sunstar1mw Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I'm very new to this, and I'm never sure whats appropriate to leave behind. Can someone give me a list of what to leave and what you should never leave behind?. I looked a little but more for info on the site but couldnt really find any. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment
+Arrow42 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) I'm very new to this, and I'm never sure whats appropriate to leave behind. Can someone give me a list of what to leave and what you should never leave behind?. I looked a little but more for info on the site but couldnt really find any. Thanks!!! So far I've been leaving... - Dice. - Matchbox Cars. - Keychains. - Mini Flashlight. Things I've seen in caches: - Game tokens (near a theater with an arcade) - Silk flowers - Stickers (this is an iffy one - if it gets left in the cache too long it becomes trash) - Microcaches What you should never leave: - Food (food attracts animals - animals tear up caches) - Drugs (illegal or legal - this is a kid-friendly game) - Weapons (bullets, knifes, etc. - again, kids) - condoms, porn, etc (I mean, really?) - trash (broken toys, etc) There are a few guidelines that seem to be recommended: 1. If you take something, leave something of equal or greater value. I know, it's not easy to tell - just make a good faith effort. 2. If you have a cheep signature item, such as a plastic ring, spider, paperclip, etc - Thanks fine, just keep in mind the first guideline when trading. 3. It's not about price - it's about value. A cool hand-made item that didn't cost you anything has quite a bit of value. Edited June 7, 2009 by Arrow42 Quote Link to comment
+Bear and Ragged Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 You don't have to swap. Nothing wrong with just looking to see what's in the box for your first finds. Leave something, if you take something is the guideline, not swap every time. Quote Link to comment
NordicMan Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) I carry a variety of stuff in my Geocaching "swag bag", things of various shapes & sized, and whenever I trade I try to swap like-for-like. If I grab a key fob I like to leave a different key fob, know what I mean? You want to carry a bit of SMALL stuff as some caches are tiny and/or already so full that they can't handle another larger item. Edited June 7, 2009 by NordicMan Quote Link to comment
+msrubble Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 There's an explanation of what not to leave in the guidelines for cache listings. As for what to leave, it doesn't have to be expensive. Think of something you would be happy to find, or that a child would be happy to find. Currently in my swag bag are: state quarter Beanie Baby spinner blades (fishing tackle) bouncy ball finger skateboard beaded bracelets bubble level toy cars nail clippers deck of cards yoyo beaded necklace emergency rain poncho keychains fishing lure (new in package) dog toy dog whistle calculator travel pet dish waist pack AA batteries travel sewing kit golf balls emergency compass/whistle/mirror paperback books stress toy carabiner wristband Quote Link to comment
modernman Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 I never thought about stickers going bad. Usually I keep a bunch of stickers in my wallet as a backup in case I have some time to kill when I'm not intentionally looking for caches.. I never take anything when I leave stickers but I usually will add some. Is this really a bad idea? Quote Link to comment
+Arrow42 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I never thought about stickers going bad. Usually I keep a bunch of stickers in my wallet as a backup in case I have some time to kill when I'm not intentionally looking for caches.. I never take anything when I leave stickers but I usually will add some. Is this really a bad idea? Naw, carry on. The worst that can happen is that they accidentally get peeled off of the backing and stick to something random in the cache. Or the sticky part picks up dirt, or something like that. If you stick them in with the log it should protect them. Quote Link to comment
+JU5TU5 Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Do you ever just clean out the trash left in a cache? I've come across a couple that had broken toys, etc. Should you just take that junk out and throw it away or notify the cache owner to do that? Quote Link to comment
+Printess Caroline Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 Do you ever just clean out the trash left in a cache? I've come across a couple that had broken toys, etc. Should you just take that junk out and throw it away or notify the cache owner to do that? I have. Then, I will add a few new items to replace the trash I removed. I also will add something occasionally without taking anything if the swag seems to be lacking. If a cache has only kid stuff in it and it isn't themed to cater to the younger cachers, I will often leave an item like an eyeglass repair kit that might appeal to an adult. If I come across a cache with no items for kids, I always leave a little something a child might like such as a toy car or an old computer game that my older children have outgrown. That reminds me to suggest that you might look around your house for swag items. About half of my swag is made up of items that my family no longer wants or that I have picked up at a garage sale. Quote Link to comment
+Jess80&Mike99 Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Do you ever just clean out the trash left in a cache? I've come across a couple that had broken toys, etc. Should you just take that junk out and throw it away or notify the cache owner to do that? We cleaned out a cached one time that had peanut butter crackers in it. We looked through the log to see who left it and there wasn't anything mentioned. We didn't mention it to the cache owner either, but I don't he would have mind very much since food is not suppose to be in a cache container. Jess80 Quote Link to comment
+Jess80&Mike99 Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 I carry a variety of stuff in my Geocaching "swag bag", things of various shapes & sized, and whenever I trade I try to swap like-for-like. If I grab a key fob I like to leave a different key fob, know what I mean? You want to carry a bit of SMALL stuff as some caches are tiny and/or already so full that they can't handle another larger item. We also carry a variety in our geocache backpack such as outdoor items (bear bells, ponchos, thermal blankets, emergency whistle, bandaids, and insect repellant), lint rollers, tide stain removers, colorful folder clips, kleenex, and LED keychain lights. We also carry trade items for kids (small coloring books, crayons, and toy cars). We base what we want to leave on where we find the cache. If we are on a main highway we will leave items for children. If we are in the forest or near a river we will leave outdoor items. Jess80&Mike99 Quote Link to comment
pianoboy135 Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 Many of the answers posted before me pretty much sum it up. However, you can find many things that you can leave at a cache at your nearest "dollar store". We're all not in this to get rich. It's a hide and seek game. Quote Link to comment
+Wintonian Posted June 14, 2009 Share Posted June 14, 2009 We're all not in this to get rich. It's a hide and seek game. Nor can we all aford it. But yes pound (doller) store or just look at the swag and don't trade. The suggestions above are all good ones. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.