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phoenixfour

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What do you like to take along to leave? What items are not such a great idea (Aside from the obvious i.e. weapons, explosives etc.)

 

Don't leave food! Critters have been know to take caches and/or infest them. Personally I would not leave adult materials (not that there is anything wrong with that :laughing:), but many cachers, including myself with small children don't want to be explaining the birds and the bees to a two year old after Daddy found a Hustler in a cache.

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I avoid anything that water will hurt or that can't be washed. I also tend not to leave anything in caches that are not maintained well. Lately I've been leaving all the DVD's that I don't watch anymore but most of the caches aren't big enough.

Edited by badlands
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Good things to find in caches varies from person to person, but popular items are:

* Signature items

* Batteries (lithiums are great finds)

* Interesting coins

* Interesting rocks/fossils

 

Bad things to leave in caches:

* Golf balls

* McToys

* Anything broken

* Anything which can leak

* Advertisements such as business cards

 

As someone else pointed out, leaving food is a bad idea, however leaving gift certificates (NOT coupons) can be appreciated. I found one for a free Jamba Juice, it was one of our favorite finds.

Edited by aka Monkey
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I've been finding alot of junk in caches latley. moslty Mc Donalds toys, golf balls, things i cant figure out what they are, and broken toys and cheep toys ( like the $0.10 ones )

 

I always figured that it was cool to leave something that was at least over $1.00, I was just talking about this with a friend that i got into caching. For all the fun and activity you get out of each hunt, I definatly think its worth at least $2.00 per cache. Plus is people started putting better stuff in them it would make it more motivating and fun to go out and hunt.

 

I personally wont take stuff from caches that are full of junk, or leave anything in them, including coins and bugs. sometimes i throw in a peice of my booty, but not all the time.

 

I also use personal geo nickles, but sometimes fell bad swaping them for toys or other stuff cause i always figure who would really want a wood coin with my name on it. and i use them more to say i was thre or as a gift for the cache owner to say thanks

 

i like the idea of leaving old coins, pins and cupons. someting small and that i can at least do someting with after. the back seat of my car is full of cheep toys, strings of marti graz beads, and other crap that i just throw out or put back into other caches

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I'm very new here, but I'm starting to see a trend with the McToys. For some reason I thoght better stuff would be in the caches. Not so much as better, but no so much crap. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought sealed magic tricks for kids, and more serious stuff for adults. I'm leaving one of each in the caches.

I have some collectable casino chips I was thinking about leaving, but they're too valuable to leave for some Happy Meal toy.

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While I still carry a small amount of quality SWAG with me (1st aid kits, mini mag lights, compasses or carabiners) lately I've found myself doing the old TNLNSL. :laughing: As Ursula said (and many others) for me its the hunt, not the find.

Edited by Jhwk
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I've now got 6 caches under my belt. While not a lot, it's made me notice that most of you are right in saying a lot of the caches are full of crappy things. Granted my 5 year olds likes the old toy figures and stuff, most of it isn't great. One I actually had to go through and throw some things out because it had candy and broken things in it. I left a few extra of my own things so the next people who found it wouldn't have a near empty cache.

 

How many people cache with their kids? I haven't seen a cache yet that wasn't full of kid stuff. Actually... one I found had a book of matches in it :rolleyes: wasn't sure that was supposed to be there since it was only my 2nd cache.

 

I am really looking forward to placing my own cache and filling it with neat things for people to find!

Thanks for all your input!

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The swag situation is just part of the game. Sometimes you find gems and leave them sometimes you find carp and leave gems. sometimes you find gems and leave carp. Sometimes you find carp and leave a small perch or snail darter.

 

I have made some horrible trades in my day. I have also reloaded empty and depleted caches with some good stuff. Don't be afraid to be overly generous just because their was nothing but a half-eaten buckeye, a dried centipede, three roly-polies and spider ring in the box.

 

I have a bit of an advantage as I have a huge duffel bag full of stuff, wrapped toys, tools, doo-dads, etc. that I got free or for almost nothing in an auction box. I'll recycle promotional items from conventions.

 

Very few caches get better over time. If you've remembered to bring enough good stuff with you don't get hung up over the fact that you're not getting anything good out. You can even brag about your generosity on your log. I like to re-check the logs of caches I've visited to see comments and props for re-stocking the box. The "Thank you's" from the cache owners are a perk as well.

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I leave cards that have historical facts, information about our presidents, and even math problems. I figure kids can learn while they cache.

 

(dang where's that straight-faced smiley icon?)

 

I leave trinkets for the kids. Trinkets for adults isn't high on my list. They can go buy thier own junk.

 

I've seen those magic tricks that Talarspeed mentioned. If you look around you can get a pack of five for a buck. And if the kid only plays with it for a week? (edited to mention that the kid gets all five) Then they have probably gotten more use out of it then most trinkets I've found.

 

phoenixfour, go right ahead and stock you cache which the things you want people to find. Just keep in mind that caches tend to degrade in quality over time.

Edited by BlueDeuce
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I will echo the "Don't be afraid to be generous" advice. When I find a cache that's low on loot, or has a disappointing array of items (broken or trashy), I usually do a little volunteer re-stocking.

 

If I see a broken toy or something that's icky or disappointing, I'll remove it and replace it with something cheap but still nice, like a polished glass gemstone or some colorful stickers. I think of it as cache "CITO" (trash removal)!

 

I always carry a bunch of neat little toys and doo-dads for leaving in caches. Some things I pick up in the bargain bin at the stationery store or craft store, some things come from our home junk drawer (GOOD junk, like marbles, old coins, sea shells, etc.) and some little things I find at yard sales for a nickle or a dime but they're nice, like little figurines or nice keychains. I also carry some more valuable items like CDs of music, batteries, handy tools, etc., in case the cache has something really nice that I want to take home.

 

I have my trinkets organized in large gallon-size freezer bags inside my backpack: Kid stuff (cheap); Kid stuff (not so cheap); Adult stuff (insect wipes, batteries & tools are some things that appeal more to adults); and the Top Drawer stuff ($5-10 items). This makes it easy to do a quick trade if the mosquitos are bad or muggles are coming!

 

Anything paper (coupons, stickers, etc) should be enclosed in a plastic baggie to prevent it from getting soggy and moldy. This also applies to fluffy things (like little stuffed animals) and jewelry (such as lapel pins and necklaces). I carry extra snack-size ziplock baggies in my pack for use as needed.

 

By the way, coupons are okay as long as they are for something FREE & that you don't have to buy anything in order to get it -- basically, they're like a gift certificate. I work for a company that makes gourmet olive oil, and they gave me some coupons for 1 free bottle of their olive oil. These come in handy for adult swag, especially when the cache container is small.

 

In general, I find that the more difficult caches often have more interesting stuff. The 1/1's tend to collect broken McToys since they are the easiest for kids to do.

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I have noticed a trend of broken toys recently too. ME, I normally leave a carabiner keychain from the national guard (my buddy got a box of them for free). I have found a few cool odds & ends, and keep everything in a huge glass jar. Makes for interesting conversations :laughing:

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i cache with my kids. They don't much care for the mctoys as we get enough of those on our own.

The worst i have found left in a cache was a couple of tampons.

We have been leaving the smal led keychain flashlight in the ones we take stuff from.

I liked the themed cache i found in the area that had various militry patches and ribons in it.

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Iam new to this too,Is there caches out there just for adults? The ones I have found are like you guys are saying and fun for me and my 8yr old daughter.So if there is adult themes cache out there how do you find them? And no they are for adults, so you dont take your kids out to them.

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I just started this, but I honestly prefer the toy bit - the good ones, that is. By "Good Ones", I mean fun and quirky. If I really needed something useful, say, a tire-pressure-guage, I'd go buy one. I'd rather open a cache and get a chuckle out of what I find.

 

I did see mention of one that included disposable rain gear. That might be a good idea for a cache that I'm thinking of placing soon. It'll take a hike of a couple of miles in an area that gets lots of Summer thunderstorms.

 

So far, I've been leaving little plastic Hula-Girls in those caches that have room for them. Like I said - Quirky, light-hearted fun.

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I just started this, but I honestly prefer the toy bit - the good ones, that is. By "Good Ones", I mean fun and quirky. If I really needed something useful, say, a tire-pressure-guage, I'd go buy one. I'd rather open a cache and get a chuckle out of what I find.

 

I did see mention of one that included disposable rain gear. That might be a good idea for a cache that I'm thinking of placing soon. It'll take a hike of a couple of miles in an area that gets lots of Summer thunderstorms.

 

So far, I've been leaving little plastic Hula-Girls in those caches that have room for them. Like I said - Quirky, light-hearted fun.

Yep.

 

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i cache with my kids. They don't much care for the mctoys as we get enough of those on our own.

The worst i have found left in a cache was a couple of tampons.

We have been leaving the smal led keychain flashlight in the ones we take stuff from.

I liked the themed cache i found in the area that had various militry patches and ribons in it.

 

As long as they were unused and protected by a baggy those could be handy for someone in need. Ditto for similar "emergency items" such as some wrapped packets of toilet paper, the handy-packs of facial tissue, bandages, etc. ...

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I'm planning on placing a cache this week and inthe discritpiton i'm going to put no junk, I want people to leave cool, or uselfull stuff, no mc crap or junk. if someone leave junk behing i plan on taking it out and removing there name from the log.

 

I'm going to make sure they all k now beofre heading out. I'd just like to make it a bit better for everyone. i was also thinking of mang a CD cache where people coild swap cd or diffrent one. maybe even make there own mix cds and leave them

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I was just saying cache for adults (no toys) would be fun I think.And as far has a cache for adults (xxx) I just want to know so my daughter dont pick a cache and we go to it ,and it has (xxx) in it. That would not be good,so it seems to me that (xxx) is not allowed. Just want to know.

Thanks Mike

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Worst things: cigarrete lighters, matches, a chewing gum (almost new!), condoms, food

Good Things: The ones that makes our kids go Wooohooa!

 

The cd cache sounds cool to me. very nice, I would go to it. Dont get me wrong the caches that I have found have been fun for me and my daughter. Just be nice to find a cache like a cd one, fun for dad.

 

There's one in Portugal, we found it some months ago, it's GCKH6M - A Cáchinha de Música [silveiras] - Image.

 

It's a CD box, and of course, you can only trade CD's. Its hidden near a dam. Very, very pleasant. :laughing:

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Please don't do mini rubber smilies. I did a micro in an area with lots of muggles. Somebody had filled it with mini rubber smilies. When I opened the cache the smilies went everywhere. So much for being discreet! B)

Edited by Big Max
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I try to put things in a cache that will put smiles on a kid's face. I'll put in Koosh balls, fake bugs and butterflies. I try to put things in for girls as well as boys. I often find emergency ponchos for less than $1 and will throw one in a cache that is big enough.

 

If I find religious cards in a cache, I always remove them. There is no place for them in caches.

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Seeing as my moniker is "AcousticNut", I usually try to follow a theme and leave my Mark. I only have 7 finds to my name some far, but here's what I've left:

 

1) A CD or Cassette from my previous band. After 11 years we stopped playing together and I have a garage-full of them. I'm hoping that someone may actually listen to it rather than having them wasting away in my storage space. I'll leave a cassette if the cache isn't big enough for the CD.

 

2) A Mix CD of Independent Acoustic and Folk artists. I'm calling it "Travel Tunes" and every song on the disc has something to do with travelling or a place. All of the songs are from indie artists that I've had the pleasure of meeting and performing with over the last 10 years.

 

3) For the micros that I've come across so far, I'm leaving a guitar pick.

 

I think it adds a little personality to the game.

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If you are going to place a cache, it's good etiquette to put crisp $100's in it. B)

 

I'm a fan of interesting items that aren't so common. For instance I put a Linux Penguin pin in my first cache that I hid, knowing some other computer geek will find it and get a kick out of it.

Cool, but LiveCD's are one step cooler. B)

 

I've found some pretty good stuff for $1 - a pocket calculator, pair of gloves, etc. However, I can't afford to leave them at every cache I vist so I frequently leave nothing or something cheaper but hopefully not junk - sticky balls, batteries, squirt guns, etc.

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Interesting!

 

A quick check of 5 people who posted in this thread that they don't like "McToys shows that they've only had to stock a total of three caches amoungst all of them. As a cacher, who doesn't have a 6 digit income like some in here must have, I DO use "McToys" mixed with other things & they do move. I usually have about $20.00's in a ammo can cache, it adds up fast. As for finding them, I have no problems, almost all of the swag I trade for gets recycled back into a new cache.

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I'm planning on placing a cache this week and inthe discritpiton i'm going to put no junk, I want people to leave cool, or uselfull stuff, no mc crap or junk. if someone leave junk behing i plan on taking it out and removing there name from the log.

 

 

I think the people who leave AOL discs, religious pamphlets and broken McToys really think that's good swag. So you would have to make your list very specific or people won't get it, and then you risk being such a control freak that it's not even any fun.

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:D I guess I'm just a big kid at heart. I like trading swag when I have the time and the cache warrants it. I especially like trading for sig. items that are hand made. I have my own wooden nickels and sculpey tokens I trade. I also don't mind cleaning a cache of trash either. It's more fun when there's fresh unbroken swag. :DGood stuff - Coins, beads, plastic critters, seashells, marbles, carabiners (love carabiners), lottery tickets, coupons, cds, dvds, compass, wet wipes, Spare ziplock bags, Maps, duct tape <_<Not so good stuff - batteries (corroded batteries can ruin everything in a cache), food, knives, anything broken, cigarettes, lighters, etc...

 

Just use good common sense and have fun! :P

Edited by 57chevy
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Interesting!

 

A quick check of 5 people who posted in this thread that they don't like "McToys shows that they've only had to stock a total of three caches amoungst all of them. As a cacher, who doesn't have a 6 digit income like some in here must have, I DO use "McToys" mixed with other things & they do move. I usually have about $20.00's in a ammo can cache, it adds up fast. As for finding them, I have no problems, almost all of the swag I trade for gets recycled back into a new cache.

 

Checking up on people is never accurate because you can't tell what's really going on. I'm readying some caches for placement and all will have good swag. I'll also revisit and refresh a couple of times a year when lame stuff begins to take over.

When broken or scuffed McToys move, how do you know that's not just people like me, cleaning out and replacing with newer stuff?

Edited by Kacky
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]Please remember that not all geocachers have kids...[/b]

I support the family orientation and can appreciate some kid friendly items (since I am a kid at heart)...BUT I also ask that we keep this fun for all by providing for all age groups. I like the idea that someone posted of keeping a variety of items for a variety of different age groups in their car. I disagree with the person who said adults can get their own junk...Sure we can but that's not the point ..it is the fun of the find and taking a momento.

 

As for cost I have found alot of great stuff in the dollar section of Target.

Currently I search for travel bugs because I enjoy moving them along and watching their travels.

 

One of the coolest TB I got was a DVD trying to go to all the locations listed in the movie.

Edited by Ducks4friends
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I disagree with the person who said adults can get their own junk...Sure we can but that's not the point ..it is the fun of the find and taking a momento.

 

So a tire pressure gauge is a memento? :anitongue: The closest I come to leaving adult swag would be a signature item. But that's a little blue devil duckie so it might still qualify as a toy.

 

Looking through the stuff I've actually kept, there are either little toys or signature items like buttons.

 

 

Edited: I didn't think that looked spelled correctly.

Edited by BlueDeuce
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There's a Dollar-Store near my home with WICKED swag - LED lights, 3D fridge magnets etc.

I'm heading there again today to pick some more stuff up.

 

What I left in a cache earlier was a small "Canada Flag" lapel pin and I have a bunch of other ones I'll leave at other caches.

 

Would YOU consider that good swag?

 

Ciao

Chris

 

 

I disagree with the person who said adults can get their own junk...Sure we can but that's not the point ..it is the fun of the find and taking a momento.

 

So a tire pressure gauge is a memento? :anitongue: The closest I come to leaving adult swag would be a signature item. But that's a little blue devil duckie so it might still qualify as a toy.

 

Looking through the stuff I've actually kept, there are either little toys or signature items like buttons.

 

 

Edited: I didn't think that looked spelled correctly.

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As I said..i am a kid at heart so I'd love your blue duck (of course as you can note my "name" is Ducks4friends)

Maybe memento is the wrong word. :ph34r: .but a tire gauge would be cool...I take (and leave) things that are useful or cool..I know cool is relative... but in general it is not mctoys or the like

Things I've kept include Chewbaca (sp), carabiners, bunge cords, and travel games. Things i've left include cribbage boards, nice highlighters, compass and whistle combos, themed pins...

 

My main point however is in an effort to include the little kids let's not forget the adults...and older kids :anitongue:

 

As for the magnets and stuff it sounds great...because I cache where I camp I also have enjoyed it when people put in tourist stuff like keychains or magnets from yosemite, idyllwild or whatever the locale is

Edited by Ducks4friends
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What I left in a cache earlier was a small "Canada Flag" lapel pin and I have a bunch of other ones I'll leave at other caches.

 

Would YOU consider that good swag?

 

Ciao

Chris

 

I sure would. And I bet people trade for them.

 

The question posed is what would I leave. I leave for kids as I think a lot of caches are lacking in decent stuff for kids. Lapel pins, LED lights, 3D fridge magnets etc. are all great items. But when someone says I should leave items for adults I say, no. (it sounds like whining to me, anyway)

 

You leave whatever stuff you want to leave, if it's for adults, cool.

Edited by BlueDeuce
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[. But when someone says I should leave items for adults I say, no. (it sounds like whining to me, anyway)

 

You leave whatever stuff you want to leave, if it's for adults, cool.

 

Sorry you took my comment as whining...I was only trying to give another perspective....in fact that is what i enjoy about the forum we can see things through others experiences. I cache entirely with adults...who either do not have children or whose children are gown.

 

In the end the rule of thumb is and always will be trade even or trade up and we will keep it fun for everybody!

Edited by Ducks4friends
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[. But when someone says I should leave items for adults I say, no. (it sounds like whining to me, anyway)

 

You leave whatever stuff you want to leave, if it's for adults, cool.

 

Sorry you took my comment as whining...I was only trying to give another perspective....in fact that is what i enjoy about the forum we can see things through others experiences. I cache entirely with adults...who either do not have children or whose children are gown.

 

In the end the rule of thumb is and always will be trade even or trade up and we will keep it fun for everybody!

 

Don't take it personally, my definition of whining is pretty darn broad.

 

"I'm hungry, daddy"

"Oh quit your whining!"

 

:anitongue:

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Our favorite thing to leave at the moment are geocaching postage stamps. They're good because they're small and convenient to carry; they aren't particularly common; we like them; other people like them; they're practical... if you just aren't into trading or saving sig items, you can always just use one to mail your phone bill.

 

We have three current ones (plus one "retired" one not shown here): our hermit crab avatar, the gc logo (yep, we emailed and got permission to use it :D ), and the newest one, which is an ammo can that says "Let's go Geocaching!". We put each one in a separate mini ziplock and add a little note behind the stamp that assures people that these are valid US postage stamps.

 

80c32d00-a7bc-4393-84b4-8844f87bdc22.jpg

 

We also trade "regular" stuff too, which varies depending on what we see on sale. Mostly stuff from bargain places like Ocean State Job Lot or Building 19. Here's a snapshot of the current contents of the swag box that we leave by the front door; we just grab a handful of things when we're heading out. Everything in it cost less than $1 each (the rolls of Spiderman tattoos were only 19 cents!):

 

02eb02b1-1e95-4673-a2f7-1e85a9f187b9.jpg

 

There's stuff for kids -- matchbox cars, portable fans, water-soaker balls, Spiderman tattoos, boxes of colored chalk, yoyos; stuff for adults -- tape measures, pliers, wrenches, tire-pressure gauges, bungee cords, mini levels; stuff for anybody -- keychains, flashlights, mini highlighters, padlocks, carabiners, handwarmers, interesting pens, etc. Not valuable stuff, but a lot of it is somehow appealing just because it's new, still in its original packaging.

 

I also want to make up a bunch of mini first-aid kits to use for trades, but haven't gotten around to it. I did buy a big box of band-aids though... it's a start :ninja:

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Our favorite thing to leave at the moment are geocaching postage stamps. They're good because they're small and convenient to carry; they aren't particularly common; we like them; other people like them; they're practical... if you just aren't into trading or saving sig items, you can always just use one to mail your phone bill.

 

These stamps are very cool! We've found several of them and have used them on family correspondence. One of the benefits of caching in the Hermit Crabs' neighborhood! :D

 

Obligatory reply to HC's OP, ...we like to leave a variety (depending on the type of cache). We always try to leave some sort of geo-swag such as nano and bison containers, stickers, pins, wrist bands, ...etc. If the cache is a child-friendly one then we'll leave additional swag such as matchbox-type cars, plastic animals, and cool rocks.

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Our favorite thing to leave at the moment are geocaching postage stamps. They're good because they're small and convenient to carry; they aren't particularly common; we like them; other people like them; they're practical... if you just aren't into trading or saving sig items, you can always just use one to mail your phone bill.

 

These stamps are very cool! We've found several of them and have used them on family correspondence. One of the benefits of caching in the Hermit Crabs' neighborhood! :D

Good to know -- we were just wondering a couple of days ago if anyone actually had used them to mail anything :ninja:. (We have ourselves, but weren't sure if anyone else had.)

 

Obligatory reply to HC's OP, ...we like to leave a variety (depending on the type of cache). We always try to leave some sort of geo-swag such as nano and bison containers, stickers, pins, wrist bands, ...etc. If the cache is a child-friendly one then we'll leave additional swag such as matchbox-type cars, plastic animals, and cool rocks.

Whenever I happen to see a GotJ log that says "left some geo-swag", I think to myself that the next person to find that cache is going to pleasantly surprised. It's always great stuff!

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Our favorite thing to leave at the moment are geocaching postage stamps. They're good because they're small and convenient to carry; they aren't particularly common; we like them; other people like them; they're practical... if you just aren't into trading or saving sig items, you can always just use one to mail your phone bill.

 

How in heck to you "make" a valid postage stamp? I'd love to have a bunch of those for my mail.

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Our favorite thing to leave at the moment are geocaching postage stamps. They're good because they're small and convenient to carry; they aren't particularly common; we like them; other people like them; they're practical... if you just aren't into trading or saving sig items, you can always just use one to mail your phone bill.

 

How in heck to you "make" a valid postage stamp? I'd love to have a bunch of those for my mail.

 

We get them through PhotoStamps. You upload a picture, and as long as it doesn't violate any of their guidelines, they willl make postage stamps out of them. They cost about twice as much as their face value.

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