How Often Does A Cache Require Maintanence?

[Ghengis Jon]

I placed my first cache a couple of months ago. Inspired by the stories of others, I filled the beast with decent swag figuring if everyone traded at least equally, a very cool cache could be enjoyed by all. After a recent substantial rainfall, I checked on it and the darn thing was nearly empty. I don't think it was muggled as the few remaining items were pretty neat and would have certainly been swiped. Reading both the internal and on-line logs, very few swag trades were reported. Sadly, this seems to be the norm. I place a signature item in visited caches that is intended to shock and awe - I eagerly (and usually vainly) await log reports of the reaction. I posed the question of reporting swag swapping here at Groundspeak and surprisingly found substantial ambivalent attitudes. Oh well, live and learn.

So how often do the 'old hands' check on their caches? I'll be going out to reload the swag soon and am wondering if I'll be making this a regularly scheduled event? Should I continue with good swag or am I just a fool with more money than brains?

[+Bill & Tammy]

I placed my first cache a couple of months ago. Inspired by the stories of others, I filled the beast with decent swag figuring if everyone traded at least equally, a very cool cache could be enjoyed by all. After a recent substantial rainfall, I checked on it and the darn thing was nearly empty. I don't think it was muggled as the few remaining items were pretty neat and would have certainly been swiped. Reading both the internal and on-line logs, very few swag trades were reported. Sadly, this seems to be the norm. I place a signature item in visited caches that is intended to shock and awe - I eagerly (and usually vainly) await log reports of the reaction. I posed the question of reporting swag swapping here at Groundspeak and surprisingly found substantial ambivalent attitudes. Oh well, live and learn.

So how often do the 'old hands' check on their caches? I'll be going out to reload the swag soon and am wondering if I'll be making this a regularly scheduled event? Should I continue with good swag or am I just a fool with more money than brains?

 

Sadly, this seems to be more the norm with caching. I used to fill my caches with some pretty decent swag only to find them nearly empty within a couple of months. I am also finding more and more folks taking an item in exchange for dropping a travel bug as well (so wrong). I have considered putting a "trading tips" section on my cache pages but really wonder if that is going to do any good either. Unlike yourself, there are way too many selfish people that think caching is finding free goodies in a box.

 

As far a checking caches, I usually go take a look after a couple of DNF's or if there has been a problem mentioned in the logs.

Edited May 2, 2006 by Bill & Tammy

[RubiconJW]

Personally I will trade even, trade up or TNLNSL.

I think the most $$ i ever bought in swag for a cache was less than 10 bux at the local dollar store.

I try to put some stuff for kids as well as something neat for the "big kids" lol..

As I trade into & out of other caches most of the swag just stays in my caching pack & gets moved from cache to cache. As others noted they due tend to deplete themselves over time but I don't mind loading it up occationally.

 

Happy Caching

RJW

[+briansnat]

There are two schools of thought regarding this. I think most geocachers put out their cache let "nature" take its course. If a well stocked cache becomes nothing but broken McToys, so be it. A smaller segment of owners will re-seed their caches from time to time.

 

I'm in the latter group, but with well over 100 caches in the wild, I don't have any regular schedule for doing so. If I happen to be in the area, I'll check on the cache and if it needs re stocking I'll do it. Other than that I'll usually only visit my caches if there is a reported problem and I'll bring a little extra swag with me just in case.

[+Renegade Knight]

I let nature take it's course and have seen most caches trade down. However at least one I got to watch climb back up the nice swag scale.

[+Jeep_Dog]

I try to visit my caches once a month, even the micros and even if they have no trouble with getting found and trades seem to be equitable. Periodic checks for me are good, even if nothing seems amiss in the logs, to ensure the cache has not migrated and is still hidden as it was originally.

 

Do not get too disgruntled about trading. In the last three caches with swag that I came across, in two I left something when nothing was taken, and the other was an even trade. There are cachers out there that are conscientious about trading or leaving something without trading.

[+Team Red Oak]

We always go when problems are reported or a few DNF's. We only have two caches one micro and one regular.

 

Other than that we will check on them when we feel like we need tmake sure they are still okay.

 

The regular sized cache was replenished in Feb (it was hidden in Jan). We will get out to check on it sometime this month and I'll hit the dollar store beforehand. Since it was hidden in Jan, the underbrush was not bad. We want to see what the area looks like now to see if we need to up the rating. I secretly hope it's a location where people will curse our name all the way in, but not so bad that they really hate us.

 

Regarding the micro, we will probably check on it sometime in June. Since it's been placed we purchased Geocaching stickers and I want to put one on the film canister. Beside we can take an extra log in case one is needed. This cache is pretty easy to make up for the other one.

 

edited for clarification

Edited May 2, 2006 by Team Red Oak

[Cape Cod Cacher]

If you want an investment, you picked the wrong hobby. I hope your cache is in a nice place, think 'chamber of commerce'. I was going to check on a cache today, but icky weather said no. It's 5 years old today.

[bogleman]

I've checked on all of my caches at least once since they were listed and others more than that. They have held up fairly well being that that a majority are not a simple park & cache.

 

I have added swag to one of my personal favorites, I think it started with at least $50 worth of crap and a $40 computer game.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Mostly caches will degrade in swag over time, though there are exceptions. I upgrade the swag in only 1 of mine, the other 80+ are going natural.

 

I checked a remote cache for the owner, and found it very nicely stocked indeed, even with almost total turn over of the original goods.

 

We found an open empty ammo can a few weeks ago, replaced log, pen and baggie, added a single cache goodie - all we were carrying. A few weeks later I was in the area checking one of mine reported missing, and stopped by to put a few more things in the can. It had ALREADY been nicely restocked by the next 2 cachers to find it.

[+StarBrand]

I try to check on mine at least 1 time per year and I re-stock if necessary. Otherwise, I only go check if there is a reported problem.

[+Ed & Julie]

I only check mine if there is a reported problem.

 

1 DNF will get me right out of the house to check on my cache.

 

If someone states in the log that here is a problem with the swag (none there or nothing but broken swag), then I will make a trip to beef it up.

 

Other than that, I just sit back and let cachers trade (or not).

 

Likewise, if I find a cache hurting with no or broken swag, we always carry a few items to help it out (we normally do not trade, but will help out a cache we find).

[+Bleeder973]

I have only one small cache and I have gotten out once to check on it. As long as the cache is not being DNF'd constantly, is there a need besides a possi ble restocking of swag?

As for the swag topic, as I was starting geocaching a few months ago, the interest was getting out and exploring new/old places and the hunt. Swag was something that was a bonus for the kiddies. I have traded one or two items in the 58 caches I have found and those were actually more momentos rather than a pseudo gift.

I can only imagine that trading up or even is something that most would agree is the right thing, but the reality is probably not USUALLY occuring.

[+Beffums]

As others have said - try not to stress about the swag contents. They'll go up and down in quality. Some will trade down, some will trade even, and then someone will come along, and replenish the cache (or at least do some substantial trading up). Keep in mind too, that my idea of a trade up for an item and yours might be different. It's up to you about replacing the swag. We'll periodically go out an add new swag to our caches, but generally that's only if we were checking on the cache anyway.

 

I'm learning that the more caches we (myself and JAPTKD) hide, the longer the lag time between check-ups unless there's a DNF or two. I can't imagine how cachers with 100+ hides keep track of them all! (we have about 30 between the two of us). Generally we try to check each cache every month or two, sooner if there's a DNF. Some get checked more (one was at the end of our driveway - so easy to check, others are in muggle-intense locations, so harder to time the checking). We have a few clusters of caches, so if we go to check on "Blue Light", we'll tend to check all 8 that we have along the same trail. JAPTKD likes to hide nanos in the city, so those get checked more frequently - every 6 finds or so. I like to hide lock-n-lock's and ammo cans -- they get checked after floods (we're RIGHT along the Ohio River) or if the logs suggest they need it. JAPTKD likes to hide 4 and 5 star difficulty caches - he'll let a few DNF's accrue before worrying about a cache unless we're right near it. I like to hide 1 and 2 star difficulty caches -- 1 DNF, even from a newbie!, will get me to the cache ASAP. For any of the caches, "log is full" "log is wet" "cache is wet" etc , will get one or both of us out to the cache within a day or two. So far, we've only had 2 of those logs though.

 

My sense is that the more caches you have, the less likely you are to go check on the cache unless either a) a log said there was a problem, a DNF was logged, or c) it's just been far too long since anyone logged it (especially if your local cachers avoid DNF's like the plague). With JAPTKD's first cache, we would check it once a week. We just wanted to protect it I guess. The last cache I placed, we've yet to check it (about 2 months). With our caches, the biggest cache takes the least maintenance, the nanos take the most. My multi-cache seems to have a squirrel intent on stealling stage 2, so I'm out checking it a lot. Size, type of hide, and quality of container are all going to influence when you *need* to check on the cache - logs will let you know when you might want to update swag. If you start seeing a string of "TN, Left ____, ____, and ____" -- your cache is likely low on good swag.

[+Belfrypotters]

We restock every few months, mostly because one of ours is a theme cache, but also because the quality of the goodies does tend to deteriorate. The problem with putting good swag in your cache is that most people don't have something of equal value to trade, so inevitably they have to trade down. Sometimes they trade two small items for one larger one, but that still leaves a cache with a bunch of McToys after a while. I don't mind restocking, and consider this part of the fun of being a cache owner. It's not a big deal when you only own five caches, and I love to shop .

[Ghengis Jon]

Well, I was pleasantly surprised last night. I went out to restock and the last cacher (?) filled the cache with a bunch of items and not the usual swill, I mean swag. The log revealed nothing. Thank you, whoever you are. Personally, I usually take nothing and always leave an item.

 

On a side note, I was speaking (rather e-mailing) another cacher who made an interesting observation. Said his cache had been out for 2 years now and seen many cycles of swag rotate through. However, a small Bible was one of the first items left in it. But after 2 years, no one has taken the book. I wonder if there is a general uneasiness of taking a religious item or just coincIdence?

[+WorLord Duo]

helllo every body.

[+Night Stalker]

I have found that the more difficult the hike to the cache the longer it can go before needing restocking. Not just because fewer cachers take the effort to find it, but those that do seem to value the find more and leave better swag when they trade.

[4wheelin_fool]

I have found that the more difficult the hike to the cache the longer it can go before needing restocking. Not just because fewer cachers take the effort to find it, but those that do seem to value the find more and leave better swag when they trade.

I agree. This seems to be true.