SWAG Carp

May 27, 2008

OK OK I know I am new to this wonderful sport but am I the only one that thinks most SWAG is useless crap?

Now don't get me wrong I get more enjoyment in the find than the SWAG anyway but come on let's get real.

Here is a question, what do you think of wooden nickles as SWAG? I am thinking of ordering some with my member name and my home town on one side and blank on the other. I think this might be OK SWAG what do you all think?

May 27, 2008

Wooden nickels aren't my thing, personally, but I've seen some clever ones. Pick something that makes you happy and enjoy.

My solution to swag problems is to leave the cache better stocked than I found it whenever possible. I pick things my children like, figuring other people's children will like them too.

Happy caching!

May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

May 27, 2008

Well, I look at swag from an artist's perspective. I am planning a painting where I include all the swag I have picked up - and yes, most of it is crap. But combined together it is quite whimsical. If it weren't for the painting aspect I probably wouldn't trade at all, other than to leave swag for the kiddos to enjoy!

May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

2k · May 27, 2008

When David confronted Goliath would he have fared so well without a stone for his sling?

2.7k · May 27, 2008

Personalized items are always good collectibles.

And some rocks are quite cool.

May 27, 2008

Well...apparently I did

(Two actually...my caching partner that day also took a rock. I took a blue one and she took a green one. FTR, we left a bunch of Off wipes in case anyone else forgot to put on bug juice before heading in like we did.)

May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

Me? If the rock is pretty then I will take it.

One mans treasure is another man's trash.

Of course you aren't going to like everything in the box. But someone else may LOVE that thing you think is crap. Probably me lol. Trade up. I do.

May 27, 2008

***Wooden nickels aren't my thing***

I used to have Geocaching Business Cards...but I read on the forums a while back...people don't like those...so I got Wooden Nickels.

My Wooden Nickels would make an Excellent addition to anyone's junkpile...I drop them off where ever possible.

http://www.droolingmongoloid.com/WoodenNickel.JPG

Edited May 27, 2008 by Drooling_Mongoloid

May 27, 2008

Well, I hate to say it, but almost anything, is better than what someone found in a couple of my caches....

one, a person put a silicone, fake "fish eye".. the outer layer had some kind of silicone oil, which leaked out of the bag, into the log book, a patch someone left, Between the laminate of a signature photo from one finder.. That had to go, sorry....

One, the piece-de-Crap, was Literal! the log book bag, flung to the other side of the hiding place, and replaced with a "Doggie-Doo" Pick-up bag, USED! Thankfully, the two who found the crap, removed it, and replaced the log & pen. I later got a report from someone else, they found the log book, and rehid it elsewhere, out of site.. I just retrieved it, and placed it back in the cache. (that'll teach the little s###s!) Obvious muggle damage.

Some items, like mini pine cones, a baseball (from a baseball field near the hide site), granted.. cheesy..

I've heard of people swapping newly minted geocoins, for rocks & pebbles.. I agree, this is just wrong.. If it's not a personal tradeable item, leave the coins alone.. Unless you truly intend to move it along.

Stephen (gelfling6)

to quote a phrase on one geocoin I moved along, "I can't believe you made me hike 3 miles, for a broken McToy!"

Edited May 27, 2008 by gelfling6

May 27, 2008

I hated when I went to a cache and someone put in a bottle of that Bubble-Blowing-Goo.

When it leaks...it is sticky, gooie and makes a terrible mess.

May 27, 2008

Me? I like some rocks.... the really pretty ones, or something neat, like petrified wood or a cool fossil. My kids, when they were younger, always filled their pockets with crystals... even the chunks of limestone gravel that had bits of crystal in them!

Some people have rock tumblers, and leave nicely polished rocks... a nice piece of agate is a thrilling find any day! What I would like, though, is if a card were attached telling me what the rock was, or why it was so special.

Knowing that there are many geocaching families around, I like to leave things that I hope the kids would like to find.... small toys, etc.

The useful items (like the OFF! wipes, for example) are always handy.

Now that our kids are older, we rarely trade for something... but we almost always leave at least one item, even if we don't take something.

2.5k · May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

I do.

I'm a science teacher. I have to pay about $0.80 per piece for the rock and mineral samples I get for my classroom from the science supply houses. They are usually no larger than a golfball, if they are even that large. So I am glad to trade for unusual or nice rocks and minerals in caches.

I'm excited about my trip later this year through the NE--there are bound to be lots of rocks and minerals near the caches I'll visit that I can carry home with me for the classroom.

My greatest mistake to date while traveling happend going through a really good rest stop near Asheville on the way to Myrtle Beach and seeing really good rocks near the cache but being too brain-dead at the time to pick any up for my classroom. I told myself I'd stop on the way home. Then I forgot.

3.3k · May 27, 2008

OK OK I know I am new to this wonderful sport but am I the only one that thinks most SWAG is useless crap?

Now don't get me wrong I get more enjoyment in the find than the SWAG anyway but come on let's get real.

Here is a question, what do you think of wooden nickles as SWAG? I am thinking of ordering some with my member name and my home town on one side and blank on the other. I think this might be OK SWAG what do you all think?

When you hide more than a single "log only micro," and pay to keep your caches filled with priceless treasure, i'm sure you'll see the proverbial light.

You should spend more time "getting more enjoyment in the find," then worrying about cache trade items. Take a few moments to use the search function and read all the other threads about cachers complaining about the lack of diamonds, gold, and other priceless treasures in caches, they were expecting to find.

1.4k · May 27, 2008

OK OK I know I am new to this wonderful sport but am I the only one that thinks most SWAG is useless crap?

Now don't get me wrong I get more enjoyment in the find than the SWAG anyway but come on let's get real.

Here is a question, what do you think of wooden nickles as SWAG? I am thinking of ordering some with my member name and my home town on one side and blank on the other. I think this might be OK SWAG what do you all think?

It is certainly an interesting study of human nature.. trading swag.

There you are, alone at the cache. You open up the lid and you see IT. It is very cool trade item that you are finding it hard to believe that it is there for the taking (trading). You know from experience, it is only in this cache as the result of the last person trading up in a big way or it is a new cache where the owner has put a lot of energy and resources into selecting the swag. What do you do? You know what the right thing to do because you don't have anything of equal value in your swag bag. Leave it there. Well.. you suppose that you could dump everything you have in there but then, you've got 8-10 hunts in your plan today, what do you do at the next cache? Decisions, decisions.

Judging by the condition of the swag in most of the caches I have found and by the degrading of the swag in the several caches that I have placed. I'd say that mostly, and sadly, the greater good does not prevail in these situations. Being painfully real, I cannot think of any better explanation for the condition of the swag in most caches.

Edited May 27, 2008 by Team GeoBlast

3.3k · May 27, 2008

It is certainly an interesting study of human nature.. trading swag.

There you are, alone at the cache. You open up the lid and you see IT. It is very cool item that you are finding it hard to believe that it is there for the taking (trading). It is only here as the result of the last person trading up in a big way or a new cache that owner has put a lot of time into selecting the swag. What do you do? You know what the right thing to do because you don't have anything of equal value in your swag bag. Leave it there. Well.. you suppose that you could dump everything you have in there but then, you've to 8-10 hunts today, what do you do at the next cache? Decisions, decisions.

By the condition of the swag in many of the caches and the swag I have found. The many caches that I have placed with great swag in them. I'd say that mostly, and sadly, the greater good does not prevail in these situations. It's sad but I cannot think of any better explanation for the condition of the swag in most caches.

Read about the Tragedy of the commons.

1.1k · May 27, 2008

OK OK I know I am new to this wonderful sport but am I the only one that thinks most SWAG is useless crap?

No. Most SWAG is useless crap.

I'm generally pretty happy if I find a log book in the cache... on the top... making it unnecessary to sift through the useless crap to find it.

michelle

Edited May 27, 2008 by CurmudgeonlyGal

May 27, 2008

Yay! Another thread about crappy swag!

May 27, 2008

True, most people seem to have no clue when it comes to trading swag. Personally, I don't trade. I sign the logbook and see if there are any bugs/coins to move along.

In my own caches, I started them out stocked with some decent stuff; emergency ponchos, water bottle clips, compasses and brand-new toys for the kids. I would rather that people just took what they wanted and left nothing. I pulled a cache last week for maintenance and found a torn up baseball, religious advert cards, and dirty/used/broken toys.

I am going to have to restock my caches from time to time, so if you come across one of mine, just take an item. If all you have is dirty/broken/used crap, keep it.

3.9k · May 27, 2008

OK OK I know I am new to this wonderful sport but am I the only one that thinks most SWAG is useless crap?

Now don't get me wrong I get more enjoyment in the find than the SWAG anyway but come on let's get real.

Okay, I'll get real. Trade items aren't really meant to be useful, they're just something simple that you may or may not find interesting or amusing. If you really need to get your hands on something that you have a use for, I'd suggest going shopping instead.

When reading this post of yours I was a little surprised at how rude it was, and how you disregard swag that others might like as "useless crap". It made me wonder what you'd actually prefer to find... and then you wrote:

Here is a question, what do you think of wooden nickles as SWAG? I am thinking of ordering some with my member name and my home town on one side and blank on the other. I think this might be OK SWAG what do you all think?

I think wooden nickels are about as useless as you can get. If I trade for your nickel what am I supposed to do with it? It's even less useful than a rock, or a used golf ball.

Is that real enough for you?

1.4k · May 27, 2008

Yay! Another thread about crappy swag!

Mahalo for your insightful input.

The OP is a new cacher and said as much, can't you lower yourself momentarily to offer an honest opinion on the subject? Do you feel like the Grand PooBa of Geocaching now that you haved dissed him for having the audacity to ask the question?

You were just starting once too and I bet you had a few redundant questions answered for you.

22k · May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

I do.

2.5k · May 27, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

I do.

Love it!

Um, yeah. I'm just weird enough that I would have liked getting a rock even as a kid on Halloween.

Well, as long as it wasn't the local limestone; I have quite enough of that, thank you.

May 27, 2008

I think wooden nickels are pretty cool. They're like budget geocoins!

The worst thing I found was cereal box toys that most kids wouldn't even want and a wire for a weedwacker.

It's supposed to be Cache In Trash Out. Not Trash In.

I wish there was a good way to keep the standard of treasure higher. Trading up is a great idea, but like world peace, it doesn't seem to work. There are always selfish people. I've taken geocoins and left semi-precious jewelry, which I consider fair. I guess I should move them on though.

I mean it's mostly about the hunt, but it's disappointing to open the musty box after a mile walk just to find a 2002 penny, a cracker jack toy, twigs, and a dry magic marker. What makes it worse is that I lug some decent stuff out to the cache to trade, but there's nothing worth trading, I just leave something to try to improve the cache, although it'll most certainly be taken w/ an inferior trade.

May 27, 2008

Anybody else hearing Leave it to beaver in their heads every time they read, "Wooden Nickels"?

Wally was going on a bus trip out of town and they had to say goodbye to him repeatedly...every time The Beav gave him the same advice, "Don't take any Wooden Nickels."

:anibad:

May 27, 2008

***I think wooden nickels are about as useless as you can get. If I trade for your nickel what am I supposed to do with it? ***

If it is useless to you...then why in the world would you trade for it?

May 27, 2008

Yay! Another thread about crappy swag!

Mahalo for your insightful input.

The OP is a new cacher and said as much, can't you lower yourself momentarily to offer an honest opinion on the subject? Do you feel like the Grand PooBa of Geocaching now that you haved dissed him for having the audacity to ask the question?

You were just starting once too and I bet you had a few redundant questions answered for you.

so YOU don't get tired of seeing the same complaint over and over again? :anibad:

OK OP. Sorry if I was rude. I've seen certain people be way more rude on these forums. Some people just have to be right about everything. ALL. THE. TIME.

If you don't see any swag you like, don't trade for it. If you see something that you do like and take it, leave something of equal or greater value. This would happen in a perfect world. This is not a perfect world, so a cache WILL degrade with time. The forum chiefs talking about it till their faces turn blue does NOTHING to change this fact.

Most people enjoy the hunt over the swag anyway.

Overall, it doesn't matter. It seems that we are no longer talking about CRAP but CARP. I've never found any fish in a cache so I'll pull out of the discussion. I have no authority on Swag Carp.

3.9k · May 27, 2008

***I think wooden nickels are about as useless as you can get. If I trade for your nickel what am I supposed to do with it? ***

If it is useless to you...then why in the world would you trade for it?

To give it to you since you totally missed the point of my post.

May 27, 2008

***To give it to you since you totally missed the point of my post***

Don't feel bad...I miss a lot of points.

So There....

24.7k · May 27, 2008

...I used to have Geocaching Business Cards......

Too bad. I always did enjoy those.

1.4k · May 27, 2008

Yay! Another thread about crappy swag!

Mahalo for your insightful input.

The OP is a new cacher and said as much, can't you lower yourself momentarily to offer an honest opinion on the subject? Do you feel like the Grand PooBa of Geocaching now that you haved dissed him for having the audacity to ask the question?

You were just starting once too and I bet you had a few redundant questions answered for you.

so YOU don't get tired of seeing the same complaint over and over again?

OK OP. Sorry if I was rude. I've seen certain people be way more rude on these forums. Some people just have to be right about everything. ALL. THE. TIME.

If you don't see any swag you like, don't trade for it. If you see something that you do like and take it, leave something of equal or greater value. This would happen in a perfect world. This is not a perfect world, so a cache WILL degrade with time. The forum chiefs talking about it till their faces turn blue does NOTHING to change this fact.

Most people enjoy the hunt over the swag anyway.

Overall, it doesn't matter. It seems that we are no longer talking about CRAP but CARP. I've never found any fish in a cache so I'll pull out of the discussion. I have no authority on Swag Carp.

To the OP.. it IS a legit question. It was put right up front he (she) is a new player. As seasoned cachers the least we can do is to understand that some are still in different stages of the discovery process that we all went through and lend a hand.

Perhaps posting a link to an old thread might have been a little more polite? This also might introduce the OP to the search function as well.

May 27, 2008

I think most swag isn't necessarily crap (some of it though for sure) but I think a lot of it is kinda "kid-geared." It's stuff children may enjoy but adults are rather bored by. (In my very limited thus far experience anyway.) Like, I've seen people who say golf balls are crap...as a kid I LOVED golf balls, would have enjoyed finding those in caches. :anibad:

Now, being slightly immature, I kinda like some of the kiddie things I find lol. But anyway, just my opinion.

And yes, anything dirty/broken/inappropriate/old and falling apart...that kind of stuff is bona fide crap, I'd say.

May 28, 2008

I only have one cache hidden so far and I'm already fighting "Swag entropy". It's just the way it is. I've found things I wouldn't hesitate to put in the trash (and have) in caches.

I think personalized items are good swag. It's something interesting. I make GeoNickels to leave and also limited series (and FTF) for my caches with the cache info.

This is the first one I made...

I just made a new series to take on vacation with me.

Good swag is in the eye of the beholder!

May 28, 2008

Well as for me, I have a wholesaler I get small first aid kits, you know a couple band-aids and cleaning swabs, really cheap. and I leave my business / geocaching card inside them. I have found this usefull and fun. I guess its my nature being an EMT and all.

May 28, 2008

It's whatever you want to trade. I've found caches that have had bottle openers, pencils, and stickers.

There is not "value" minimum when it comes to swags, I guess some people just expect to find better "things" in the caches. (not saying to anyone in particular) but because we spend a good amount on gas, the gps and some entry fees to certain areas, then yea, I can imagine why people would want to find something worth lookin for. :laughing:

1.1k · May 28, 2008

It's whatever you want to trade. I've found caches that have had bottle openers, pencils, and stickers.

There is not "value" minimum when it comes to swags, I guess some people just expect to find better "things" in the caches. (not saying to anyone in particular) but because we spend a good amount on gas, the gps and some entry fees to certain areas, then yea, I can imagine why people would want to find something worth lookin for.

"something worth lookin for":

Like... the cache?

michelle

Edited May 28, 2008 by CurmudgeonlyGal

May 28, 2008

"something worth lookin for":

Like... the cache?

michelle

Well that's just crazy talk :laughing:

May 28, 2008

The cache - yep, that's what I'm looking for. If there is something good to trade for, and I have swag in my pocket I might trade. Mostly though it's sign the log and head down the trail or back to the car. I might leave a Pathtag, or move a coin or travel bug in or out but mostly it's hunt the cache. Nobody in a normal mind is going to leave or expect to find diamonds or gold bullion. McToys? Hey ya know what? I work with kids, mostly kind of little ones and they LOVE McToys. Don't leave dirty, used or broken ones, new only please, but yes, oh geopurists, little kids like McToys. If somebody plans on leaving Krugerrands in their caches let me know, I want to be on the trail behind them. Meantime yes, wooden nickels are cool to find, so are handmade sig items, personal coins, Pathtags and other personal items. I've even traded for a nicely made caching business card because I liked the design ot the thing.

Just my three cents worth - inflation you know.

hairball

May 28, 2008

I only have one cache hidden so far and I'm already fighting "Swag entropy". It's just the way it is. I've found things I wouldn't hesitate to put in the trash (and have) in caches.

I think personalized items are good swag. It's something interesting. I make GeoNickels to leave and also limited series (and FTF) for my caches with the cache info.

This is the first one I made...

I just made a new series to take on vacation with me.

Good swag is in the eye of the beholder!

Do you make these yourself or order them? If so, where from? These looked more "burned," which would be the kind of nickels I'd love to order.

If you make them yourself, is it a hard thing to do?

May 28, 2008

Well my self like leaving small flashlights or pens!!

I love taking pens in trade. Me and wife(loftonae) are looking toward some custom coins or something.

5.6k · May 29, 2008

I think they're pretty cool. I traded for the first one I found in a cache. Probably can't go by me though...the last thing I traded for was a rock.

See that's exactly what I mean by SWAG CRAP LOL

Who needs a rock?

My (now) wife insisted on a "rock" when we got in engaged...

Some rocks are worth more than others...

SWAG Carp

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