Jump to content

Cache contents, a little boring


Brad Reardon

Recommended Posts

I'm new to caching, so take all of this as coming from a newbie. My 3 year old son and I have started this up recently and have three finds. All of them are in Woodstock, GA - so maybe the issue is local.

 

When we get to the cache, they are usually full of what I would call "Happy Meal" toys. We basically trade one Happy Meal toy for another, he plays with it for 5 minutes (how much fun is a Happy Meal toy anyway...LOL), then it ends up in the toy box. We can put it on a shelf and label it as a cache find - but it seems pretty silly to label a hot wheels car, a robot, and a plastic wrench.

 

What suprises me is that there is no typical souvenier that is a keeper. Like a button or a hat pin that you can keep as a collection. My son and I are going to start a few caches, and we would like to have some simple, small (1") buttons made that just has a design that relates to the cache, kind of a momento of the trip for who-ever finds it. I'll throw some toys in for the kiddies, but the button is intended for the Dads or other adult cachers. It's more about the find than the "treasure" type of mentaility for most of us I'm assuming.

 

The geo-coins seems a little expensive and silly to me. It's about where WE go, not where the coin goes (again, this just my perspective).

 

The idea is to put 30 buttons as described in the cache, as well as 30 self-labelled envelopes. So, the adults would take a button and an envelope, and mail a buck to back to us to pay for the button. It looks like the buttons cost about .50 cents, so as long as every other person follows through, we break even. Furthermore, even if I don't break even, well...I don't really care all that much.

 

Good idea? Bad idea? Already being done in most cache's and I'm just not finding the right ones?

Link to comment

A great idea, but I think if you really want to do it you need to take the expense and not expect people to pay for it because people will not pay, I bet after 30 went you MIGHT get 2 dollars. If you keep caching you will soon find some creative caches with interesting objects, also you'll learn about travel bugs. Theres much more to caching to come! :D

 

Most important, HAVE FUN!

Link to comment

Very few caches hold quality stuff for long. It's just the nature of the beast. I like to get SOMETHING from each cache as a memento but have no problem putting better stuff back in. I tend to attract items that are free or cheap to me but of value to others.

 

Never be afraid to leave a cache better than you found it.

Link to comment

In my mind, I really don't see why some people get all hung up on what's in the cache as long as there is a log. Only once have I ever taken anything. I polish rocks by tumbling them, so I usually leave some polished rocks even though I don't take anything. The thrill for me is in the hunt. The thrill is seeing wildlife while hiking through the woods. The thrill is getting over rougher terrain than I would have otherwise tried. As far as mementos of the caches go, the online log is good enough for me. But, of course, each to his own.

Link to comment

There are many inexpensive ways to make homemade trade items without "charging" fellow cachers for them. I would not pay for one, or take one either. Do you have an interest that you could reflect into a cache trade item? This would give you and your son some nice quality time together if he helped you make some trade items to share. Here is a link of some items that others have made link Mini first aid kits are easy and cheap: a bandaid, a paperclip, rubberband, alcohol wipe, etc.. in a small 2x3 bag costs pennies and easy for you to make. If you and your son have a digital camera, how about taking home a picture of each place you visited and start a photo journal of your adventures? We try to collect lapel pins and keychains and put them in a treasure chest we bought at Hobby Lobby. If we don't find anything, it is okay, but we still leave something for the next cacher or help restock it with additional goodies. In any case, he will learn a valuable lesson that time spent with you either out on the trail or making things for others is more important than finding a toy for himself. :D Happy trails!

Link to comment

We rarely trade. It's about finding it. For a long time, we weren't even logging before we realized that we really should be because people care about numbers on the website. Our kids are thrilled with finding a cache because that's what we're most hyped up about (and we really need their help for micros - which don't have anything more than a log).

 

If a cache full of Happy Meal toys bugs you (although I bet the kiddies were thrilled), you might want to consider trading out 1:1 each toy your child wants for something a bit more appropriate for grown-ups. The Golden Rule of caching is to do unto other caches what you would want other cachers to do unto your caches (or the caches you find).

 

I (the mom counterpart of HauntHunters) do ceramics and was considering making a little something of interest that can be left in caches or placed a number of them in a Regular cache we place. I couldn't imagine charging for that. I'd just be cool if someone wanted it. Look at it this way: if you swallow the price on something that represents your skill when you place it in a cache, you're advertising and people may considering buying from you.

 

Also, I think charging for items (even on the honor system) in a cache that you place is too much like a commercially-promoted cache which are forbidden in the geocaching rules.

 

- HauntHunters

Link to comment

We stopped trading for things in caches over a year ago, just signed the log (our put the sticker) and moved on.

 

That is, until I got hooked on travel bugs. Now, when I find a plethora of happy meal toys, or any small item (especially keychains), I take that, make it into a travel bug, and put it back into the game.

 

And, I will clean out the FOD (foreign object debris) from caches. Good grief, we have found candy wrappers, used fishing licenses, and just trash in caches. If a cache can't close, I take something out of it. And I always clean out the trash.

 

If the cache is large enough to hold a travel bug, then that is now what I leave. I won't take a button, or an individual swag item. I already have too many collections for that.

Link to comment

Oh, dear, I'm sorry, but if you are going to hide caches you are ~not~ going to break even. You'll likely find that you need to re-stock as the trade items devalue and the cache gets lean. You will spend money on gas going to check on your cache after two people couldn't find it. Maybe it's there, maybe the whole thing is gone.

The pleasure in hiding caches for me is:

Thinking about where to put it. What experience do I want to share with others? A little known beauty spot? An out of the way trail? Stump them with a puzzle or a tough hide? My reward is the logs that come in. I like hiding caches as much as I like finding them. But I have to be prepared for "Took TB, compass, and magnetic checkers; left smashed beer bottle top." It happens.

Zero chance anyone is going to send you money. I'd be offended if you asked. If you had a nice cache in a great spot that was getting a little low, I'd TN Leave something. Don't expect it, though.

 

I bought some geocaching buttons from bumblebuttons a couple of years ago. Nice place, nice woman.

 

Good luck and good caching!

Link to comment

There are two parts to your comment/question.

 

The first is the type of things found in caches. The first cache you found seems to have started out with nothing for the kids, and now it is all children's stuff. This is why I usually carry two things with me for possible trades, one that kids would like and one more appreciated by adults. If I see that the cache has nothing for children, I'll take the car dealer keychain or 1st State Bank pen and leave the trade item I brought for kids. And the other way around. If it's all McToys, I'll take one and leave something an adult might like finding. If the quality of the contents is disappointing, you could always make it your project to leave a cache a little better than you found it.

 

The second part of your post was about what to leave in your cache for visitors when you place your own. Something to remember the cache by sounds great. People are not going to pay, though. If it is in a scenic area, maybe a photo keychain or photo magnet. Or something cachers would find useful, like a pen or pencil.

Link to comment

Putting in my 2 cents - I do most of my caching with my 3 year old, but sometimes I can get my older ones, 12 and 15, to go - the goodies are a big draw. My first cache I got snowman soap - I collect snowmen, so I figured it was a great sign! For us, it is not what is IN the cache, as long as there is something to trade just for the fun. But having said that - I think items related to the cache or area are the best.

Camp Chaos Clan

Link to comment

For those with smaller children who get disappointed when the treasure box is lean -

 

There have been several cachers who will palm a trinket and slip it into the box if things are light. The trinkets, as we know, are pretty inportant to the kidlets. Use the cover story that you want to be the one to open the container as there may be dangerous bugs, snakes, barking spiders or the like nearby. Take a quick glance, drop in your contribution if needed and then let the little one check things out. Just remember to not get caught and don't drop in something the kid remembers from previous.... Most kids aren't stupid, just gullible.

Link to comment

:) Well I like the concept of a geo button. If you don't mind I'm going to make a few as travel bugs and ask people to put on the button and post a photo at each cache they find it in. This way we can see where it goes and who takes them there. I'll put a originating coordinate on it and maybe a desired destination too.

 

Thanks for the idea..

 

I'm new to caching, so take all of this as coming from a newbie. My 3 year old son and I have started this up recently and have three finds. All of them are in Woodstock, GA - so maybe the issue is local.

 

When we get to the cache, they are usually full of what I would call "Happy Meal" toys. We basically trade one Happy Meal toy for another, he plays with it for 5 minutes (how much fun is a Happy Meal toy anyway...LOL), then it ends up in the toy box. We can put it on a shelf and label it as a cache find - but it seems pretty silly to label a hot wheels car, a robot, and a plastic wrench.

 

What suprises me is that there is no typical souvenier that is a keeper. Like a button or a hat pin that you can keep as a collection. My son and I are going to start a few caches, and we would like to have some simple, small (1") buttons made that just has a design that relates to the cache, kind of a momento of the trip for who-ever finds it. I'll throw some toys in for the kiddies, but the button is intended for the Dads or other adult cachers. It's more about the find than the "treasure" type of mentaility for most of us I'm assuming.

 

The geo-coins seems a little expensive and silly to me. It's about where WE go, not where the coin goes (again, this just my perspective).

 

The idea is to put 30 buttons as described in the cache, as well as 30 self-labelled envelopes. So, the adults would take a button and an envelope, and mail a buck to back to us to pay for the button. It looks like the buttons cost about .50 cents, so as long as every other person follows through, we break even. Furthermore, even if I don't break even, well...I don't really care all that much.

 

Good idea? Bad idea? Already being done in most cache's and I'm just not finding the right ones?

Link to comment

Well, you know, the great thing about "Happy Meal" grade trade items is that once the three-year old is bored with them, you can always trade them back into a future cache. :P

 

My very first cache, I put all sorts of cool "keeper" trade items, hoping to raise the bar. Instead, the first caching group to stop by grabbed two premium items per person along with the first-finders gift, and left a handful of cheap erasers in the shapes of stars and moons. They probably made off with $25 worth of stuff, and left less than 50 cents.

 

Fool me once: shame on you. Fool me twice...

 

Most cachers won't try to ransack all the premium loot out of your cache. The law of averages states, however, that someone eventually will. State that you are charging a price for your geoswag, and someone will probably ransack it out of spite.

 

I like your thought process... but the lowest common denominator will most certainly get in the way. I certainly support your view regarding geocoins: I rarely release them anymore, because there is a high percentage of individuals out there who, sadly, cannot resist bright shiny objects that look like money. Most geocoins, in my experience, disappear in a few months, and definitely with much greater frequency than tagged travelbugs.

 

If geoswag is that big of a concern, the best thing I could advise is to lead by example, with the caveat you will get burned on occasion. I like to create a nice assortment for those visiting my caches, but when I visit other's caches, I rarely trade items. I merely leave my signature item(s) behind, and move onward.

Link to comment

I agree with most of the others. You're fighting a losing battle, but that doesn't mean you can't try. Our normal items are either small geocaching buttons or diecast Jeeps (we're Jeep nuts). The diecast Jeeps we leave are a lot nicer than 99% of what we see in a cache and they only cost us $1...when we can find them.

 

I think part of the problem is that people are really trying to run up their find numbers and don't want to spend much per cache. I put the $1/cache point as our target. For larger caches I'll go more but most of what we see is well under $1.

 

It's all about the hunt.

Link to comment

I wanted to speak to the idea "its about where we go" which is wonderful. There are few thoughts you might want to consider. First that there are "homebound" folks like myself who for real reasons (health or otherwise) can not "Go". However our coins, Travel bugs, and such can "go" in our sted. Examples, I enjoy having a TB move all across the country and visit wonderful places that I can track online and getting back the fun comments and even postcards from the kind people who move the coin or bug along. We have a cache near home, so I also enjoy all the TBs and Coins that travel and stop in our cache - I have had everything from Japan to Australia stop. I have also struck up a few friendships as a result of cachers stopping by, and now I can watch their luck and travels. It is also very fun to interact with the kids who are old enough to geocache who may have released a coin or TB, post a note that their stuffed toy is now 3,000 miles from home and sends regards to them. Last thought, as your son gets older, the geography and world connections he can gain are wonderful. Hey son, this coin came from Africa......... But I am with you, some of the "calling cards" are really creative and great, and others seem less so, but generally they have meaning or symbolism for the person who left it. But then finding the items that really interest you or your son is what treasure hunting is all about, and not every box holds treasure in the beholder's eye. Have fun.

Link to comment

Brad, I am also new to this caching thing, and when I say new, I am not kidding. I have so far found 1, yes 1 cache, and it was just a log. My wife and I found it yesterday and I felt like a 9 year old boy again finding a $10 bill on the ground. Ok, cool enough, but I am a little wound up about the whole thing. The big draw for me is not really the hunt, although I can fully understand that about all the rest of the world's cachers are in it for that hunt and find. For me, I wanted to get some practical, real world use out of my GPS, BEFORE being on a hunt here in Alaska. I look up and it's too dark to get back to camp, GPS is back in my tent because I never could figure out how to use the darn thing. That's me 100%. I have had a GPS for several years...maybe 6 or 7 years without learning to use it. Yes, it's pathetic I know, but it's my story. Anyway, I am with you on the value of the cache. I am presently gathering up a few items to put in the caches I will place, and choosing containers and such. Just today I was at our Base Exchange and looking in the fishing and hunting department. I had chosen a couple small, ceramic knife sharpeners, a pair of fishing line snips, and also a couple of those little LED keychain lights from Inova and Photon. Yeah, I just about broke myt budget for the whole month, but I wanted to put a couple caches out there with some really neat stuff. I am a gadget and knife freak and do a lot of knife trading back and forth. Sometimes ya get beat up on a trade, sometimes, you do ok. On the caching, you'll likely end up with some cheap erasers and whatever someone had in a drawer at the house not being used. Either way, I agree with most of the folks on here that it's more what you put in than take out anyway. I just would hope if someone got a $6 knife sharpener out of my cache, they would really appreciate it and find good use for it.

Link to comment

I've only found 2 caches at this time...but I thought I would add my two sense. Personally...the thing that attracts me to Geo Caching is the experience of finding new places and the hunt...but I want the loot too.

 

I found my first cache today, I actually had my mom with me...she was more excited than I was. Well, the hike was amazing and I found a new place to go hiking. I was pumped when my GPS beeped and started looking for the cache...and I was just as excited when I finally found it.

 

When I finally opened it up and looked it...I was a little disappointed...a cache full of old toys, mctoys, and things I couldn't even identify. I was hoping to find something mildy useful...maybe a small flashlight or something.

 

I dunno...when I look for stuff to put into a cache...I look for stuff I would want...part of the whole geo caching experience is the "cache"...I wish everyone would just keep the quality of a cache up.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...