LAME cache swag

[+KBI]

Where did you get that?

Ah yes, the traditional KBI bait & switch. Good to see you back in form!

You do it, then you accuse me of doing it. Why?

 

Let's look at the facts.

 

First, you said this:

... a method I've found for maintaining a high degree of swag is to make your cache as far from a park & grab as you possibly can. It seems that those folks who go after the hardest to reach caches tend to practice the age ole mantra of "Trade Up, Trade Even or Don't Trade" more than those folks who won't walk more than 20' from their air conditioned minivan.

You made it clear you don't want folks walking off with your swag unless they trade fairly. Other than adding an odd little accusation of dishonesty against cachers who don't happen to share your caching preference, I thought it was a reasonable statement.

 

I then questioned why anyone would modify their cache hiding style just to thwart what they see as a threat to their swag, when it would be so much easier to skip the swag altogether so you can feel free to hide whatever you want to hide. You were free to either consider or ignore that point.

 

But then you said this:

If COs don’t want people taking swag, then what’s the point of simply making caches harder to get to?

I don't think anyone here has stated, or even hinted that they don't want folks taking swag out of their caches. Heck, I love it when some one takes swag from one of my caches and replaces it with something of greater or equal value. In my opinion, it helps keep the swag interesting.

First you say you design hides specifically to control the trading, then you seem to say just the opposite.

 

Either you are annoyed by what is happening to some of your swag, or you aren't. Which is it?

 

So who's doing the "twising?"

 

I suggested you skip the swag completely instead of allowing the unfair traders to cow you into modifying your hides. It was just a friendly suggestion; again, you were free to consider it or ignore it. Obfuscating like you did didn't make any sense.

 

... Twisting it into some bizarre pro-micro rant is pretty weak.

The micro thing was just a side comment. Nobody ranted, and nobody wants to force you to hide micros -- beyond the ones you've already hidden, that is. If you feel threatened by such benign comments or see them as "rants," then maybe you have deeper personal issues that you should look into.

 

It was your twist, my friend, not mine. Don't complain to me.

[Clan Riffster]

You... <snipped out silliness>... me.

(Yawn)... Sorry... What was that again?

[+coffee/wired]

Probably the type of swag that irritates me the most are expired coupons, old food items like stale candy or gum, and someone's business cards. Like I really want a business card from someone who sells orthopedic shoes or soy burgers When I see such trash I do a little CITO on the hide.

I like finding business cards. I like seeing who was there before me. I don't think of them as advertisements. Come on, what are the chances I'm going to be buying soy burgers anyway? lol

 

I find a lot of religious pamplets, which I think are crappy but some people might like. I usually take them though, because by the time I find them they're usually moldy and wet.

I hate when people put playdoh packages in caches though. They're always melted or mildewy and ucky. I chuck them every time.

Everything else, well I think computer parts are neat, and I like buttons and I LOVE the lonestar bottle caps with little word games underneath. I also really like rocks and dollar store crap. So mostly, when I find a cache, I'm happy.

In regards to religious pamphlets, I find them distasteful. It says in the guidelines: Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda. While it may not be the intent of that cache to be solicitating members to this church or that church (and I have no way of knowing if the cache owner put that pamphlet in there or if another cacher did unless they say so in the logs), I feel that a cache is no place for religious pamphlets. A cross, or a rosary, ok, fine, leave that. But don't try to get me to convert to a Jehovah's Witness while I'm out on my hike. Ring my doorbell on Saturday morning like a normal person LOL

 

This would have to be a tie between a single barbie shoe and a local rock (piece of quartz). Both left as trades for much nicer items in the same cache.

My daughter would love to find a piece of quartz. She is a total rockhound. We even BUY rocks. Yes, we spend money on rocks. It's her hobby, it is nowhere near "junk" to her. I'm not going to feel bad if we leave a cool looking rock or mineral in a cache.

 

I carry in my geocaching backpack all the supplies I feel I need: a "swag bag" with swag to trade or just leave, which includes new pencils, stickers, bracelets and soon our signature item; a notepad and scissors to replenish log books if the current one is full; and ziplock bags.

 

I try to leave a cache in better shape than I found it. It's my way of "paying it forward." Like most things in life, it will probably be back to bad shape in no time, but that doesn't mean I leave it in bad shape. I think it's a good lesson to teach my daughter, and if I made one kid happy because she got to trade for a Hannah Montana sticker that you (general you) might think of as lame, then, as the sayings go, "You can't please everyone" and "My work here is done"

[+okie-wan]

Probably the type of swag that irritates me the most are expired coupons, old food items like stale candy or gum, and someone's business cards. Like I really want a business card from someone who sells orthopedic shoes or soy burgers When I see such trash I do a little CITO on the hide.

I like finding business cards. I like seeing who was there before me. I don't think of them as advertisements. Come on, what are the chances I'm going to be buying soy burgers anyway? lol

 

I find a lot of religious pamplets, which I think are crappy but some people might like. I usually take them though, because by the time I find them they're usually moldy and wet.

I hate when people put playdoh packages in caches though. They're always melted or mildewy and ucky. I chuck them every time.

Everything else, well I think computer parts are neat, and I like buttons and I LOVE the lonestar bottle caps with little word games underneath. I also really like rocks and dollar store crap. So mostly, when I find a cache, I'm happy.

In regards to religious pamphlets, I find them distasteful. It says in the guidelines: Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda. While it may not be the intent of that cache to be solicitating members to this church or that church (and I have no way of knowing if the cache owner put that pamphlet in there or if another cacher did unless they say so in the logs), I feel that a cache is no place for religious pamphlets. A cross, or a rosary, ok, fine, leave that. But don't try to get me to convert to a Jehovah's Witness while I'm out on my hike. Ring my doorbell on Saturday morning like a normal person LOL

 

This would have to be a tie between a single barbie shoe and a local rock (piece of quartz). Both left as trades for much nicer items in the same cache.

My daughter would love to find a piece of quartz. She is a total rockhound. We even BUY rocks. Yes, we spend money on rocks. It's her hobby, it is nowhere near "junk" to her. I'm not going to feel bad if we leave a cool looking rock or mineral in a cache.

 

I carry in my geocaching backpack all the supplies I feel I need: a "swag bag" with swag to trade or just leave, which includes new pencils, stickers, bracelets and soon our signature item; a notepad and scissors to replenish log books if the current one is full; and ziplock bags.

 

I try to leave a cache in better shape than I found it. It's my way of "paying it forward." Like most things in life, it will probably be back to bad shape in no time, but that doesn't mean I leave it in bad shape. I think it's a good lesson to teach my daughter, and if I made one kid happy because she got to trade for a Hannah Montana sticker that you (general you) might think of as lame, then, as the sayings go, "You can't please everyone" and "My work here is done"

'Ya mean I gotta' toss the 5,000 NRA window stickers I ordered? DOH!

[+Team Cotati]

Probably the type of swag that irritates me the most are expired coupons, old food items like stale candy or gum, and someone's business cards. Like I really want a business card from someone who sells orthopedic shoes or soy burgers When I see such trash I do a little CITO on the hide.

I like finding business cards. I like seeing who was there before me. I don't think of them as advertisements. Come on, what are the chances I'm going to be buying soy burgers anyway? lol

 

I find a lot of religious pamplets, which I think are crappy but some people might like. I usually take them though, because by the time I find them they're usually moldy and wet.

I hate when people put playdoh packages in caches though. They're always melted or mildewy and ucky. I chuck them every time.

Everything else, well I think computer parts are neat, and I like buttons and I LOVE the lonestar bottle caps with little word games underneath. I also really like rocks and dollar store crap. So mostly, when I find a cache, I'm happy.

In regards to religious pamphlets, I find them distasteful. It says in the guidelines: Solicitations are off-limits. For example, caches perceived to be posted for religious, political, charitable or social agendas are not permitted. Geocaching is supposed to be a light, fun activity, not a platform for an agenda. While it may not be the intent of that cache to be solicitating members to this church or that church (and I have no way of knowing if the cache owner put that pamphlet in there or if another cacher did unless they say so in the logs), I feel that a cache is no place for religious pamphlets. A cross, or a rosary, ok, fine, leave that. But don't try to get me to convert to a Jehovah's Witness while I'm out on my hike. Ring my doorbell on Saturday morning like a normal person LOL

 

This would have to be a tie between a single barbie shoe and a local rock (piece of quartz). Both left as trades for much nicer items in the same cache.

My daughter would love to find a piece of quartz. She is a total rockhound. We even BUY rocks. Yes, we spend money on rocks. It's her hobby, it is nowhere near "junk" to her. I'm not going to feel bad if we leave a cool looking rock or mineral in a cache.

 

I carry in my geocaching backpack all the supplies I feel I need: a "swag bag" with swag to trade or just leave, which includes new pencils, stickers, bracelets and soon our signature item; a notepad and scissors to replenish log books if the current one is full; and ziplock bags.

 

I try to leave a cache in better shape than I found it. It's my way of "paying it forward." Like most things in life, it will probably be back to bad shape in no time, but that doesn't mean I leave it in bad shape. I think it's a good lesson to teach my daughter, and if I made one kid happy because she got to trade for a Hannah Montana sticker that you (general you) might think of as lame, then, as the sayings go, "You can't please everyone" and "My work here is done"

'Ya mean I gotta' toss the 5,000 NRA window stickers I ordered? DOH!

 

Why would you want to go and do that?

[+coffee/wired]

'Ya mean I gotta' toss the 5,000 NRA window stickers I ordered? DOH!

Are you going to shoot me if I say yes?

[+Vater_Araignee]

'Ya mean I gotta' toss the 5,000 NRA window stickers I ordered? DOH!

Are you going to shoot me if I say yes?

He wont but somebody may throw a Shuriken or two. WHAA THAA

[Lazy_G_Boys]

I think it should be something for everyone. I am still new to this, so I probably should steer clear of this, but I can't. On the 3 I found with tradable items, we went with the rule of equal or better value put back. My kids love looking through it, and it's teaching them they can't take it all out. I fund a really cool slice of polished wood yesterday that I couldn't resist though. In another one I traded a real dollar for two fake toy dollars. I have two boys, so we end up trading for two things. Can't let one have something and not the other. I still put back for both of them. They are so happy with whatever and are easily pleased by some of the simplest things. If I come across a geocoin or TB it will be something I take control of if we have intentions to move it along in the direction it wants to go. I'm also planning to make some things to keep on hand for trading or stocking mine with. I like the idea of signature items and am trying to decide how to make some to represent us as well. There's always going to be some bad apples in every bunch though. I found a part of a dollar that was burnt along the edge that I didn't feel was appropriate. I told hubby it was probably a quarter of the dollar traded for an actual quarter. That's also illegal and disrespectfull in my oppinion. I plan to occasionally go clean the crap from my own caches every once in a while, so people won't be dissappointed in the find. We'll see if they ever even are found!

[+Bmxer11]

Lamest I've seen was the swag that you can't trade,like when the owner says leave the stuff in there and don't put anything else in.

[darkbloo]

The items that annoy me most are unwrapped things like balloons, whistles, party poppers etc that my kid automatically wants to pick and put straight to his mouth - yuck. Not a fan of calling cards either - the log book is there to show who has signed the log already. One cache I found today had a pair of childrens socks in it, looked new but not wrapped but come on who on earth would use that? Can't understand at all why anyone would leave that in a cache.

 

For us, the poor predictability of pointless items left in caches have turned us into just not bothering at all with swaps, maybe just move on bugs and coins but that's about it.

[+simpler1773]

Brand new socks? I'm good with that! Functional and won't break, not some plastic piece of crap...heck yeah!

[+Twitch Hugs Trees]

I'm really just starting out (I'm a high school honors student so not much free time), but I lurk relentlessly in these forums--- so I'm kind of educated in this sport.

 

My "swag-bag" of trade items is filled mostly with polished rocks and cheap (not gaudy, but not 24 carat tennis bracelets) jewelry. I'm still trying to figure out a signature item, I'm an artist but not very crafty...

 

I'm excited to find a cache at all, and if all that's inside is a toy from Mickey D's and a broken seashell, I'll probably take the shell and add it to my collection.

 

TL;DR= It's all about fun, you know what they say about one man's trash...

[+power69]

in one of my caches someone put a part to a busted nail clippers.

whos going to want to trade for that?

[+blackfatcat]

I came across this topic this morning and have to agree. I have found pure trash in some caches. It is rude and inconsiderate of these people to leave junk that should be put in a trash can. A little common sense and curiosity from people is to much to ask for these days. Very sad ....

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

The items that annoy me most are unwrapped things like balloons, whistles, party poppers etc that my kid automatically wants to pick and put straight to his mouth - yuck. Not a fan of calling cards either - the log book is there to show who has signed the log already. One cache I found today had a pair of childrens socks in it, looked new but not wrapped but come on who on earth would use that? Can't understand at all why anyone would leave that in a cache.

 

For us, the poor predictability of pointless items left in caches have turned us into just not bothering at all with swaps, maybe just move on bugs and coins but that's about it.

 

I understand what you mean about the socks. We were shopping for Swag at the 99 cent store yesterday, and found some very good ideas, like earbuds for Ipods, nice ponytail holders (good for adult women too) but I, too, was concerned that someone would be reluctant to use them, not knowing if they had been used. My idea is to take them out of the bulky factory packaging, put them in a small bag, and put a small card in the bag with the note "brand new."

 

Would anyone like to comment on whether or not they would use an item packaged like this? I mean, we found some nice things, and for 99 cents you can't beat them!

[+Vater_Araignee]

The items that annoy me most are unwrapped things like balloons, whistles, party poppers etc that my kid automatically wants to pick and put straight to his mouth - yuck. Not a fan of calling cards either - the log book is there to show who has signed the log already. One cache I found today had a pair of childrens socks in it, looked new but not wrapped but come on who on earth would use that? Can't understand at all why anyone would leave that in a cache.

 

For us, the poor predictability of pointless items left in caches have turned us into just not bothering at all with swaps, maybe just move on bugs and coins but that's about it.

 

I understand what you mean about the socks. We were shopping for Swag at the 99 cent store yesterday, and found some very good ideas, like earbuds for Ipods, nice ponytail holders (good for adult women too) but I, too, was concerned that someone would be reluctant to use them, not knowing if they had been used. My idea is to take them out of the bulky factory packaging, put them in a small bag, and put a small card in the bag with the note "brand new."

 

Would anyone like to comment on whether or not they would use an item packaged like this? I mean, we found some nice things, and for 99 cents you can't beat them!

I use the black Goody Ouchless holders , so they aint just good for women.

I did find a pack in a cache, pure joy because the only one I had with me got busted 3 caches prior, but I'll tell ya this, if they where not on the original card stock I would not have taken them regardless of what note they may have been repackaged with.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

I think it should be something for everyone. I am still new to this, so I probably should steer clear of this, but I can't. On the 3 I found with tradable items, we went with the rule of equal or better value put back. My kids love looking through it, and it's teaching them they can't take it all out. I fund a really cool slice of polished wood yesterday that I couldn't resist though. In another one I traded a real dollar for two fake toy dollars. I have two boys, so we end up trading for two things. Can't let one have something and not the other. I still put back for both of them. They are so happy with whatever and are easily pleased by some of the simplest things. If I come across a geocoin or TB it will be something I take control of if we have intentions to move it along in the direction it wants to go. I'm also planning to make some things to keep on hand for trading or stocking mine with. I like the idea of signature items and am trying to decide how to make some to represent us as well. There's always going to be some bad apples in every bunch though. I found a part of a dollar that was burnt along the edge that I didn't feel was appropriate. I told hubby it was probably a quarter of the dollar traded for an actual quarter. That's also illegal and disrespectfull in my oppinion. I plan to occasionally go clean the crap from my own caches every once in a while, so people won't be dissappointed in the find. We'll see if they ever even are found!

 

I applaud you on your effort to be fair, and especially in teaching your children to be the same. If everyone had this attitude, this thread wouldn't exist, but, unfortunately not everyone does. Would it be rude to put a note on the cache page in the vein of "Please follow the guidelines of trading for equal value"? I am tempted to put this down when we hide our first cache.

 

Just to add to the list of lame SWAG, we have recently come across a broken pen that won't click, a plastic poker chip (would a child even want a single poker chip???) and a 3" long piece of curled plastic (looked like it came from one of those wrist band key chains, but had been cut.)

 

I hate to say this, but we were surmising that perhaps some of the culprits (sadly) might be teenagers. When you think about it, they probably don't have any money, or want to spend their money to buy things for trade, but some (not all, of course) would probably have no problem taking nice things out of a cache. It's just a theory, and if true, there's nothing anyone can do to curb that, except make the cache harder to find.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

The items that annoy me most are unwrapped things like balloons, whistles, party poppers etc that my kid automatically wants to pick and put straight to his mouth - yuck. Not a fan of calling cards either - the log book is there to show who has signed the log already. One cache I found today had a pair of childrens socks in it, looked new but not wrapped but come on who on earth would use that? Can't understand at all why anyone would leave that in a cache.

 

For us, the poor predictability of pointless items left in caches have turned us into just not bothering at all with swaps, maybe just move on bugs and coins but that's about it.

 

I understand what you mean about the socks. We were shopping for Swag at the 99 cent store yesterday, and found some very good ideas, like earbuds for Ipods, nice ponytail holders (good for adult women too) but I, too, was concerned that someone would be reluctant to use them, not knowing if they had been used. My idea is to take them out of the bulky factory packaging, put them in a small bag, and put a small card in the bag with the note "brand new."

 

Would anyone like to comment on whether or not they would use an item packaged like this? I mean, we found some nice things, and for 99 cents you can't beat them!

I use the black Goody Ouchless holders , so they aint just good for women.

I did find a pack in a cache, pure joy because the only one I had with me got busted 3 caches prior, but I'll tell ya this, if they where not on the original card stock I would not have taken them regardless of what note they may have been repackaged with.

 

Really? The cards they come on are pretty large (4"x 6" or larger.) What if a portion of the card was in the bag, and some of the ponytail holders were on it, but it had been cut to fit in the bag, to fit in the cache? Would you consider taking it then?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

 

I applaud you on your effort to be fair, and especially in teaching your children to be the same. If everyone had this attitude, this thread wouldn't exist, but, unfortunately not everyone does. Would it be rude to put a note on the cache page in the vein of "Please follow the guidelines of trading for equal value"? I am tempted to put this down when we hide our first cache.

 

Just to add to the list of lame SWAG, we have recently come across a broken pen that won't click, a plastic poker chip (would a child even want a single poker chip???) and a 3" long piece of curled plastic (looked like it came from one of those wrist band key chains, but had been cut.)

 

I hate to say this, but we were surmising that perhaps some of the culprits (sadly) might be teenagers. When you think about it, they probably don't have any money, or want to spend their money to buy things for trade, but some (not all, of course) would probably have no problem taking nice things out of a cache. It's just a theory, and if true, there's nothing anyone can do to curb that, except make the cache harder to find.

 

(Highlight added)

 

Rude? NO! But probably not a good idea (my opinion here) because of the "backlash" effect. It may produce just the opposite of the desired results.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

 

I applaud you on your effort to be fair, and especially in teaching your children to be the same. If everyone had this attitude, this thread wouldn't exist, but, unfortunately not everyone does. Would it be rude to put a note on the cache page in the vein of "Please follow the guidelines of trading for equal value"? I am tempted to put this down when we hide our first cache.

 

Just to add to the list of lame SWAG, we have recently come across a broken pen that won't click, a plastic poker chip (would a child even want a single poker chip???) and a 3" long piece of curled plastic (looked like it came from one of those wrist band key chains, but had been cut.)

 

I hate to say this, but we were surmising that perhaps some of the culprits (sadly) might be teenagers. When you think about it, they probably don't have any money, or want to spend their money to buy things for trade, but some (not all, of course) would probably have no problem taking nice things out of a cache. It's just a theory, and if true, there's nothing anyone can do to curb that, except make the cache harder to find.

 

(Highlight added)

 

Rude? NO! But probably not a good idea (my opinion here) because of the "backlash" effect. It may produce just the opposite of the desired results.

 

That's kinda what we were thinking. And it is sad that some folks need to be reminded of the guidelines. Perhaps it might be a matter of how it was worded. There may be a very diplomatic way of throwing this in as a side comment.

 

Yesterday we found a cache that looked as though it has been cleaned out. It had only a log and a small (1") plastic monster toy, but there were references from others that there should have been more in it. We put a quarter in it just to help it along for the next person. I know that's not much, but it was a small cache.

[+Vater_Araignee]

The items that annoy me most are unwrapped things like balloons, whistles, party poppers etc that my kid automatically wants to pick and put straight to his mouth - yuck. Not a fan of calling cards either - the log book is there to show who has signed the log already. One cache I found today had a pair of childrens socks in it, looked new but not wrapped but come on who on earth would use that? Can't understand at all why anyone would leave that in a cache.

 

For us, the poor predictability of pointless items left in caches have turned us into just not bothering at all with swaps, maybe just move on bugs and coins but that's about it.

 

I understand what you mean about the socks. We were shopping for Swag at the 99 cent store yesterday, and found some very good ideas, like earbuds for Ipods, nice ponytail holders (good for adult women too) but I, too, was concerned that someone would be reluctant to use them, not knowing if they had been used. My idea is to take them out of the bulky factory packaging, put them in a small bag, and put a small card in the bag with the note "brand new."

 

Would anyone like to comment on whether or not they would use an item packaged like this? I mean, we found some nice things, and for 99 cents you can't beat them!

I use the black Goody Ouchless holders , so they aint just good for women.

I did find a pack in a cache, pure joy because the only one I had with me got busted 3 caches prior, but I'll tell ya this, if they where not on the original card stock I would not have taken them regardless of what note they may have been repackaged with.

 

Really? The cards they come on are pretty large (4"x 6" or larger.) What if a portion of the card was in the bag, and some of the ponytail holders were on it, but it had been cut to fit in the bag, to fit in the cache? Would you consider taking it then?

If you where to say cut the card from top to bottom then put 5 on each half and tape the removal slit back together, maybe even cut off some extraneous portions of the card, I would consider it. Or you could put them singly in bubblegum capsules and tape them shut and I wouldn't think twice. I know a place that sells 1000 1.3" Acorn Capsules for $27.00 +sh.

You would make a 50¢ item that I would happily trade up for. I wear my pony on my crown so ties regularly get damaged from snagging.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

Okay, I have been reading this thread for awhile now, and have come to a point where the original poster was when he said he needed to "rant." Actually, I'm not going to rant, but I would like to share my opinion, for what it's worth (probably very little.)

 

We have been reading a lot of different opinions about the importance of decent SWAG. Some take the "it's all about the hunt" side, and others have expressed that they do find it fun to swap small treasures. IMHO, when I read the guidelines of "trade for equal value, trade up, or don't trade at all," I interpret this to mean that in the very least there is no latitude for junk (broken things) or garbage (literally.) At the most, I take it to mean that the SWAG is part of the fun, and that even those who do not care about the SWAG, might want to take the high road, and play the game by leaving something nice for those who do enjoy finding treasures. After all, in every description of Geocaching I have read off this site, the sport is described as a sort of treasure hunt with a GPS device. Again, IMHO, I think the treasure should be more that the cache itself, unless, of course, it's a nano, and clearly described as a non-trade cache. Even if you don't care about the SWAG, what's so hard about playing along for the sake of those who do?

 

Some of this, to me, seems to be a matter of simply taking the time to shop for some things to take along for trade. I see an issue for some cachers who hit dozens of caches in one day. Assuming that they had something to trade for each one of these caches, even if it was only worth 25 cents, that could add up to a lot of money, especially when they are doing this kind of caching several or more days a week. However, at some point, the items for which they are trading could become trade items, and if people would adopt the attitude of trying to stick to things other than expired bus passes, we would all have an opportunity to simply circulate the SWAG. Or, they could simply not do any trading, because it seems that their fun lies in finding as many caches as possible. Either way, the SWAG in the caches would not degrade.

 

This, of course, precludes that lots of cachers, especially the parents caching with children, are going to keep something from a cache, and will need to keep adding to their trade inventory. Ergo: $$.

 

However! Doesn't every city of some size have an equivalent to a $.99 store, a MacFrugals, or, at the very least, even in the smaller towns, a WalMart? We have found that it is not difficult at all to find items for $1 or less to use for trade. As an example (and these were all $1):

 

Adults

Combination locks (for luggage or computer bags)

Small padlocks with keys (all kinds of uses)

Small tape measures (I know I can never have enough of these, because I keep losing the small ones!)

Earbuds (primarily for Ipods, but could also be used for laptops or radio headphone jacks)

Folding Reading Glasses (This was my personal favorite because I'm over 40! Seriously, their regular price was labeled as $9.99, and they even came with a nice little case for them. Folded, they are very small.)

Mechanical Pencils (found a package of 6 for $.99 - this makes each one cost about $.17)

Nice ball point pens (same deal as above)

Various versions of Post It Notes (all different sizes, including the little strip ones to use for page markers - probably best used during the cool time of year because of adhesive, but should be fine then)

Mini LED Clip Light (batteries included! cute and tiny little guy with super bright light - good for campers, traveling, book light, cars, etc.)

LED Pen Light with Key Chain (again, batteries included. Great for packs, purses, car or house key chains)

Cloisonne' Picture Frame (beautiful finish with clip and stand on back and only 1" by 2")

AA Batteries (the good 'ol standby)

Art Quality White Soft Erasers (package of 6, again making them about $.17 each)

Costume Jewelry (This category is endless - earrings, bracelets, necklaces. Some were tacky, but we looked a little, and some were nice enough to meet just about anyone's standards - especially teenage girls)

Silver Dollar (self explanatory)

Shoe Shine Sponge (only about 2" x 1" with case - good for touching up nice shoes that need a little shine)

Covered Elastic Ponytail holders (anywhere from 12 to 24 on a card)

Attractive Hair Barrets (the nice ones with the good clips and tasteful designs - large enough to hold a ponytail (the fancy ones were $1 each, but some of the tortoise shell colored ones came in 4 packs ($.25 each)

Small Calculator (batteries included)

 

I could go on but you get the idea. The thing with all of the above items is that at least they are useful, and most would appeal to somebody.

 

For a little more: WalMart has really very nice earrings and bracelets for $3; Bargain CDs for $3 (and good artists - maybe not the best recording studio, but fine for a portable system or small player); Waterproof Match Containers for less than $2 that could not only be filled with another surprise, but used again as a nano cache; small, thin, little harcover pocket books (3"x3") for less than $2 with topics ranging from spiritual quotes to funny photos of animals with captions - something to make someone smile; Duncan Yo-Yos for $3 (what kid wouldn't like to get a Yo-Yo, and probably some adults too!)

 

And just a sampling for the kids, we found a package of 4 Tinkerbell or Winnie the Pooh Memo Pads (cute shapes, colorful, and lots of paper in each one (2"x2") for $1. (That's $.25 each.) A package of 5, 1.5"x1.5", round Disney character pencil sharpener boxes for $1 (that's $.20 each); the $.99 store had matchbox-type cars; very nice quality, large, acrylic Spiderman and The Hulk keychains; package of 5 Micky Mouse pens (heck, I'd use a Mickey Mouse pen! that's $.20 ea.)

 

I hope that this inspires some ideas for useful and nice SWAG. I'm sure there are a lot more ideas out there. Maybe others can post good things they have found. My point is, it doesn't have to be expensive or difficult to play the trade game with good stuff. Not everyone will think what I mentioned is good stuff, but I think just about anyone would be comfortable using these things for trade if they didn't want to keep them.

 

In closing, I should mention that I'm a Saggitarius which makes me an idealist, and a champion of lost causes. Perhaps that's what this is, but who knows. If enough cachers get up the nerve to make a diplomatic comment on their cache page, maybe a new trend could start that might at least keep people from trading with used movie ticket stubs (still can't get over that one! )

Edited October 19, 2009 by Desert_Trailblazers

[idratherbesurfing]

I found a chewed up lolly stick (paper stick, that had at somepoint had candy attached to it) in one cash.

 

a half eaten jaffa cake

 

and a stone in another?!!!!

[GOF and Bacall]

Anyone else find it ironic that we are up to 174 posts on a thread billed from the start as a "Dead Horse" topic?

[+Vater_Araignee]

Anyone else find it ironic that we are up to 174 posts on a thread billed from the start as a "Dead Horse" topic?

Can any one run DNA on the puddle of goo to prove it was a horse?

[GOF and Bacall]

Tests were reported as "inconclusive". This has spawned a plethora of conspiracy theories.

I think the frog is covering something up.

[+Vater_Araignee]

Vinny... workin fo da FROG!

[+fdgtgrl]

I agree with the complaint of finding junk in cache ...

 

Being new it was quite a disappointment to find rubber band, used/expired bus/movie tickets, old unusuable ziplock bags, and so on ...

But like some mention, some trash is another's treasure, so I don't clean it up and just log it as TNLNSL ... I guess if i wanted I could leave a little something to make the cache better and take all the stuff that are really trash out like what mentioned above ...

 

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

[+Vater_Araignee]

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

Take it and have yourself a good guffaw at an others potential misfortune. Don't forget, new keys are about 5 bucks each, so trade even or up.

[+LEGO]

A couple of days ago, after opening a cache container, I found a receipt where someone had bought a burrito at Chipotle! "Woopty hoo haw" I thought, as I wadded up the piece of trash to carry it out. I hate having to do CITO on the cache container. Folks, it is a CACHE container, not a TRASH container!

[+Vater_Araignee]

A couple of days ago, after opening a cache container, I found a receipt where someone had bought a burrito at Chipotle! "Woopty hoo haw" I thought, as I wadded up the piece of trash to carry it out. I hate having to do CITO on the cache container. Folks, it is a CACHE container, not a TRASH container!

hmmm. 50 galon garbage can with a liner. lock-n-lock glued to the inside of the lid with a log book inside.

Trade items = empty water bottles, cigarette butts etc etc.

Trade equal or down. McToy in for McToy out is equal. McToy in for used tissue out is down.

Inspiring!

[Clan Riffster]

Trade equal or down. Inspiring!

That was the concept behind my McCrap cache...

[+sbell111]

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

Take it and have yourself a good guffaw at an others potential misfortune. Don't forget, new keys are about 5 bucks each, so trade even or up.

Jags use 'switchblade' keys that easily cost a few hundred dollars. Programming is extra.

Edited October 20, 2009 by sbell111

[+Vater_Araignee]

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

Take it and have yourself a good guffaw at an others potential misfortune. Don't forget, new keys are about 5 bucks each, so trade even or up.

Jags use 'switchblade' keys that easily cost a few hundred dollars. Programming is extra.

Every single Jag ever built? Wow they where really ahead of the times hugh.

Maybe the usage of some should have been included?

[GOF and Bacall]

It doesn't matter if the Jag was a 2009 or a 1909, the key is worthless without the car it fits.

[+sbell111]

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

Take it and have yourself a good guffaw at an others potential misfortune. Don't forget, new keys are about 5 bucks each, so trade even or up.

Jags use 'switchblade' keys that easily cost a few hundred dollars. Programming is extra.

Every single Jag ever built? Wow they where really ahead of the times hugh.

Maybe the usage of some should have been included?

Obviously, I was referring to late model Jaguars. I assume that the poster wasn't referring to a piece of junk '86 XJ6.

[+Vater_Araignee]

But yet what do you do when you find a cache with a set of keys !!!??? Especially if the main key of the set is a car key for a Jag

Take it and have yourself a good guffaw at an others potential misfortune. Don't forget, new keys are about 5 bucks each, so trade even or up.

Jags use 'switchblade' keys that easily cost a few hundred dollars. Programming is extra.

Every single Jag ever built? Wow they where really ahead of the times hugh.

Maybe the usage of some should have been included?

Obviously, I was referring to late model Jaguars. I assume that the poster wasn't referring to a piece of junk '86 XJ6.

subjectivity.

[+Vater_Araignee]

It doesn't matter if the Jag was a 2009 or a 1909, the key is worthless without the car it fits.

To you, but to the owner it has worth if they are looking for it be it a $5.00 copy has to be made $75 from a locksmith or the total cost of the switchblade key sbell111 mentions.

What about to a key collector?

What about a penny?

One person may see one in a cache and be irritated by it because they see only 1¢, then the next comes along and sees that penny is worth five, fifty, five hundred or more.

I collect pre 1980 pennies discounting the steel ones, If I melt them I can get nearly 75% more than they are worth as money.

I love pathtags, can somebody who thinks they are trash chime in? There must be one.

[GOF and Bacall]

It doesn't matter if the Jag was a 2009 or a 1909, the key is worthless without the car it fits.

To you, but to the owner it has worth if they are looking for it be it a $5.00 copy has to be made $75 from a locksmith or the total cost of the switchblade key sbell111 mentions.

What about to a key collector?

What about a penny?

One person may see one in a cache and be irritated by it because they see only 1¢, then the next comes along and sees that penny is worth five, fifty, five hundred or more.

I collect pre 1980 pennies discounting the steel ones, If I melt them I can get nearly 75% more than they are worth as money.

I love pathtags, can somebody who thinks they are trash chime in? There must be one.

 

Yeah, sure. And the used tissue I toss in will be worth a ton of cash on fleabay when I become famous. Of course it won't be worth as much as the hair on my old comb I traded for that lotto ticket. I have so little hair that the supply is limited.

[+Vater_Araignee]

It doesn't matter if the Jag was a 2009 or a 1909, the key is worthless without the car it fits.

To you, but to the owner it has worth if they are looking for it be it a $5.00 copy has to be made $75 from a locksmith or the total cost of the switchblade key sbell111 mentions.

What about to a key collector?

What about a penny?

One person may see one in a cache and be irritated by it because they see only 1¢, then the next comes along and sees that penny is worth five, fifty, five hundred or more.

I collect pre 1980 pennies discounting the steel ones, If I melt them I can get nearly 75% more than they are worth as money.

I love pathtags, can somebody who thinks they are trash chime in? There must be one.

 

Yeah, sure. And the used tissue I toss in will be worth a ton of cash on fleabay when I become famous. Of course it won't be worth as much as the hair on my old comb I traded for that lotto ticket. I have so little hair that the supply is limited.

Thats completely out of context.

[+Mredria]

TL:DR of this thread

 

No one likes broken stuff.

No one likes trash (wrappers, bits of dirty and brush, etc)

No one likes food, or things that melt.

 

Everything else is in the eye of the beholder.

[+NanCycle]

First, I have to admit I didn't read all the posts in this thread, so I might be repeating what someone already posted.

Anyway, cache swag deterioration is not a new phenomenon. Witness this log from GC19 -- note the date:

October 28, 2001 by velodreamr@aol.com (3 found)

There was a dirty toy plastic shovel, some candy, and a half of a cookie in it when we found it.

This cache is located atop a mountain pass, a significant drive on rough dirt roads and a .6 mile hike; there have been 117 logged finds in 9 years.

[+bittsen]

Swag doesn't have to be lame. People could get creative.

Remember the good ol days when you didn't have money. Your parents would tell you to make a card for someone as a gift?

I'v decided to put together a small beading kit to leave in caches. It won't be an expensive item so I won't feel bad about just dropping them in every cache I find that it will fit in.

Swag doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be junk. Just put together something nice that people might like.

[Clan Riffster]

I'v decided to put together a small beading kit to leave in caches.

Kewl! One item I leave in every cache large enough to receive it, is a handmade keychain. A ring, a doubled over strip of leather cord and Alphabeads. Now you've got me wondering if I should skip the assembly process and just microbag the components so folks can build their own. Maybe include a slip of paper with instructions? I'm liking it so far...

[+Vater_Araignee]

Swag doesn't have to be lame. People could get creative.

Remember the good ol days when you didn't have money. Your parents would tell you to make a card for someone as a gift?

I'v decided to put together a small beading kit to leave in caches. It won't be an expensive item so I won't feel bad about just dropping them in every cache I find that it will fit in.

Swag doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be junk. Just put together something nice that people might like.

Kewl! One item I leave in every cache large enough to receive it, is a handmade keychain. A ring, a doubled over strip of leather cord and Alphabeads. Now you've got me wondering if I should skip the assembly process and just microbag the components so folks can build their own. Maybe include a slip of paper with instructions? I'm liking it so far...

Sounds ultimately less expensive and higher quality than a lot of the common $ store stuff.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

Swag doesn't have to be lame. People could get creative.

Remember the good ol days when you didn't have money. Your parents would tell you to make a card for someone as a gift?

I'v decided to put together a small beading kit to leave in caches. It won't be an expensive item so I won't feel bad about just dropping them in every cache I find that it will fit in.

Swag doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be junk. Just put together something nice that people might like.

Kewl! One item I leave in every cache large enough to receive it, is a handmade keychain. A ring, a doubled over strip of leather cord and Alphabeads. Now you've got me wondering if I should skip the assembly process and just microbag the components so folks can build their own. Maybe include a slip of paper with instructions? I'm liking it so far...

Sounds ultimately less expensive and higher quality than a lot of the common $ store stuff.

 

Sounds better than the broken ball point pens, a couple of poker chips, and the marked up tiddly winks I found the other day!

 

Does anyone have any comments about the list I compiled above? I especially like to give things (anytime, for any occasion) that someone will actually use, and not just get tossed, or sit in a drawer. Do people think even spending $1 for a SWAG item is too much?

[+Vater_Araignee]

Swag doesn't have to be lame. People could get creative.

Remember the good ol days when you didn't have money. Your parents would tell you to make a card for someone as a gift?

I'v decided to put together a small beading kit to leave in caches. It won't be an expensive item so I won't feel bad about just dropping them in every cache I find that it will fit in.

Swag doesn't have to be expensive. It doesn't have to be junk. Just put together something nice that people might like.

Kewl! One item I leave in every cache large enough to receive it, is a handmade keychain. A ring, a doubled over strip of leather cord and Alphabeads. Now you've got me wondering if I should skip the assembly process and just microbag the components so folks can build their own. Maybe include a slip of paper with instructions? I'm liking it so far...

Sounds ultimately less expensive and higher quality than a lot of the common $ store stuff.

 

Sounds better than the broken ball point pens, a couple of poker chips, and the marked up tiddly winks I found the other day!

 

Does anyone have any comments about the list I compiled above? I especially like to give things (anytime, for any occasion) that someone will actually use, and not just get tossed, or sit in a drawer. Do people think even spending $1 for a SWAG item is too much?

I'm sure that people who think swag is a rock they found sitting next to the cache believe a buck is to much.

[+sbell111]

too

[+Vater_Araignee]

too

The S stands for SUPER!

DA DA DA DAAAAA Its SuperBell111! Saving the world on dropped letter at a time.

I dropped an e, wanna point it out?

Get petty much?

Oh wait, I sorry, you could have meant "me also" but I know your style well enough to say I'm lying about being sorry.

More errors for ya ta point out.

[whiskeyandfeet]

My little guy has a couple of sets of flash cards bought at the dollar store. There is a set for insects, one for astronomical objects, one for states of the union, etc. Each pack cost a buck, and each card gives information on boll weevils, the Milky Way, Vermont, etc. Good useful information. When I cache by myself, I sign the log and be on my way. When my son (he's 4) goes with me and finds something he might want to keep, he leaves one of these info cards. I figured they might be of interest to the type of kid that would go caching.

 

Yeah? Sound good?