Worst swag?

[+OneEighth]

Besides things that are not allowed, it's annoying to find "swag" that was obviously picked up from the ground next to the cache (ie leaves, acorns, rocks). I wonder what the person took when they left a rock from the ground next to the cache?

 

It's annoying when people assume the absolute worst of others at all times.

 

When we find a swag-sized cache, we often sit on the ground and look through the cache. We don't trade swag but we enjoy looking at the logbook and seeing personal items. We also sometimes spread things out to let them dry if we're staying at the GZ for a while.

 

I am certain that we're responsible for acorns, stones, sticks, pine needles, and other natural debris inadvertently ending up inside caches because those things get picked up along with the cache contents when we pack them back up.

 

But by all means, go ahead and assume that your fellow geocachers are bad people out to steal dollar store keychains by trading them for acorns.

 

I'm sorry. You're right.

[+Manville Possum]

Business card. Is this swag? Maybe it's meant to be a replacement for signing the log.

 

Really it's no different than a Geocaching Trail Card or similar card left in a cache.

 

I found a locked cache a few weeks ago and I left my business card with my user name on it.

 

I don't think it's the same because business cards are solicitation which is explicitly against guidelines. I'm not talking about business cards geocachers make as a signature item, but actual business cards advertising businesses.

 

Placing my business card in a geocache is not against the guidelines.

 

No - but it is incredibly lame.

 

What is totally lame, is putting my geocaching.con contact information on my business cards.

[+The_Incredibles_]

I sure wish I'd taken some photos last time I did cache maintenance. There was the usual crap like rocks, sticks, leaves, dolls with missing heads, bubble mixture (why do people think this is a good idea?), anything metal (which are guaranteed to go rusty in our area), soggy business cards etc.

 

In one of my caches, someone had put a bit of paper, wadded up and wrapped with duct tape. Intrigued, I took it home and opened it up, not expecting anything. There was a single red crayon inside, in perfect condition, I might add. I guess the paper was to protect the crayon. There was no value, obviously, but I did like the mystery element. Unfortunately, most people will just pass it by as it looks like garbage.

[+DragonsWest]

I still think the worst things I find in caches are bottle caps and business cards.

 

It's not simply because I think these are junk, but there are people with a firm belief that this is acceptable.

 

If you want to leave something, not necessarily in trade, buy or make your own sig item (wooden nickels are easier than most people think!)

 

Please, put your bottle caps in the trash/recycling and keep your business cards for meeting clients.

[One90proof]

I recently found a few caches with peanuts, still in the shell, in them. They were signed and dated by some cache finder. I thought that was kind of strange...and a violation since it's food.

[+NYPaddleCacher]

I recently found a few caches with peanuts, still in the shell, in them. They were signed and dated by some cache finder. I thought that was kind of strange...and a violation since it's food.

 

It could also be dangerous to someone with a peanut allergy.

 

 

[+DragonsWest]

I recently found a few caches with peanuts, still in the shell, in them. They were signed and dated by some cache finder. I thought that was kind of strange...and a violation since it's food.

 

Sorry, wonder where I left my pay packet.

[+niraD]

I recently found a few caches with peanuts, still in the shell, in them. They were signed and dated by some cache finder. I thought that was kind of strange...and a violation since it's food.

One of the things in my signature item collection is a Brazil nut that was painted to look like a slice of watermelon (red flesh speckled with black seeds, and a green rind). I still think it's pretty cool, even if it does technically violate the "no food in caches" rule.

[+cerberus1]

I recently found a few caches with peanuts, still in the shell, in them. They were signed and dated by some cache finder. I thought that was kind of strange...and a violation since it's food.

We've seen buckeyes and chestnuts in caches too.

Not sure if they found them while walking to the cache, or making a statement.

The finned one's pet bear really likes those in caches.

[KitsapScouts]

On 5/24/2017 at 6:58 AM, narcissa said:

 

But by all means, go ahead and assume that your fellow geocachers are bad people out to steal dollar store keychains by trading them for acorns.

No, not bad people.  But people who "trade" their business cards have to be incredibly self-centered individuals.  Leave it WITH swag, leave it WITHOUT taking anything, or don't leave it.  Swag is part of the game for many people; if it's not for you, there are thousands of micros available.  Play your own game, but don't do things to hinder others from playing theirs.

[+MNTA]

Candy!!!!!

[BillyGeeee]

I know that geocachers are holier than muggles.
But.

For the muggles, all geocaches are garbage. Especially those hidden in parks - they are (usually) plastic (of all materials!) boxes left in a place where you are supposed to not throw away even a paper napkin.
But if it is for a good cause then it's OK.

[+cerberus1]

1 minute ago, BillyGee said:

I know that geocachers are holier than muggles.
But.

For the muggles, all geocaches are garbage. Especially those hidden in parks - they are (usually) plastic (of all materials!) boxes left in a place where you are supposed to not throw away even a paper napkin.
But if it is for a good cause then it's OK.

 

That's odd, most our parks have a geocaching policy printed right on the park's homepage, as do most areas the hobby is played  (but geocaching policy isn't  swag, and OT).

Many state parks here even have GPS tours of their parks, and loan out handheld GPSrs to people who knew nothing of the hobby beforehand. 

[+GEO COWBOYS]

Not to long ago, within two weeks, I found nice size chunk of home-grown bud wrapped in aluminum foil in one of the caches.

I'm glad Lil Cowgirl didn't find it first.

 

Before finding it, earlier that day while looking for a cache, Rated R sprained his ankle pretty bad. I gave the bud to him to ease the pain once he was home from the hospital.

No hiking for caches for him for awhile, Short walking caches only for a while as long as he's on crutches. 

 

[Gabeman26]

crack pipe used

[BillyGeeee]

27 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

 

That's odd, most our parks have a geocaching policy printed right on the park's homepage, as do most areas the hobby is played  (but geocaching policy isn't  swag, and OT).

Many state parks here even have GPS tours of their parks, and loan out handheld GPSrs to people who knew nothing of the hobby beforehand. 

We've been discussing trash in caches, so I thought - what if the geocaches themselves are trash?

OK. Let's assume that you love a particular park - either a small city park or a full-sized mountain - it doesn't matter. The type of authority you can exercise over this park also shouldn't matter. You love it. You hate trash being thrown around it, especially plastics. Then why would you make an exception for geocaches? And if you do - why would you not let non-geocachers to leave other pieces of plastics behind them? I, personally, hate double standards even more than trash in the nature.

Here is a easier example: GC6QJWT. It is hidden on a beach. It gets "muggled" by the sea a couple of times per year. And plastics in sea is not a hypothetical problem.
 

[+cerberus1]

10 minutes ago, BillyGee said:

We've been discussing trash in caches, so I thought - what if the geocaches themselves are trash?

OK. Let's assume that you love a particular park - either a small city park or a full-sized mountain - it doesn't matter. The type of authority you can exercise over this park also shouldn't matter. You love it. You hate trash being thrown around it, especially plastics. Then why would you make an exception for geocaches? And if you do - why would you not let non-geocachers to leave other pieces of plastics behind them? I, personally, hate double standards even more than trash in the nature.

Here is a easier example: GC6QJWT. It is hidden on a beach. It gets "muggled" by the sea a couple of times per year. And plastics in sea is not a hypothetical problem.

 

Didn't you look at the link in my post?  It shows that parks all over the world have policies for caches and the hobby on their properties. 

They don't even call it trash.   

 - Geocaching brings good things to areas (never heard of CITO?), and many parks appreciate the activity, as well as the often extra dollars the activity draws to their area.

We assume GC6QJWT had permission to place it by guidelines.   Odd that there isn't a single NM on the cache page...

[BillyGeeee]

1 minute ago, cerberus1 said:

 

Didn't you look at the link in my post?  It shows that parks all over the world have policies for caches and the hobby on their properties. 

They don't even call it trash.   

 - Geocaching brings good things to areas (never heard of CITO?), and many parks appreciate the activity, as well as the often extra dollars the activity draws to their area.

We assume GC6QJWT had permission to place it by guidelines.   Odd that there isn't a single NM on the cache page...

> It shows that parks all over the world have policies for caches and the hobby on their properties. 
Not where I live. There are exactly zero allowing policies for my country.
Besides, the question I asked is: why would a park's management allow geocaches? What sets them apart from other pieces of plastics? Maintenance? Nope, that's not it. Even if perfectly maintained, they are still plastics. Being retrieved after archival? That pretty much never happens, world-wide.

> We assume GC6QJWT had permission to place it by guidelines.
You assume it but you know very well that this isn't the case in 90+% of the cases. And I don't mean just my backwater country (here, it is 99.9%) but world-wide. It has been discussed in this forum a few times.
But even if someone with authority allowed this geocache to be hidden 1 m. away from the sea, did he/she really had the moral right to do it?

> Odd that there isn't a single NM on the cache page...
And you know the reason for this very well, too. It has been discussed much more than a few times in this forum - some of the logs explicitly state placing a throw-down.

[+brodiebunch]

Golf Balls. 

Rocks

Pine Cones

Twigs

Anything paper (besides the logbook), after a while it becomes a soggy, mildewy mess. 

[+StumblinMonk]

Is it bad that I have a couple caches out there that are plenty large enough to hold swag, but I do not put anything but a logbook in it?  

 

I noticed that most I was finding was kids meal junk, and it was more for my kids to trade.  I do plan to add some custom items in time, but just a log for now.

[+TriciaG]

5 minutes ago, StumblinMonk said:

Is it bad that I have a couple caches out there that are plenty large enough to hold swag, but I do not put anything but a logbook in it?  

Not at all.

[+cerberus1]

1 hour ago, StumblinMonk said:

Is it bad that I have a couple caches out there that are plenty large enough to hold swag, but I do not put anything but a logbook in it?  

I noticed that most I was finding was kids meal junk, and it was more for my kids to trade.

 

Nope.    

We have one that's pretty-much child friendly, and that gets almost emptied by the next maintenance run.  Not sure when "trade"  became take...

 

But with our higher-terrain hides, I think swag is wasted.  

Every time at maintenance we notice little or nothing even moved much less traded for  ... except for that log.

We've told people to remove all the led flashlights, and keep the lot  if they'd like,  just to get them out of caches (before batteries finally die).

Have a box full of 'em  yet, so probably hand 'em to kids at events.

[+L0ne.R]

12 hours ago, StumblinMonk said:

Is it bad that I have a couple caches out there that are plenty large enough to hold swag, but I do not put anything but a logbook in it?  

 

I noticed that most I was finding was kids meal junk, and it was more for my kids to trade.  I do plan to add some custom items in time, but just a log for now.

 

An empty dry container that can hold trackables, signature items and swag is fine. Some of us like to leave stuff, or hope that someone before us may have left a trackable or signature item. I even like some of the McMeal toys. Got this fun bobble head in a cache:

 

 

 

[SuperKrypto]

a lot of moldy things, rusty things, matches, dead bugs, broken pieces of plastic, broken anything, things that are clearly garbage someone just tossed in there - gross

[+Ry Dawg]

Pop tops and cigarettes seem to be annoyingly common lately. The worst thing I’ve ever seen in a cache was human excrement, though. 

[+Goldenwattle]

4 hours ago, Ry Dawg said:

The worst thing I’ve ever seen in a cache was human excrement, though. 

Not in it, but laid across a cache; a dirty baby's nappy.

[+The Jester]

I found one full of urine.  And a while back a newbie was leaving .22 ammo in caches (he was informed that was - as an old book I have said - a "badnaughtywrong") and stopped.

[+calvin400]

Crumpled, waxy earplugs that wouldn't smooth out.

[+calvin400]

On 8/21/2018 at 11:14 PM, L0ne.R said:

Got this fun bobble head in a cache:

 

 

 

😳

[+Smitherington]

Once while reading cache logs of a nearby cache I saw reference to women’s underwire in the cache. I have no idea why it was not removed but I made a trip to that cache and promptly removed the inappropriate items.

 

I also have found two cache containers used as homes for mice. By chewing up the logbook they made warm & cozy nesting areas for the little ones. In one case the lid was broken and in the other case the lid was not closed properly. I had no mercy on the residents.

 

About a year ago a cache was full of ants. I used bug repellant to encourage them to find another home. 
 

In each case I informed the CO. 

[+Goldenwattle]

1 hour ago, Smitherington said:

About a year ago a cache was full of ants.

I have found that numerous times. Most non biting varieties though fortunately. I did once go hunting for a cache in the dark, and being dark didn't see the ant nest and stood on it. Suddenly, ouch, ouch...I jumped backwards ouch. Brushed myself down, ouch, brush, brush, ouch...headed for the car, ouch, brush and squashed more, ouch, got in the car and headed to a supermarket to buy dinner (I was travelling), ouch. Selected dinner, made it to the checkout, jumped, ouch. The checkout lady heard the ouch and looked at me. Explained myself, paid and headed for my hotel. For the next hour I still found ants. Unbelievable! I never did find that cache.

 

I have found a cache full of empty cigarette lighters. I disposed of them.

 

The worst thing was not in the cache, but draped across the top. A used nappy.

[Stebin92]

I found a Tupperware container cache where someone had dropped a handful of those jelly balls used to keep flowers wet. Of course they melted making a nasty mess inside. Even if the logbook was closed in a ziploc bag, I logged a find + need manintenance.

[+The_Jumping_Pig]

Marijuana. 

[Stebin92]

Not really nasty, but I've found useless stuff like leaves and gravel collected from the ground, receipts, candy wrappings, empty sugar packets, beer caps, etc. I always throw them away because they aren't interesting to anyone and give the impression that leaving garbage in caches is acceptable.

[+Joe_L]

DOT hazardous materials stickers. 

[+niraD]

1 hour ago, Joe_L said:

DOT hazardous materials stickers. 

I don't know... I can think of some adolescent boys who might really enjoy trade items like that...

[+MNTA]

MAN CAVE

[Stebin92]

On 7/19/2024 at 9:01 PM, niraD said:

I don't know... I can think of some adolescent boys who might really enjoy trade items like that...

Bad idea anyway. Some muggles who accidentally find it may think that there is really dangerous stuff and call the police.

[+KYcachingguy]

Found a 9mm bullet. What's funny is that it was in a lamp pole skirt hide in a church parking lot. A newer cache at that.

 

I don't understand people.