"Bad" swag..what do YOU do?

[+Dos Amigas]

I'm sorry...this may be another rant but I have to vent.

Yep, its about SWAG items left in the caches. (I see your eyes rolling).

Just about every other container we have found contains something(s) from the BOZO NO-NO list! Candy, mints, gum, (I mean odiferous items-left in mountain areas-lots of wildlife) pins that are not in any protective container, knives and today we found a pack of firecrackers (in an national forest-not 1 mile from our last fire!)

I have removed some of the more odiferous food items and I did scoop the firecrackers. I'm not dying for the job of cache police but some of these caches just aren't safe to be reaching into.

Please, don't slam me with the "it's not about the swag, it's about the hunt"..we love the hunt. We just want to get to the logbook without having to worry about injury and hope the cache is there and not eaten by the wild things! When we first started geocaching, we read hundreds of posts. Got the feel for the "common courtesies/general guidelines" of the sport. We try to do the "right" thing. What happened to the guidelines of not leaving dangerous items, foodstuff and illegal items? (What happened to common sense???)

Question: do YOU remove items such as these (guilt free) or ignore and go about your merry way?

[fishdirt]

I think common sense should be used.

 

In my area there are no bears so things like pez despensors in ammo boxes I'd give some slack to. However the same in a plastic container I'd remove.

 

Oh, if you are going to leave a pez, please keep it in the packaging. I found one today opened and didn't think that was too wise.

 

There was an ammo can that kind of piqued my curiousity. It was filled with rocks. Since I didn't know if it was to keep the can in place during high waters I didn't touch them but I was tempted to empty them out.

 

I think you did the right thing but I also think people need to read the rules about placing items before doing so.

[+Sioneva]

I'm sorry...this may be another rant but I have to vent.

Yep, its about SWAG items left in the caches. (I see your eyes rolling).

Just about every other container we have found contains something(s) from the BOZO NO-NO list! Candy, mints, gum, (I mean odiferous items-left in mountain areas-lots of wildlife) pins that are not in any protective container, knives and today we found a pack of firecrackers (in an national forest-not 1 mile from our last fire!)

I have removed some of the more odiferous food items and I did scoop the firecrackers. I'm not dying for the job of cache police but some of these caches just aren't safe to be reaching into.

Please, don't slam me with the "it's not about the swag, it's about the hunt"..we love the hunt. We just want to get to the logbook without having to worry about injury and hope the cache is there and not eaten by the wild things! When we first started geocaching, we read hundreds of posts. Got the feel for the "common courtesies/general guidelines" of the sport. We try to do the "right" thing. What happened to the guidelines of not leaving dangerous items, foodstuff and illegal items? (What happened to common sense???)

Question: do YOU remove items such as these (guilt free) or ignore and go about your merry way?

 

The one time I found "bad" swag in the cache, I removed it and took it home. Oddly enough, the plastic bag full of wrapped and sealed York Peppermint Patties vanished mysteriously over the next few days, so I can't prove it.

[+DaFunkyFrogs]

We remove things that are clearly against the rules, usually trading for them, and then point out why we removed it in the online log, so that whoever reads it will get the idea about what to leave/not leave in the future.

I always try to do this in a polite, informative way instead of sounding like the cache nazis.

[+TrailGators]

I honestly haven't seen that problem out here...

[+PhxChem]

a pack of firecrackers (in an national forest-not 1 mile from our last fire!)

 

I'm pretty sure you have to get a pack of fire crackers somewhat closer than 1 mile for them to be set off.

[Clan Riffster]

I can't swear to the veracity of the tale, but someone in here mentioned that caches got banned in an area because a ranger found a knife in a cache... or something like that. If I find something in a cache that doesn't belong, I remove it and leave acceptable swag of equal or greater value.

[+hukilaulau]

Most of the times I've found food or cigarettes or other questionable stuff it's been apparent that it was left by muggles who stumbled upon the cache and didn't know any better. At least they were TRYING to go with the spirit of the game. I take those things out and drop them in the nearest trash withot a second thought.

I used to take the little bottles of bubble goo but there are some areas where that's so common I just gave up...

[+Flatouts]

Yesterday while out caching we found in one a small piece of paper that had something wrapped up in it. The word "blue" was written on the outside. We unwrapped it to find a a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it. We wrapped it back up, left it in the cache and when we got home we notified the cache owner. We thought how strange, and hope it wasn't a way for some local kids to be passing along drugs.

[Clan Riffster]

I used to take the little bottles of bubble goo but there are some areas where that's so common I just gave up...

Leaving bubble stuff as swag should be a crime, punishible by beating.

[+Driver Carries Cache]

I once found a small "airline sized" bottle of Vodka left by a visiting cacher from the Czech Republic. I emailed the owner of the cache to tell him I removed it for the safety of the children.

 

DCC

[+BlueDeuce]

Question: do YOU remove items such as these (guilt free) or ignore and go about your merry way?

 

I remove them and throw in some nice trinkets. Then I go on my merry way.

 

Trade up, trade even or don't trade at all.

[fishdirt]

I used to take the little bottles of bubble goo but there are some areas where that's so common I just gave up...

Leaving bubble stuff as swag should be a crime, punishible by beating.

 

any liquid in a container should be a no no. The way the ammo boxes I have grabbed get tossed and what not things come undone and sometimes break. Not in Geocaching but else where I opened a box with that bubble stuff, the lid was not the greatest and somehow the stuff leaked out all over. Gooey.

[+Sand-Man]

I once found a small "airline sized" bottle of Vodka left by a visiting cacher from the Czech Republic. I emailed the owner of the cache to tell him I removed it for the safety of the children.

 

DCC

 

Next time you find one of those let me know. I'll come over and help you decide what to do with it.....

[+Mopar]

I once found a small "airline sized" bottle of Vodka left by a visiting cacher from the Czech Republic. I emailed the owner of the cache to tell him I removed it for the safety of the children.

 

DCC

 

Next time you find one of those let me know. I'll come over and help you decide what to do with it.....

I once found a can of beer in a cache. The hole the cache was placed in was actually a vent for a cave that usually has ice in it all year long. Even though it was summer the ammo can (and the can of beer in it) were about 45°F. Of course I did the right thing and removed the bad swag. It was a long hike back to the cars, and the beer can was kinda heavy, so to make it lighter I had to drink the bad swag on the way down.

[Kyul_and_Carbon]

If its 100% bad, I remove it with no worries. I don't even feel I *have* to trade out for it although I usually do. Like others, we don't have "big, bad wildlife" so a lot of the odiferous items I leave. Unless you know of a mad squirrel that wants to go on a bubble gum and pez rampage.... I'm not too worried.

 

Honestly, the pill found - I would probably remove it, contact the cache owner, and contemplate contacting the local authorities to watch the area move closely (drug addicts are not known to roam around too much).

 

As for the bubble stuff... I put it in the same category as ANYTHING that can leak. Give it its own ziplock. I am not opposed to these types of items as long as if it leaks, it doesn't ruin the entire cache.

[Clan Riffster]

a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it.

I saw something similar to this at Wally World. You drop it in water and it expands into a blue dinosaur shaped something.

[fishdirt]

a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it.

I saw something similar to this at Wally World. You drop it in water and it expands into a blue dinosaur shaped something.

 

Yup. My friend got a few of these as swag to give (though we are both done with the cheap stuff after these things are gone). He won't put any in until he gets instructions printed out.

[+gof1]

Yesterday while out caching we found in one a small piece of paper that had something wrapped up in it. The word "blue" was written on the outside. We unwrapped it to find a a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it. We wrapped it back up, left it in the cache and when we got home we notified the cache owner. We thought how strange, and hope it wasn't a way for some local kids to be passing along drugs.

 

You left an unidentified pill in a cache? I realize you didn't place it, and it may or may not have been an expanding toy of some sort, but wow. It sounds like the kind of thing I would take and throw out. I just can't fathom the thought of leaving a pill of questionable origin in a cache, or any pill for that matter. Would you leave a gun in a cache? Some things are questionable trade items. Pills are not. No question if they belong or not, they don't. Take 'em out and throw 'em out.

[+Confucius' Cat]

Would you leave a gun in a cache?

DEFINITELY NOT!

 

Can you give me the coordinates to THAT cache?

[+gof1]

Would you leave a gun in a cache?

DEFINITELY NOT!

 

Can you give me the coordinates to THAT cache?

 

If I knew of a cache that contained a gun I would have seen to it that it would be gunless for the next to find.

Now what to do with a gun that isn't traceable to me? Hmmnnn...No, no, that just wouldn't be right. Remember folks, bad driving shouldn't(usually) be a capitol offence.

[Clan Riffster]

Remember folks, bad driving shouldn't(usually) be a capitol offence.

There ya go with that "Voice of Reason" silliness again. What about really bad driving?

[cowcreekgeeks]

If you find bad swag...

 

TNLNSL

 

[+gof1]

Remember folks, bad driving shouldn't(usually) be a capitol offence.

There ya go with that "Voice of Reason" silliness again. What about really bad driving?

Really bad driving is self correcting. We just hope the offender doesn't take someone else with 'em.

[+gof1]

If you find bad swag...

 

TNLNSL

 

 

Trading up should be easy and will leave the cache more enjoyable for the next cacher.

[+Flatouts]

Yesterday while out caching we found in one a small piece of paper that had something wrapped up in it. The word "blue" was written on the outside. We unwrapped it to find a a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it. We wrapped it back up, left it in the cache and when we got home we notified the cache owner. We thought how strange, and hope it wasn't a way for some local kids to be passing along drugs.

 

You left an unidentified pill in a cache? I realize you didn't place it, and it may or may not have been an expanding toy of some sort, but wow. It sounds like the kind of thing I would take and throw out. I just can't fathom the thought of leaving a pill of questionable origin in a cache, or any pill for that matter. Would you leave a gun in a cache? Some things are questionable trade items. Pills are not. No question if they belong or not, they don't. Take 'em out and throw 'em out.

 

Your absolutely right in the fact that we should have taken it out and thrown it out, believe me when I say we're kicking our own behinds for not doing so in the first place. When in doubt, throw it out. As far as a gun, I'd be calling the LEO and wouldn't leave the site until they got there, but at the same time I wouldn't touch it either. I wouldn't want to disturb the finger prints that may already be on it.

 

Stupid is as stupid does and yes we admit we were stupid.

[+paleolith]

Trade up, trade even or don't trade at all.

I consider removing trash and leaving nothing to be trading up. Yesterday, for example, a handful of seriously rusty screws and nails went from a cache to the trash even though I had nothing to leave. It's just another form of CITO.

 

Edward

[Clan Riffster]

Janet, if it's any consolation, Bismuth (sp?) just E-mailed me about the evil blue pill. My guess was almost right. It was an expanding gnome, not a dinosaur.

[+Flatouts]

Kewl...thanks Riff!!! So when are you going to go caching with us again. We were in a couple of parks today that you you written all over them!!!!

[+gof1]

Yesterday while out caching we found in one a small piece of paper that had something wrapped up in it. The word "blue" was written on the outside. We unwrapped it to find a a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it. We wrapped it back up, left it in the cache and when we got home we notified the cache owner. We thought how strange, and hope it wasn't a way for some local kids to be passing along drugs.

 

You left an unidentified pill in a cache? I realize you didn't place it, and it may or may not have been an expanding toy of some sort, but wow. It sounds like the kind of thing I would take and throw out. I just can't fathom the thought of leaving a pill of questionable origin in a cache, or any pill for that matter. Would you leave a gun in a cache? Some things are questionable trade items. Pills are not. No question if they belong or not, they don't. Take 'em out and throw 'em out.

 

Your absolutely right in the fact that we should have taken it out and thrown it out, believe me when I say we're kicking our own behinds for not doing so in the first place. When in doubt, throw it out. As far as a gun, I'd be calling the LEO and wouldn't leave the site until they got there, but at the same time I wouldn't touch it either. I wouldn't want to disturb the finger prints that may already be on it.

 

Stupid is as stupid does and yes we admit we were stupid.

 

We all have our moments, both good and bad. The important thing is that we discus these things and learn from them.

[+Flatouts]

Yesterday while out caching we found in one a small piece of paper that had something wrapped up in it. The word "blue" was written on the outside. We unwrapped it to find a a clear capsule type pill with some blue stuff in it. We wrapped it back up, left it in the cache and when we got home we notified the cache owner. We thought how strange, and hope it wasn't a way for some local kids to be passing along drugs.

 

You left an unidentified pill in a cache? I realize you didn't place it, and it may or may not have been an expanding toy of some sort, but wow. It sounds like the kind of thing I would take and throw out. I just can't fathom the thought of leaving a pill of questionable origin in a cache, or any pill for that matter. Would you leave a gun in a cache? Some things are questionable trade items. Pills are not. No question if they belong or not, they don't. Take 'em out and throw 'em out.

 

Your absolutely right in the fact that we should have taken it out and thrown it out, believe me when I say we're kicking our own behinds for not doing so in the first place. When in doubt, throw it out. As far as a gun, I'd be calling the LEO and wouldn't leave the site until they got there, but at the same time I wouldn't touch it either. I wouldn't want to disturb the finger prints that may already be on it.

 

Stupid is as stupid does and yes we admit we were stupid.

 

We all have our moments, both good and bad. The important thing is that we discus these things and learn from them.

 

Hence our sig line