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Why Why Why leave junk people?


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Bags being banned from where because they are drug related? There are so many things that can be considered it. Believe me I have been detained by border patrol for it. They are certainly still for sale and at least in California most of the drug related items arent even illegal.

 

Im still new and swag has held great questions for me. So far I have only done urban caches and the swag is really just what most people is junk. I usually swap something though, its nice to have something to look back and say hey I remember the time we got this.

 

I am somewhat concerned about the quality of the swag I leave. In the small caches I have only been leaving a smiley eraser because thats the only item I have that will fit. The other ones I leave something that I got from the party supply store, like kooshball looking frog, a bendy smiley man, a googly eyed keychain, or a glow in the dark alien. These are all pretty cheap pieces of swag. I have purchased a few other items but have not really found a cache big enough nor worthy of the other pieces.

 

Before I realized how bad the swag was (I dont really care because like I said its about memories so its not really 'bad') I had wanted to do lego keychains (my husband and I are very big into legos). I realized that at least for urban this wouldnt be a good idea. The regular price for them is between 2-4 and even though we have already done 10 caches it would be at least 20$ worth. I havent given up completely if I can come up with my own design and buy pieces in bulk and 'build' my own keychains rather than doing the minifig ones they sell thats an option still, I just have to come up with a design!

 

BTW I love the friendship bracelet idea and I would totally grab one if I saw it.

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Before I realized how bad the swag was (I dont really care because like I said its about memories so its not really 'bad') I had wanted to do lego keychains (my husband and I are very big into legos). I realized that at least for urban this wouldnt be a good idea. The regular price for them is between 2-4 and even though we have already done 10 caches it would be at least 20$ worth. I havent given up completely if I can come up with my own design and buy pieces in bulk and 'build' my own keychains rather than doing the minifig ones they sell thats an option still, I just have to come up with a design!

 

BTW I love the friendship bracelet idea and I would totally grab one if I saw it.

I just did a bunch of caches that each had a lego piece in them and I think I know the cacher that leaves them. I thought - hmmm nobody will take that, but I guess there are people who love Legos too. By the way, have you ever thought about going to some rummage sales and buying Legos for your keychains (they would be cool by the way!)? Most parents can't wait to get rid of 'em. I know we must have hurt our feet on about 1000 of them when our kids were younger! :laughing:

Edited by LDove
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I've found plenty of caches with nothing but Mc junk inside. That's fine with me because I'm usually caching for the experience. If I come across something I want to take I usually replace it with useable items - ie: gloves, batteries, bottled water. However, in one particular cache we left a piece of petrified wood we found in abundance nearby. The very next log indicated they took the piece.

My kids love to find the caches. if they want to take some Mc junk... great.

My 2 cents

Hey just to let you know you are not suppose to leave batteries. They can corrode and leak in the cache. Also I am hoping you are leaving re-reusable water bottles with no water in them.

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I, like many of you, do not hunt for the swag. I prefer to log the find and leave the swag for the kids. That being said, I do always carry some swag with me in case I find a cache that needs a little TLC. I also am perfectly willing to leave a coin or travel bug and take noting. I also accept that some will take that coin or bug and not leave another. That is o.k. I am not trying to make myself out to be a saint, just to suggest that there are many like me and that the problem of "junk" left in the caches is not that big of a problem and that certain cachers just need to get over it. Contents are a gamble, just like the hide. Lighten up and have fun!

Happy Caching

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I've only been at Geocaching a short while and have found some pretty bad stuff. I mean used weed-wacking wires and similar stuff like that.

Of course it's not all about the swag, but it's nice to take a little keepsake or trophy to remember a good hunt by.

 

I can understand the mctoys and stuff, but some stuff is obviously stuff that someone just didn't want or their own kids had broken so they left it for someone else's kids.

 

Even something as small as a wooden nickel or some small personal token professionally made or otherwise is the most exciting for me.

 

Perhaps if you post a cache you could simply request that your cache be kept at a higher standard? I can understand both sides of the arguement regarding swag. It depends largely on your style, demographic, having children, etc.

Edited by ubermutant
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Well, i can take just about anything in a cache..... though it DOES bother me a bit when I take a lot of time to put GREAT <<<(at least i think so) swag in my placed caches and people trade out brand new ball caps with an empty altoids tin..... The only thing I really HATE finding, is USED UP ROACHES! This has happened to me a few times. I mean, at least leave me a little baggie worth of green, why the heck would i want your pre smoked rubbish!!!!

 

(I dont smoke anyways, but it's the PRINCIPLE PEOPLE!!!!)

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Noob alert:

 

For the most part I get the swag concept and although the fun for me is the find, I do take stuff with me (when I remember) and hope I'm leaving something cool when I take something cool.

My question, however is this: In a cache last week I found a wooden 'coin' that a previous cacher had left, it's printed with the cachers name and their avi drawing and on the back has the geocaching URL, etc. I thought it was WAY cool and took it as my trading item. Did I commit a caching faux pas? Was I supposed to leave that for the cache owner? If that's the case, I can put it back...but if not, what a COOL souvenir!!!

As an Artist I have to say, this thread has made me think about what I've been leaving...when I run out of glow stick type goodies (earrings, tongue clips, etc) I'm going to have to come up with something a little more personal.

 

And I read here that travel bugs "don't count" as trading items...I grabbed one that I'll be placing this weekend in a cache more likely to help it move on to it's destination. The question here is one of etiquette, I left something in the cache when I took the bug...was that correct?

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Geocoins and travel bugs DO count as trade items. Anything left in a cache is fair game, even if it is a signature item. You are in the right. If everyone "trades up," we wouldn't have this thread. Just do on to other cachers as you would be done by and you will have no troubles.

 

Happy Caching

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While i wouldn't like what he left, you have to admit "The Phantom Pooper" sounds kind of funny. At least they had a sense of humor.

 

well, i don't see this as a sense of humour. to me this is one sick puppy. the idea is not funny, it is about vadalism and destruction. maybe i am reading too much in it but such is ...

 

lara

The name sounds funny, not what they did. Whoever took the dump had a sense of humor. That is all i meant.

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Geocoins and travel bugs DO count as trade items. Anything left in a cache is fair game, even if it is a signature item. You are in the right. If everyone "trades up," we wouldn't have this thread. Just do on to other cachers as you would be done by and you will have no troubles.

 

Happy Caching

 

Maybe I'm not reading your post the way you intended, but I thought trackables are NOT swag. If you take a trackable out of a cache to move it along, it's nice if you can leave another trackable in its place, but not necessary. And I didn't think you were supposed to trade trackables with the intention of keeping them unless the trackable specifically says that's okay. The way I understand it is if you take cool swag and leave a trackable, you aren't really trading, because the next person to take the trackable isn't going to keep it.

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People in this thread whine too much :laughing: I've seen only three caches and only two were big enough to have swag in them, but I thought most of it was good, there was ONE coupon that was dropped in the cache the day before it expired, and the day it expired it was actually no good (business closed) but that was from the original person who made the cache, sad that fourty or so people had logged a find, but noone removed the coupon

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