Welfare caches

[Clan Riffster]

When we've come across items I wanted and didn't have what I felt was an appropriate trade, I was simply disappointed and left the item.

I had that happen to me at an island cache in Tampa Bay, which is roughly two hours driving time and one hour kayak paddling time from my house. I make "Geocaching" keychains, which I drop into every cache I find, if they will fit. They cost about $0.40 worth of material and about 2 minutes of time to make. Not much of an investment. Typically I don't trade, and instead, I'll just drop in a keychain as a gift for the next finder. Maybe 1 cache out of 20, I'll trade a keychain for, but the items I take are baubles which I think my daughters might enjoy.

 

In this island cache, I found a brass circular calendar with moving parts, that just impressed the heck out of me. I knew it was worth way more than my keychains, and I know it might be a long time before I go back there, so I just admired it for a while, and put it back. I would've felt guilty on that trade.

[MRC1925T]

Interestingly, this thread was started in 2007 but this problem of people taking swag and leaving nothing/junk is still happening. I have a couple of regular size caches and they are always getting plundered. If people don't have anything to trade, then they should TNLN. If they see something they want and what they have is not of equal value, they could put in several lesser valued items in exchange for that 1 more expensive item. However, neither of those scenarios is happening. I have one cache, in particular, that is always near empty when I check on it. I'm constantly refilling this and it's very frustrating. At the same time, I'm experiencing the same thing with the caches I find. The cache page either describes the starting contents or a theme, but the cache is near empty of filled with trash (rocks, bottle caps, leaves, broken toys, etc.) when I find it.

[AZcachemeister]

Interestingly, this thread was started in 2007...

 

And not much has changed about human nature in the last six years.

 

In fact, I would expect it has actually gotten worse with the recent explosion of smartphone app users who just stumbled on the game with no real understanding of how the trading thing is supposed to work.

[+wmpastor]

What gets me is when people leave money for swag, especially if it's part of the original swag, because then I KNOW they're trading down and by how much. Besides, who wants money? You can get that stuff anywhere.

Did some impromptu caching one day with two young muggles. Had no swag. Guests wanted to each take an item of swag. We left money - it's all we had. Only other fair option would have been to take nothing, and have a less satisfactory caching experience for the visitors. Exceptional case, of course.

 

As for your last two sentences, I predict that they'll find their way over to "Out of Context."

[+Crow-T-Robot]

Hide multi and mystery caches. Swag lasts alot longer.

[Pup Patrol]

This is the original post from 2007:

 

This topic has been brought up many times in the past. The sad thing is that the problem is as large today as it was 6 years ago.

 

You start a cache with good swag that quickly degrades to junk within a month. Why can't people trade up or trade even?

 

Maybe we should start caches with junk. That way they have no where to go but up.

 

Most caches today qualify for CITO. They are nothing but boxes of trash in the woods.

 

El Diablo

 

So, complaining doesn't do anything towards a solution.

 

Is there a solution? I doubt it.

 

 

B.

[+etphoneme2plz]

It is so dissapointing that folks think the things they trade for our even.

It is sad to see a marble, or a bone from some dead animal, or a rock from the river 5 feet away, left in the cache.

These two posts reminded me of my earlier trading days. Value must be in the eye of the beholder. One of my hobbies is/was being a rockhound. I have no formal training in geology, I just think rocks are way kewl. I had a rock tumbler that I would run day & night. I'd spend all of one day gathering a small handful of unique stones, then purchase a new batch of abrasive medium and run them through the tumbler for 24 to 48 hours, depending on their hardness. I was always amazed at what came out, and I thought I'd share my wonder with the geo-community. After seeing a few logs following mine in which the finders were deriding my polished stones, (comments like, "I can't believe someone left friggin' rocks"), I got rid of my tumbler.

 

Often, one man's trash really is another man's treasure.

 

Guess it depends on the age of a cacher. I love polished stones and little fossil type things. Very rude to be ugly about those. Now, if it was just some old rock u picked up off the ground covered in dirt, different story!

[+etphoneme2plz]

Interestingly, this thread was started in 2007 but this problem of people taking swag and leaving nothing/junk is still happening. I have a couple of regular size caches and they are always getting plundered. If people don't have anything to trade, then they should TNLN. If they see something they want and what they have is not of equal value, they could put in several lesser valued items in exchange for that 1 more expensive item. However, neither of those scenarios is happening. I have one cache, in particular, that is always near empty when I check on it. I'm constantly refilling this and it's very frustrating. At the same time, I'm experiencing the same thing with the caches I find. The cache page either describes the starting contents or a theme, but the cache is near empty of filled with trash (rocks, bottle caps, leaves, broken toys, etc.) when I find it.

 

I must say most of the caches I've found with swag items I want I may not have traded up BUT I did leave a handful or 2 of the swag I carry. Unfortunately for me and Im sure many others I can't afford to spend $5 for one item to trade BUT I will hit up clearance and dollar stores to find cute stuff and most of the time I leave stuff even when I don't take... I will also CITO the junk I find in caches and leave some of my stuff to replace it...

[+The_Incredibles_]

I visited a cache that was originally filled with gps devices,Instructions said if you need one take one,if not,leave them for the next guy.

There are many log entries thanking the guy for the GPS.

 

A generous CO, but I just don't understand how these people found the cache if they didn't already have a GPS.

[+OZ2CPU]

The more time, energy, love and care, good intentions, and money I spend on a new cache I make -

The more disapointed and sad I get when I visit it some time later..

 

What the users want is useless filmcanisters with wet logs and no room for swag,

this way it stays at the exact same shape as when it was placed.

 

If people do not want this ??

I suggest they start acting a bit different..

I tried all there is to do, nothing worked,

if anything I put out there is a little bit creative, funny, different,

people will find a way to kill it.

[+ras_oscar]

I stopped trading several years ago. I always carry a few swag items that I mostly leave in caches that are a little thin. I guess take nothing leave something qualifies as trading up Yes?

[Hosscatt]

Here lately ive just been leaving good stuff if the cache is pretty empty. I don't expect to find amazing stuff(I mostly like signature items), but theres a whole world of nice stuff out there that's inexpensive. Surely I can expect to find something better than one domino, die, or garbage.

 

I like the polished rock idea! It would be fun to carve something into it after it was polished, in Florida I bought a polished rock that had a tiny carved and painted sea horse on it, so cute ^^ Think I know my next project.

Edited June 14, 2013 by Hosscatt

[+thetoxiczone]

I always figure the trade is an average thing, some time it is up sometimes it is down but on average you should aim for even or up, I am not going to say to my kids sorry no you can't trade what we have for that (they are not going to take a GPSr, I would to the the local police station as I would assume it had been lost). So far it has been up old and grubby McJunk & McToys for new McToys, pens, fancy rubbers (erasers), Polished stone would be good, dead currency also (those replaced by the Euro for example) although not sure what we could trade for on the coins. Remember kids wish to trade for kids treasure, so what is one persons junk is treasure for another. Oh and my 5 and 7 year old complained that this year we are not going on a walking holiday so don't assume a cache on a hike will not get kids, they are the reason I have a GPS.

[+lamoracke]

There are 100 new caches in state parks and all of them are at least a small in size. Have made a special point in buying my 4 year old some swag to trade and he is trained that he can't have anything in a cache unless he trades something. Sometimes he trades down, sometimes up (an action figure for a smiley button?), but its his choice.

 

I try to say something if the parents of cachers I am with let their kids take without giving, but ultimately all you can control are your own.

[eyeluvmikyds]

I'm still fairly new to the game, my kids think the ones that have McJunk are the good finds! So many around here are just plain garbage (ciggerettes, old empty gift cards, candy wrappers, pen lids, etc). I wasn't sure what to take my first time out, so so picked some trinkets I had, some figures, and some cool one of a kind beads I had saved up. I also hand make mini dreamcachers out of old bangle bracelets. My youngest (6) insists every cache gets one of his drawings. Probably junk to other people, but we enjoy it. I would feel guilty trading this stuff for the things some of you have said, but I've never come across anything that nice.

[+jennthefunkyranger]

I never bother with swag from a cache as it's so rare I find anything I'd actually want. I did find a bluetooth headset in one recently, but I a) didn't need it, and had nothing to trade for, so left it for someone who could swap it for something else useful and who needed it. The one exception I make to swag is when I find a Guide or Scout badge in a cache, as I'm a Guider so these are something personal for me, and go on my camp blanket.

[+uxorious]

I visited a cache that was originally filled with gps devices,Instructions said if you need one take one,if not,leave them for the next guy.

There are many log entries thanking the guy for the GPS.

 

A generous CO, but I just don't understand how these people found the cache if they didn't already have a GPS.

 

A few times I have gone caching with someone new. I have let them use my GPS to find the cache, and get a real feel for the hunt. (usually it is a kid that uses it.) If they really like the experience it would be generous to find a GPS.

[+niraD]

I visited a cache that was originally filled with gps devices,Instructions said if you need one take one,if not,leave them for the next guy.

There are many log entries thanking the guy for the GPS.

A generous CO, but I just don't understand how these people found the cache if they didn't already have a GPS.

It can be done.

[+ShaunEM]

This really comes down to caching prep. People can hardly remember to bring a pencil or pen to write with. What percentage of cachers are going to remember to bring tradeable swag?

 

I usually just load my caches with mcToys. Really the kids get a kick out of this stuff. I *try* to carry a few really good dollar store items for the occasional item I JUST must have. This is usually hand wipes, lanyards, or some little caching item.

 

The log book is really the important part. I do ensure my kids leave something the same or better (usually even an item found in a previous cache).

 

I did have someone post a NM Log on one of my caches because it was empty of swag.. thats balls!

 

Shaun

[+JKMonkey]

the problem is that there is only so much trading up you can do until there are things of actual intrinsic value in the cache, which is something few want to do

[Hosscatt]

Dang Shaun, now I feel weird for how much I prep lol. Ive got a geocaching backpack I take when I go. Batteries, spare logs to replace wet ones, signature coins in a small pouch with the pens, and lots of swag to leave ive been gathering in the large main compartment.

[+etphoneme2plz]

Dang Shaun, now I feel weird for how much I prep lol. Ive got a geocaching backpack I take when I go. Batteries, spare logs to replace wet ones, signature coins in a small pouch with the pens, and lots of swag to leave ive been gathering in the large main compartment.

Don't feel weird cuz I have one of those geo-backpacks too!!! Holds all kinds of stuff for fixing (blank logs, all size baggies, duck tape), cleaning up (Walmart bags to CITO, Kleenex, baby wipes), tools (tweezers, scissors, regular compass, flashlight) and of course swag!