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What to leave?

Silfron Mandotheneset

By Silfron Mandotheneset
in How do I...?

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briansnat

+briansnat

Posted
Posted

So if you run across a cache that has broken toys and trash in it, is it OK to just remove and throw out? I know my kids would be disappointed to find broken toys . . . I think I would just be tempted to take all the broken ones and throw in some new ones.

 

We loaded up at Dollar General on small toys, but I really like the idea of the OFF wipes and other handy items like that.

 

As long as you are swapping in new stuff that's fine. Just going around and cleaning out caches, but leaving nothing isn't.

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HarmFamily

+HarmFamily

Posted
Posted

from paracord and glowintehdark cord i make zipperpulls, fobs, sinnets ... sort of a relaxing mantra for me... anyway

I have loads of those so i drop these in the caches, small but also handy.

 

i put a load of em in my first hidden cache and added this collage to the cache page so people know what these things are and how to use em.

 

49fffe67-b921-4212-a5f0-e7c1f3c49f6d.jpg

 

Lots of great info in this thread, and I feel that just the idea of trading/sharing with "strangers with geocaching in common", even if it's a simple wooden nickle or whatever, is very cool. I think the thing to remember is that while it may be nice to find something useful and a small broken toy may be lame to many, but maybe leaving it in a cache was a fitting end to a meaningful toy to some youngster leanring to geocache! I would just leave it for the next youngster to find, or like others have suggested, replace it (better yet, supplement it) with an "upgrade". I like the idea of the new hot wheels car too. I imagine some young boy finding that may be pretty pleased!! Obviously anyone leaving trash in a cache is a true d-bag and removing those items seems like the right thing to do.

 

I REALLY like this person's idea of MAKING something to share/trade and can certainly relate.

 

My wife loves to make hemp twine bracelets/necklaces, etc, intertwined with lots of intricate knots and twists with all sorts of beads, some handblown glass, some handcarved wood, etc. We're just geting started in geocaching but we've decided that this will be our calling card along with a short note who it's from. I plan to grab a few old Army ammo containers from the local surplus store ($5-10 ea) to start making our own caches.

 

I like the bracelet idea because it's a natural product which has some time and love put into it, farily inexpensive to make ($2-20 or so depending on the beads), and hopefully someone enjoys wearing it, or sharing it with someone who will.

 

Anyhow, thanks everyone for sharing your ideas. I just love this forum and all the kind souls who participate!! If you find a brand new hemp bracelet/necklace in a cache, it may just mean we were there!! :unsure:

 

Peace,

K

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The RedStone

+The RedStone

Posted
Posted (edited)

Love all the ideas-we geocache with our 5 y/o daughter so the "treasure" part is important to her! Her favorite by far was the glowstick she found in one of our first finds so we now leave a red glowstick or glow bracelet-since our "name" is The RedStone-I need to make some little tags to attach to them with our name, etc. I do like the idea of making something small-like the keychain, etc-will have to think of something clever.

Someone asked about the battery cases-we got ours (that we carry in our geocaching bag) at The Container Store: http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Produ...mp;PRODID=67909

 

HTH and happing caching!

Edited by The RedStone
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vbkids

vbkids

Posted
Posted

Thanks for this great thread. Lots of good ideas here. I think opening a box of random junk is the best fun of geocaching. I don't care what's in there. Today we found a box that had a diaper (clean!), a USB cable (apparently still good), and a piece of Velcro, among other odd objects.

 

My kids each picked out a junky toy and we left some none-too-useful junk (a keychain and two golf balls) in return. If I ever get organized enough, we'll buy a stash of some of the great suggestions in this thread.

 

Meanwhile, the weirder the box, the better!

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dhrnrcpa

+dhrnrcpa

Posted
Posted

I tend to leave items from the Dollar Tree.....sometimes items for the kiddies(toys, chalk, etc), sometimes for adults(bungee cords, batteries, and the like). Difficulty of the cache affects my decision sometimes. I'm not in it fir the swag, but I do enjoy the trading as part of the game. Hate finding used, beat up items or inappropriate swag.

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ipine4unbalsam2

+ipine4unbalsam2

Posted
Posted

I bought some foam stickers of tropical plants and animals. I divided them up in small bead ziplock bags and leave at least one or two of them in caches. I also got some Spongebob Squarepants golfballs that I left in caches. I keep a few small log books and mini pens in zip lock bags to put in caches that need them. I rarely take anything. I prefer to move travel bugs when I can do it within a reasonable time. There are some great ideas here though. I'll do better shopping next time! :(

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geocacheniagara

+geocacheniagara

Posted
Posted

Whether caches are themed or not, we like to leave themed swag. If it's in the woods it is mosquito wipes, if it's in a muddy area we will leave mini hand sanitizers, if it is near thorns and raspberry bushes we leave neon bandaids, if hiking is invloved we leave survival kits that come with flint/compass, if near water we leave water toys, floatable containers for keys etc. Railroad tracks, it's a train whistle, blike paths we leave tire repair kits. It keeps the caching fun for the kids as they love choosing what to leave as much as what to take. Other items we have left:

 

Key chain compasses

Dice (mini dice are great for micros)

Glo sticks/cubes/jewellery

Kids jacks games or string games for jumping

Survivor whistles

Stuffed animals/dinosaurs/trucks

Girls costume jewellery/hair accessories

 

All of our swag comes from the dollar store and most everything we leave behind is in it's own package. The key is to think of what you would like to find or what your kids would like to find. I have seen them disappointed many times when I have them hyped that the next cache is a large container only to open it up and find broken/well used swag. Keeping it themed keeps it fun and makes dollar store shopping a whole new experience!

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marine322

marine322

Posted
Posted

Hi all! I'm new to Geocaching. I have a question about taking/leaving...I read on the stash card, that if you take something, you should leave something. The question I have is when we go to log in to that cache, it seems like several items are being taken/left...is there a limit as to how many items can be taken/left at each cache? Thanks!

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Mayeaux clan

+Mayeaux clan

Posted
Posted

I have been looking for the battery cases that have been mentioned in this thread. Does anyone have a source for them?

 

Here's the link to where I get my rechargeables, they have the cases:

http://thomasdistributing.com/shop/thomas-...st5oqit2d6bmt77

 

As far as the swag we carry, the kids and I usually load up at the dollar tree on little toy cars, yo-yos, plastic animals, etc. -- the type of stuff that they like to trade for. I usually keep a few compasses, decks of Nat'l Geographic playing cards, and lately some nice LED flashlights that I have found on the off chance that I find something I like in a cache or the girls find something that I feel their trinkets won't be at least an even swap for.

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Silfron Mandotheneset

+Silfron Mandotheneset

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi all! I'm new to Geocaching. I have a question about taking/leaving...I read on the stash card, that if you take something, you should leave something. The question I have is when we go to log in to that cache, it seems like several items are being taken/left...is there a limit as to how many items can be taken/left at each cache? Thanks!

 

We usually take more than one thing (of course, we're a team of two always, and more than two sometimes) but we always leave the same number or more things than we took.

 

To everyone who's been saying dice: have you thought of leaving the odd dice (4 sided, 10 sided, 20 sided)? I've left a couple of those odd ones and I think they'll be interesting for people to find. They also seem to fit better in micros... er they come out better anyway. I guess because they're not square.

 

I've also found that the clearance isle in Wal-mart is a GREAT place to find swag. They mark stuff down like crazy sometimes - I found a 10 dollar Lego toy for 2 bucks the other day. Also found some of those neat little things that if you put them in water they turn into towels, for a dollar each. In case you're sick of the dollar store :laughing:

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mrald

+mrald

Posted
Posted

I just started this hobby with my 5 yr old daughter. And there's no doubt that the real joy is discovering the cache, not the contents. We've had a lot of fun so far.

 

But that being said, I've been rather disappointed at the condition of some of the contents. The glut of Happy Meal toys, even in new condition, seems like a lazy choice. The sad thing is, most of the Happy Meal toys I see are used, dirty and/or broken. It's like someone cleaned out the back seat of their family car and threw the garbage into the cache. Even if my daughter is excited to see a 'toy', I have to check it out to make sure it's even appropriate.

 

One poster above that said they'd never like to see golf balls, wooden nickels, casino chips, McDonald's Toys, etc, again. That's funny, because I've only seen a handful of caches, and I've already seen so many of these items.

 

I'm going to start carrying rubber bands, so when I see a cache with a bunch of calling cards scattered throughout, I'll bundle them all into one pile.

 

It also might be thoughtful to carry some ziploc bags for when you find log books in torn ones.

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Headhardhat

+Headhardhat

Posted
Posted

I have a trunk full of dollar store swag for everyday use. My signature item is a first aid kit that I buy at the dollar store and everybody keeps saying what a cool idea it is. For special occasions I get gift cards of different denominations. One of my favorites was a $15.00 gift card for Toys R Us. Just so happens that a father and his two little girls were the ones to find it and it was just like Christmas for them.. I actually bumped into them months later and they both gave me a hug to say thank you.. Felt like Santa...

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brendalynn

brendalynn

Posted
Posted

This is a great thread for beginner cachers such as myself. I really appreciate the useful ideas. I'll have to stock up on some of the mentioned items such as insect wipes, bags, batteries, etc. I've only found 5 caches so far, and 4 of them were pretty much filled with broken, leaking, or simply "throw away" items, although I understand the need for little ones to find their "treasures." However, in one of the 4 I did find a geocoin which was way cool since it was also my first find. My last find, the 5th, was very cool. Not only did it have a few trinkets for the kiddies, it also contained a gently used novel, an audio book, new carabeeners, and a few other unique and useful items. My partner and I are also working up a "calling card" to leave as a signature item. Anyway, thanks for the great ideas. Keep them coming. It sure help us newbies! :yikes:

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THEHIWAYMAN

+THEHIWAYMAN

Posted
Posted

how many dusty CD,s do you have... I love new music and some music I had never heard of before i have found in GC's... Thats the good thing bout music if you bought a cd and hated it the next guy or gal to get it may love it... Cds are great for caches! but I also agree with a previous poster I dont care what I find! its the thrill of the hunt and if i see a skimpy cache I will--- Left (XXX) TN SL to build it up for the next GCer...

 

also I have found many cachers are rock hounds like me so rocks ,petrified wood ,and small fossils are a big hit... Ill usually write a small note explaining the significance of the item if it looks just like a rock...

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mbharpman

+mbharpman

Posted
Posted

I like to leave my sig item a small harmonica, mercury dime from my metal detector days, unique toy cars from yard sales, action figures, small plastic animals - dinosaurs - insects - reptiles, and of course a guitar pick.

I have my boys bring a small handful of small un-broken toys to trade.

One of my boys favorite trade was for a cheap micky mouse wallet.

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Wood_Rat

+Wood_Rat

Posted
Posted

So if you run across a cache that has broken toys and trash in it, is it OK to just remove and throw out? I know my kids would be disappointed to find broken toys . . . I think I would just be tempted to take all the broken ones and throw in some new ones.

 

That seems to fit the idea of "if you take something, leave something of equal or greater value."

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stryder717

stryder717

Posted
Posted

However, in one of the 4 I did find a geocoin which was way cool since it was also my first find.

 

Just making sure... you know you're not supposed to keep those unless you find them "unactivated", right?

 

EDIT for grammar.

even if you find one unactivated you should try to contact the owner and see why its not activated, you shouldnt just keep it

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Silfron Mandotheneset

+Silfron Mandotheneset

Posted
  • Author
Posted

However, in one of the 4 I did find a geocoin which was way cool since it was also my first find.

 

Just making sure... you know you're not supposed to keep those unless you find them "unactivated", right?

 

EDIT for grammar.

even if you find one unactivated you should try to contact the owner and see why its not activated, you shouldnt just keep it

 

True, but if it's unactivated, how would you know? Obvioiusly if the last person to log a cache online said "left a whatever coin, please help it along" and you just HAPPEN to find an unactivated coin that is the same coin, yeah, that's probably theirs... but if you find one and there's no mention of it... then what? I found an unactivated coin and did quite a lot of checking around to make sure it was meant to be swag before I kept it. So yeah... use the common sense. I guess that's all I'm saying :blink:

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Headhardhat

+Headhardhat

Posted
Posted (edited)

Head down to your local dollar store. You will be surprised what is available. The most important thing is to leave items you would like to find.

 

This is my main Swag Store. The dollar store has everything for the kiddies and adults. I print off my HHH logo and lable first aid kits as my signature item...

 

As far as who actually trades swag.. I don't know if it is my imagination or not but it would appear that many of the cachers that have a high amount of numbers no longer bother with swag or TBs. I only hope that I do not ever get turned off to that part of geocaching. I truly enjoy finding that unique trinket that makes finding that cache special.

 

-HHH :blink:

Edited by Headhardhat
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Geo-Ninjas

Geo-Ninjas

Posted
Posted (edited)

We actually found little NINJA's that we leave in the cache. Now the last cache we visited this weekend had some really creative calling cards. Some were made on home printers and some were really really cool. I am not sure if you are supposed to take them or not. But my son found a robot which to a 4 year old is the COOLEST thing on the face of the earth.

 

We do visit the dollar store and also surf the net. Oriental trading company sells a lot of bulk trinkets that are Geocaching perfect in my mind.

 

Happy hunting...

 

:rolleyes: Geo-Ninjas <_<

Edited by Geo-Ninjas
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silly2day

+silly2day

Posted
Posted (edited)

We are pretty new to the geocaching world, but found out that we love it. With three younger ones, toys are a must for us. We buy all our stuff in bulk from Oriental trading or Party America which sells the same items from Oriental trading.

I do have to say that there are a lot of containers out there with junk. My kids will take nothing but will always leave items for the next kids to find. I tend to never trade items, unless it's tb's or coins. I have come across a couple items that I just had to trade for, they were a four pack of batteries and a back massager.

There is someone in my area that adds a pencil sharpener in all caches found, which I think is a great idea.

Edited by silly2day
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crosby7

+crosby7

Posted
Posted (edited)

I like to leave the small/medium size carabeaners/clips. Most people have a backpack of some type when caching so a clip is a nice thing to get. I also get some cheap tweezers from time to time from the 99 cent store & leave them for those folks that have small logs in the micros. I also found the small play-dough in small cans and bought like 20 of them for 10 bucks. Kids loved them. I also like to leave the small costco waters in MY larger caches.

Edited by crosby7
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Guinness70

+Guinness70

Posted
Posted (edited)

how many dusty CD,s do you have...

LOTS ...have a large box in the storage room that hasnt seen the light of day let alone a laser in probably near a decade

 

great idea! thanks

 

i spent 6 days caching in Luxembourg and in nearly every cache i left 2 homemade, paracord zipperpulls

i say home made, but technically they where caravan made since we were staying in a caravan

and i made them each the evening before heading out the next day ;) takes about 6miniutes for 1

so if yer in Luxembourg caching and come across paracord zipperpull sin safety orange/woodland camo combo...

they are freshly made by a belgian guy, last week in a caravan in Dillingen, Luxembourg.

 

back home now -.-

Edited by Guinness70
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Saginaw Bloodhounds

+Saginaw Bloodhounds

Posted
Posted

I wish we could just put a baseline on swag value. I think that items that cost at least $1.00 would be nice. The ammo cans full of old pencils, golf balls, fast food toys and other random stuff that people seem to find under the seat of their minivan is just getting old. Remember, you dont HAVE to leave something. I would much rather just sign the log than leave my mark with something as useful as an owners manual to a 1984 Volkswagen Scirocco. :laughing:

 

I found these really cool 37 piece first aid kits that come in a hard case at my local Dollar Daze for a buck. I have left AA batteries before. Im not sure why they would corrode unless the cache gets wet inside. Batteries usually have a shelf life of many many years.

 

If you are going to leave something in a cache around your home town, maybe leave something significant to the area for people who travel from afar. I once found free passes to a big butterfly house while visiting Mackinac Island.

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Mokzii

+Mokzii

Posted
Posted

I always leave a small sealed baggy containing my signature wooden coin, a tiny rubbery worm (about the size of a dime) and a geocaching button. I admit - I had a hard time parting with many of the buttons! I loved them all! The one that I did keep has Edvard Munch's "The Scream" on it. The text says "The DNF".

Well, I thought it was funny! xD

I also bring some nicer things - nice jewelry, collectible things like beanie babies (sealed) and other more moderately priced things in case there's something especially nice in a cache I'd like to trade for.

 

I LOVE finding sig items of any kind, interesting coins, patches and any sort of jewelry. The sillier the better. Even Mardi Gras beads are great in my book!

 

Finding garbage-water broken McDonalds toys makes me a sad wurm. :laughing:

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Technoluxe

+Technoluxe

Posted
Posted (edited)

I like to collect blind-box toys from Japan (from stores like this: http://rotofugi.com/toyscart/pc/viewCatego...p?idCategory=5.) They're vinyl figurines or models that come in a box, and you can't tell which kind of figurine it is until you open it. It's sort of like the toy version of baseball cards: you don't know which cards are in the pack until you open it. Anyway, sometimes I don't like or already have the toy that I get in the blind-box, so I put the unwanted ones in caches. I'd love to find unopened blind boxes in caches, to me, that'd totally make my day. B)

 

I also picked up a bunch of small toys (tiny rubber ducks, playing cards, fun band-aids, pencil toppers) at Archie McPhee -- local store here in Seattle, but they're online at http://www.archiemcphee.com. I'm going to Italy at the end of this month, so I'm planning on heading over to a cheapie tourist shop to buy Seattle stuff (magnets, keychains) to leave in caches there.

 

A couple of weeks ago, I did find Silly Putty on sale. I bought a couple of packages, but I don't know if they'd get all yucky in wet caches. And they're a little too tempting for me not to keep :laughing:

Edited by Technoluxe
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Kohavis

+Kohavis

Posted
Posted

In a cache I'm about to place, I went to Walgreen's and bought a Kodak single-use camera and added instructions for finders to take their own pics, and when full, I'll develop and post on the cache page :lol:

 

I also am leaving a FTF prize since it's the only cache large enough. The other four I'm about to place are micros.

 

I'm waiting for my first GPS unit to arrive. That's the reason for the delay :(

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busterbabes

+busterbabes

Posted
Posted

My kid and I have found a few oragami folded dollar bills in caches. (folded into a ring, a t-shirt, a bird) and she loved those! I think her favorite part of finding those was coming home and looking up the instructions to fold her own oragami dollars! We have passed the originals on, and have left a few new ones.

 

Also, we like to find and leave metal puzzles. We love to get them figured out and pass them on hoping that someone enjoys them as much as we did. ( Or frustrates them as much as it did us! LOL )

 

We enjoy finding swag that makes us think.. and then pass it on hoping that the next finder does the same!

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klsavp

+klsavp

Posted
Posted

I realize that kids, especially, are excited by many of the trinkets in a geocache (I once found a kids video in an ammo box cache and thought that was a particularly great find for a kid. Good way to get rid of old videos, also.) but I like to leave (and find) things that are at least a little bit useful and I think we all have more than enough erasers, keychains, etc. I put $.27 postage on a pretty postcard (preferably from the area, but often just a nice unused postcard that I have laying around) and leave it in the cache for someone to be able to send to a friend. Also, still-in-the-wrapper chapsticks, and a pack of small post-it notes are inexpensive (when bought in bulk on sale) are also favorite "leaves" of mine. Fancy removeable tatoos are fun for kids -- and some adults. --klsavp

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Guinness70

+Guinness70

Posted
Posted

-//-

You know, I actually thought of doing that, but when I found out they were $3-5 a pop, I thought it was a little over my budget. And it is..

and to those that think that is being a cheapskate... IT ISNT !

we're slow cachers and only done 50 over a few months : so that would be 50 x $4 ... $200 every 2 months?

not me, I wont spend that. Fuel cost is high enuf already.

 

the last 13 caches we done we dropped somit in each and only took out someting on 2 counts : traded a carabiner for a carabiner and other was a free CD with campsites in Europe.

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Silfron Mandotheneset

+Silfron Mandotheneset

Posted
  • Author
Posted

-//-

You know, I actually thought of doing that, but when I found out they were $3-5 a pop, I thought it was a little over my budget. And it is..

and to those that think that is being a cheapskate... IT ISNT !

we're slow cachers and only done 50 over a few months : so that would be 50 x $4 ... $200 every 2 months?

not me, I wont spend that. Fuel cost is high enuf already.

 

the last 13 caches we done we dropped somit in each and only took out someting on 2 counts : traded a carabiner for a carabiner and other was a free CD with campsites in Europe.

 

Thanks for that. I was meaning to add an edit to that effect myself, but the wonderful college computer wouldn't let me. And then I forgot :anibad:

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Wayoutinleftfield

Wayoutinleftfield

Posted
Posted

So if you run across a cache that has broken toys and trash in it, is it OK to just remove and throw out? I know my kids would be disappointed to find broken toys . . . I think I would just be tempted to take all the broken ones and throw in some new ones.

 

We loaded up at Dollar General on small toys, but I really like the idea of the OFF wipes and other handy items like that.

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