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'Calling Cards' Cluttering Caches


Delta68

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Surely we're not alone in being irritated by 'calling cards' that get left in caches.

 

A couple of older caches we did yesterday in the Buxton area were stuffed full of them and they just get in the way.

 

:huh:

 

The 'calling card' idea goes back to the forerunner of geocaching, Letterboxing. When the first letterbox was set up on Dartmoor at Cranmere Pool it was the intention that visitors should leave their calling card. Of course time moves on and now letterboxers are armed with inkpads and stamps. Geocaching, we feel, is moving the same way but we still like to browse through any calling cards that we find in caches. We still carry a small supply of our own calling cards with us when we're out caching for those occassions when we come across a waterlogged cache where it's impossible to sign the logbook legibly or get a sticker to adhere to a page. ;)

 

We do agree with you to an extent though. Cache owners should clear out clutter (inc. calling cards) when they make their regular checks on their caches. :(

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We still carry a small supply of our own calling cards with us when we're out caching for those occassions when we come across a waterlogged cache where it's impossible to sign the logbook legibly or get a sticker to adhere to a page.

 

That's a good idea! :(

 

Thanks for the historical info as well :huh:

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I like calling cards provided they are water proof. :( They take up very little space and are often quite interesting. It's usually the junk trades that take up the space. My son has taken to collecting calling cards recently, which he finds more interesting than swapping trades.

 

I had an email from a newbie recently that said they had taken our calling card from a cache and would be placing in another cache soon. :huh:

I'm not a fan of the trend towards just stamping a log book without writing anything. I've noticed this a lot recently. I believe the log book is an important part of caching.

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I like calling cards provided they are water proof. :( They take up very little space and are often quite interesting. It's usually the junk trades that take up the space. My son has taken to collecting calling cards recently, which he finds more interesting than swapping trades.

 

I had an email from a newbie recently that said they had taken our calling card from a cache and would be placing in another cache soon. :huh:

I'm not a fan of the trend towards just stamping a log book without writing anything. I've noticed this a lot recently. I believe the log book is an important part of caching.

 

I'm quite new around here and got the idea of collectable calling cards so I made a bunch (10 different & properly laminated )with a Lion King theme. I normally leave two of the same in a cache so that two (optimistic me) people can collect or take one and leave one for the owner. My wife thinks it was a waste of time but, I'm pleased to see that there is at least one person out there that may collest them.

 

Happy hunting!

Edited by Bundu Bashers
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I don't mind the calling cards, but I hate a soggy mass of paper slurry in the bottom of a cache.

I agree that it's the junk trades that clutter up a cache, I rarely take anything from a cahe because it looks like everybody who has found a cache so far has just emptied the rubbish from the bottom of thier pocket into the stash! Anything you put into a cache should be worth trading to somebody.

Personally I blame the owners - I have only placed one cache but I intend on visiting it regularily to clear out any rubbish that is accumulating in there.

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"Personally I blame the owners - I have only placed one cache but I intend on visiting it regularily to clear out any rubbish that is accumulating in there."

 

Why is it the owner's fault that other cachers leave "rubbish"?? :(

 

The swap debate will rage on and on, but for some of us it's a matter of finances as well. If trades were restricted to "good quality" stuff there would be hardly any caches out there. Not all of us can afford to buy the containers, stickers, log books etc branded by gc.com but it doesn't make the cache less "findable." And I for one can't afford to leave stuff like watches and fancy torches. In an area like ours, people are grateful to find a cache as there have been so few until recently.

 

When you have accumulated a few caches it's difficult to go out and maintain them all regularly, unless you don't actually have to go to work! If someone logs a maintenance required, I go and sort it out straight away.

 

I am guilty of leaving calling cards, but they are laminated and I don't care who takes them. I know some people regard them as geolitter, but thats personal opinion. If the log is too wet to sign, or there is no pen/pencil in the case, it proves to the owner that I was there. If its a micro that is too small for a laminated one, and there is no pencil, I might leave an unlaminated one in the log book.

 

I have taken cards from caches purely because they were interesting enough to want to collect.

 

Personal choice again.

 

Sometimes I wonder why I bother setting caches at all when there is so much criticism on the forums. :D

 

But then reading the logs makes it worthwhile in the end :cry:

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You mis-understand me red kite - I don't expect to find rolex watches and the like, but it annoys me to find as I have - tissues, used KFC wipes, a single surgical glove (It's not much use on it's own and it takes up loads of space), and some little squigy thing that worries me 'cos I think it might be full of heroin!! (Someone in essex leaves little squigy faces with hair, my daughter traded one once and eventually it split open and was full of a white powder - they look like little £20 wraps! anyway that's for another post!)

 

The reason I suggest that the owner is at least in part to blame is that once a cache is so full of, basically crap (not things that may, to someone, worth trading or fun to trade) It needs maintanace. Finding a cache in this state is still fun to hunt, but a bit of a dissapointment once found particularily to my 2 children who have been sold the whole adventuce as a treasure hunt.

 

The two caches I have found that where so abysmal I reported as needing maitanence - They are still it the same state 6 months+ later.

 

If the caches are just going to be left in this stae you might as well just place an "official geocache" sticker on a rubbish bin and throw a logbook into it!

 

Finally, i don't mean to critisise you for setting caches - I think it is a noble deed indeed which is why I am joining your ranks as a cache setter (placing my second later today). I imagiane you read the forms on a regular basis, however I believe the people who a lot of the critisism is aimed at, set caches and then simply forget about them, they probably move onto anothe hobby and abandon geocaching, and finally they probably don't read the guidelines that say a cache should be places to last a long time.

 

The vast majority of caches that I have found have been well thought out and well maintained, it's just the odd one or two that really disappoint.

 

TFTCaches - keep placing them

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I agree that the owner should take the most responsibility for their caches but surely the best people to help maintain a cache are the ones who visit them. As an owner I regularly check out my caches, even the more inaccessible ones, but I’d be delighted if someone fixed a problem on site without asking for my permission. One of my caches was replaced recently by some kind soul and I have replaced at least five other people's caches myself when I know that they are in trouble.

 

I’ve seen loads of logs on caches that said things like, “cache was soaking wet, TFTC”; “some of the contents are rusty, left CD” [probably counterfeit]; “box was absolutely so full the lid is coming off, left two TBs, Took nothing”. And don’t get me started on plastic bags around the outside of cache containers, “needs new bin liner as this one is full of holes and the box is wet”. Take the ruddy thing off then. And certainly don’t encourage people to put them in bags in the first place.

 

So I say why not actually take some responsibility over it as the finder and tidy the dadgum damned things up. Dry the cache; remove the rubbish; take some tat and leave nothing if it means the log book and contents will be ok.

 

As far as the OP goes, if within this tat are damp, faded, or big (!) calling cards then just take them out. That’s what the log book’s for.

 

Edited to replace "dadgum" with damned, which is what I originally wrote. I have no idea what “dadgum” means nor do I want to. I am not American and this is not IMHO an offensive word. I just searched the forums and it exists elsewhere. I could’ve said “effing things”, but I chose not to. Now, Mr/Mrs smart@r$e editor machiney thing, you’ve just drawn attention to yourself.

Edited by jerryo
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The reason I suggest that the owner is at least in part to blame is that once a cache is so full of, basically crap (not things that may, to someone, worth trading or fun to trade) It needs maintanace. Finding a cache in this state is still fun to hunt, but a bit of a dissapointment once found particularily to my 2 children who have been sold the whole adventuce as a treasure hunt.

 

The two caches I have found that where so abysmal I reported as needing maitanence - They are still it the same state 6 months+ later.

I'd like to add to the answer above. The responsibility for the maintenance of caches is down to cachers!

I'd like to know why you didn't do something about the state of the caches you mention and then email the owner to explain why and what you've done.

I do not think it cachers' responsibility to restock caches or perform cleansing/replacing etc but then again, some of us do.

Those that find caches are there and in a position to sort them out, there and then. This would allay the necessity to make a trip, which could otherwise be avoided.

 

I have maintained/cleaned/replaced and removed items from caches before. The owners are, in the main - if not whole - very grateful. Just my view.

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"Personally I blame the owners - I have only placed one cache but I intend on visiting it regularily to clear out any rubbish that is accumulating in there."

 

Why is it the owner's fault that other cachers leave "rubbish"?? :) ...

 

Bingo.

 

I do not go check my caches for the express purpose of clearning out rubbish. There needs to be a bona fide cache problem like a wet log book.

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I agree with you all. If I find a grotty damp cache i will dry it - I usually clear out any rubbish, including rotten calling cards and I will often out in stuff in an attempt to restock caches, and a carry spare notebooks to replace lost or damaged beyond repair logbooks.

I think a well cared for cache will inspire caches to keep them tidy, but how many caches have you found that are so grotty you don't feel the desire to swap anything. Unfortunately I don't carry a spare cache around to swap for a rotten one.

As for the caches - how many times have you seen in the logbook "Took [insert coolish item] left [piece of garbage from the bottom of my pocket] Whilst I understand the swaps should be relatively worthless, the detritus from the bottom of your pocket should not be considered a fair swap!

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I agree with you all. If I find a grotty damp cache i will dry it - I usually clear out any rubbish, including rotten calling cards and I will often out in stuff in an attempt to restock caches, and a carry spare notebooks to replace lost or damaged beyond repair logbooks.

I think a well cared for cache will inspire caches to keep them tidy, but how many caches have you found that are so grotty you don't feel the desire to swap anything. Unfortunately I don't carry a spare cache around to swap for a rotten one.

As for the caches - how many times have you seen in the logbook "Took [insert coolish item] left [piece of garbage from the bottom of my pocket] Whilst I understand the swaps should be relatively worthless, the detritus from the bottom of your pocket should not be considered a fair swap!

 

Well I prefer to find a cache with no swaps rather than one of the caches I found the other day that was full of paper mache calling cards and rusty badges a bootlace??? and some gravel...... I mean eh? :ph34r:

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The reason I suggest that the owner is at least in part to blame is that once a cache is so full of, basically crap (not things that may, to someone, worth trading or fun to trade) It needs maintanace. Finding a cache in this state is still fun to hunt, but a bit of a dissapointment once found particularily to my 2 children who have been sold the whole adventuce as a treasure hunt.

 

I always clear out any 'crap' when I maintain my caches. They always start out filled with decent swaps. If caches take decent swaps and leave used bus tickets, sticks, conkers, sweetie wrappers etc, then it's not up to me to continually replenish the cache at my own expense. It may be disappointing for the kids who find an empty cache after this sort of thing has gone on, but that's just too bad. I can now see why people list the original cache contents on the cache page, although I have not done this yet.

 

Back On Topic, I like calling cards. I think that people who don't like them should merely ignore them if they are in somebody else's cache, or do whatever they like, if they are in their own cache. I get fed up with other people attempting to impose their own ideology upon me.

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I don't mind calling cards in caches - some are quite nice, but I do object to them being stuffed in between the pages of the logbook :blink: It's a right pain when you open the logbook on a windy day and two dozen cards go flying out across the countryside which you then have to clean up! :ph34r:

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Back On Topic, I like calling cards. I think that people who don't like them should merely ignore them if they are in somebody else's cache, or do whatever they like, if they are in their own cache. I get fed up with other people attempting to impose their own ideology upon me.

Surely people who leave them in caches are doing exactly that!

 

:ph34r:

:ph34r:

 

:blink:

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I wondered if Sensei was going to post here. We had a day of micro cards falling out of micro caches. Everytime it happened he let out a cry like a wounded rhino and I've now got a pocket full of them. I don't tend to mind calling cards too much, but I don't think micro caches are the right place for them, as they do tend to follow the log out.

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I don't tend to mind calling cards too much, but I don't think micro caches are the right place for them, as they do tend to follow the log out.

 

Now that I do agree with, and also if you have a micro log that just about fits when rolled up, then people use stickers on the log and it becomes nigh on impossible to get it in and out of the cache. I had to use my Leatherman on a few such caches last week. Oops! but now I think about it, I have a TB that travels from micro to micro :rolleyes:

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