Goodies to leave in caches

[+tonibunny]

Hi,

 

I'm sure this question has been asked a lot before so apologies for bringing it up again!

 

I've been thinking up cool things to leave in caches; things that people would actually welcome finding. I'd welcome any ideas/comments!

 

Things I'm planning to leave, or have already left:

 

Champneys soap

Mobile phone charms

London souvenir keyrings

Hair clips

Sunglasses

Handy packs of patterned tissues

Pingu and Tellytubbies badges

Bubble mixture

A light-up bouncy ball (this is fab, it glows red and blue when it bounces. I nearly kept it for myself!)

 

Cheers!

 

Toni xx

[+jennie.m]

Watch out for the bubble mixture, if it leaks, it will make one hell of a mess of the cache. Other than that, it sounds good to me

[+fat bloke]

I think that if is big enough a plastic poncho is agood idea, I was out at mallam walking to back pasture when the heavens opened and there was one in the cache, It was a life saver as I was in a cotton uniform and getting cold.

[+fat bloke]

I think that if is big enough a plastic poncho is agood idea, I was out at mallam walking to back pasture when the heavens opened and there was one in the cache, It was a life saver as I was in a cotton uniform and getting cold.

[+The Bongtwashes]

I like to find a FTF certificate, but so far I have only ever got ONE!

[+HazelS]

Yeah - sounds good - put the tissues and the bubbles in a zip lock bag though. I'd not leave the soap... from experiance, little animals like mice will actually eat soap, and will become ill from it (like candles too) - so don't leave either of those. plus lots of people wouldn't take soap.

[+PopUpPirate]

from experiance, little animals like mice will actually eat soap

 

I must admit I'm intrigued to find out how you know that

[+John Stead]

from experiance, little animals like mice will actually eat soap

 

I must admit I'm intrigued to find out how you know that

 

Seen the teeth marks - more importantly seen the chewed cach boxes when they went for the soap!

[+Globetrotter.uk]

I found a large cache the other day and I was so excited thinking there was going to be some real goodies to chose from: Here's what I found inside.

 

1 pr latex gloves

a few sheets of bog roll (wet)

plastic hair clips

5p

leaves

 

come on cache owners do a bit of careful maintenace and caches take some useful safe stuff on your next trip. I carry homemade keyrings now. Some have slogans: like COOL DUDE others have celeb photo's.

[+t.a.folk]

We like finding Corporate freebies and unusual second hand stuff we can't buy for ourselves in the shops .

[+Sensei TSKC]

I found a large cache the other day and I was so excited thinking there was going to be some real goodies to chose from: Here's what I found inside.

 

1 pr latex gloves

a few sheets of bog roll (wet)

plastic hair clips

5p

leaves

 

come on cache owners do a bit of careful maintenace and caches take some useful safe stuff on your next trip. I carry homemade keyrings now. Some have slogans: like COOL DUDE others have celeb photo's.

This certainly sounds like a gripe at the cache setter in this case.

 

Please realise that it is more than likely a result of poor trades from finders which have left the cache in this state. Trading down is a very common thing and there have been numerous threads relating to this proble. One which is of the opinion that results in a TNLN response. That way, they cannot be held responsible for the cache depletion of suitable contents.

 

The cache setter, IMHO, is not responsible for the quality of the trades after setting the cache. In fact it should either remain at the initial level or increase!

 

 

[+scaw]

someone left bubbles in an ammo box of mine a while back what a mess it made ruined everything in the box had to bring it home to sort out............

 

i used to leave trolley tokens but have moved onto phone charms now

[+Jonovich]

phone charms

 

What's a phone charm?

 

J

[+tonibunny]

OK, I certainly won't be leaving bubble mixture or anything that could leak :-)

 

I won't be leaving anymore soap, though I did leave a mini Champney's soap (v posh and expensive make!) in Cara's College Cache in Regents Park. Hopefully someone will take it soon.

 

My policy is that I am always going to trade up, and try to raise the quality of the cache loot that I find! Besides, it's fun buying up nice little bits and bobs when I'm out shopping, and then checking the logs for the caches I've been to, to see if people have picked them up and appreciated them

 

I'd love to find mobile phone charms!

[+Bigby & Snow]

I'd love to find a pingu badge

 

I've left girlie stuff and would like to find (and leave) adult/every-age stuff instead of kiddies macdonald/freebie/plastic toys. Charity shops often sell better quality stuff for the same price or cheaper.

 

I've left postcard+stamp, crystal, nail polish, small bronze 'oriental type' bell ...

 

I have come across latex gloves in almost every cache I've visited. I wonder who puts them there. I do not see the point... and I do not see the point in penny coins.

 

Good ideas welcome!

Edited May 24, 2007 by uglitangelo

[+currykev]

For me the only acceptable items in a cache are all forms of paper money and trackables.

[+4 Badgers]

I have come across latex gloves in almost every cache I've visited. I wonder who puts them there. I do not see the point...

 

The latex gloves are a signature item from bones1 who, I believe, is from the Hemel Hemstead area. Personally, I think they're a great idea - I now carry a pair in my caching bag with me (not, I hasten to add, a pair I've taken from a cache), as they're invaluable when it comes to poking your fingers in yucky places to retrieve a cache

[+JJROD]

I have come across latex gloves in almost every cache I've visited. I wonder who puts them there. I do not see the point...

 

The latex gloves are a signature item from bones1 who, I believe, is from the Hemel Hemstead area. Personally, I think they're a great idea - I now carry a pair in my caching bag with me (not, I hasten to add, a pair I've taken from a cache), as they're invaluable when it comes to poking your fingers in yucky places to retrieve a cache

They're also great for CITO. The second cache we ever found had a note about CITO in the description and when we found the cache there was a little CITO kit in there with a rubbish bag, latex gloves and an explanation about CITO. I thought that was a great idea.

[+Alibags]

come on cache owners do a bit of careful maintenace and caches take some useful safe stuff on your next trip. I carry homemade keyrings now. Some have slogans: like COOL DUDE others have celeb photo's.

 

At the risk of starting up another old forum favourite...

 

I stock my caches once and ONCE ONLY. It's not my duty to continually replenish caches when people have not traded fairly or have just nicked whatever they fancy.

 

To attempt to keep to the topic, all sorts of stuff is good in caches and your list looks good, but I would second (third?) the sentiments about not leaving soap in caches (although small bottles of shampoo and shower gel are fine). Generally I tend to put primarily kids stuff in caches, as it seems to be mainly kids who are most interested in exploring cache contents.

[+S&G.Davison]

I always go scrabbling for TBs - coins or the traditional ones. I also hope to find a little bear - G hopes I don't as I've "rescued" way too many.

 

Sue

[+ryme-intrinseca]

Anything purple is fine by me.

 

My favourite find was this one as I collect these items, and they can be quite hard to find.

 

I might be nearly 30, but I haven't grown up yet. I love finding toys. Another of my favourites was a little finger skateboard. Little things please little minds, eh? (Oh, and for the person who was asking what aphone charm is - that's one, standing on the skateboard!)

 

We usually TNLN, but if we do leave something, it's usually with kids in mind.

Edited May 24, 2007 by ryme-intrinseca

[+Gralorn]

Apart from moving on Geocoins and the odd TB, we tend to TNLN also, now and then we may drop off something like a nice keyring to add to the booty. A nice touch that someone had awhile ago was to put into a cache a First, Second and Third Rosette for the first three finders. We thought this was most different and have two Firsts on the study wall.

[markandlynn]

For me the only acceptable items in a cache are all forms of paper money and trackables.

 

good idea ive just put a £50 note in one of my caches

[+Rosie's Rangers]

For me the only acceptable items in a cache are all forms of paper money and trackables.

 

good idea ive just put a £50 note in one of my caches

 

We'll see your £50 and raise it £950 on our latest cache...

[+S&G.Davison]

I like the idea of rosettes for the first finds.

 

Sue

[+tonibunny]

Sue! I found one of your pathtags in a cache in London. I took it, but now I realise you may have meant it for the owner of the cache? If so I will put it back again.

 

It's lovely btw - I'm looking into having my own made

[+DR. Ape]

Our youngest son likes to collect golf balls and when his cache goes live he has designed certificates for the first 3 people to find the cache as he thinks its unfair only the ftf gets one normally.

[+drsolly]

I still have a bunch of hard disks to put in caches. But I'm finding that too many containers just aren't big enough, or there's moisture in the box, which wouldn't be a problem for many items, but I wouldn't want to put a drive in a damp box.

 

Another problem I've got with these, is that they get a bit heavy to take on a long march :-)

[+PopUpPirate]

Food, candles, matches, milk and soap. Then the cache finder has something nice to eat, they can light a candle so they can see what they are doing, and to cap it off they can have a nice drink and a good wash!

 

Edited May 25, 2007 by PopUpPirate

[+Team Sieni]

This kind of begs the question of what you should do with things you take from caches. If they're nice, should you keep them, or should you return them to another cache for other cachers to enjoy?

 

Living in London I just go to a tourist tat shop every now & then for a few key rings, red bus toys, decent quality tat (if you see what I mean) and augment it with cheap but fun toys from the supermarket, like cardboard model aeroplanes.

 

Of course I then forget to take any of this out with me and end up TNLN, or perhaps leaving a golf ball I may have chanced upon on a walk and put in my pocket.

 

How many caches do you know that have themes for the kind of goodies you should leave? I know of this one GCJDPT which only says "Please take and leave something of the techno kind if possible"

[markandlynn]

For me the only acceptable items in a cache are all forms of paper money and trackables.

 

good idea ive just put a £50 note in one of my caches

 

We'll see your £50 and raise it £950 on our latest cache...

 

Well thats just grand isn't it

 

Themed caches

 

That ones sounds OK cause it says if possible, try telling a young child they cant take that nice trinket from a cache cause you dont have anything themed as per the cache instructions in your swaps bag.

[+ryme-intrinseca]

We've found a few themed caches, and we own one too.

 

There are three themed caches I remember from Norfolk - one for keyrings, one for aliens, and one where you have to write your log on a postcard instead of in the log book. There is one in North Wales where you leave an interestingly coloured piece of slate.

 

One of my caches is a book swop. It's a puzzle cache, which is book-themed so you can't really miss that fact, and I make it clear on the cache page that it's books and TBs only. So I would hope no one turns up to the cache, takes a book and leaves a plastic spoon, piece of toilet roll, dried up felt-tipped pen, etc. Time will tell...

 

I can imagine that it's difficult with kids if they want to swop items and you don't have anything that fits the theme. Which is why I've tried to make it very clear on the cache page...?

Edited May 25, 2007 by ryme-intrinseca

[markandlynn]

We've found a few themed caches, and we own one too.

 

There are three themed caches I remember from Norfolk - one for keyrings, one for aliens, and one where you have to write your log on a postcard instead of in the log book. There is one in North Wales where you leave an interestingly coloured piece of slate.

 

One of my caches is a book swop. It's a puzzle cache, which is book-themed so you can't really miss that fact, and I make it clear on the cache page that it's books and TBs only. So I would hope no one turns up to the cache, takes a book and leaves a plastic spoon, piece of toilet roll, dried up felt-tipped pen, etc. Time will tell...

 

I can imagine that it's difficult with kids if they want to swop items and you don't have anything that fits the theme. Which is why I've tried to make it very clear on the cache page...?

 

Sounds fun we always have a few books in the swap bag and the fact its labelled a mystery cache means its correct to the guidelines (do you use bookcrossing books ?) and would be read before we went out to do it

 

Themed caches in our home area are easy as we know more about those.

 

We have come across a couple while on holiday and as we read the description on the way to the cache its been difficult to swap as asked we do have a large variety of swaps but have been caught out a few times.

 

Id guess that the mods would say a themed cache faslls under ALR's and should be labblelled a mystery cache ??

[+ryme-intrinseca]

 

Id guess that the mods would say a themed cache faslls under ALR's and should be labblelled a mystery cache ??

 

Hmm, hadn't thought of that, it's just coincidence that our is a 'mystery' to be honest.

 

I've just found this bit in the guidelines:

 

"Caches with mandatory requirements in addition to signing the logbook should be listed as mystery caches. Examples include sending the cache owner a verification codeword found inside the logbook, performing some task at the cache location and taking a photograph, or writing the online log in a format or with content that satisfies the cache requirements. The mystery cache designation assists finders in identifying that something extra is required in order to log a find."

 

However, it could be argued that swops are not mandatory, and that, as you could TNLN and still sign the log book, perhaps it would be okay for a theme cache to be listed as regular. Listing it as 'mystery' would most likely mean that more people take notice of the cache page, and are aware that it is themed, but should it compulsory to put it in this category?

[markandlynn]

 

Id guess that the mods would say a themed cache faslls under ALR's and should be labblelled a mystery cache ??

 

 

However, it could be argued that swops are not mandatory, and that, as you could TNLN and still sign the log book, perhaps it would be okay for a theme cache to be listed as regular. Listing it as 'mystery' would most likely mean that more people take notice of the cache page, and are aware that it is themed, but should it compulsory to put it in this category?

 

Now that's a good question have not got a clue on the answer though

[+gazooks]

Food, candles, matches, milk and soap. Then the cache finder has something nice to eat, they can light a candle so they can see what they are doing, and to cap it off they can have a nice drink and a good wash!

 

 

I think you forgot the tea bags

[+gazooks]

Yeah - sounds good - put the tissues and the bubbles in a zip lock bag though. I'd not leave the soap... from experiance, little animals like mice will actually eat soap, and will become ill from it (like candles too) - so don't leave either of those. plus lots of people wouldn't take soap.

 

I have also found that some soap bars disintegrate if they get damp and make a mess in the cache - and make everything smell of rose petals

 

[+gazooks]

Yeah - sounds good - put the tissues and the bubbles in a zip lock bag though. I'd not leave the soap... from experiance, little animals like mice will actually eat soap, and will become ill from it (like candles too) - so don't leave either of those. plus lots of people wouldn't take soap.

 

I have also found that some soap bars disintegrate if they get damp and make a mess in the cache - and make everything smell of rose petals

 

 

oops double entry - my Pc hicupped

Edited May 25, 2007 by gazooks

[+The Blorenges]

I always go scrabbling for TBs - coins or the traditional ones. I also hope to find a little bear - G hopes I don't as I've "rescued" way too many.

Sue

 

Talking of bears and themed caches reminded me of The Bear Necessities of Life near Winchester. I think you'd enjoy it, Sue

 

MrsB

[+Lotho]

My cache,GC12WGT, is precious stones and shells themed, and the mods didn't have a problem with it being a traditional cache, so i guess themed swap caches are whatever they would be without the swap requirement.

[+The Blorenges]

My cache,GC12WGT, is precious stones and shells themed, and the mods didn't have a problem with it being a traditional cache, so i guess themed swap caches are whatever they would be without the swap requirement.

I like that idea for a theme - I often leave tumbled stones, half geodes or attractive mineral specimens in caches. I just hope that visitors to your cache will read your cache page properly in advance and try to keep the theme going.

MrsB

[+Moote]

If I swap it is normally craft items, I never leave anything that smells, apart from the odd blow off of wind

[The Red Kite]

Watch out for the bubble mixture, if it leaks, it will make one hell of a mess of the cache. Other than that, it sounds good to me

I picked up a discarded bottle of bubbles recently, unopened.

 

Yesterday, feeling silly,I decided to play with them. Could I get the dadgum thing open? NO!! It had a silver foil lid which was firmly stuck on and was NOT going to be pulled off, or have a finger poked through it. Finally managed to get it off only to find it also had a film lid firmly stuck underneath. Took me ages to wrestle my way in but it was well worth it, the bubbles were brightly coloured and lots of them

 

Obviously bubbles are definitely not meant for kids these days.

 

It might be worth checking out before you buy if you are intending to leave them in a cache.

[The Red Kite]

Watch out for the bubble mixture, if it leaks, it will make one hell of a mess of the cache. Other than that, it sounds good to me

I picked up a discarded bottle of bubbles recently, unopened.

 

Yesterday, feeling silly,I decided to play with them. Could I get the dadgum thing open? NO!! It had a silver foil lid which was firmly stuck on and was NOT going to be pulled off, or have a finger poked through it. Finally managed to get it off only to find it also had a film lid firmly stuck underneath. Took me ages to wrestle my way in but it was well worth it, the bubbles were brightly coloured and lots of them

 

Obviously bubbles are definitely not meant for kids these days.

 

It might be worth checking out before you buy if you are intending to leave them in a cache.

[sleepless42]

I once left a necklace purchased for 50p from a charity stall at a fete. Someone found it and commented that it was worth something. Turned out to be valued at aprox £50. The kind finder offered it to be returned but I thought it was a fair find and declined. I always trade up but many of my cache boxes have bee traded down - they start off beautifully and soonm get depleated. Sort of spoils the fun. Charity shops are a good source of good cheap fun. Why do people leave those calling cards??? Beats me

[+blueboots]

I enjoy looking through the caches to see what others have left. Didn't realise bubbles would spill as they always appear well sealed but will think twice before leaving them again....and the scented candles, I hope they are safe to leave in ammo boxes. My favourite find was a cache which I thought I had finished and then discovered a little twist at the end which resulted in a 'Congratulations' slip to keep.

[+L8HNB]

We've started to leave the RSPB bird / butterfly / animal pin badges, they always seem to go soon after leaving them, they look good, and importantly generate revenue for one of our favourite charitys - the geosproglets seem to like them too.

 

L has a thing about picking up anything with a face, so we've got quite a few of them on the fridge!

 

Things not to leave in our view: Soap, sachets of anything that can burst, food and we've found a cache with one of those inky stamp/pads that had leaked, made worse by the cache being a bit damp, Uggh!

[+pklong]

I always like it when I find CD's in caches. You often get music cd's free in the Sunday papers. I was introduced to the PodCacher's Podcast by a CDR I found in a cache once.

 

Other than that I usually TNLN

 

I also like finding (obviously not swaps!):

 

Photos or other information related to the Cache site.

 

Postcards.

 

Stamps (with or without an ink pad) to stamp your own log book with.

 

Philip

Edited May 30, 2007 by pklong