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Now, this is an interesting one - I've considered putting a miniature bottle of whiskey in a high mountain cache as a FTF prize, I haven't done it but it would be unusual if a responsible adult wasn't present at the find - would it be appropriate? (yes - I know it's against the rules, but would it really cause any harm?)

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We allways trade out "food stuffs" ...

 

So Golem where is that Whiskey .. I have a "mac trash toy" to trade for it :(

 

I didn't put one in because it's against the rules, the chances of an unaccompanied 8 year old finding a 5cl bottle of whiskey on top of Glaramara are quite slim but you never know... :)

 

Edited to reduce the size of the bottle... :)

Edited by The Golem
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I have on several occasions left mini cans of soft drinks in caches. Technically its against "the rules" but I had no problem with it, they are sealed and labelled with an expiry date.

 

The people who took them added notes of appreciation in their logs, and I have to say there are many times on a hot day I would be grateful to find liquid refeshment in a cache!

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The rules are stricter than they need to be because /a/ they are rules (ask any bureaucrat, eg me), and /b/ they are made by and for Americans and therefore have to pretend to take "family-friendly" to ridiculous levels. (It's often quite funny to catch Americans with their guard down and find that most of them enjoy getting drunk and swearing every bit as much as anyone else.)

 

The main reason for the food ban is to prevent attracting wild animals. In areas which are free of large feral creatures I don't see a big problem with a sealed box of Tic-Tacs, small packet of Haribo gummy bears, etc.

 

In Germany it's quite common to find a small bottle of schnapps in a cache. I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting that a small child is likely to get drunk and fall to their death as a result. (If your 6-year-old gets far enough ahead of you to have time to find the cache and neck a miniature of Scotch, which must taste awful to a little kid, you probably have a number of other issues to address.)

 

In fact on that basis, we certainly shouldn't have taken our children along in the first place, as that was probably in a car, thus /a/ exposing them to far greater risk of violent death and /b/ failing to give them enough exercise, teach them how to save the planet, etc etc.

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Now I am in danger of taking us off topic, but, another trade that I have concerns about are batteries. On the face of it they are a really good trade that we all need to use. My concern is that they do have and expiry, don't cope well with moisture and when they break down they become both poisoness and corrosive. I guess the solution is to use common sense and only leave then in dry and regularly visited caches.

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I did leave some Christmas Tea as a FTF gift once and have been leaving minature bottles of rum in certain other caches - which I felt reflected the themed nature of the series - so far there have been no complaints nor drunken cachers (mind you that is 2 units of alcohol so technically a 20Kg person could technically become drunk from drinking the lot).

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Now I am in danger of taking us off topic, but, another trade that I have concerns about are batteries. On the face of it they are a really good trade that we all need to use. My concern is that they do have and expiry, don't cope well with moisture and when they break down they become both poisoness and corrosive. I guess the solution is to use common sense and only leave then in dry and regularly visited caches.

 

I had the same dilemma when i was deciding what to put in my first cache. In the end, i took it out, admittedly because i couldn't close the lid on the cache, but i'm glad i did, as from the finder's point of view, they don't know how old the batteries are or how safe. If i was the finder, i probably wouldn't take it, and thus it'd sit there longer and longer, increasing chance of it becoming harmful.

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The other day a cache I found had a plastic box inside containing Smints, today I found a box containing mouthwash, I thought that these sort of items were banned!

 

Should these items have been removed?

 

What about teabags! :)

Shushhhhhhhhhhhh

 

Hmmmm that was sneaky :) I didn't even click to tea bags when reviewing it. :(

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At the risk of sounding paranoid, there are a few people out there who possibly having found a cache accidentlaly may decide to swap the contents of a whiskey bottle for liquids of a "less pleasant" nature. I personally never touch anything edible or toiletries and I'm still here to tell the tale... (famous last words!)

Would you let your kids put something they found on the street in their mouth? :)

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I'm sorry but the type of people who would pee in a bottle and leave it for someone to drink are hardly the sort of people who are going to slog to the top of a mountain for pleasure. Besides, the bottle would have a seal which would have to be broken and you'd have to have a good aim to get it into such a narrow opening without peeing all over your hands! :(

 

And no - I wouldn't let my kids drink something they found in the street... :)

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As the FTF at A View from Hardknott which must have been the oldest virgin cache in the UK at nearly 3 years may I make a suggestion to Golem and fellow placers of First to Find prizes with a Fine Finish:

  • Go here and select a suitable prize
  • List your cache on www.navicache.com, as your prize will have to spend at least 3 years in the cask before it is legally Scotch Whisky
  • Ideally your cache should be on a remote island off the Irish Coast as Islay malts reach their peak flavour, in my opinion, after 15 years.

Oh and while I remember it watch out for gangs of short Lebkuchen folk as they live in Hexenhaeusle and are notorious for their full bladders and good aim - mind you perhaps that's not such a bad thing. :(:) :)

 

Yours in jest, Whisky Mac aka Jango Fett :)

{edited to get links to work}

Edited by Jango & Boba Fett
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Well this is all very interesting. The only thing i have actually seen to hve broken down in a cache is a bar of soap. the whole cache was damp but had a pleasant smell.

 

Anyway after read what everyone has to say here i am now seriously considering placing my first cache. And from a safety point of few all my trade items in the cache will be "virtual" items.

 

So for a FTF prize i will be placing a virtual 1million pounds. i will also throw in a few virtual sets of car keys and a some blinging watches and diamond ear rings.

 

Now thats is what i call a safe yet generous cache.

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The "No food in caches" rule is not just an American thing but a practical application for anyone. Canned goods can corrode, sugary items melt and liquify in the humidity, unscrupulous finders can spoil items... but ultimately the big problem is the magnificent olfactory senses of common rodents and other creatures.

 

The "No alcohol" should be a 'no-brainer' as there are many people around the world who find alcohol consumption to be as evil as child molestation, hamster bashing or driving on the wrong side of the road. I have no problem with it but I can see where others might.

 

Were the ill-informed public to hear of the free booze hidden in local parks then the outcry from the Temperance Society would quickly be heard, similar to the howls whenever someone writes a letter about dear Great Grand Uncle's Hyram's cemetery being used as playground for us evil geocachers with our picks and shovels and implements of destruction.

 

I used to leave butane lighters and books of matches .. until I finally signed up and actually read the rules. I thought it would be a handy item to find for hikers and the like ... I had never really considered the ramifications were the items to be found by some tree hugger or park ranger.

 

The guidelines are aimed to keep our activities 'under the radar' of the general public as much as possible.

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I shall now leave nothing in my caches.No one really cares whats in em anyways do they? Finding the cache is the goal not what's innit..innit!..even the kids,who are smarter than us adults really know that......So no more cheap keyrings, cr*ppy toys and possibly dangerous latex goods.(sorry B1.) <_<

Edited by currykev
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Did anyone else notice that the whole stick to the rules to the letter came from the USA? Is there nothing in this world now that is not being hit by the PC crowd? no matches! no food! no Drink! No Batteries! No Maccy dees toys as they may have come in contact with nuts! now theres a point i think us Geo cachers are all slightly nuts. so now everything in a cache has potentially being in contact with nuts!

 

Come join the Liberal front! Use common sense in both Taking and leaving things in caches. if you don't like whats in it don't take it. if your mummy or daddy has told you its bad to drink 5cl of scotch don't drink it. if they told you not to play with fire. don't take the matches or lighter!

 

May advice apart from wear sun screen is just don't leave things that will damage the cache. i.e things that will melt or corrode or attract animals. etc etc

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Let's keep this thread on topic and not use it to discuss nationalities please.

 

The rules/guidelines are quite explicit and food and alcohol are among banned items in caches. It might well be argued that a sealed can of fizzy drink or a sealed bottle of water are OK but any bottles of alcohol, especially malt whisky should immediately be sent to your local reviewer <_< !

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Did anyone else notice that the whole stick to the rules to the letter came from the USA? Is there nothing in this world now that is not being hit by the PC crowd? no matches! no food! no Drink! No Batteries! No Maccy dees toys as they may have come in contact with nuts! now theres a point i think us Geo cachers are all slightly nuts. so now everything in a cache has potentially being in contact with nuts!

 

Come join the Liberal front! Use common sense in both Taking and leaving things in caches. if you don't like whats in it don't take it. if your mummy or daddy has told you its bad to drink 5cl of scotch don't drink it. if they told you not to play with fire. don't take the matches or lighter!

 

May advice apart from wear sun screen is just don't leave things that will damage the cache. i.e things that will melt or corrode or attract animals. etc etc

 

Um, the no batteries suggestion was made by a fellow UK-cacher. .. but then, there's no GC.com prohibition against leaving them. I have seen caches containing corroded batteries but since I don't plan on eating them ...

 

"Politically Correct" or not the food and drink issue is as much to avoid animal damage caches as any other reason. The same caveat goes out for the use of scented erasers and most perfumed grooming products. Shoot, the same warning goes out to folks using recycled coffee and peanut butter jars as the smell alone attracts attention.

 

I don't personally agree with the ban on lighters and camping matches, especially when placed in caches not normally accessible to average public. A good hefty hike will scare off many of those who would fail to appreciate the responsibility of being around such items.

 

The legality of leaving alcoholic beverages in places accessible to children is up to your area... Again, I can appreciate that leaving such an item at a difficult-to-get-to location would not be a problem. Leaving one in an urban park with the children's playground nearby could easily become a problem in any area.

 

I recommend pig memorabilia. Lots of pig memorabilia. .... ... and golf balls.

Edited by Torry
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Let's keep this thread on topic and not use it to discuss nationalities please.

 

The rules/guidelines are quite explicit and food and alcohol are among banned items in caches. It might well be argued that a sealed can of fizzy drink or a sealed bottle of water are OK but any bottles of alcohol, especially malt whisky should immediately be sent to your local reviewer <_< !

 

Hello! Where do I sign up to volunteer?

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I've left sealed bottles of mineral water in a few caches, if people can see the seal is unbroken and the date is intact, then they should have no qualms. Had a tin of beans dropped off in one of my caches recently, and considered going to grab it for a fry up <_<

 

I know it's not possible, but I'd love to do a cache with a stove in it, and a gas canister, and a lighter, plus cups, tea/coffee, sugar and disposable cartons of milk, so peeps could make a brew on the top of a big hill, and have them gather their water from a nearby spring!

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...

 

I know it's not possible, but I'd love to do a cache with a stove in it, and a gas canister, and a lighter, plus cups, tea/coffee, sugar and disposable cartons of milk, so peeps could make a brew on the top of a big hill, and have them gather their water from a nearby spring!

 

Now THAT would be sweet! The guidelines merely state that such items cannot be in the cache container. If there just happens to be a container around the cache container containing the contents you've cataloged .....

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Did anyone else notice that the whole stick to the rules to the letter came from the USA? Is there nothing in this world now that is not being hit by the PC crowd? no matches! no food! no Drink! No Batteries! No Maccy dees toys as they may have come in contact with nuts!

 

Just poured milk om my cereal and noted that the container (milk container) had a warning, ""Contains dairy products" Go figure.

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...

 

The "No alcohol" should be a 'no-brainer' as there are many people around the world who find alcohol consumption to be as evil as child molestation, hamster bashing or driving on the wrong side of the road. I have no problem with it but I can see where others might.

 

Were the ill-informed public to hear of the free booze hidden in local parks then the outcry from the Temperance Society would quickly be heard, similar to the howls whenever someone writes a letter about dear Great Grand Uncle's Hyram's cemetery being used as playground for us evil geocachers with our picks and shovels and implements of destruction....

 

The guidelines are aimed to keep our activities 'under the radar' of the general public as much as possible.

 

This argument (re. alcohol being offensive) does not make much sense to me. A thread here a while back, which I will not name, had an argument to ban the placing of certain types of material in caches, as there is a tiny %age of people allergic to this common material. What I found in geocaches would be the last of my worries if I was allergic to something so common. People who did suffer should take their own precautions.

 

To get to a cache, you probably pass a few pubs/bars and off-licences selling alcohol anyway, why should a small amount in a 2" hight bottle worry them? And the minority of people who do find things offensive like alcohol shouldn't be forcing their personal views on everybody.

I am not condoning the use of alcohol in caches, but don't see that people who may be offended by it should be the reason to ban it.

 

And as for the thing about McD toys being banned in as it may have nut traces is ludicrus?! Is that real or a wind up?! What if I ate some crisps or nuts prior to finding the cache? Should we sterilise ourselves and caches after touching them incase somebody my be allergic to the nuts I ate that afternoon?

 

All these rules and regulations are made for the sake of having rules and regulations, implying nobody has an ounce of common sense. When will people start to think and take some responsibility for their own actions, rather than expect everyone else on the world to be too careful hoping to avoid the situation where somebody may have to engage their own brains, or be offended if the see a little bottle of tipple in a cache.

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I take it that the 'No food items' rule applies to pet food as well. ?

 

I did a series 8 of new caches recently where the owner (obviously a dog lover) had placed packets of dog treats in most of the caches.

A cacher with a dog opened one of the packets and removed a few treats and left the rest. Surely that now puts the cache at risk from the local wildlife. :rolleyes:

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...

 

The "No alcohol" should be a 'no-brainer' as there are many people around the world who find alcohol consumption to be as evil as child molestation, hamster bashing or driving on the wrong side of the road. I have no problem with it but I can see where others might.

 

Were the ill-informed public to hear of the free booze hidden in local parks then the outcry from the Temperance Society would quickly be heard, similar to the howls whenever someone writes a letter about dear Great Grand Uncle's Hyram's cemetery being used as playground for us evil geocachers with our picks and shovels and implements of destruction....

 

The guidelines are aimed to keep our activities 'under the radar' of the general public as much as possible.

 

...

 

To get to a cache, you probably pass a few pubs/bars and off-licences selling alcohol anyway, why should a small amount in a 2" hight bottle worry them? And the minority of people who do find things offensive like alcohol shouldn't be forcing their personal views on everybody.

I am not condoning the use of alcohol in caches, but don't see that people who may be offended by it should be the reason to ban it.

 

...

 

The problem with the alcohol in a cache is that it's distribution is uncontrolled. Access to the product is not monitored in any form other than by the difficulty of finding the cache itself. There are many cachers not of legal drinking in their area. We've already seen how so many can get their panties in a bunch over such things.

 

The sad thing is that the "minority of people" often tend to be rather vocal. Should they happen to be park managers, or have some power in the community they can cause a lot of trouble for our game. That's why we are losing access to many areas in the US.

 

Whether or not it is right for the minority to force their views on everybody is immaterial to the fact that they can. The less ammunition we give them the less they have to attack us with.

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...

 

The "No alcohol" should be a 'no-brainer' as there are many people around the world who find alcohol consumption to be as evil as child molestation, hamster bashing or driving on the wrong side of the road. I have no problem with it but I can see where others might.

 

Were the ill-informed public to hear of the free booze hidden in local parks then the outcry from the Temperance Society would quickly be heard, similar to the howls whenever someone writes a letter about dear Great Grand Uncle's Hyram's cemetery being used as playground for us evil geocachers with our picks and shovels and implements of destruction....

 

The guidelines are aimed to keep our activities 'under the radar' of the general public as much as possible.

 

...

 

To get to a cache, you probably pass a few pubs/bars and off-licences selling alcohol anyway, why should a small amount in a 2" hight bottle worry them? And the minority of people who do find things offensive like alcohol shouldn't be forcing their personal views on everybody.

I am not condoning the use of alcohol in caches, but don't see that people who may be offended by it should be the reason to ban it.

 

...

 

The problem with the alcohol in a cache is that it's distribution is uncontrolled. Access to the product is not monitored in any form other than by the difficulty of finding the cache itself. There are many cachers not of legal drinking in their area. We've already seen how so many can get their panties in a bunch over such things.

 

The sad thing is that the "minority of people" often tend to be rather vocal. Should they happen to be park managers, or have some power in the community they can cause a lot of trouble for our game. That's why we are losing access to many areas in the US.

 

Whether or not it is right for the minority to force their views on everybody is immaterial to the fact that they can. The less ammunition we give them the less they have to attack us with.

 

I understand your point, it just frustrates me so much that political correctness and the fear of upsetting a few opinionated individuals has such an effect on the enjoyment of caching, and of life, in general.

The OP was regarding foodstuffs in caches, and the point about possible expiration and attracting wild animals is valid.

 

You are right, we should keep caching's name good and the less notice it get, the better, really. The point I was trying to make, and getting worked up about, was to what end do we have to tread on egg-shells in the fear of upsetting one or two people who have thir own strong (and sometimes hard to understand) beleifs and such?

 

I dont want this to turn into a rtant thread, there have been enough of those here, or a dispute about what is and isn't correct with small minority groups.

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At the end of the day it is not about being Politically Correct or keeping a Vocal group happy it's about the Cache listing guidelines that everyone who submits a cache for listing on this site agrees abide by.

 

Cache Contents

 

Use your common sense in most cases. Explosives, fireworks, ammo, lighters, knives (including pocket knives and multi-tools), drugs, alcohol or other illicit material shouldn't be placed in a cache. As always respect the local laws. Geocaching is a family activity and cache contents should be suitable for all ages.

 

Food items are ALWAYS a BAD IDEA. Animals have better noses than humans, and in some cases caches have been chewed through and destroyed because food items (or items that smell like food) are in the cache. Even the presence of mint flavored dental floss has led to destruction of one cache.

 

If the original cache contents list any of the above items or other questionable items, or if a cache is reported to have the questionable items, the cache may be disabled, and the owner of the cache will be contacted and asked to remove the questionable items before the cache is enabled.

 

Please remember that many Landowners/Managers when asked for permission to place a cache, ask about the contents. Many only agree to giving permission on the understanding that the above guideline is followed.

 

By placing contraband items in someone else's cache you risk having that persons cache "Disabled" until the offending items are removed, or even worse the permission for the cache rescinded by the Landowner/Manager for a breach of the terms of the permission agreement . How would you feel if your cache was disabled or removed because someone had put contraband items in yours?

 

Cache permission agreements are fragile things, which can be rescinded because one person didn't agree with the placement guidelines. Please think before you leave a item in a cache, about what the possible knock on effects on multiple caches could be because of that one item.

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As me Sainted father would say, "Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

 

No food is a good idea, and if I could ever bring myself to part with one, I see no problem with a miniature. I'm a Bacardi and coke man if you visit one of my caches B) Will buy my own coke.

 

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

 

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first. :)

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As me Sainted father would say, "Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

 

No food is a good idea, and if I could ever bring myself to part with one, I see no problem with a miniature. I'm a Bacardi and coke man if you visit one of my caches :) Will buy my own coke.

 

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

 

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first. B)

 

I'm assuming everything you said in this post is meant as a joke. However by stating such things publicly you run the risk of being taken seriously. Encouraging people to break the Geocaching.com guidelines is not a good thing. :)

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As me Sainted father would say, "Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

 

No food is a good idea, and if I could ever bring myself to part with one, I see no problem with a miniature. I'm a Bacardi and coke man if you visit one of my caches B) Will buy my own coke.

 

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

 

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first. :)

 

I'm assuming everything you said in this post is meant as a joke. However by stating such things publicly you run the risk of being taken seriously. Encouraging people to break the Geocaching.com guidelines is not a good thing. :)

 

Which bit might be taken seriously? B)

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"Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

I see no problem with a miniature.

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first.

Which bit might be taken seriously? :)

Once the smileys are removed I think these bits qualify.

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As me Sainted father would say, "Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

 

No food is a good idea, and if I could ever bring myself to part with one, I see no problem with a miniature. I'm a Bacardi and coke man if you visit one of my caches B) Will buy my own coke.

 

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

 

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first. :)

 

I'm assuming everything you said in this post is meant as a joke. However by stating such things publicly you run the risk of being taken seriously. Encouraging people to break the Geocaching.com guidelines is not a good thing. :)

 

Which bit might be taken seriously? B)

 

If it's a decent 15-year-old, the filtering bit should be the serious part. Not to be taken lightly.

I'll help, to make sure the jobs done properly! B)

 

G

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"Rules are for abeyance of fools and the guidance of the intelligent."

I see no problem with a miniature.

I will be putting out an ammo box some time soon and will put in a full bottle full size 15 year malt whisky.

Though I will have to filter it through my kidneys first.

Which bit might be taken seriously? :)

Once the smileys are removed I think these bits qualify.

 

And if the smilies are not removed which bit would be taken seriously?

 

For me food in a definite no, no. As would placing a bottle of liquid filtered through my, or anybody Else's kidneys.

 

The post was meant to have a humorous connotation, not meant to be serious. Apologies if anyone took it otherwise.

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If I put out a huge wheelie-bin sized cache could I ask everyone to drop in a bottle or 2 of my favourite tipple.I was thinking of placing it in my front garden for convenience sake.Its not the 1st cache I've seen in the cachers garden either!!

 

( ... the pig is anxiously refreshing e-mail while awaiting posting of currykev's latest cache and searching for discount fares to England...)

 

Just don't let RovingRangies find out about this first or it'll be empty.

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