Cache Finds

[+wayfarer222]

I'm sure this has come up before, but lately I seem to be finding caches with frankly junk inside them. I'm talking napkins, floss sticks (yuck!), dirty golf balls, and other assorted trash. Kind of a bummer when you're looking forward to finding a cool cache only to find nothing of value. I always try to leave something nice, something of some value when I find a cache. Sorry, just had to vent about that one.

 

chris

[Donald, Daisy and Kids]

I'm sure this has come up before, but lately I seem to be finding caches with frankly junk inside them. I'm talking napkins, floss sticks (yuck!), dirty golf balls, and other assorted trash. Kind of a bummer when you're looking forward to finding a cool cache only to find nothing of value. I always try to leave something nice, something of some value when I find a cache. Sorry, just had to vent about that one.

 

chris

 

We cache recreationaly when time permits (we have 8 children).

 

You will always find that others leave stuff like that, we once found a small flag that was originally stuck into someones steak. It still had fleshy bits of meat clinging to it. We just took it out and threw it into the nearest bin.

 

Some people here in Australia have been leaving photocopies of real currency, to us though, that isnt even worth leaving as these people always leave junk but take the best thing in the cache.

 

We believe that you should trade evenly or trade up but unfortunately not all cachers think like this, so we find ourselves trading less and less often.

 

Our kids have often said comments like "how disgusting that someone would leave (xyz item)" or "why would someone do this to the treasure"

 

Our kids love the caching, they think of it like modern day pirates treasures, and they really get upset when others leave garbage.

[+Night Stalker]

This seems like the norm these days. It was not always like this, but I guess with the rapid spread of this hobby we have to expect things to change. I know a fellow cacher who bought a bag full of foreign coins on ebay. It didn't cost all that much, and he leaves a coin in every cache whether he takes anything or not. To bad more cachers don't follow his example. Your kids would enjoy the content of caches a lot more if they did.

[Cinder2007]

This seems like the norm these days. It was not always like this, but I guess with the rapid spread of this hobby we have to expect things to change. I know a fellow cacher who bought a bag full of foreign coins on ebay. It didn't cost all that much, and he leaves a coin in every cache whether he takes anything or not. To bad more cachers don't follow his example. Your kids would enjoy the content of caches a lot more if they did.

You have spurred my brain. I will change this about our great and wonderful hobby. They will not ruin it!

[+simpjkee]

Considering geocaching, I've never thought whats in the cache to be the valuable part of the experience. Then again, I'm 25, and 15 years ago some of the "garbage" would have been cool to me. But, yes, I agree that most caches hold nothing that is really worth trading for. I have begun to carry a lot of swag with me while caching not only to trade if there is something I want, or to add to a cache if swag is seriously lacking. I like to think there is more than plenty of us who would add swag to caches, yet I think a lot of the things we add are taken by the majority who looking to grab things without adding. I'll keep adding, I've got all kinds of stuff that has no value to me anymore, but would to someone else.

[+trainlove]

I occasionally find dog biscuits in a cache, quite against the stated 'Do not put food items in a cache'.

I immediately take them out and toss them hundreds of feet away from the cache.

 

Perhaps people don't realize this, but dog biscuits may not have any smell to our human noses, but to a bear or moose it's lunch. I have seen wild animals tear apart an ammo can because they can smell the insides.

[+lacazg]

I was at this cache around my area and when I found it I was very dissapointed in the items. The items consisted of: American Girl Buttons, "Spy Kids" ruler and a broken baseball strike counter. I will always put something better than I found in from now on.

[+celestialmom]

I am really glad this subject came up. When I first started caching, we would take something out if we forgot to bring something to trade, or at the most only trade used (but nice and NOT broken) toys. When I read about "trading even or up", a little light bulb came on! There is no magical cache fairy that comes and replenishes junked caches! (Well, actually, there is, the name is usually Cache Owner, or people like simpjkee or Night Stalker's friend who actually add to caches even when they don't trade.)

 

So now we're the "cache fairies" when we go caching! We bring fun swag that kids will like and leave several items even if we don't take anything. Actually my kids get upset with me because they really want the toys in the geocaching bag much more than whatever is in the cache itself. Plus, like Donald, Daisy, and the kids, we clean out trash and food items as well.

 

I wish everyone could catch the vision to trade well, it would make things that much more fun!

[+lacazg]

There should be a group or club of cache unjunkers.... I'd join. I hate cache junk it's so annoying.

[+spankyjoe]

I always leave at least one bottle of hand sanitizer

[l3wis83]

new to this. ive found alot of broken toys anoying when the junk doesn't work oh-well but 1 persons junk is another persons treasure!!!

Edited July 3, 2007 by l3wis83

[+sixsix210]

I'm brand spanking new at this, and have recently conned my wife into trying it with me. I was happy to see this post before we set out for our first run this weekend. I can vouch for us, we will always trade up, and clean up. Count us in the cache fairies club. ;-)

[Spacebat19]

I'm brand spanking new at this, and have recently conned my wife into trying it with me. I was happy to see this post before we set out for our first run this weekend. I can vouch for us, we will always trade up, and clean up. Count us in the cache fairies club. ;-)

 

I'm a newbie, too--today was my first find! I figure that since this is all new and exciting to me, I'm going to do my part to throw a bit of life into some of these. I'll make sure I bring some interesting fun stuff to trade or replenish the cache. I think stuff that's kid-friendly might also appeal to big kids like me.

Edited June 23, 2011 by Spacebat19

[+onthehunt2find]

This seems like the norm these days. It was not always like this, but I guess with the rapid spread of this hobby we have to expect things to change. I know a fellow cacher who bought a bag full of foreign coins on ebay. It didn't cost all that much, and he leaves a coin in every cache whether he takes anything or not. To bad more cachers don't follow his example. Your kids would enjoy the content of caches a lot more if they did.

 

It's funny that you said someone did this as last night before reading this I ordered 145 coins to put into the ones I come across. As of yet I haven't removed anything from any I've found but have been really disappointed from a child's standpoint of what I've found in some.

[+sixsix210]

 

I'm a newbie, too--today was my first find! I figure that since this is all new and exciting to me, I'm going to do my part to throw a bit of life into some of these. I'll make sure I bring some interesting fun stuff to trade or replenish the cache. I think stuff that's kid-friendly might also appeal to big kids like me.

 

Lol. I'm a big kid who has more fun with kid stuff than most kids do. My wife and I collect penguins, so we are trying to find something cool, penguin related, and inexpensive for now. In the future, I can see myself with a big stack of custom coins since my wife has already started shopping for them. Lol. It's always been my mantra that you leave a place better than you found it. It's not that hard.

[nekodiscord]

I'm brand new to this, with 0 out of 3 for finding the caches I looked for though I've only been trying for a day, but I could see how bad, broken, or gross swag would get on peoples nerves. I was actually thinking really hard to pick out interesting things that I no longer use or with items I've made, i.e. keychains and things. It really seems like an easy and fun thing to leave something nice for the next person rather than to be gross or unappreciative of caching. I really hope my first find will be something interesting to see and know I found and I plan on leaving something just as interesting as I can manage.