"crap" In A Cache

[+Sommers]

At a few caches I have found, burned out bulbs, light wall switches and electric outlets, half pencils (at least leave the whole thing) and business cards to name a few pieces of junk. I thought it was trade= trade up or don't take. I wouldn't even mind if a burned bulb was a trade item if it had an interesting story or for some reason it was a sig item. But it frustrates me when I see "Took toy X,Y and Z, left business card and marble I found on the way" I'm not looking to make off with great stuff, most caches I take nothing.

[WH]

Trade up, trade even or don't trade sounds good on paper but reality is different.

 

Many factors can contribute to the degradation of cache trade items:

 

- inexperienced newbies

 

- muggles

 

- peoples differing views on what is and is not a fair trade

 

- jerks

 

Unfortunately, the quality of cache trade items degrade over time. People in these forums have discussed this subject back and forth and have yet to come up with a solution for there may not be one.

[+StarBrand]

My own personal solution to this is simply to make sure my caches are stocked with nice trades and to make certain I always leave better than I take. Nothing more I can personally do. I go clean out the junk from my caches during maintenance and re-stock them. I try not to let the junk bother me too much anymore. Just re-stock it and move on.

 

My wife and I get nice stuff for trades while shopping. Wal Mart and the dollar store love it when I come in.

[+Thrak]

I think the key here is cache maintenance. I have no caches placed yet but will likely get my first ammo can out there soon. I don't plan on placing tons of caches that I can't properly maintain. Folks need to check their caches periodically and clear out the junk and place new items. Placing too many caches means folks end up not checking on them and not wanting to spend the time and money to properly restock them when they get funky.

 

As for the burned out bulb and business card folks - there's nothing you can do about slobs and jerks. Personally I remove business cards from caches I find - they simply don't belong there.

[+briansnat]

Placing too many caches means folks end up not checking on them and not wanting to spend the time and money to properly restock them when they get funky.

 

You're using a pretty broad brush there!

[+tntyz]

At a few caches I have found, burned out bulbs,  light wall switches and electric outlets,  half pencils (at least leave the whole thing) and business cards to name a few pieces of junk.

Maybe they're part of the cache theme

[+Renegade Knight]

... Folks need to check their caches periodically and clear out the junk and place new items. Placing too many caches means folks end up not checking on them and not wanting to spend the time and money to properly restock them when they get funky....

When did restocking a cache become mandatory? I place them and let evolution take it's course when it comes to swag. Some caches start out with good stuff, some start out empty, depending on what I was doing at the time, how much money I had, how much swag was available and so on.

 

As for the OP, I could use some White light switches about now. My Ivory ones are looking dated.

[+dogbreathcanada]

My solution is to use the tiny Lock & Lock containers and state that the cache is only suitable for pins and geocoins. And then I leave nothing in the cache at creation except logbook, pencil and sharpener, so anyone leaving anything is trading up automatically.

 

My caches are generally at the end of strenuous 5 to 10KM hikes to viewpoints ... thus the visit is really about the hike and view, not what's in the cache.

[+The Leprechauns]

... Folks need to check their caches periodically and clear out the junk and place new items. Placing too many caches means folks end up not checking on them and not wanting to spend the time and money to properly restock them when they get funky....

When did restocking a cache become mandatory? I place them and let evolution take it's course when it comes to swag. Some caches start out with good stuff, some start out empty, depending on what I was doing at the time, how much money I had, how much swag was available and so on.

 

As for the OP, I could use some White light switches about now. My Ivory ones are looking dated.

Yeah really, RK. I thought I knew the listing guidelines pretty well, including the cache maintenance paragraph. I've even read the Geocacher's Creed pretty closely. I, too, must have missed this part.

 

Are we hiders expected to be the Dollar Store?

[+Sagefox]

I think the key here is cache maintenance. I have no caches placed yet but will likely get my first ammo can out there soon. I don't plan on placing tons of caches that I can't properly maintain. Folks need to check their caches periodically and clear out the junk and place new items.

Cache maintenance gets done when a finder notes that the container is wet, logbook is wet, lid is broken and that sort of thing. At that time the junk is removed and a few (not a lot) new trading goods are added.

 

To make a trip just to upgrade, to offset the gold-into-straw phenomenon… Nope.

 

You (we) don't need to feel guilty that our caches contain mostly junk trading items after a while. The results of five years of extensive field testing shows that:

 

1. by a very wide margin most people don't trade fairly

 

2. there is nothing that the few active forum posters (who always only trade equal, up, and fairly) can do to change this behavior.

[+fireman121]

When I am at boat show, or sportsman shows, I try to pick up as many of those floating key chains that I can get my hands on. It seems that ever body likes them, they never last long in a cache.

And best of all, there FREE!

 

Fireman121

Coon Rapids, MN

[+5¢]

As it seems the norm in society anymore, most people don't care. They take what they want and it doesn't bother them to leave crap. I think it's the democrats personally.

[+Sue Gremlin]

As it seems the norm in society anymore, most people don't care. They take what they want and it doesn't bother them to leave crap. I think it's the democrats personally.

[+BlueDeuce]

As it seems the norm in society anymore, most people don't care. They take what they want and it doesn't bother them to leave crap. I think it's the democrats personally.

yeah, let's not walk that line. smiley faces or not.

[+5¢]

I was just kiddin.

[+The Cheeseheads]

I think the key here is cache maintenance. I have no caches placed yet but will likely get my first ammo can out there soon. I don't plan on placing tons of caches that I can't properly maintain. Folks need to check their caches periodically and clear out the junk and place new items. Placing too many caches means folks end up not checking on them and not wanting to spend the time and money to properly restock them when they get funky.

So... it's not the finders' responsibility to "trade up" but the cache owner's responsibility to keep a steady supply of choice cache swag in their caches? Unfortunately, it's autumn where I am and my money tree has already lost all its leaves...

[+Thrak]

D'oh! I seem to have ruffled some feathers. Sorry. I guess I did "paint with too broad a brush" as one poster said. Cache maintenance can mean different things to different people and I shouldn't have had the "my way is the right way" kind of inference that I came off as having in the post. One of the limitations of text only communication is that what we mean when we write something is often not translated into the text itself.

 

Sorry if I offended folks. I didn't mean to be a butthead even if it seemed that way in my post.

[+BlueDeuce]

Unfortunately, it's autumn where I am and my money tree has already lost all its leaves...

You're too far North.

 

(I kid. Personally I think I'm not far North enough.)

[+TeamAO]

(Sigh of relief!)

 

I actually thought someone crapped in your cache.

 

I think there was one person somewhere down the line that actually did that called "The Mad Crapper".

 

Back on topic.

 

Team AO Ninja

[+ATMA]

I have actually picked some of the rocks and marbles from caches. Not to get rid of them but they are just cool looking. The kids around the neighborhood love them.

Business cards selling insurance, etc. are way wrong. We like the small silver SW charms we pick up when doing business in ABQ. They make good "LEFT" items.

Dollar stores are perfect for cache stocking.

[+Lacrosse Fox]

i agree dollar stores are a great place to get it. i dont know if you find this a "crap" item but unles its something great ill usually leave some army men for kids or maybe a pokemon/yugioh card.

[bogleman]

I very rarely trade, Took nothing, left something (sometimes). What is inside does not cause me any great concern. I think of it as finding a really big micro, sign the log and leave. I have stocked some of my hides fairly well with decent trade items that I think the locals would want. Trade as you wish, it does not bother me. I dont care what I find in the container as long as I can find it and sign the log.

[+TeamAO]

I very rarely trade, Took nothing, left something (sometimes). What is inside does not cause me any great concern. I think of it as finding a really big micro, sign the log and leave. I have stocked some of my hides fairly well with decent trade items that I think the locals would want. Trade as you wish, it does not bother me. I dont care what I find in the container as long as I can find it and sign the log.

The "trading" topic has been beaten from Sacramento to Kathmandu and back.

 

And for the most parts, the people you are crying on here to, aren't the culprits, and are already mad about the same thing in their area.

 

If you have a question, post it, if you have a general rant and justify it by asking "Do you think this is right?" or something that is mosiacally changed to mean the same thing, please don't post. It just causes angst.

 

As angst free, as a ninja could be.

[+TotemLake]

You will always see this repeated. Asking not to post it again is akin to banging your head against the wall. The way I see it, you have three choices...

 

1. Don't read the post.

2. If you must read and respond, add something constructive instead of the plea not to post anymore threads like this one.

3. Get used to the headaches.

[+TeamAO]

3. Get used to the headaches. 

 

I'm working on it.

[+welch]

I think the key here is cache maintenance.

I gotta go with what has been said already.

cache maintaince is about checking the cache when someone DNFs it, and fixing things that break, changing log books, Not about supplying an honor system mini-mart.

If you have a cache that you completly restock, my hat is off to you.

But I don't really see the point, if it turned into crap once it will likely turn into crap again. I do add new things on occasion, and remove business cards, religious tracks, rocks, dead bugs, leaves, seeds/stickers, broken and damaged things, food and things that smell, things that freeze, etc. However, I normally don't make special visits to check for this things. If I did it would probably just tick me off more everytime I find another one.

 

If finding junk in caches bothers you, theres basically three things you can do.

Trade up, even if you don't take anything leave something nice for the next person

don't even trade, don't worry about bring items with you, just enjoy the trip

trade equal and leave things as they are

Edited September 28, 2005 by welch

[+backinthesaddle]

Who cares? The find is the thing! Unless my kids are with me of course, then the the swag can make all the difference! And my kids know the meaning of trading up. What they put into the cache may not mean much to some adults, but it means to them more than what they take, and they put a lot of thought into what they give up. My son recently gave up one of his prized "Thomas the Tank Engine" cars , because he was thinking of his 4 yr. old cousin who lost his Thomas toys (and all his other toys) after his house had been flooded up to the eaves for two weeks in New Orleans. Perhaps all us adults should lighten up and take our cues from the generosity of kids!

 

"Quick Watson, the game is afoot!"

[+Cryptid]

I've found some "Junk drawer" cast offs in several caches, I found a Door stop once, and I took it cause I needed one, it's at the front door now. No more holes to patch. Another time I found closet door guides, after new carpet, they went in the spare bedroom. Also, Thanks for the Doorbell button, it even lights up. I'm still looking for a Peep hole.

[+Snoogans]

I've found some "Junk drawer" cast offs in several caches,

I was second to find on a cache that looked as if the hider finished a tub of Country Crock butter, washed it out, painted it black and emptied his junk drawer into it. Totally useless crap to me but I didn't judge. The hide was actually quite a challenge for a regular cache and it was located right smack in the middle of the Long Valley Caldera which is quite a beautiful spot to those that know it.

 

To the OP,

 

If you cache to see your version of neat stuff in a cache, you're gonna end your career early in disappointment. Everything in geocaching is subjective.

 

One of my favorite items I got from a cache was a plastic knight with a sword drawn and shield up. It's just missing it's head. I don't know why I loved it. I just has character. Maybe to you that's crap. To me it's treasure.

[+jeepwidow]

I recently found a mico and took the eraser fish and replaced it with a "where's george" dollar. The cache owner replaced my dollar with two pennies and a safety pin. He didn't log what he did though. But he is very young so I guess that is why it doesn't really upset me.

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

I'm still looking for a Peep hole.

Try the bathroom at the local Hooters.

 

To keep this on-topic:

 

Just say "No!" to swag all the time and whatever other people leave in the boxes becomes irrelevent. My hope continues to be that the log book is near the top so I don't have to fish through the fine contents of the fine container to get to it.

 

 

Had to give "Hooters" the proper respect they deserve.

Edited September 28, 2005 by CurmudgeonlyGal

[cacheman22]

I am planning buying a bunch of these for swag:

That way the complaints about crap in a cache would be valid.

[+rjb43nh]

I actually did find the subject of this thread in a cache on a hot summer day that I shall not forget. I don't know how I can say I signed the log with a straight face. The cache was immediately disabled and the owner replaced it with a new cache in a nearby location so it wouldn't happen again.

[2StickHiker]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!

[+jimmyreno]

for someone with only 1 cache, and a small one at that,

you're expecting others to do what you're not

[+Sommers]

Jimmy, most of my caches I take nothing, I am not asking people to place anything of $$ value, just something interesting, something that tells me something about the person. My hidden cache I only ask that finders take their picture and leave nothing, in exchange I make pictures of the landmark available. Like I said if someone leaves a burned out bulb at least tell me why this is about you (perhaps he was, maybe a burn out, or a dim bulb). Your critisism is unfounded, and you would see that if you reviewed my find.

[+DavidMac]

Yeah, I found that in a cache once. I'm just glad I visited the cache in winter.

 

Oh, you didn't mean literally. I'll take a burned out lightbulb over that cache's contents any day.

[+treedweller]

At a few caches I have found, burned out bulbs,  light wall switches and electric outlets,  half pencils (at least leave the whole thing) and business cards to name a few pieces of junk.  I thought it was trade= trade up or don't take.  I wouldn't even mind if a burned bulb was a trade item if it had an interesting story or for some reason it was a sig item.  But it frustrates me when I see "Took toy X,Y and Z, left business card and marble I found on the way"  I'm not looking to make off with great stuff, most caches I take nothing.

Before a trip to NYC, I picked up some fossils nearby and put them in mini-ziplocks. I included a slip of paper with the name of the fossil (a little internet research required) and the gps coords where I found them.

 

Cost to me: maybe a couple of pennies each. Value on the open market: even less. How do I decide what is an equal trade for that? What if I see a similar item that someone had made at greater expense? is that a fair trade? In short, fair is in the eyes of the beholder (and to a kid some things that look like crap may have been a great sacrifice).

 

So, get over it. You won't ever start seeing diamond rings and gold bullion in caches, unless you are a very lucky FTF. As others suggested, if it bothers you that much, skip the swag and go for the trip and the smiley. Leave something nice if you feel like it. Karma will treat you right in the end.

 

treedweller

 

EDIT: I left them and took nothing in exchange. Sometimes, I also traded for other items.

Edited October 2, 2005 by treedweller

[beegirl13]

At a few caches I have found, burned out bulbs,  light wall switches and electric outlets

Hey, sometimes those electrical outlets can be useful!

[+memkin]

I was the second to find a cache in plainfield, in. The owner placed a few of those Lance Armstrong yellow wrist bands. I thought those were a pretty good trade.

[+Sue Gremlin]

Those bracelets are considered hot ticket items in some caching circles.

 

Last week, Joe and I found a cache that contained flash cubes. I think they were used, and the three pack was opened and contained only two.

Can you still GET flash cubes?

Edited October 20, 2005 by Sue Gremlin

[+DreadPirateRoberts]

This past weekend, I came upon a cache with a half-filled water bottle. Um....

 

What's the right thing to do? Should I remove something like that from the cache?

[+Mystery Ink]

We have come across full cigarette lighters and matches in ammo cans and another person we know even found a live 357 magnum bullet in a ammo can but he turned that into the police.

Edited October 20, 2005 by Mystery Ink

[+martinell]

Usefullness is in the eye of the beholder definately. We have taken to leaving a small clamp at every cache. Sometimes we also trade for other items, but we always just leave the clamp. To some that could be considered "junk".

 

In general, unless it violates the rules I would just leave the stuff in there. - hey you never know when somebody might actually want a used lightbult or flash cubes. I can't imagine who, but somebody just might think it is the greatest thing ever.

 

Since I am in the process of building a house I could use some free electrical outlets and wall sockets. . . .

[+Miragee]

This past weekend, I came upon a cache with a half-filled water bottle. Um....

 

What's the right thing to do? Should I remove something like that from the cache?

After I found out about this cache, I learned how to fold up plastic trash bags so they are very small. Now I carry several of them with me.

 

That way I can collect trash I find in the caches, as well as recycleable cans and bottles, like that half-filled water bottle, I find along the way.

 

Yesterday, we collected three bags full of cans and bottles. I will take those to the recycling center. Since I started doing this, I've made about $40.00.

[+Bandit & Magna]

Someone left a bar of soap shaped like a christmas tree in a cache (not mine)

 

The cache got wet and the soap melted all over everything. I threw the soap out, dumped the water and did what I could to dry it out - then made the owner aware of the problem.

 

I try to put something interesting in them. Those "everythings a dollar" stores are great for finding trade items. If everyone hits those stores then everyone would be trading even.

 

The problem I have found is finding small items that won't fill up a cache so no one else can play. Or items that wont be destroyed if they get wet or things that won't mess up the cache if they get wet.

 

But, that is part of the fun - finding trading treasure.

[+sept1c_tank]

For the most part, I don’t trade, unless something really catches my eye. Having said that, I am somewhat more likely to take nothing and leave something.

 

It doesn’t bother me so much to find junk in a cache; I see that junk as an unintentional statement from the person who left it. If someone thought it was cool to leave something, no matter how ridiculous or useless it might seem, that is a mirror of his or her caching persona. I have always been a people watcher, so I get a real kick out of scrounging through the junk found in some caches. Sometimes, by reading the logs, you can even match up the junk with the cacher who left it (good fun).

 

That also applies to some of the really cool stuff that may be found in a cache.

[+sept1c_tank]

…To continue briefly and offer an answer to you question, “Why do cachers leave crap,” I suggest that their take on this hobby/game is different from yours. Furthermore, the people who leave crap in caches probably don’t think of it as crap. This is not to say that they might consider their trading items in high esteem, but that they just don’t take the game as seriously as you.

 

It would be really interesting to hear from some crap traders just why they leave what they leave.

[+ParrotRobAndCeCe]

As it seems the norm in society anymore, most people don't care. They take what they want and it doesn't bother them to leave crap. I think it's the democrats personally.

Actually I thought it was good-for-nothing Yank-me fans...

[+ohgr]

I tend to think of caches as entertainment. If I go to a movie, I'm entertained (maybe) for 2 hours. It costs' me around $12 if I go alone, and double if I go with my other half.

 

If we go out caching, it usually lasts' the better part of the day, if not most of the day. So I really don't mind spending a buck or two for something to put into the cache, whether I take something out or not, I always leave something (space permitting)

 

In a couple hours of caching, we are usually way more entertained than we usually ever are at the movies.

 

Ohgr