What to put into found Caches

[+CrashinGa]

Im so new to this I havent even found my first one yet. My question is...what type of stuff do you buy to trade for the stuff you take, or just to leave stuff. I dont want to get a full time job just to buy stuff to use so cheap stuff would be nice, thanks for all your time and comments.

[+godavid]

most are traditional size cach's such as contack lens case's or 35mm film size cach's and they have a log inside to wher you sign date,and user name,and place it back wher you found it for the next person ...ect...

[+simpjkee]

You aren't required to trade so there is no need to buy anything for trading. I've found 2600, but have only traded in about 15. Honestly, the trading aspect is a little overrated and nowadays the swag in caches amounts to nothing more than what you'd find in someones junk drawer.

[+StarBrand]

Micro caches usually have no trades.

 

For larger caches I keep a variety of Dollar store items and stuff I got on sale like:

 

Matchbox cars

foriegn coins

50 cent calculators

small roll of duck tape

screwdrivers (from a multipack)

tape measures

whistles

rain ponchos (88 cents at Wal Mart)

Golf Pencils

small stuffed animals

rubber duckies

etc...

[hoosier guy]

It is nice if you trade something that says some thing about you. My girls love planting sunflowers so we bought some of those 10 for a dollar packages and slip them in caches.

[+CrashinGa]

Thanks guys, its just what I was looking for.

[+briansnat]

Think inexpensive, useful and/or interesting. StarBrand's list is a good start.

 

One of my favorites is to buy boxes of individually wrapped insect repellent wipes when I see them on sale. I'll put one or two in a cache and sometimes finders really appreciate them judging from some logs I've read.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Trading is all up to the individual. Some players don't even trade things. I like to leave things that I think other people will find interesting enough to keep.

 

Figuring out something unique or interesting that you can leave for other players to find can be much of the fun, especially when you see notes from the person who took it later.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

It is nice if you trade something that says some thing about you. My girls love planting sunflowers so we bought some of those 10 for a dollar packages and slip them in caches.

Seeds, although nice, are not really good for caches. Just the tiniest bit of moisture and the warm sun starts the germination process. With no light, things go stagnant and then the mold sets in. End result = ruined seeds and possible other swag, too boot.

 

EDIT: Condensation within the cache is plenty to start the process.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Gitchee-Gummee

[+simpjkee]

Would the sunflower seeds count as a food item too? ie would an animal try to bust in to get the seeds?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Once they went smelly, it is possible.

[+J the Goat]

I generally only trade either if I see something useful or if the kids see something they want. That happens a lot. Even then, I make the executive decision as to whether or not we can take a specific piece of junk.... er, trade item

[+BCSasquatch]

I keep a supply of all manner of useful items and some small toy items for the kids. Basically dollar stuff, but not those cheesy plastic toys, I will actually put items that can be useful for caching or everyday life. I also look at the cache listing for a theme and do try to stay within that theme.

 

Examples ...

 

Tweezers

Golf Pencils

Pencil sharpeners

Erasers

Zip lock bags

LED key-chains

Caribiners

Small screwdrivers

Nail clippers

Compasses

etc etc.

 

Every payday I hit the local dollar store and maybe spend 10.00. I try to find items that have multiples for a buck if possible, or something unique and cool that is useful to other cachers. I have a pretty good supply built up now. I also keep an eye open for trinkets suitable for kids.

 

For me a dollar store is just one giant geocache.

 

I have also been known to place a loonie or toonie into a cache when I have nothing suitable to trade or leave behind, or if I find foreign coins with a monetary value. Here in Canada a loonie is a 1 dollar coin and a toonie is a 2 dollar coin.

 

In my geocaching backpack I carry a lock and lock with trade items ready to trade, but I don;t always trade. I also often leave something when I find an empty or hurting cache. It's all part of the fun for me.

 

So, it doesn't have to be expensive at all, and you can decline to trade if you like. Also, you may have a junk drawer somewhere with all kinds of "treasures" in it that you can use for trades.

 

Edit: errant keystrokes

Edited February 23, 2010 by lornix

[+Alkhalikoi]

I keep a handful of six-sided dice and, when I can find them, other polyhedral dice. Not a huge cost, but a fair trade for the little erasers or rubber dinos or things my kids like to collect out of the caches.

[james__12345]

I make small snake knot keychains to trade on. They're about three inches long, but have about three feet of string in them, so if you're ever out and need some string, they might be useful.

[+poohisgreat]

I agree with lornix, The dollar store is full of interesting swag!!! That's where I go for my items I leave.

[+Sehmket]

I used to play heroclix, so I've got tons of small comic book action figures in my box o' duplicates; I've been using those.

[+Triskeles]

A few months ago my son cleaned out the black hole that is his room, and gave me a few bags full of trinkets and doohickies and other interesting things that would fit in a cache but that he didn't want anymore. He's enjoying the process of putting them in caches for other kids to find.

 

On a sorta related note, one day we brought home one of those gummy/rubbery lizards from a cache. The cats got ahold of it and kept staring at it and poking it. They kept waiting for it to move the way the OTHER lizards do when they get in the house during the summer. lol

[+godavid]

Would the sunflower seeds count as a food item too? ie would an animal try to bust in to get the seeds?

you get a raccoon thats so hunger he will find those sunflower seeds and try to destory the cachs,and or carry it away to another place so beaware of that

[+BrrrMo]

Im so new to this I havent even found my first one yet. My question is...what type of stuff do you buy to trade for the stuff you take, or just to leave stuff. I dont want to get a full time job just to buy stuff to use so cheap stuff would be nice, thanks for all your time and comments.

 

If you look around your house/apt I bet you will find lots of interesting stuff. Cheap is whats wrong with most caches today, interesting is way better.

 

My daughter put a small piece of sanded cedar in a cache and it has went to at least 4 other caches. As I said interesting is way better than cheap.

[+godavid]

h0w about old baseball cards??

[+BrrrMo]

h0w about old baseball cards??

 

If the cache gets damp they will turn to mush. Put them in a good baggie.

[+Triskeles]

h0w about old baseball cards??

 

If the cache gets damp they will turn to mush. Put them in a good baggie.

 

My son gets individual plastic sleeves for some of his Pokemon cards...those would work for baseball cards as well. They're really cheap at our local comic book shop. He just loves when he finds a Pokemon coin or card in a cache...someone who is into collecting baseball cards would probably enjoy finding a card if it's protected well.

[+CrashinGa]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions and tips. Hopefully Ill be finding my first cache today. Have a great day everyone

[+ipodguy]

I just started recently and so far, most of the stuff I've found in caches have been yo-yos, action figures, badges, stickers, keychains, pins and other things like that.

 

I haven't found anything that was particularly useful to me so I haven't been taking anything, but I made some monkey's fist knot keychains that I've been leaving and some air force badges.