Get Ready for a Flaming Rant!

[+TotemLake]

Not everybody has $$$ to toss coins or wooden nickles in a cache much less some other high priced signature item, but nooooo, you need to pick cards as a bone of contention to satisfy your greed for better goodies.

 

How's that for an opinion?

 

Incomplete. Are you tossing in your card in exchange for a geocoin or a wooden nickel? Because if you are, I think your opinion stinks.

 

If not, carry on! I think I could get into collecting geocards.

No, the card is in addition to what I put in the cache. A card is a signature item. Not a trade item. I also put in shrinky dink key tags although I haven't done either in the last couple of years. I'm trying a different idea and it hasn't quite jelled out yet.

 

Here are some of the sig items I have put in caches. Each item is carefully treated for water resistance. I had a card come back to me with a slight bleed after 6 months mere feet from the treacherous waters of Deception Pass. I gave the finder a dry card in exchange for the water damaged one. It was in a ziploc baggie, but someone had removed the baggie. I guess they had a better use for it.

 

Frankly, geocoins are not trade items, so they don't count. They typically have a mission just like travel bugs. Wooden nickles are up for grabs as far as I'm concerned becuase they too are sig items. That being said, I tend to trade sig for sig when it comes to that.

[+PlantAKiss]

Ditto on the wet contents...notify owner to check the cache.

 

I have sig cards although 95% of the time I forget to put them in. But I worked very hard on my cards...they are custom-made by me (no business card template thing), laminated to be more durable. On the front, they have my caching name and one of my own photos of a plant, fungus or critter discovered while caching or hiking. On the back of the card I provide the common name, scientific name and bit of information about whatever is on the front. This was in hopes of teaching a little bit about some of natural flora and fauna local cachers might encounter while out hunting.

 

I moderate on another forum and one day there was a topic directed to me. It was made by a forum member up in PA. He posted a pic of one of my sig cards! He had come down to Richmond and did some caching while here...and found my card in one of the caches! I was thrilled! He's a nature-lover like me and I'm glad he took the card. So...you never know where or in who's hands a sig card might show up!

 

I think its cool to collect sig items and I love that photo of the bulletin board! That's awesome!

[+quadcity007]

I love that photo of the bulletin board! That's awesome!

 

You're soooo into yourself!

 

I like the idea of lamenating them.

[+Trucker Lee]

The cards can really be a bother, even a water-tight cache is subject to some condensation that the cards can soak up. If you go to the trouble of having them made, why couldn't the first user of them also leave a baggy for all subsequent cards to be placed into. Using the logbook baggy means they will be left out, misplaced, or tossed.

[+Civic Doodie]

Personally I enjoy them. Is anyone here on my wall?

 

Must...make...Bret's...wall...

[+Pegasi]

Personally I enjoy them. Is anyone here on my wall?

 

Must...make...Bret's...wall...

Reminds me of a thread awhile back about not counting a cache as found in one of the record attempts because the log was not signed. I personally put a stamp in the logbook if it is large enough and dry, the business crads don't bother me too much unless the bazy lastards did'nt take the time to sign the logbook.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Now, I've seen one team leave a card instead of signing the log. I didn't agree with that choice, but it's their choice to get a log deleted if an anal owner comes along and deletes their find if their card doesn't still reside in the cache.

No doubt a "numbers run" tactic. At least they left SOME evidence (IN THE CACHE) of their being there. Beats signing the tree or claiming a find because they "knew they were in the right area."

Nah, much faster to just sign the outside of the cache with a Sharpie... opening the cache to put in a card takes WAY too much time!

[+Hodag Andrew]

Cacher's personal signature geocaching cards I think are great. What I hate is "Joebob's Plumbing", "Susie's Massage" or "Sammy's Bail Bond", etc. I don't want to find your freaking business card in the cache. Sig items and cards aren't "business" cards.

 

As for a Snoogan's smashed penny - I'd snag that puppy in a heartbeat.

 

I agree 100%. Sig items/cards are O.K. with me but I don't like "business" cards. Isn't advertising in caches against the rules, too?

[Neos2]

Cacher's personal signature geocaching cards I think are great. What I hate is "Joebob's Plumbing", "Susie's Massage" or "Sammy's Bail Bond", etc. I don't want to find your freaking business card in the cache. Sig items and cards aren't "business" cards.

Six years of playing this game and I think I've probably only seen actually business cards in caches maybe 6 times. I don't know...maybe it's a regional thing or maybe I'm just not noticing them.

I've only seen an actual business card in a cache once. It was a new cacher, and she wrote her caching name on the back of business card--she's a realtor.

 

I did pick up a nice calling card once, with a cute lighthouse pin on it. The pin came off and could be worn as a lapel pin. The card was nicely made, the pin was reasonable quality for a swag item, the whole thing was packaged in a small plastic bag so it stayed nice. That cachers name was, um, let's see--oh yeah, Cybret! I liked it so much, I emailed him to thank him for leaving it in the cache. I've seen that card and others he has done sine then in a few other caches since them. It was that card that got me started collecting other people's cards and sig items. I have a shoebox full of them now.

[+Team Cotati]

If it's in a geocache container and I like, it cannot be litter, period.

[+CYBret]

Awwwwww, that's sweet!

 

I think I gave out those pins/cards for about 4 years. I still see cachers who have the lighthouse pins on their hats or backpacks. That always makes me smile.

 

I'm not sure how many of those are still "in the wild." I have one bag of pins left (about 250 I think). I should probably go ahead and send them out too.

 

A couple years ago I started giving out signature magnets instead. I have cachers who occasionally tell me, "you're on our refrigerator!" and one who even said, "now that we've met you we can take you OFF our fridge."

 

Back on topic, those few business cards I've seen have never seemed all that "pushy" to me. Some people simply give their business cards out as a means of contacting them, rather than selling something.

[krashalaska]

This is more for the personal stamps or people whom use a felt tip pen

 

Here is a log entry from this winter

 

February 4 by krashalaska (104 found) Fingers don't work when its -13 Degree's TFTC

[view/edit logs/images on a separate page]

 

So if your not a fair weather cacher a stamp may be a popular option. I also know of people with rheumatism this is the only option for them to the fact that they carry a stamp for nano's and another for larger logs.

 

When it is well below freezing and the log is a little damp which will happen after its been out a long time and found while it may be raining or snowing or what have you a sharpie may be needed as your ball in your ball point pen can freeze rather quickly where as a sharpie or stamp kept close to the body can make a quick log entry. So I sign the log even if wet it does not bleed that much ( all my entries are in blue fine tip sharpie ) and let the owner know or if I'm on top of my game I put a new dry log into the cache and let the owner know.

 

And since this was just a Rant people really don't have to listen.

Edited March 22, 2008 by krashalaska

[uperdooper]

Why is the rant about soggy business cards instead of non-water tight caches?

 

OK, leave out the soggy part. Soggy or dry the "signature cards" have no value to the sport. They clog up the cache.

 

Much like baseball cards have nothing to do with that sport....right?

 

 

Personally I enjoy them. Is anyone here on my wall?

 

Edited: Click Here for larger image (oh and this image is about 2 and a half years old).

 

Edited again to fix link...grrrr.

that flamingo necklace looks familiar!

[+Evil Chicken]

 

Personally I enjoy them. Is anyone here on my wall?

 

Edited: Click Here for larger image (oh and this image is about 2 and a half years old).

 

Edited again to fix link...grrrr.

We definitely have spread rubber chicken keychains far and wide over the last 4 years. No clue if it's one of ours, though (we only sharpie "EC5" or "Evil" on them when we remember to!)

[+tenacityj]

Thanks for the clarification Too Tall. I would only take TBs if I had something to trade and vice-versa. I will be rectifying that problem.

 

I'm not a big fan of the cacher card just because most of them look pretty similar. I thought the first one that I saw was cool then I got tired of them as I saw more and more of them. Kind of like lamp post caches! I love taking sig items though such as pathtags, Starbrand's golf pencil, and Jaysrig's spinner blade. Jaysrig's spinner blade is nothing fancy - just a cheap fishing item from wallmart with his name scratched in it, but I know who found the cache as soon as I open it up without having to look at the name. Plus, he is a big fisherman so the blade is something personal.

 

What really irritates me is when people don't trade for like value swag. When I first started I tried putting out some nice items, a month later all that was left in the cache was cacher cards, golf balls and mctoys. So I put out cheap crap now. I would love to put out nice stuff for people to find, but it gets expensive when people will trade a nice headlamp for a stupid cacher card that cost them 5 cents and 3 seconds to make.

[+Jneaves]

Why is the rant about soggy business cards instead of non-water tight caches?

good point........

Wish idiot cachers could close the lids on a decon container. Things get soggy when the top is not closed ll the way.

 

I perfer no business cards. No one really reads them anyway. The log, and items are all folks really see or remember!

[+Gipsie]

 

Personally I enjoy them. Is anyone here on my wall?

 

Edited: Click Here for larger image (oh and this image is about 2 and a half years old).

 

Edited again to fix link...grrrr.

We definitely have spread rubber chicken keychains far and wide over the last 4 years. No clue if it's one of ours, though (we only sharpie "EC5" or "Evil" on them when we remember to!)

 

This board looks something like my board at work....same but different. I have a corkboard at work with all my work-relayed pins and buttons from around the world. I looked at it a while back and decided that it would be cool to put up a second board with all my geocachin pins/buttons. Very cool! I am also trying to collect any and all patches from police and/or fire departments around the world.

 

Back to the rant though. I am also looking into getting a 'business' card done. I know a lot of local cachers that collect signature items, so I think it would be nice to drop a nicely done, laminated card. It would never discourage me from signing the log though.

 

Although, some days, my hands hurt so bad my handwriting is illegible.

 

Back to the rant though...

[+Pat in Louisiana]

I havn't found all that many caches but in the 7 years I have not found one of these cards you speak of.

Must not be a southern thing.

Edited March 23, 2008 by Pat in Louisiana

[+TotemLake]

Why is the rant about soggy business cards instead of non-water tight caches?

good point........

Wish idiot cachers could close the lids on a decon container. Things get soggy when the top is not closed ll the way.

 

I perfer no business cards. No one really reads them anyway. The log, and items are all folks really see or remember!

Decon containers were designed to be one use. Like lifting a canopy off of a pickup truck, once you lift that lid, the seal is never the same. The idiocy is in the design, not the cacher.

[+TotemLake]

Thanks for the clarification Too Tall. I would only take TBs if I had something to trade and vice-versa. I will be rectifying that problem.

 

I'm not a big fan of the cacher card just because most of them look pretty similar. I thought the first one that I saw was cool then I got tired of them as I saw more and more of them. Kind of like lamp post caches! I love taking sig items though such as pathtags, Starbrand's golf pencil, and Jaysrig's spinner blade. Jaysrig's spinner blade is nothing fancy - just a cheap fishing item from wallmart with his name scratched in it, but I know who found the cache as soon as I open it up without having to look at the name. Plus, he is a big fisherman so the blade is something personal.

 

What really irritates me is when people don't trade for like value swag. When I first started I tried putting out some nice items, a month later all that was left in the cache was cacher cards, golf balls and mctoys. So I put out cheap crap now. I would love to put out nice stuff for people to find, but it gets expensive when people will trade a nice headlamp for a stupid cacher card that cost them 5 cents and 3 seconds to make.

Well they are making the wrong kind of trade anyway... a sig item for a swag is not a fair trade under any reason provided. I just recently dropped in a DVD of Moulan Rouge still shrinkwrapped. Didn't take anything out.

[gitarmac]

Cards are one of my favorite things to get! I mean the geocaching cards. My avatar is mine, you can't really see the detail. I like the personal ones like you make on the coumputer.

 

I put mine in a small plastc bag and/or laminate them using clear duct tape or lamintion film. I also leave something else. I make macrame jewlrey (they call it hemp jewelry now) and leave that.

[+Confucius' Cat]

Why is the rant about soggy business cards instead of non-water tight caches?

good point........

Wish idiot cachers could close the lids on a decon container. Things get soggy when the top is not closed ll the way.

 

I perfer no business cards. No one really reads them anyway. The log, and items are all folks really see or remember!

Decon containers were designed to be one use. Like lifting a canopy off of a pickup truck, once you lift that lid, the seal is never the same. The idiocy is in the design, not the cacher.

Well, in that case the contents of a decon container should be wet for the FTF unless the "swag" left in it was the military alcohol swabs and cachers were expected to sign the container with a sharpie.

 

True, the seal might not be "the same" after it is initially opened, but it is adequate if resealed properly. Problem is EVERYONE who opens it has to reseal it properly. One careless or hurried cacher and you got yourself a wet cache. Don't blame the military.

[+TotemLake]

Why is the rant about soggy business cards instead of non-water tight caches?

good point........

Wish idiot cachers could close the lids on a decon container. Things get soggy when the top is not closed ll the way.

 

I perfer no business cards. No one really reads them anyway. The log, and items are all folks really see or remember!

Decon containers were designed to be one use. Like lifting a canopy off of a pickup truck, once you lift that lid, the seal is never the same. The idiocy is in the design, not the cacher.

Well, in that case the contents of a decon container should be wet for the FTF unless the "swag" left in it was the military alcohol swabs and cachers were expected to sign the container with a sharpie.

 

True, the seal might not be "the same" after it is initially opened, but it is adequate if resealed properly. Problem is EVERYONE who opens it has to reseal it properly. One careless or hurried cacher and you got yourself a wet cache. Don't blame the military.

I didn't blame the military. It performs to military specs. One time use.

 

I blame the vendor for manufacturing it to just those specs.

 

Civilians don't follow instructions too well. They barely read the manual to operate things. You catch a military guy doing that with a piece of military hardware and they get their butts ripped into for damaging the equipment on taxpayer dollars. Been there, went through that.