New geocacher etiquette question

[theFR34K]

I logged my first cache some years ago, at that time all i had was car gps (worked like crap)

Today i have a blackberry (and in a few months an iphone) and upon using google maps for the umpteenth time i realized hey this could get me back into geocaching! so im back now and think this will be a very exciting way to spend my summer

 

On to my question

I know that when taking something from a cache, you should leave something

 

I took my first ever trackable item, and left a chess piece

 

Question is the chess piece is a trivial amount of money, while the trackable is 10ish $ ,, i reason that i will be placing the trackable at a new location in the next 2-5 days. in this since i did not gain anything from the cache except the experience of moving my first trackable

 

In this case did i correctly place an item of equal value or should i only take trackables when leaving trackables?

[+Minimike2]

Trackables are not in the "trade up or trade even" area of geocaching. Trackables neither require to be traded for nor are counted as a trade item.

[+thedeadpirate]

Trackables are not considered swag. You do not have to trade for them. Feel free to take them and move them on their way.

[theFR34K]

Thanks very much, as left in my log note was woried i broke a rule glad to see all is good hope to see this TB all the way home

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Think of it this way: you trade swag to keep. You do not take a trackable to keep, but to move along, hence there is no "trade" requirement (even when the Cache Owner attempts to dictate such).

[knowschad]

If I may offer an "aside"... just as the car GPS didn't work well for geocaching (although it probably was awesome as a car navigation system) your Blackberry and your future iPhone also will be compromises. If you really want to geocache, do yourself a favor and get a real off-road handheld GPS.Yeah, you can drive a screw with a hammer, and you can drive a screw with the Ronco Home-Improvement MultiTool, but really... there is nothing quite like a screwdriver for driving a screw.

[+Sol seaker]

Yes I agree totally with the above statement after geocaching with someone else who has an I-phone.

And its totally useless for hiding caches.

 

But as far as value, that chess piece was totally worthless so couldn't have been used as a trade item for anything but a mc toy.

What is someone going to do with one chess piece?

 

You have to think of the reciever when you think of trades.

 

What is it that YOU would like to find in a cache?

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Hmmmm... If it were a gold chess piece, or carved stone chess piece (diamond, ruby, or the like) I might be tempted to take it.

 

But certainly to a degree, Sol seaker is correct. A single chess piece w/o the rest of the set doesn't add up to too much.

[+Casting Crowns]

I was going to ask the same thing, Sol Seaker. IF you put your geocaching NAME on the chess piece, well then, that's a signature item and I would be happy to trade for that!

[+thedeadpirate]

If I may offer an "aside"... just as the car GPS didn't work well for geocaching (although it probably was awesome as a car navigation system) your Blackberry and your future iPhone also will be compromises. If you really want to geocache, do yourself a favor and get a real off-road handheld GPS.Yeah, you can drive a screw with a hammer, and you can drive a screw with the Ronco Home-Improvement MultiTool, but really... there is nothing quite like a screwdriver for driving a screw.

 

Whaccha got against hammers?

 

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

Or if your geocaching name was theR00K...

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

If I may offer an "aside"... just as the car GPS didn't work well for geocaching (although it probably was awesome as a car navigation system) your Blackberry and your future iPhone also will be compromises. If you really want to geocache, do yourself a favor and get a real off-road handheld GPS.Yeah, you can drive a screw with a hammer, and you can drive a screw with the Ronco Home-Improvement MultiTool, but really... there is nothing quite like a screwdriver for driving a screw.

 

Whaccha got against hammers?

 

 

That's no hammer.

 

This

 

 

is a hammer!

[+thedeadpirate]

That's no hammer.

 

This

 

 

is a hammer!

But can you screw with it?

[+Jumpin' Jack Cache]

That's no hammer.

 

This

 

image snipped

 

is a hammer!

But can you screw with it?

 

I screwed around with it tryin' to fix the Cap'n's computer.

[+dfx]

This

 

 

is a hammer!

 

meh.... this:

 

 

is a hammer!

 

and in order to justify this post: what i sometimes do is, i leave a TB but don't take anything, but when taking a TB i leave something else. if i happen to have something, that is

[NevynPA]

If I may offer an "aside"... just as the car GPS didn't work well for geocaching (although it probably was awesome as a car navigation system) your Blackberry and your future iPhone also will be compromises. If you really want to geocache, do yourself a favor and get a real off-road handheld GPS.Yeah, you can drive a screw with a hammer, and you can drive a screw with the Ronco Home-Improvement MultiTool, but really... there is nothing quite like a screwdriver for driving a screw.

 

They work INSANELY well. See http://blackstarnavigation.com for a dedicated Geocaching app for Blackberry. It's free, and can import GPX/LOC files.

[+edscott]

Yes, we all have our own methods and all arrive at ground zero. No one should need to defend their method of finding a cache.

[+Klatch]

They work INSANELY well. See http://blackstarnavigation.com for a dedicated Geocaching app for Blackberry. It's free, and can import GPX/LOC files.

Not being waterproof and not being shockproof limit the kinds of caching you will want to attempt - unless you have a waterproof case for the Blackberry and are very careful with how you handle it.