why do people dig through old threads and then post after seven months?

 

Anyway, I agree. Lower your expectations. I expect that part of cache maintenance will be restocking and filtering out the junk. Not everyone trades fairly. Not everyone holds the door for a lady. There is not accounting for manners.

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The thing that still amazes me about the "Law of degrading cache contents" is how honest many are about being responsible for it. For a fun(?) excercise go read through the logs of a cache that started out with good swag.

 

It still amazes me when someone logs and says "took <high value item>, left a couple (used)golf balls and a marble."

 

I actually saw a log like this recently and all I could think was "that must be one special marble". I forget whether the cacher has triple or quadruple digit finds under his/her belt, but certainly was no newbie.

 

The way I look at it is if someone does put out a cache with decent swag, plan on getting there as quickly as possible. Caches with more than 20 finders are very unlikely to have anything of interest to an adult unless someone who abides by the "trade even or up" philosophy was the last person before you to find the cache.

 

I place zipper pull compasses, neodymium magnets and other cool, but not expensive items in caches and without exception the next visitor takes it. For me this is part of the enjoyment, knowing someone else had a better experience because they actually found something of interest/value in the cache. When I leave a quality item it is like I am placing a mini cache within the cache and I watch the cache for the next visitor to log they took the item.

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The way I look at it is if someone does put out a cache with decent swag, plan on getting there as quickly as possible.

Definitely. Hurry up and get the loot before it's gone, that's what it's about :D

What's the problem with this?

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Here are a few very easy rules:

 

1. No more Fast Food JUNK!

2. No more golf balls.

3. No more playing cards.

4. No more used items (batteries, chap stick, etc...)

5. No food items.

6. No natural items (rocks, sticks, dead bugs, etc...)

7. No pennies, nickels or dimes.

8. No personal hygiene products.

9. No paper airplanes or other cheap, paper products.

10. No "cracker jack" type toys.

 

Here are things I have left, and I think they make sense.

Coupons for free Subway sandwiches, or other restaurant FREE coupons.

Pewter Wine Bottle corks, and other pewter items made locally.

Dollar bills

Small Tube of Sun Screen, UNUSED.

Disposable Camera

Along with the Jeep travel bug, I have left Hummer match box type toys.

Something you would be proud to display on your desk or mantel.

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Don't bother trading.

 

STL and TFTC!

 

;)

There comes a time in the evolution of a cacher when the swag doesn't mean anything anymore. When that happens, you realize that the FIND is the prize, not the 300th carabiner keychain you've seen in a cache box.

Edited by coachsteve
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It's all about the adventure, not the stuff. If you're in it for the stuff, then suck it up and deal with it like an adult.

Back in the "good old days" it use to be about both. Having a great adventure, finding neat things, and trading equally or better use to be some of the most important aspects of geocaching.

 

I'm a late comer to this thread, and was amazed at the amount of scarcasm the OP had to deal with. I guess now I'm seeing why its so hard to find a well conceived cache with decent trade items anymore. If you desire a cache with adventure and want to trade decent items your ridiculed.

 

What gives?

Salvelinus

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There comes a time in the evolution of a cacher when the swag doesn't mean anything anymore.  When that happens, you realize that the FIND is the prize, not the 300th carabiner keychain you've seen in a cache box.

That's strange...I've been caching about two years longer than you and I haven't "evolved" to a point where getting a smily face is more important than having fun checking out what's in the cache.

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  I guess now I'm seeing why its so hard to find a well conceived cache with decent trade items anymore.  If you desire a cache with adventure and want to trade decent items your ridiculed.

 

What gives?

Salvelinus

The question may become "when did well conceived caches become non-well conceived? " remember the first ones you ever found? The first micro that you went "Duh" or the one you DNF for 3 attempts? The excitement with the first ammo box under a pile of twigs? B) No matter what "good swag" you put in a box, it will eventually become bad swag the more you find. Swag is value to the person dropping off, which is subjective, for sure. If I have 30 flashlights or cools key rings, chances are they will be junk to me. Some else may think it's the coolest stuff.

 

I take my kids with me. I have them pick out trade items from their good toys to trade with. The value they place on them is far different than most. I saw someone complaining about leaving pennies, dimes, and nickels in caches. I like to leave 1969 coins in caches b/c that was the year I was born. I won't take anything, but I'll leave the coins.... I also like leaving the quarters with the new states on them. I think those are cool. But people will gripe it's only a quarter or that I didn't "trade" fairly (even though I took nothing B) ).

 

As for complaining about the lack of good caches, the same issue arises. Like I had mentioned before, I don't cache a lot but there are 500+ in my area. I think I have 32 finds with a few DNF. I've never found a bad cache yet in all of my 32. If they are not bad now, but I consider them bad when I have 500+ finds under my belt, then with whom does the problem lie? You might ask yourself, what is the ultimate reason you geocache? To me, it's like complaining the same trail you hike everyday has the same views... ;)

 

I thought caches were supposed to reflect the owner of the cache, what they wanted. I guess, in some sense, to call a cache lame is to call the owner lame. Granted, there may be extremely good and bad caches, per se. I'm sure my first cache placement will be lame to many. It will be easy and kid and dog friendly.

 

So, if you find a chache that is really cool and has good swag, IYHO, then you probably feel like I do everytime I find any cache with any swag. :P If I see something cool, great. If not, I'm fairly sure my kids will! :P

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If you desire a cache with adventure and want to trade decent items your ridiculed.

 

What gives?

Salvelinus

Indeed. Makes one wonder if those who talk trash to those of us who like trading swag aren't the ones leaving expired coupons and the like and they just hate these threads cuz it makes em feel guilty. ;)

 

For crying out loud folks, it's your game, my game and everyone's game. It is really lame to ridicule some aspect of the game that someone else enjoys.

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If you desire a cache with adventure and want to trade decent items your ridiculed.

 

What gives?

Salvelinus

Indeed. Makes one wonder if those who talk trash to those of us who like trading swag aren't the ones leaving expired coupons and the like and they just hate these threads cuz it makes em feel guilty. :o

 

For crying out loud folks, it's your game, my game and everyone's game. It is really lame to ridicule some aspect of the game that someone else enjoys.

Kind of like it's lame for YOU to ridicule people who AREN'T in it for the swag.

 

Or is it somehow OK for you to come here and complain because people are enjoying the game they way THEY enjoy it, not the way you do?

 

You wan't people to stop complaining about you, then stop complaining about them. It's really quite simple. Play the game your way, let others play their way. And quit whining about it.

Edited by ParrotRob
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The first week I cached I looked for cool items in caches. Now I enjoy the hunt and the find primarily.

 

I like helping TBs achieve there goal and prefer to see just TBs in caches.

 

The other things I can appreciate are signature items. Having people always leave there mark that can then propogate around is a great idea.

 

Finally themed caches are cool for trade items since it is fun to try and stay in the theme of the cache.

 

Overall non TB and non signature items can stay between the cusions of your couch.

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Well I have to admit there are a lot of varied opinions here. Do any of you leave detailed logs where you rate the cache? It would be great to have GC.com offer a rating system for caches (which has been mentioned before). With a rating system similar the method used to rate the terrain and the difficulty, finders could leave some sort of rating that others could use to determine whether they wanted to attempt the find. A rating system, where the rating is related to Experience of the finder based on No. of finds, Swag quality, just to name a couple.

 

A rating system of this kind would require some time to mature but once you visited enough caches which had already been rated you could use Pocket Queries to filter caches by their Finder Rating and therefore search only for caches that would come close to your particular needs. I'm sure there would be significant discussion on how to rate a cache form a finder's perspective, off topic for this topic.

 

I like the hunt and the swag. I like puzzles, multies, and caches that make me learn something of the place. I have found that using the pocket queries and reading the logs helps me know what to expect and therefore rarely disappointed. Yes I am a newb but I am a firm believer in "You get what you pay for"

 

Cheers

 

Muddler

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It all in the eyes of the beholder.

 

If a Cacher put thing in their cache that they think are treasures other people might thank that it is junk and trade up to improve the cache.

 

The cacher that hid the cache thanks that he got junk in return for his treasures.

 

The person that traded, things that they traded uf and removed junk from the cache.

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There comes a time in the evolution of a cacher when the swag doesn't mean anything anymore.  When that happens, you realize that the FIND is the prize, not the 300th carabiner keychain you've seen in a cache box.

 

That's strange...I've been caching about two years longer than you and I haven't "evolved" to a point where getting a smily face is more important than having fun checking out what's in the cache.

Just as strange is that I have been caching three years less than you and I passed that point long ago. Many times I won't even bother to look at the stuff in the cache -- find the log, sign the log, enjoy the experience.

 

Everyone has different ways of enjoying themselves and one is not better than the other, so maybe "evolution" isn't a good word because it implies advancement.

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