Garbage in caches...

[+BarrelOfMonkeys_2010]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

[+MasterAlthalus]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

 

I try and leave nifty stuff in mine. I had a bunch of duplicate DVDs that I put in one. I also work at a popular steakhouse and put some pins in local caches. Also stuff like little bug sprays and anti-bacterial stuff.

 

If I don't have anything nifty I just wont leave anything.

[+BlueDeuce]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

 

I don't cache for swag, that's not the point of the game. It's to find and log a hidden container, not find fun or useful things.

 

Trade items have been an issue since day one. I'm happy to leave stuff, especially for the kids, but I've long since given up expecting to find much to trade for.

 

Trade up.

[+narcissa]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

 

I don't think we should use what's in the cache to motivate people to play the game. The game is about the search.

 

It's not easy to draw a line between garbage and good swag. You might not want a Happy Meal toy, but I cache with a 3-year-old, and a little toy can mean all the difference between a long, happy day of caching, and a short, cranky one.

[+simpjkee]

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash?

 

Now that I think about it, whenever I explain the game to family or friends or co workers, etc they always ask me "what is so cool about it?", "why do you like it?", etc. To explain why it is so intriguing to me, I always say the locations, the people, the hikes, the excercise, etc. That is the end result of finding caches for me. Finding quality swag has never been a lure. In fact, the only time I talk about the swag is when they then ask "What's in the container"?

 

If you really want to go out and intrigue other people to cache, explain how rewarding it is personally not materially. Unless they equate material reward with personal reward, the quality of the swag won't be an issue.

 

I do agree though that cachers should trade even, up, or not at all.

[+tozainamboku]

Whew. I thought this was going to be another thread about religious literature left in caches. Or maybe naughty swag. Thank goodness it's only about trade items that are neither "fun" or "useful". I don't think this will be nearly as controversial.

[+California66er]

I don't cache for the trading, but my girlfriend does. It's her favorite part. She puts a lot of thought into what she's going to leave in caches, and it stinks to see the look of sheer disappointment that crosses her face when she opens up a cache and there's junk inside. We found one recently that had two toothpicks, a wet nap (out of the package), and a washer.

 

The only plus is that at least these are urban caches. If I had to bushwhack for 10 miles and came upon a cache with that inside, I'd go ballistic, and I don't even care about trading!

[+Taoiseach]

I don't cache for the trading, but my girlfriend does. It's her favorite part. She puts a lot of thought into what she's going to leave in caches, and it stinks to see the look of sheer disappointment that crosses her face when she opens up a cache and there's junk inside. We found one recently that had two toothpicks, a wet nap (out of the package), and a washer.

 

The only plus is that at least these are urban caches. If I had to bushwhack for 10 miles and came upon a cache with that inside, I'd go ballistic, and I don't even care about trading!

 

I'd be extremely pleased just to have found a cache after 10 miles of bushwhacking! A 20 mile round trip would have to be good for my matrix

Edited March 28, 2010 by Taoiseach

[+California66er]

I don't cache for the trading, but my girlfriend does. It's her favorite part. She puts a lot of thought into what she's going to leave in caches, and it stinks to see the look of sheer disappointment that crosses her face when she opens up a cache and there's junk inside. We found one recently that had two toothpicks, a wet nap (out of the package), and a washer.

 

The only plus is that at least these are urban caches. If I had to bushwhack for 10 miles and came upon a cache with that inside, I'd go ballistic, and I don't even care about trading!

 

I'd be extremely pleased just to have found a cache after 10 miles of bushwhacking! A 20 mile round trip would have to be good for my matrix

 

With my luck, I'd bushwhack for ten miles, then while patting myself on the back, look up and notice my car right next to the cache and realize I'd just done a big loop for nothing.

[+5Taylors]

We cache with 3 kids, they love to find cheap toys and junk jewelry. If it was good stuff in there, we wouldn't trade because we couldn't aford to trade up or equal. If we find a cache with nothing much in it, we leave something sor the next kid along, often toy dinosaurs!

Denise

[+BlueDeuce]

Whew. I thought this was going to be another thread about religious literature left in caches.

 

No, no. Hold on. I got the schedule right here.

 

Let's see, Religious tracts was last Tuesday, followed by How do I change my username and virtual caches aren't allowed. Pocket Query not working was Wednesday, .....

 

Trades Restrictions, How do I change my username, How do I change my username, messed up tracking log....

 

Okay...no good swag in caches is for today, another How do I change my username

 

...alright, I'm not sure if this the finalized schedule but it might be my Memorial/Charity cache was denied or a Mirco in the woods rant. but like I said it's not final yet.

 

Expect a few more How do I change my username. I think they are planning on two within the same half hour. Different forums.

Edited March 28, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+Fianccetto]

While I don't think we should use what is in the caches to motivate people to play the game either, I don't like to find mushy rubbish in a broken cache box. I'm coming around now to accepting grubby business cards and the odd pebble or washer as preferable to a cache which needs maintenance, as it isn't the cache owner's job to provide swaps for kids! If you go caching with your kids (or girlfriend) and you think it will really spoil the whole day if they don't find a toy, give them one of the toys you brought with you to swap. What, you don't bring any? So why were you expecting to trade? You don't trade even/ up?

 

Maybe its because we joined this game when it was already 9 years old and so some of the caches we find are old and worn out, but when it looks like we've discovered litter rather than a game piece, it is a big turn off. Especially as a virtual cache would be a great substitute. We're more interested in the locations, but geocaching has taken us to locations in ways that a guidebook or general park map or pathway guide cannot. Seeking a cache hidden by a local dog walker or hiker hides is totally different from following a guidebook, and that's what the treasure is.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

We have found that geocaching (as with other activities) has an evolutionary process built into it.

 

Most start it looking for "treasure" (a well over-used term). After a while though, most discover that it is not a treasure hunt. Moreso it is a challenge that one places upon themselves, and the satisfaction comes from accomplishing of the find (the "hunt"). Many discover that geocaching takes them to places very near their own backyard that they never would have known about -- even having lived there many years.

 

It also provides interaction with complete strangers that you may never ever meet. That is the best "trade"!

 

True, we carry swag materials, but trade little. We use it mainly to add to a cache that might need a bit of "brightening up". Typically, swag is designed around the kids, and the kids are the future. They too, will eventually be in it for the hunt only.

 

Those that never grasp the "hunt" aspect are the ones that eventually fall to the wayside.

 

Don't sweat the junky aspects of swag, play as you would want others to play, you just may sway them (unknowingly) to see it your way!

[CoyoteRed]

There are couple or more notions going on here.

 

First, since we started there has been an issue with trinket degradation. We found quite a few caches before we found the first trinketless cache--a 35mm film can with a single strip of paper. Yes, even back then micros had trinkets. We carried micro trades specifically for micros. However, the greedy has always existed in this hobby since we've been part of it--I can't speak for the previous 2 years. Still, the trinkets were good enough that you could almost always find something of interest even if you didn't trade for it.

 

Yes, the treasure was part of the hunt. It was interesting to see what treasure the cache held and what folks left as trades. Besides a very expensive trade item in a concept cache, the chocolate covered cricket left by the entomologist land manager, and a very nice hand drawing, I think most memorable trade item was a 2x3 inch photo of a cute young girl in her mid to late teens. On the back was a note something to the effect of "Here's my girlfriend. If you can handle her, you can have her" and a phone number. Obviously someone with a little love-angst. It was cute, inappropriate, and a little heartbreaking all at once. It also spoke, it was personal. That young man left part of himself in that cache.

 

Some of the above posts talk about touching other players. Well, when no one trades you loss that touch with the other player by what they leave.

 

One can look at the logbooks of very long lasting caches and watch what I think is the degradation of geocaching. We used to complain about folks scrawling a date and initials over a whole page in the logbook taking up space for folks who leave a decent log. Looking through logbooks of a couple of our caches I noticed that few leave nothing but name and date--only now they leave it all on one line of a page in a 3x5 spiral notebook.

 

We've lost that touch, too.

 

Second, trading and garbage don't really go hand in hand. I don't trade that much, but I'm interested in what's in the cache. Sissy likes to trade. (Well, used to as the hobby has changed so much that she's no longer interested in it unless I hand pick caches for her.)

 

We've found pine cones as a trade item in a cache in a pine forest. A seashell in cache on the beach. Obviously someone wanted to trade and didn't have anything with them so they picked up whatever was at their feet.

 

It's not the folks who never trade that's the problem. They don't take anything and don't put trash in the cache. It's the folks who want to trade but refuse to prepare for the hunt by bringing anything with them, yet they "trade" anyway. My person opinion is I'd almost rather they simply took something and didn't put the trash in, but that notion, if expressed as a concept of the hobby, would quickly deplete the cache to nothing but the logbook. That would be fine if it were what I call a "gift cache"--take an item but don't leave anything and when there is nothing to take then take the container and archive the cache. This concept would violate the guidelines as presently written, though.

 

Third, the hobby is called geocaching for a reason. It is a treasure hunt. It's not just about the location, the smilie, or the trinkets. Sure, some folks hunt caches for nothing but the smilie. I'm sure some hunt for nothing but the trinkets. For me, the hobby I feel in love with was a treasure hunt. It was the journey, the hunt, the location, the treasure at the end of the hunt. Think about it. What kind of movie would National Treasure, Indiana Jones, or host of other adventure movies be if there were no treasure at the end?

 

Lastly, yes it's disappointing to find nothing but trash in a cache. But you can make a difference. Evangelize, without being annoying, decent trades in caches and practice the concept yourself. Sissy long ago came up with the concept you see in my tagline and make sure you leave the cache in a condition that will make the next finders as pleased--or more so--than you were.

[+t4e]

 

One can look at the logbooks of very long lasting caches and watch what I think is the degradation of geocaching. We used to complain about folks scrawling a date and initials over a whole page in the logbook taking up space for folks who leave a decent log. Looking through logbooks of a couple of our caches I noticed that few leave nothing but name and date--only now they leave it all on one line of a page in a 3x5 spiral notebook.

 

We've lost that touch, too.

 

 

if you think about it its not really a great loss that people don't leave long comments in the logbooks

i really don't see the reason to do so if you log your finds online, which is more long lasting and pleasing than what's in the logbook

for one i can see it from the comfort of my home

second, the online log is truly long lasting, even if the cache is archived its still there to read, as opposed to the logbook in the cache, which can be lost for various reasons, muggled, soaked etc...

[+kunarion]

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

Rusty nails can be taken out of the cache, if you leave a couple of washers in trade.

 

It's fine to remove moldy items, broken stuff, and empty wrappers. Trade the happy meal toys, or leave them there. Bolts and other misc junk is OK, too. I know -- it's tacky that someone "traded" for something they covet, with a bolt they stole. But a variety of useless CLEAN junk is all you should expect.

 

Oh, and NO golf balls!

[+kunarion]

if you think about it its not really a great loss that people don't leave long comments in the logbooks

Tell me about it...

 

EDIT: Trying again with a link to some full-page logs which would be no loss if not left by people.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LU...72-ef0e957fdfad

Edited March 29, 2010 by kunarion

[CoyoteRed]

if you think about it its not really a great loss that people don't leave long comments in the logbooks

Tell me about it...

...and some folks don't log online.

 

Some folks have a bit of a back log logging online.

 

Sometimes what is written in the logbook is much different than what is written online.

 

Also, it's not as if the online logs exist only at the whim of the cache owner.

 

I know we don't rely on the online logs to keep a record of our activities. Those online logs don't reflect how we really felt about the cache, solutions to puzzles, spoilers, etc. If one is relying on online logs to keep a history of their adventures then they're tossing about half, if not more, anyway.

[CoyoteRed]

if you think about it...

I have.

 

It's not really a conversation about the difference between the internet and the death of libraries. It's closer to online magazines and paper rags.

 

It's much harder to read the online logs while you're on site with a cache. (Yeah, I know, "All you gotta do is...[fill in all sorts of convoluted things like expensive purchases or keep a OLDB for years like I have]") A paper log is something you can hold in your hand while on site and be standing or sitting probably right in the same spot as the person who wrote that log you're reading. It's the here and now feeling.

 

Oh, why is a paper magazine better than an online one? Well, I'm not going to take the computer into the toilet to read, for one thing. If you're glued to a computer monitor, online is great. If you get out, paper is still king the moment you step away for the computer. This aspect hasn't gotten to the point like where MP3 players have taken the lead over LPs or CDs.

[+NeecesandNephews]

I hope in the angst over "garbage" in a cache we have not lost sight of the fact many people cache as a family activity.

 

My kids are all grown up and moved away, and I miss the routine of going through the pockets of a young child after bedtime, looking at the little "special rocks", bits and pieces of who knows what, and wondering what part of it somehow captivated the interest of my child enough to pick it up and pocket it.

 

My Grandchildren are quickly approaching the age that they could appreciate tagging along. I hope they find the interest in the little bits of swag, as it is a great opportunity to teach them responsibility. You don't just take it, you have to trade for it. If you have no trade, you leave it be.

 

Part of the reason my find count is so tiny, I enjoy spending time outdoors, with my spouse and maybe a grandchild or two. I spend as much time scouting for tracks, or a good location for a blind, as I do hunting the cache. A number of my finds have been in State Parks, and while I may have intended to find many more caches that day, we just got caught up in the Park, not the hunt.

 

I don't put down Power cachers, FTF hounds, or cachers looking for an Xgame cache as a challenge. We are all playing for different reasons.

 

I doubt my Grandchildren can appreciate at this point, a power trail of micros. So we look for the caches that can handle swag.

 

Just a different outlook, thats all.

[+t4e]

IID=302c6674-f102-438f-9c72-ef0e957fdfad]Tell me about it...[/url]

 

i haven't got a clue what exactly your you are trying to say, if you care to expand your thoughts i may see the point you're trying to make

 

 

It's not really a conversation about the difference between the internet and the death of libraries. It's closer to online magazines and paper rags.

 

It's much harder to read the online logs while you're on site with a cache. (Yeah, I know, "All you gotta do is...[fill in all sorts of convoluted things like expensive purchases or keep a OLDB for years like I have]") A paper log is something you can hold in your hand while on site and be standing or sitting probably right in the same spot as the person who wrote that log you're reading. It's the here and now feeling.

 

Oh, why is a paper magazine better than an online one? Well, I'm not going to take the computer into the toilet to read, for one thing. If you're glued to a computer monitor, online is great. If you get out, paper is still king the moment you step away for the computer. This aspect hasn't gotten to the point like where MP3 players have taken the lead over LPs or CDs.

 

its pretty much a matter of preference, and the majority have moved on to online logging and even reading e-books, not only because we reached a point in technology where being a paper hog is not as efficient as keeping electronic versions of the things you want to keep but also with the "going green" concept too

 

i personally find it a lot easier to organize files in a computer rather than the paper alternative, plus paper, as i said, deteriorates over time, whereas my files are nicely backed up and available to posterity

 

the other thing is, for caches i own i can read the logs at any given time online with easy access, GC.com holds the info for me so no need to even worry about saving it and wasting space on my HDD

for the rest of the logs i either read them before i go or when i come home, either way is from the comfort of my own home as opposed to reading it while siting in either frigid temperatures or while being attacked by hoards of mosquitoes

 

where we live there's very cold winters (up to -20C) and hot summers (up to 30C), not taking into account windchill and humidex respectively, and lots of vicious insects, in those conditions the worst thing you can do is stand still for too long, there have been areas in the woods where we scrambled to get out as fast as we could, even the time it took to write the date and sign our name, and to replace everything back seemed too long, and yes we do use bug spray in the summer but the dadgum things will still attack and i really don't fancy insect meals

 

i take pride in having a good memory, and if something special has happened while hunting for a cache that i want to log i know i will remember it

 

now, there's another thing that influences the content of my logs, some caches offer nothing spectacular to make me want to "write home" about it

 

as for taking a computer into the washroom, well that's the last place i wanna be reading anything, i know some people make an "outing" of their washroom trips

 

the paper is slowly being demoted from being the "king", as i mentioned above the e-books are becoming very popular, but i agree we're still a long way away

[+Jagski]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

 

I totally agree with you! Personally, I am so sick of seeing crap in caches - this includes crap in ammo cans. I would much rather see just a log book in the ammo can/container if there's going to be a bunch of junk. By junk I mean old used toys. We have found more crap in ammo cans than anything else. I don't need nice new useful stuff, but if you're going to put things in them, at least put decent stuff in them. We were out yesterday and got a few ammo cans which are great. What did we find in them? A card, pokemon card, a glow in the dark star you put on your ceiling, old cruddy mathbox cars, a toy ring that was broken, and other crap not worth talking about. Just put a log book in and I'd be happy. When I put out ammo cans for my own caches, I put in brand new items that are useful because I don't want crap in them. When checking our caches, we clean out the crap and keep the good stuff. We are going to be putting out a new cache in a couple months that has decent stuff that adults will appreciate (sorry kids, but us adults like to find good loot too!). And lastly, we have been finding more and more caches that we think have TB's in them, but when we get to them, they are not there. Either they are taken and not logged in, or just taken period. That's sad. I know not everyone plays nice, but don't spoil it for the rest of us.

[+bittsen]

I totally agree with you! Personally, I am so sick of seeing crap in caches - this includes crap in ammo cans. I would much rather see just a log book in the ammo can/container if there's going to be a bunch of junk. By junk I mean old used toys. We have found more crap in ammo cans than anything else. I don't need nice new useful stuff, but if you're going to put things in them, at least put decent stuff in them. We were out yesterday and got a few ammo cans which are great. What did we find in them? A card, pokemon card, a glow in the dark star you put on your ceiling, old cruddy mathbox cars, a toy ring that was broken, and other crap not worth talking about. Just put a log book in and I'd be happy. When I put out ammo cans for my own caches, I put in brand new items that are useful because I don't want crap in them. When checking our caches, we clean out the crap and keep the good stuff. We are going to be putting out a new cache in a couple months that has decent stuff that adults will appreciate (sorry kids, but us adults like to find good loot too!). And lastly, we have been finding more and more caches that we think have TB's in them, but when we get to them, they are not there. Either they are taken and not logged in, or just taken period. That's sad. I know not everyone plays nice, but don't spoil it for the rest of us.

 

WOW, now you've made me feel bad about leaving my collectible Pokemon cards and Glow in the Dark stars, that I loved so such as a kid, in the caches.

 

And here I thought that those Pokemon were collectible. So much for that PSA10 Japanese Charizard in my collection...

[+buttaskotch]

all I'm saying is one man's treasure, is another's trash

[+Jagski]

I totally agree with you! Personally, I am so sick of seeing crap in caches - this includes crap in ammo cans. I would much rather see just a log book in the ammo can/container if there's going to be a bunch of junk. By junk I mean old used toys. We have found more crap in ammo cans than anything else. I don't need nice new useful stuff, but if you're going to put things in them, at least put decent stuff in them. We were out yesterday and got a few ammo cans which are great. What did we find in them? A card, pokemon card, a glow in the dark star you put on your ceiling, old cruddy mathbox cars, a toy ring that was broken, and other crap not worth talking about. Just put a log book in and I'd be happy. When I put out ammo cans for my own caches, I put in brand new items that are useful because I don't want crap in them. When checking our caches, we clean out the crap and keep the good stuff. We are going to be putting out a new cache in a couple months that has decent stuff that adults will appreciate (sorry kids, but us adults like to find good loot too!). And lastly, we have been finding more and more caches that we think have TB's in them, but when we get to them, they are not there. Either they are taken and not logged in, or just taken period. That's sad. I know not everyone plays nice, but don't spoil it for the rest of us.

 

WOW, now you've made me feel bad about leaving my collectible Pokemon cards and Glow in the Dark stars, that I loved so such as a kid, in the caches.

 

And here I thought that those Pokemon were collectible. So much for that PSA10 Japanese Charizard in my collection...

 

Well, the Japanese Charizard card is different! Just make sure it's not scratched. And if you leave your glow in the dark stars, could you make sure they aren't dirty?

[+bittsen]

I totally agree with you! Personally, I am so sick of seeing crap in caches - this includes crap in ammo cans. I would much rather see just a log book in the ammo can/container if there's going to be a bunch of junk. By junk I mean old used toys. We have found more crap in ammo cans than anything else. I don't need nice new useful stuff, but if you're going to put things in them, at least put decent stuff in them. We were out yesterday and got a few ammo cans which are great. What did we find in them? A card, pokemon card, a glow in the dark star you put on your ceiling, old cruddy mathbox cars, a toy ring that was broken, and other crap not worth talking about. Just put a log book in and I'd be happy. When I put out ammo cans for my own caches, I put in brand new items that are useful because I don't want crap in them. When checking our caches, we clean out the crap and keep the good stuff. We are going to be putting out a new cache in a couple months that has decent stuff that adults will appreciate (sorry kids, but us adults like to find good loot too!). And lastly, we have been finding more and more caches that we think have TB's in them, but when we get to them, they are not there. Either they are taken and not logged in, or just taken period. That's sad. I know not everyone plays nice, but don't spoil it for the rest of us.

 

WOW, now you've made me feel bad about leaving my collectible Pokemon cards and Glow in the Dark stars, that I loved so such as a kid, in the caches.

 

And here I thought that those Pokemon were collectible. So much for that PSA10 Japanese Charizard in my collection...

 

Well, the Japanese Charizard card is different! Just make sure it's not scratched. And if you leave your glow in the dark stars, could you make sure they aren't dirty?

 

The Charizard is in a lucite case and all my dirty stars are kept under my mattress. Wouldn't want mom to come across them when she's cleaning my room.

[+brslk]

When I was a kid I would be horrified if my mom found what was hid under my mattress.

[+BlueDeuce]

(sorry kids, but us adults like to find good loot too!)

 

Really? What exactly are you expecting to find that you couldn't have brought yourself, the latest hiking boots?

 

If a cache is full of junk it shouldn't be too hard to trade up.

 

Yeah I know, then people just trade it out for more junk. It's simply easier to complain that someone didn't leave something worth finding the day before you got there.

[+kunarion]

IID=302c6674-f102-438f-9c72-ef0e957fdfad]Tell me about it...[/url]

i haven't got a clue what exactly your you are trying to say, if you care to expand your thoughts i may see the point you're trying to make

There's no point. I responded to a mention of how written logs have gotten shorter over the years and how some long longs are better not being written, by linking to a set of such logs (entirely penned by muggles).

 

All forms of that link work fine, but only for me (?). If I posted the actual pages here, I'd be going way off on a tangent, since the OP is talking about junk, not long logs by non-geocachers. I mean... that link doesn't work? Let's not go way off-topic into which links are usable by others around here. But I'm gonna have to go find that out. Or maybe the link does work, but you're asking how those log pages are relevant the subject of trash in the cache. Well they're not. Hope that clears up the confusion. I'm good at confusing.

 

Anyway, here's one of the logs I linked:

 

Edited March 29, 2010 by kunarion

[+BlueDeuce]

Okay, here's one of the logs I linked:

 

I'm sorry I missed that one earlier. That is absolute hoot!

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

Thanks for cleaning out the trash. I do the same thing. Your're awesome

[+Smokey Bear Collector]

Some swag quickly turns to junk due to exposure to the elements. Often sealed containers break down or allow seapage to collect inside. We need to place swag in those little plastic zip lock bags. I detest Pokemon cards and stickers...but only because they were dropped in the cache and later absorbed the moisture. Simply put them in a plastic bag to protect them and you've elevated the quality of the item. Almost everything can be placed in a little plastic bag.

[+chachi44089]

I was a bit surprised at what my kids found interesting enough to trade for.Before going out i informed them about trading and that they need to trade up of at least equal.They filled a small bag with some pretty nice goodies.The cache we found had an old,kinda dirty weeble wobble toy in it,my daughter just had to have it.My other daughter wanted an old skeleton key,she thinks its real cool.I thought both were just junk.So I feel that the kids really decide what is garbage and what is cool.I do think that broken toys are better left in the trash.I think Mctoys are fine as long as they are not broken,little kids like them.People just need to practice trading up or equal,and teach their kids to do the same.

[+HawkLawless1]

 

Most start it looking for "treasure" (a well over-used term). After a while though, most discover that it is not a treasure hunt. Moreso it is a challenge that one places upon themselves, and the satisfaction comes from accomplishing of the find (the "hunt"). Many discover that geocaching takes them to places very near their own backyard that they never would have known about -- even having lived there many years.

 

 

Absolutely agree! I initially sold the idea to the kids based on the idea of "treasure", however, we were quickly schooled on the types and quality of swag that resides in most caches. And then when you start finding a lot of micros, there is no swag. So, we began picking places where we wanted to visit and it became "The Hunt". As long as there is a signable log...and even then, I carry a few extras in the event there isn't. Now the kids fight over who gets to hold the GPSr or sign the log...even retrieving or replacing the cache!! Good times!

[+gururyan]

My kids bring toys to trade or leave, so I understand the kid/toy angle. I am also cool with grown-up swag like interesting trinkets. However, today for example, I dumped half the cache into the trash. I mean c'mon people, really? A cheap, broken, sharp bracelet? Plastic baggy with directions to a missing kiddie meal toy? An unsharpened pencil with bite marks? A movie ticket stub? Why don't you leave some toenail clippings and belly button lint while you're at it. How about a rock or pinecone you see sitting next to the cache, that's handy and cheap too. You're not obligated to take anything remember. I will continue to clean out the caches of garbage for the sanity of others.

[Andronicus]

I usualy don't trade. My kids like to though. If I find a cool cache with junk I just leave a PEZ despensor or something like that. Then the next guys can trade that out for a buisness card or something, and their kids will be happy.

 

One time, I was caching with my nephew, and he tried to (without me noticing) take a cool trinket and leave a "special" rock that he had found beside the cache. I cought him and made him trade properly. Some kids just don't have good disiplining...

[+chachi44089]

I found this post today.

July 9, 2009 by jbierfeldt (7 found)

 

Wow! Great hiding spot! Took nothing, Left Burgerking Receipt and 16 cents in change. Team K.A.S - Killer Awesome Squirrls

 

View This Log

[+gururyan]

I found this post today.

July 9, 2009 by jbierfeldt (7 found)

 

Wow! Great hiding spot! Took nothing, Left Burgerking Receipt and 16 cents in change. Team K.A.S - Killer Awesome Squirrls

 

View This Log

 

See, that "Find" should be deleted as a penalty. I might put a disclaimer on my hides that says if you're caught putting trash in the cache, your claim/find will be deleted.

[+bittsen]

I found this post today.

July 9, 2009 by jbierfeldt (7 found)

 

Wow! Great hiding spot! Took nothing, Left Burgerking Receipt and 16 cents in change. Team K.A.S - Killer Awesome Squirrls

 

View This Log

 

See, that "Find" should be deleted as a penalty. I might put a disclaimer on my hides that says if you're caught putting trash in the cache, your claim/find will be deleted.

 

Sixteen cents is not garbage and if anyone deducts their meals as business expenses, the receipt could come in handy. I had a friend who collected ALL receipts that anyone didn't want. They even scoured the parking lot at Home Depot when they went there. The receipts were invaluable for taxes.

 

One mans trash is another mans treasure.

[+BlueDeuce]

I found this post today.

July 9, 2009 by jbierfeldt (7 found)

 

Wow! Great hiding spot! Took nothing, Left Burgerking Receipt and 16 cents in change. Team K.A.S - Killer Awesome Squirrls

 

View This Log

 

See, that "Find" should be deleted as a penalty. I might put a disclaimer on my hides that says if you're caught putting trash in the cache, your claim/find will be deleted.

 

Sixteen cents is not garbage and if anyone deducts their meals as business expenses, the receipt could come in handy. I had a friend who collected ALL receipts that anyone didn't want. They even scoured the parking lot at Home Depot when they went there. The receipts were invaluable for taxes.

 

One mans trash is another mans treasure.

 

When people post stuff like that it's a pretty good chance they were joking. If they weren't, hey at least they found the cache.

 

And were honest.

 

Edited to note that I definitely would not post a challenge about 'not leaving trash, or else'.

Edited March 30, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+Casting Crowns]

Coyote Red spoke the most truth, IMO. Groundspeak proclaims geocaching to be a treasure hunt. End....of....story. If you want it to be "about the hunt" then so be it but don't try and convince others to conform to your way of geocaching.

 

Best analogy award winner? Coyote Red. National Treasure WOULD have sucked if there were no treasure.....and so would have Indiana Jones....and Jewel of the Nile.....Solomone's Mine....etc.

 

"It's not the folks who never trade that's the problem. They don't take anything and don't put trash in the cache. It's the folks who want to trade but refuse to prepare for the hunt by bringing anything with them, yet they "trade" anyway." - COYOTE RED

 

The wisest words ever spoken in these forums.....

[+BlueDeuce]

The wisest words ever spoken in these forums.....

 

Wow! I thought it was never fry bacon while naked. But hey, I hate bacon so what do I know.

 

 

Edited to avoid the naked bacon reference.

Edited March 31, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+BlueDeuce]

mmmm, bacon.

[+Trucker Lee]

Ok, am I the only one who would rather see nothing in a cache than crap someone dug out of their car/bedroom and stuck in a cache just to make themselves feel better about taking something??

 

I mean really, I thought the point of the caches was to have "useful" or "fun" things. I saw a post recently where someone left a wet wipe and some loose change. I have encountered a cache that had 2 washers, a bolt and 3 rusty nails. WTF? I am not EVEN going to go into the amount of throwback used happy meal toys, broken jewelry, and just general junk that someone decided to stick in there intead of throw away.

 

I have started to clean out the garbage and crap in the caches in my area. How are we supposed to intrigue others into this sport if the end result is they open a container and see trash? I am not saying run out and spend money on stuff to give away, I am just saying to THINK about the quality of the item you are placing in there.

 

My 2 cents.

 

HEAR! HEAR! Well said. This is my nomination for rant of the month. And I agree wholeheartedly. I too have begun "taking out the trash" such as broken toys, paper debris, torn and empty plastic bags and so on. I have a dislike of digging through trash to look for travelers that are supposed to be there needing a lift.

[+anndeefam]

Everyone has their own favorite aspect of Geocaching. We all have a slightly different view of what quality is. Many state that swag is not what the sport is about, and that's cool...but. I disagree, If you watch the video of the very first Geocache being described and put together by Dave Ulmer,

The very first thing Dave shows is the swag that he is loading up in a 5 gal bucket. We place small, regular, and large caches just for the purpose of a place to hold lots of swag. I love swag. I not only monitor the contents of my own caches and keep them free of junk, I always carry a bag of fresh NEW swag to replenish them with. If you place a Geocache that is large enough for trade items then I feel you have a responsibility to keep the contents inviting and in good shape. All Geocaches should be clean and dry, placed in quality locations and made of quality materials. Swag is not just for the kids either, way more adults cache than children. We save all of our trades and have a very nice collection, we like showing our treasure to others it's fun and we feel an integral part of the sport. We all have a responsibility to make Geocaching high quality. We can't be upset though, it's just a game, forget the bad and try to be the best Geocachers you can and have a blast. Oh yea and trade up! and happy cachin'!

 

Items I place in geocaches: polished rocks, little bags of fossil shark teeth, cache containers, bags of small ziplock bags, puzzles, DVD's, interesting toys, light sticks, carabiners, small camp supplies, craft kits, old stamps, old coins, to name a few.