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Swag Items


BlueMotmot

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I've only been geocaching since January, and find that I am usually disappointed in the swag contents of most caches. The majority seem to be for the under 9 age group. Is that common elsewhere?

 

My first caches I tried to place more outdoor type items for adults, but one cacher complained that she was caching with her 6 year old and they were disappointed in the cache contents.

 

So, I have started to stock my caches with age variable items, and trade up in caches I find. What kinds of swag items do others place in caches?

 

Thanks,

BlueMotmot

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I've only been geocaching since January, and find that I am usually disappointed in the swag contents of most caches. The majority seem to be for the under 9 age group. Is that common elsewhere?

 

My first caches I tried to place more outdoor type items for adults, but one cacher complained that she was caching with her 6 year old and they were disappointed in the cache contents.

 

So, I have started to stock my caches with age variable items, and trade up in caches I find. What kinds of swag items do others place in caches?

 

Thanks,

BlueMotmot

 

So far on the four I have foud the item were very disappointing. Mostly Junk.

 

I tend to leave things like: Geocaching pins, Fishing Lures (if near a fishing area), Lanyards, and things like that. Most of the stuff I find are like: an eraser, some little rubber toy, or mctoys. I don't have a problem with toys, there should be some stuff in there for kids. One cache I went to didn't have anything in it, so I stocked it up.

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There's been more than a few times folks find garbage in a cache. I find it annoys the heck out of me and I tend to think it is just plain tacky and not 'playing fair'. But that's just me and I may be over-reacting here. So rather than go off on another angst filled rant.....

 

Fun stuff I like to leave in caches:

 

Sacajawea dollars

Cool mineral samples (I recently picked up a handful of Peruvian Chrysacolla samples and they are too cool!)

New decks of cards

Small tape measures (like $3 at Wallmart)

Compass

Spiffy foreign currency

Carabiners

Local field guides to birds or bugs or such

If there's any Happy Meal toys involved, they'd better come from Thailand or Malaysia or such because they are pretty odd looking, to say the least!

 

While some folks are not into swag at all, I think at least if a person is going to drop something in a cache, it should be something interesting, useful or fun.

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We keep our caches pretty well stocked with swag that all ages would like.

 

For the little ones we have put in Dora the Explorer and Spiderman utensil sets, croc shoes, matchbox cars, rubber ball/soft rubber jack sets, stickers, kinder toys, coloring books, animal toys

 

For tweeners we have put in bead sets, hacky sacks, hand held video games, pins, pencils, erasers, roller skating coupons, sidewalk chalk, card games

 

For teens: movie tickets, music cds, certificates for ipod downloads, McDonald's food certificates, Starbuck's certificates. (anything a teen would like to get for free, as we have teens and they suggest these items)

 

For adults: maglight flashlights, dinner for two at local eateries, coins and pins, the above mentioned teen swag, tool sets, bungie cords, batteries, camping supplies, first aid kits, tee shirts... ect.

 

All of the swag we place in our caches is brand new.

 

Please note, we only have two ammo can swag caches. One is at the end of a multi and one is very close to our home. We check our caches frequently and they have not been muggled. We like to find well stocked caches, so we do our best to give back to the caching community. :P

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The reason we only have two ammo can caches is for the very reason of price. We budget to place nicer swag in our caches. It's not hard to do, and it gives the finder a real smile just not the logged smiley. Work within your budget and don't put yourself into debt to place swag. It's not worth going broke.

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It is hard to gauge what will delight people. I was very happy to find two tiny rubber ducks in two different caches. I wish I could have found more.

 

We like to leave kid stuff, as it seems a lot of kids cache along with the parents.

 

We also try to leave adult stuff that we pick up at the dollar store or odd lots store.

 

I guess my point is just because it is small doesn't mean that someone won't be delighted to find it.

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The way we keep from getting disappointed is to just expect that there will be nothing there but a log book. We almost always bring a container with doohickeys and such in case we find something neat. Our favorite swag items are guitar picks, mini Slinkies, and keychains with an artist's mannequin on them. But we're principally there for the hunt.

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Howdy BlueMotmot! :P

 

I agree that cache swag seems to be mostly kid oriented. It's a bit strange since the majority of cachers in this area aren't especially young - most of them have grown children.

 

I like to include things for multiple ages. The swag tends to deteriorate though. I have to go check one of mine that you found recently. Scrooge's Strongbox started out with a fair $$ worth of swag in it. It had adult items such as a flashlight, a DVD of Scrooged, a set of screwdrivers, a heavy duty combination lock, guitar strings, needle nosed pliers, the Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching book, a ready-to-go micro cache, and other things I can't remember off the top of my head. It also included more kid oriented items such as new pencil sharpener, assortment of erasers for pencil ends and another of flat erasers, a set of fancy pencils, a set of colored pencils, a set of colored markers and other kid type items I can't remember now. Like I said above, I spent a fair amount of money on this one. Since it was the final cache of a 6 cache series I wanted it to be a good one. It was one FULL .50 cal ammo can. I also placed it where there is a pretty good view back down the canyon so you could get more than just some swag from the placement.

 

One problem with caches such as this is that some folks won't trade for items since they don't have anything of comparable value with them. I find that most folks carry little or no swag when they cache. Others will simply take whatever they like and trade nothing for it or trade a piece of junk. You can't control what the cachers do when they find the cache.

 

I need to go up and check on this one now (hopefully Friday, it's on my calendar.........) since I hear that it is getting a bit lean on swag. It's disappointing but, sadly, not surprising.

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We hit dollar store. We buy everything from pressed glass flowers to mosquite/tick wipes to personal sized packages of wetwipes to little girl's bracelets and little boys cars, to keychains and more.

 

Nothing costs more than 1.50, BUT, nothing looks like crap, either. I keep it cheap, but I do put thought into it for things that I think others would enjoy or use.

 

We also are "cache cleaners and restockers." I hate going to caches and finding garbage in them...and I mean real trash, too.... old batteries, paper tape measures, old USED make-up, even a package of cigarettes! It angers me to no end!

 

Most of what we leave would be classified as kid stuff, but I have noticed that most of the adults that cache without kids seem to be the tnln type of folks, and the ones that take are the ones caching with kids.

 

My pressed glass flowers, though, are quite popular with everyone, and I understand why... they really are pretty! They are a chunk of glass that would be about the same size as a large marble that had a flower design stamped on them to flatten them out. I get them at dollar store for a pack of 25 for a buck and they are about 2" across and 1" thick, different colors, and have an irridescent coating. Adults and kids like to take them...

 

And that makes me happy!

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Half the treasure of geocaching is the hunt, the other half is finding the cache.

 

I don't cache for the items in the cache, I cache to get outdoors. To see nature, enjoy the "outdoor smells," and to hear the sound of songbirds, or running water. The outdoor experience is worth more than any cache trinket. I don't hunt caches with the expectation of finding priceless treasure, so I'm rarely disappointed.

 

Something to consider is that little toys and trinkets oriented towards children are quite affordable, whereas quality items geared towards adults get expensive fast. If I was expected to stock each one of my caches with "priceless treasure" good enough to please everyone, I wouldn't be hiding caches.

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I tend to leave the better stuff in the caches I liked best. If I find one I really like, one so far, I'll stock the thing full of goodies.

 

The really good one i found I stuck four pins, a mini fishing tackle set, lanyard, a clip on pen, and $10 gift certificate to REI. All in all cost me ~$20. Now, I wouldn't put all of that in everyone most of the time I put $1-$3 worth of stuff in there. But that one was a lot of fun to find and didn't have anything in it, so I stocked it up.

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When I leave swag it's usually emergency-use type stuff. A pair of AA batteries, a cheap disposable poncho, a small roll of campers toilet paper (in a roll about 1.5" diameter - a real life saver in the right circumstance!), a cheap compass, etc. Most of these items can be purchased in the camping sections of Wal-mart or Target for around $1. When my son is along with me I carry a few HotWheels type cars to replace the ones he takes.

 

But for the most part I don't bother with swag... I'm more of a TNLNSL type of cacher. I guess I got put off after finding a few too may caches filled with mildewed and broken McToys. Plus the fact that I can stuff my regular-sized lock-n-lock cache to overflowing with $5+ items and have it reduced to a few $0.05 plastic toys, give-away calendars, and broken key-rings within a month. I have no problem leaving presents, but I'm not running charity.

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I'm new to geocaching, but when I do it is usually with my kids. They love the excitement of finding something that I see as clutter, in the way of closing the lid. I think the swag is a great thing for keeping the interest of the kids, and without their interest, I don't get to geocache. So even though I would prefer not to trade swag, it helps keep me in the game.

 

I do get rather annoyed at the photocopied money that is so water damaged and crumpled that even the kids see it as litter. I often feel the urge to go through a large cluttered cache that I can hardly close the lid on and remove the things I see as damaged, or without redeeming quality, but I leave that to the cache owner. I don't have any of my own yet, but I'm working on it.

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When I cache it is generally with a few kids. Our caching party is very hard to deal with at some caches because VERY RARELY is there enough pieces of swag for all of them to trade, I often wish there were. I use geocaching to teach a bit of "leave it better than you found it".

 

This past weekend there were at least three caches that we restocked with new stuff. They were left in much better shape that we found them.

 

Some new stuff I have left include, wallets, head bands, batteries, bison tubes with log books, flashlight keychains, the list goes on.

 

I really like the personal items best. I have been known to take a pokerchip or two, and the occasional card I liked. Me and my kids made a cool DVD of a few caches in our area. There is a bookmark list with all of the caches on the DVD so anyone that sees the DVD can easily find the caches that are on the movie. There is also a note at the end of the movie to feel free to drop it in another cache. I have not gotten much feedback on it but I hope to soon. What do others feel about finding a personal DVD in a cache?

 

To end this long post. I rarely let anything in the hobby get to me. The occasional nice piece of swag for the kids is what I like. This game is great, and I tell everyone that. There are no real set rules and most people are great. It really is the time spent with the family just cruising and being together.

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I am a solitary cacher. No kids, generally no other hikinh buddies. I used to carry a backpack full of simple, but really nice trade items. I would hit the $store, and get some cool stuff (first aid kits, carribiners, novelty pens, disposable cameras, screwdrivers, etc), but I have come to realize that the caches I find never have anything to trade. most are micros, so I couldn't even restock the cache if I wanted to.

 

Earlier someone mentioned that the cache that they stocked with more adult type stuff received complaints because it didn't have any kid stuff. That post made me laugh. If I posted a complaint about every cache that contained no adult stuff (im 33, and as I said, I don't have any kids), I would very quickly build a reputation as a crochety old man.

 

So, to wash my hands of all this, I have definintely become a TNLNSL kind of cacher. Every once in a while, I find a really cool trade item, and regret not having something to trade, so I now carry 2-3 nice trade items in my gps kit, and if the mood strikes, I might trade, otherwise I just sign the log, slap a few mosquitos and move along on my way.

 

Boots...

.tread lightly.

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I also cache alone, without kids, so I consider each cache on its own merits. If it is a cache that is geared more for familys with kids, I leave something for them. In others that I think would be more adults than kids that would visit it, I leave something I would like to find. I leave carabiners, insect repellant wipes, and in some, personal first aid kits or ponchos. It all depends on what I find in the cache that makes me decide if I leave swag for kids or adults. Many times I will leave something, but take nothing, just to leave it richer than I found it.

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I cache with 4 kids, so they love the McToy kind of stuff. After they take what they want, I clean up the cache and always leave more than they took. I also switch out plastic bags and replace pens, if necessary. I try to leave a balance of kid and adult friendly stuff. If the cache is big enough, I always leave a handmade geo-bookmark, along with other stuff, including bouncy balls, wet wipes, bug wipes, decks of cards, toy bugs, carabiners, pen key chains, toy cars, tissues, bags of foreign coins, water toys, small books, journaling kits, etc.

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I stocked up on kid-friendly swag this week at Joann's Fabric. They have their summer stuff for 70% off, including lots of little "kids camp" kits that have things like foam shapes, art kits, and stickers. Some nice new swag that kids should love that ranged in price from about 25 to 97 cents. Might be a good time to stock up on swag at some of those end of season clearance sales.

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At first the trade items were interesting and gave an additional reason for the kids to help find. They love any new junk they can get their hands on. After awhile though the luster of finding caches for happy meal toys wore off. I haven't traded anything for quite awhile. The joy is in the hunt for me I don't care what is in the cache after I find it.

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I'm new to geocaching, but when I built up my stock of swag items, I hit several different Dollar stores in the area. I do my best to find quality items that seem fun, interesting, and/or useful. When I read the logs of caches I've been to, I see these items being taken, so it appears that a lot of the cachers liked the items I left behind.

 

Sometimes I also hit local yard/garage sales and look for little trinkets that seem appealing. There is a lot of junk at some yard sales, but you just never know what you can find there, and everything is cheap!

 

My only other source for swag stuff is when I find myself in a store (Mervyns, Walmart, Target, craft stores, etc.), I will cruise through the clearance stuff. I can usually find some cool stuff for kids and adults without spending a lot of money.

 

So far I have been pretty successful with my swag items. I just keep geocaching in mind anytime I run across any really good sales. The idea of using foreign money is an excellent idea too. This could be educational for kids and interesting to adults too.

Edited by azdebdeb
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We cache with our four kids (one pre-teen) and they enjoy the usual kids items. Our oldest will trade for a carabiner. We seldom trade for anything unless its a signature item from another cacher.

 

We try to carry interesting items for trade. Small sunscreen, sewing kits, salt and pepper shakers, maps. Stuff like that. We stock our hides pretty well but with the knowledge they won't stay that way. But around here if a rural cache gets visited once a month it's on fire. I've got a cache that's a month old and still no FTF yet! :lol:

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The majority seem to be for the under 9 age group. Is that common elsewhere?

 

No, we have garbage geared towards adults too (just kidding, actually most of the cache owners in this area are very good about nicely stocking their caches).

 

My first caches I tried to place more outdoor type items for adults, but one cacher complained that she was caching with her 6 year old and they were disappointed in the cache contents.

 

There is a word for that. Audacity. Also chutzpah, nerve, cajones, gall and cheek come to mind.

 

So, I have started to stock my caches with age variable items, and trade up in caches I find. What kinds of swag items do others place in caches?

 

Depends on the cache. If a cache is a longer hike with a higher terrain rating I sill stock it with mostly adult geared items. If it's an easy hike (esp. if I use the kid friendly attribute) the contents will be heavily oriented towards children.

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We're new to this, but IMHO, one man's trash is another man's treasure (not literal trash of course). I've only looked at this forum a few times, but it seems to be filled with one complaint after another on how "this cache had this junk in it", or "that cache was lame because of such and such". I'm really shocked that people get so upset over what they find in a cache. Now, I'm not talking about inappropriate materials, or someone throwing in their garbage, or items that aren't allowed in caches. I'm talking about people mad because there's toys in them, or small inexpensive items, or someone's cards, etc, etc, etc.

 

We shop at the Dollar Store as well as lots of other places. We put in McToys as well as things that adults might use or like. We're working on our signature item and will start to leave those too. But, I think that you should use what you can afford, what you can find, and not worry too much about it.

 

Geocaching is an activity for all types of people to enjoy, young or old, rich or poor. I keep seeing "trade up, trade even, or don't trade at all". Does that mean that if you found a $100 bill in a cache that you wouldn't take it unless you had something worth $100 or more to put in there??? I seriously doubt it. It reminds me of my three kids when they get mad that they haven't won the board game we're playing. I'm always telling them that it's "playing" the game that's fun. Once you've won, the game is over. Sure, it's neat to find something cool that you can use or collect in a cache. But if you don't, why is it so hard to just pick something to take, and then use it as something to leave in another cache? Maybe it's not something you like, but someone else will think is truly wonderful. I guess I'm just lost as to what all the fuss is about, I thought the fun was in the hunt. I didn't get into the "game" to win a bunch of cool stuff. It's just a great way to get outside, see different places, and teach our kids new things. I hope others can start to see the fun in the hunt, and worry less about the treasure at the end.

Edited by elmuyloco5
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We always try to put in decent swap items, that's when we are carrying our bag which isn't possible all of the time. We also like to replace log books & maintain/repair caches when required. But like mcrow if a cache is a bit crappy we don't tend to put in good swaps. Some good swaps that we have used in the past are: Jewellers screwdrivers (a bit hit), torches, tape measures & good d shackles, good practical stuff.

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We tend to always leave better then we take, frequently trade or leave or take tbs, and occasionally restock caches we come across. Unfortunately, if we restocked every cache we came across that was filled with junk we would not have money to geocache, but we do try to do our best with restocking/trading up.

 

We do tend to leave kid/adult items although the adults don't usually trade. The kiddos usually pick there own tradables with the baby trading baby books/cars/small toys, the middle child trading those cheapo plastic toys that she currently has such an affinity for (not quite sure what the pull is but they make her happy), and the oldest leaving books or tween jewelry or art stuff. I tend to leave books while my husband tends to leave key chains or a cache in trash out container.

 

I think the emphasis has to be on the cache owners wish for trades to be equal or better and then a willingness to clean and restock the cache as necessary. People will make the decisions they make and that is just a part of life. Part of the reason that we have so few non micros is that they do cost more to maintain properly.

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It is hard to gauge what will delight people. I was very happy to find two tiny rubber ducks in two different caches. I wish I could have found more.

 

We like to leave kid stuff, as it seems a lot of kids cache along with the parents.

 

We also try to leave adult stuff that we pick up at the dollar store or odd lots store.

 

I guess my point is just because it is small doesn't mean that someone won't be delighted to find it.

 

Hey...you guys forgot to mention that you also almost always hide your caches in neck-high poison ivy. That always adds to the delight of the finder! :anitongue:

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I just got some friends into this great hobby. We have several children between us ranging in age from 7 to teen. One mans trash is another mans treasure is super true. Each person in our group finds something different that they want to swap out. My child and I have made our own personalized swag. The thing is that just because we think our swag is cool doesnt mean that someone else does. Just like with the kiddos, each one finds something totally different to want for trade. Yes we love the hunt but sometimes we like the cool card/patch/token in the cache. Many times we find micros with only a log. We try to leave things that are nice (but beauty is in the eye of the beholder), and how do you define 'nice'?

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I'm new to geocaching, so haven't found very many, but I will say that the few I've found, I've found with my 3 kids, aged 6, 11 and 13, and you'd think they found the gold at the end of the rainbow with each cache...it makes them happy for hours to find a cache full of trinkets, so the hikes through mosquito infested woods have been worth it so far! After reading through all these posts, I'm going to go swap out some of the swag I put into my first cache, so that there is a little something for everyone. There's still a little kid inside of me that likes to find "treasure" too! :)

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I like to find pins, patches and keychains. This is what I bring for trade:

 

new keychains

geocaching wristband

TFTH, geocache, and CITO, and other kinds of new pins

matchbox cars (for my 4yo to trade)

Good Luck Pigs from The Smithfield Ham Shop

Simpsons and Batman Skycaps (from a comic book store)

 

We also carry specific items for specific cashes, like one that we are going to (when it stop raining) is a super hero theme cache so we got a spiderman matchbox car and spiderman pencil to take for the trade. I always check to see if it is a theme cache to make sure I have the correct trade item.

 

oh, I also bring along a bunch of those inexpensive Bic ballpoint pens because we've ran across a cache without a pen and figured I would carry some extras so I can leave them behind if need be.

 

~Erica

tdpr&c

Edited by TheDreadPirateRoberts&Crew
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I work in the warehouse of a company that has TONS of corporate swag. I put that stuff in caches, not because I'm trying to get the company name out there (I could care less) but because it's free. I use:

 

corkscrews

pocket knives

stickers

lanyards

pens

bottle openers

flash drives

disposable ponchos (I love putting these in caches, you never know when you'll need one!)

 

and my favorite

 

minor league baseball tickets (which I also get for free)

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I am happier with junk caches than micros and log only caches. Sometimes my favorite items would surely be seen as junk by others :lol: I try not to leave junk and I try to remove broken items from caches, but I try not to be judgmental of other peoples leavings. You can never know the value of that item to them, if you don't like the items, don't trade for them.

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