Keep the Cache or Re-Cache?

[+Lovey Pigs]

Don't know if this has been asked or not lately but: Wondering if you keep the swag you find from the found caches you find, or simply re-swag these items for future caches found? We have an old hand-made wooden box (treasure chest) that we have placed our 'found swag' in and our geokids thinks it's fun to look through the treasure chest at past finds. We simply keep a backpack with swag items to trade out with.

[+sbell111]

I rarely trade anymore, but when I did, I generally 'reswagged'.

[+briansnat]

I do a little of both. If its an item I can use, I keep it and will put it to use. Some things in this category that come to mind were a tape measure, a rubber mallet, a camera case, a book (later recycled in a cache), some parachute cord, a DVD (Field of Dreams), a VHS tape (The Good, Bad and Ugly), a mini screwdriver set and some fire starter.

 

Other items that are interesting or useful, but not to me, will be recycled in other caches.

[+Cpt.Blackbeard]

When I started out I generally just moved it from cache to cache, unless I really liked it, then I would keep it and find something as good or better for the next. now I seldom take anything.

[+The Leprechauns]

We rarely trade anymore, but when we do see a cool item and trade for it, there's a 50-50 chance it will wind up in a future cache that we hide. I also recycle the contents of caches that I retrieve when archiving them. After throwing out the junk and keeping the sig items, the remaining swag provides a start on my next cache.

[+BlueDeuce]

When I started out I generally just moved it from cache to cache, unless I really liked it, then I would keep it and find something as good or better for the next. now I seldom take anything.

 

me too.

 

I'll usually trade for signature items otherwise I'll just leave a couple things if the cache seems low on trinkets.

[+Jae71]

I rarely trade anything. The only exception is when my 4 year old daughter is with me. As you can imagine, she always wants whatever little toy is in the cache, and will never let go of it, so we end up keeping everything.

[+Mudfrog]

We rarely trade these days but when we do, it's usually for something we see that we like and want to keep. This is entirely up to you, as long as you trade even or up!

[+lumacafi]

It seems that most people have lost interest in trading items from caches.

Anyway i try to move swag from cache to cache. Except some items i like, like golf balls

[+TetrAmigos]

tape measure, a rubber mallet, a camera case, a book (later recycled in a cache), some parachute cord, a DVD (Field of Dreams), a VHS tape (The Good, Bad and Ugly), a mini screwdriver set and some fire starter.

 

Holy smokes, Brian! That's some pretty neat loot.

[Neos2]

I usually only trade for items that I want to keep. Most of these items I keep in a box also, and go through it now and then to marvel at my treasures. The useful ones I carry with me or use as they were intended.

 

I sometimes take large, clunky items that I don't particularly want for myself out of overfull caches just to make room for better trades. I drop off something small in that cache and and drop off the larger item in the next large empty-ish cache I come to.

 

I often drop off trade items in caches that look a bit sparse, and take nothing out. That makes it just a little nicer for the person who comes after me.

[CerealBoxQueen]

I love to trade.

 

But yes the signature items are the most fun. I love the BBI buttons I find.

 

Usually I keep most of it in a small box and after awhile re-swag some of it.

 

My own swag I try to pick up nice things, we have a thrift boutique in my area, so I buy beautiful pins, key rings, necklaces, rings and bracelets that are pretty high end...but I get them for like 50 cents.

 

That really saddens me looking at the past things said in this thread, most of the fun in geocaching for me is seeing what the "treasure" is inside.

 

It's like gift giving at christmastime, you're leaving a gift for someone else and they're leaving a gift for you.

 

Secret Santa stuff.

[+BoredKitty]

I log every item I have ever taken and keep them in a treasure chest for future review. I either buy swag or obtain items from conventions that I attend and trade these items for whatever is in the cache that I find. It always brings back happy memories of caches that I've found when I look into my treasure chest! -BK

[+StarBrand]

About 60/40. I keep anything useful or interesting or unique. My son keeps all matchbox cars we run across. Most other stuff ends up in another cache down the road.

[OuttaHand]

I've kept every item I've ever traded out of a cache. I now have three display cases on my office wall that my dad made for me. Each is made like a larger-sezed "California Job Case"(printer's case) and each holds many trades.

I enjoy the trading. I like having a little memento from each cache I've done. Some of the items are very nice things -- like a hand-thrown clay mug. Other things are geo-junk like semi-working McToys. I probably wouldn't get $3 for the lot at a garage sale. But regardless of their actual cash value, they each have tremendous CACHE value to me.

So trade -- or don't trade (as long as you trade even or trade UP). Keep the trades or re-gift them. This is a game with rather flexible rules in this department. Do what makes you happy!

[DrDark]

I keep all my finds along with a paper copy of the cache page.

[+Criminal]

If I pull a cache box, I usually stop at the trash can on my way into the house and shake the open container over it.

Edited January 25, 2007 by Criminal

[+TrailGators]

We rarely trade anymore, but when we do see a cool item and trade for it, there's a 50-50 chance it will wind up in a future cache that we hide. I also recycle the contents of caches that I retrieve when archiving them. After throwing out the junk and keeping the sig items, the remaining swag provides a start on my next cache.

I'm the same way!

[+froldt]

While I've only been caching since Christmas, I enjoy going through the cache and seeing what's in there. My girlfriend and I try to find the items in the logbook, to assign names to the items.

Trading is part of the fun for me. I like to trade every time, even if it's normally just me moving things around. So far there's only been a couple of things that I have kept, things that really caught my fancy or that I could use. I plan to get a good (read, big) corkboard so that I can start collecting items, though.

[+Totem Clan]

I normally don't trade. When I do it's to remember a milestone, cache #50, 100, 200 etc, last cache I did in Alaska, whatever. Therefore I normally to trade for something that I plan on keeping.

 

I also have some themed caches. I will trade for something to put in one of those caches.

 

I guess most of the time when I trade, which isn't very often, it's for a reason.

 

However I always try to leave something, if there is room in the cache, whether I take anything or not.