What items are REALLY wanted in new caches?

[+Insane Kangaroo]

I live in a fishing town, Homer Alaska which also happens to be a tourist city as well. What items are REALLY wanted in caches when you go find them?

 

Also, would it be appropriate or frowned upon if I took items out which I thought had little or no value in order to place Alaska-like items in my own cache if there was no room? People are supposed to maintain their caches, I'm just curious if this also includes placing new items and cleaning the caches out periodically.

 

Yeah... perhaps I've been spending some money on the cache items so far... I want the tourists to come back! Tonight I'll submit 3-4 new caches. I've already placed 2 new caches which I haven't submitted in a high traffic muggle zone, but want to make sure I absolutely want them there.

 

Thanks in advance.

Edited June 9, 2008 by Insane Kangaroo

[+Ambrosia]

If you have the time and energy, then it's absolutely wonderful for you to take out items that you don't like in your cache and add better quality items. Taking care of your caches like that make a better experience for cachers, and gives you a good reputation as a cache owner.

[+Kiwi Nomad]

What items I REALLY want to see are the log book, something to write with and that it is clean and dry on the inside.

 

My sons on the other hand (3 and 5) love marbles and cars and cheap plastic things that just make me roll my eyes because why would you ever want those.

 

What you put in depends on who you think is going to find it, I wouldn't expect the above at a 5/5 cache but would be ok in a 1/1 cache.

 

Yes it is acceptable to clear out your own cache and place better quality things in it. In fact I do it with our peoples caches too. If something is really rusty/mouldy/broken/unrecogniseable then I change it out for something better. No idea why people leave batteries the only ones I find seem to always be corroded. How ofter you check your caches is up to you and will also depend on how often they get visited.

 

Good idea with the placing them to see if they last before publishing. I would do up the page with the coordinates any way as then your local reviewer can contact you if they are blocking someone else placing one to find out if it is going to be published or not.

[+Team GeoBlast]

I live in a fishing town, Homer Alaska which also happens to be a tourist city as well. What items are REALLY wanted in caches when you go find them?

 

Also, would it be appropriate or frowned upon if I took items out which I thought had little or no value in order to place Alaska-like items in my own cache if there was no room? People are supposed to maintain their caches, I'm just curious if this also includes placing new items and cleaning the caches out periodically.

 

Yeah... perhaps I've been spending some money on the cache items so far... I want the tourists to come back! Tonight I'll submit 3-4 new caches. I've already placed 2 new caches which I haven't submitted in a high traffic muggle zone, but want to make sure I absolutely want them there.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm just curious, has anyone ever called you a Homer?

 

Just a random thought on swag for tourists. Do you have a visitor center or chamber of commerce? They love the idea of Geocaching and they often have personalized items that they give away that they would share with you. Might be a trinket to you but a visitor might love a Homer Refrigerator Magnet. Another inexpensive thing that visitors love is post cards. Sometimes you can find old ones for sale at a Goodwill or Salvation Army. Make sure you individually bag them so they all don't go walking off at once.

 

Have you thought of doing a Homer Simpson themed cache?

 

Okay.. I will go away now.

[+GrnXnham]

I love to see signature items from local cachers.

[+El Diablo]

If your caches are mainly hit by tourist I would stock it with swag that tourist normally pick up while visiting Alaska.

 

One day I hope to get there. I'll probably want hand warmers.

 

El Diablo

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

Sig Items are cool.

 

Money!

 

Souvenirs, but only if the cache is at a tourist attraction/vacation spot. I don't want to find a Hawaii keychain in a California cache, but if I went to Homer as a tourist, then Alaska souvenirs would be cool!

 

I always toss the crap out of the caches I own. That's just good maintainance. If I don't like the swag someone left, I toss it or put it in another persons cache

Edited June 10, 2008 by Smokey Bear Collector

[+syfun]

If you're clearing out stuff to make room for more "nice" swag, then go for it. A stuffed cache is always nice. If you're clearing out broken/damaged junk, great. I'll pull broken items out of any cache and throw some extra swag in just to keep it in good condition for the next cacher. If you're getting rid of dime-store just because they are low end, then ... eh, maybe not.

 

My daughter loves sparkly stuff, especially if it's pink. My son loves anything with movable parts. I like something that reminds me of the cache. We keep a home "cache" that has all the swag we have ever taken from the caches we found. We're still new at this, but the home "cache" is filling up fast. It's fun to sift through and think of the hunts we have been on.

 

My suggestion: Make nice with the local tourist stores if you aren't already, and see if they will let you use their "penny roller" machine that let's you turn a penny into a rolled souvenier. Usually it costs 50 cents or so plus the penny to roll it into a souvenier. If they will let you use it for free I would roll hundreds of pennies and make sure there were always some in each cache. I would love to find that in an Alaskan cache.

 

My wife and I took an Alaskan cruise 5 years ago. It was the best trip of our life! We hope to get back there within the next 5 years. We will definately be geocaching on the next trip. I'm already looking forward to your caches.

[+DrgnTrappr]

I always like to find more than a happymeal toy, sig items are always cool and items relating to the cache local are great too.

I only have one hide so far , but I try to clean out the junk every couple of weeks. Sounds like you have a nice hide and I hope I can someday log a find for it.

[+DrgnTrappr]

I always like to find more than a happymeal toy, sig items are always cool and items relating to the cache local are great too.

I only have one hide so far , but I try to clean out the junk every couple of weeks. Sounds like you have a nice hide and I hope I can someday log a find for it.

[CLV3]

I always like to find more than a happymeal toy, sig items are always cool and items relating to the cache local are great too.

I only have one hide so far , but I try to clean out the junk every couple of weeks. Sounds like you have a nice hide and I hope I can someday log a find for it.

 

Personally I like the variety of stuff in there. Even if I do not find something to grab, I supposed its cool to just see what people have been leaving behind as it shows the character of the cache, the people who hid it AND the people who have visited.

 

I supposed cleaning it from time to time is not a bad thing but its also cool to see what others are leaving.

 

However, I AM still new and have yet to hide a cache so that opinion may change at some point.

 

[CLV3]

I always like to find more than a happymeal toy, sig items are always cool and items relating to the cache local are great too.

I only have one hide so far , but I try to clean out the junk every couple of weeks. Sounds like you have a nice hide and I hope I can someday log a find for it.

 

Personally I like the variety of stuff in there. Even if I do not find something to grab, I supposed its cool to just see what people have been leaving behind as it shows the character of the cache, the people who hid it AND the people who have visited.

 

I supposed cleaning it from time to time is not a bad thing but its also cool to see what others are leaving.

 

However, I AM still new and have yet to hide a cache so that opinion may change at some point.

 

[+the hermit crabs]

Almost anything, as long as it's not ragged or rotten or rusty, or dirty or dingy or dusty...

[+Ambrosia]

I placed a "tourist cache", Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else... It details how Wenatchee is the Apple Capital of the World, and the history of our fruit industry. I asked people to try and trade items that come from their home town. I stocked the full size ammo can with fruit-related items from our local tourism store and other stores: fake apples, cherries, fake branches with apple flowers, Apple Valley postcards, magnets, etc. It's the most I've ever spent on a cache.

 

The funny thing is, over the years when checking on that cache, I noticed that only a couple people ever traded (except for some trackables), and all those items stayed there and no junk was added. I've never seen that happen in a cache before. The only thing I can think of is that the cache was a little walk to get to, so not as many people visited it, and with the trade request, I guess if they didn't have the requested trade, they didn't trade. Perhaps they saw how nice the items were, and didn't feel like they could trade even or up. I've always wondered if people would have taken those things if I didn't have the trade suggestion, because I wanted out of towners to take them and enjoy them, and I was willing to replace them for future finders.

 

Unfortunately, after three years, the cache was stolen, which bummed me out. I've replaced it without the home-town trade suggestion fruit related items, since no one was able to do that, anyway.

[+derangedlunatech]

I think caches having "local flavor" items in tourist-heavy area cache is a great idea! But...at the same time, I would think that the odds are that your cache would be more likely to be visited by locals more than tourists - so maybe some sort of good mix?

 

Or maybe make a cache request on it for the locals - trade something into it with local flavor, even if you take out something that isn't. It might get your local cachers involved in showcasing their home...

 

Just a few thoughts from a newbie, so take or leave them as you see fit

Edited June 10, 2008 by derangedlunatech

[+Team GeoBlast]

I placed a "tourist cache", Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree With Anyone Else... It details how Wenatchee is the Apple Capital of the World, and the history of our fruit industry. I asked people to try and trade items that come from their home town. I stocked the full size ammo can with fruit-related items from our local tourism store and other stores: fake apples, cherries, fake branches with apple flowers, Apple Valley postcards, magnets, etc. It's the most I've ever spent on a cache.

 

The funny thing is, over the years when checking on that cache, I noticed that only a couple people ever traded (except for some trackables), and all those items stayed there and no junk was added. I've never seen that happen in a cache before. The only thing I can think of is that the cache was a little walk to get to, so not as many people visited it, and with the trade request, I guess if they didn't have the requested trade, they didn't trade. Perhaps they saw how nice the items were, and didn't feel like they could trade even or up. I've always wondered if people would have taken those things if I didn't have the trade suggestion, because I wanted out of towners to take them and enjoy them, and I was willing to replace them for future finders.

 

Unfortunately, after three years, the cache was stolen, which bummed me out. I've replaced it without the home-town trade suggestion fruit related items, since no one was able to do that, anyway.

 

Another way to giving back to your visitors/tourists is the local knowledge you shared on your cache page. I appreciate that more than just about anything I could find in a cache. Especially if is information of interest that I would probably not have come across in cursory research of the area I am visiting.

[+WebChimp]

What items are REALLY wanted in caches when you go find them?

 

A dry log book, and maybe a pen that writes.

[+24kilo]

million bucks in small bills

[+Bilder]

Place a 300 pound halibut in the cache.

 

I will be down that way in a couple weeks for some fishing. Hope to bag some Homer caches while there.

[+monkey360]

I am collecting items for my first cache release. So far I have drink tokens, patches, decals, and buttons from local watering holes. I am also including other bar related swag like dart flights. I plan to release it on one of our future Barstool Hiking Club outings.

[+doingitoldschool]

I'll pass on the 300 pound Haibut - the 30-40 pounders are better tasting .

Anyway, siggy items are cool, 'cause you get something that represents other cachers. Another cacher packages a p-38 can opener, with a universal screw driver and a few brass book marks into a "siggy bag".

That was cool.

[+Insane Kangaroo]

Place a 300 pound halibut in the cache.

 

I will be down that way in a couple weeks for some fishing. Hope to bag some Homer caches while there.

 

I better see your name on all my logs. I'll be going to Anchorage for a flight to Pittsburgh, not sure if I'll have any time to geocache since I won't have a car with me.

[Mag Magician]

Let me see now, Alaska? Mosquitoes? Biting bugs?

 

Here in the Near North Ontario, I go to the dollar store and get a whole whack of mosquito headnets for a buck apiece. I leave them in all my caches in the spring and early summer, and you wouldn't believe the logs noting how grateful the finders were to find them for the hike out.

[+flask]

really bad idea that came to me while reading the thread: you could have a fart jar with a log in it.

 

but really.

 

goodness knows i don't need more "stuff" in my bag, but i adore opening a box and finding a variety of interesting treasures. any collection of clean, unbroken stuff is just great. i like to paw through, even if i don't trade.

 

i really like finding signatures or handmade items. those little cards people use to brag on how many caches they've found? not so much.

 

i despise and destroy illegally burned cds and dvds. and while i'm happy to find medallions or such that express who you are as a spiritual person, i get kind of hacked when i find religious material intended to preach or proselytize.

 

generically, i especially like round things, squishy things, things that light up, and chunky things.