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fariesfamily

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Suggestion to Geocachers: Please do not take out a treasure if you don't have something to replace it with! My kids LOVE geocaching but it is a real disappointment when there isn't anything left behind! Even a silly band can fit into any of the cases we've found and out of the 5 we've found, only 2 had goodies! Let's all have fun with this!

 

My family is very new to this and from what I read, I thought the fun was to log your name in the "book" and trade one goodie for another. We've left something in every tin, case, etc. we've found just to make sure the next family has something fun. Did I misunderstand geocaching? Not that I'll stop doing it, but it would be nice for the little guys to have something to find! :-)

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Looking for something bigger than a small, would up your chances, but swag degradation had been a problem for a long time. Some areas are better than others. You may also try reading online logs first. Sometimes they give some info on that department.

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The guidelines suggest to trade for something of equal or better value than what you took. If everybody actually did that, the stuff in caches would gradually get better, as each person trades for something equal or better. After a while, you would find keys to new cars in there. Of course, you would need to trade for a key to a better new car, so the next person has something to find.

 

What actually happens though, is stuff gradually gets worse until there is nothing in there but some used golf balls. I guess people are working on the principle that says "one man's trash is another man's treasure." They trade their trash, and hope that the next person will think it is treasure!

 

You did not mention anything about the type of cache container, but in my experience, most micro containers contain only a log. This is simply because there is not much room to put anything in.

 

I usually take nothing, and leave nothing. I am not seeking the dirty golf balls or silly bandz; I only want the experience of finding the cache. I also take and leave trackable items. But if it is empty inside, that is okay with me.

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YES! I Learned this thing early on!!! Now I carry lots of Swag with me, and add stuff to every cache I find, but rarely take anything, except TB's and Coins. cuz I like to move them along! But there are a lot of Cachers that only take, and never Give. SWAG is cheep if you buy stuff at the dollar store. and it is best to make it stuff Kids like!

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I try to take extras when I go out. That way if I find a cache that is exceptionally empty, I fill it up a bit. With the advent of phones with GPS's, I see people end up Geocaching when they didn't originally intend to, and have nothing on them. Not a problem if you only sign the log book. I would suggest to everyone who Geocaches to always leave something when they take something, but that won't help with the people who don't care about what they do or do not leave behind.

 

Keep looking, there will be good ones, too.

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I took a look at your finds and I'll agree that going for a regular sized cache might help a bit. Even then though, be prepared to be disappointed.

I've often found that "trickier" caches like puzzles or multi-caches often have better swag too. I think this may be due to the people finding them being slightly less frequent and slightly more dedicated, but your mileage may vary.

Luckily there are some regulars in the same area as your other finds, but going to a different area might help as well. I've noticed that urban caches degrade quicker than ones in nice parks and such, but again YMMV.

 

EDIT: We very rarely trade, but we usually leave a trinket for the kids in each cache we find without taking anything. I think you'll find this practice is more common than you'd suspect. It's just that others think it won't hurt if they "just do it this once" because they're kid "really likes that Rolex" I suspect:D

Edited by d+n.s
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Suggestion to Geocachers: Please do not take out a treasure if you don't have something to replace it with! My kids LOVE geocaching but it is a real disappointment when there isn't anything left behind! Even a silly band can fit into any of the cases we've found and out of the 5 we've found, only 2 had goodies! Let's all have fun with this!

 

My family is very new to this and from what I read, I thought the fun was to log your name in the "book" and trade one goodie for another. We've left something in every tin, case, etc. we've found just to make sure the next family has something fun. Did I misunderstand geocaching? Not that I'll stop doing it, but it would be nice for the little guys to have something to find! :-)

 

Requests and pleas directed towards finders to leave goodies in the cache will go unheeded. The nice thing is you're doing your part to keep up the original tradition.

 

Your only hope is that the cache owner has a Geo-Santa personality. Someone who will check the cache at least a couple of times a year to take out the junk, clean the cache of dirt and debris, add a couple of dollars worth of clean, new swag.

 

But the majority of COs are firm in their feeling that they have no obligation to add swag to the cache except when they hide it for the first time. After that, it's up to the community to keep the contents up - which we know, never happens.

 

In the end, even though Geocaching.com's home page says "Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game", adults and kids might to want to emphasize the hide-n-seek experience rather then the pirate-treasure aspect.

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As much as I appreciate people leaving behind stuff, I don't think it's the reason to geocache.

 

Buying stuff at the dollar store is generally cheap, plastic, exported from foreign countries, and not necessarily stuff people need (not in all cases, but many times) but since it's cheap, some think of it as swag. I think it would be better if people really wanted to leave something, put in something you no longer need, rather than making a bigger impact on the environment. Afterall, geocaching is made of a community "with support for the environment". Any swag I have traded, it has been things that I believe someone else may need/want. I've left behind baseball cards, compasses, small books or ready-made geocache containers, all things that at least at one point or currently enjoy, and retain value. Since a lot of kids are brought on the hunt, while they do like a "prize", it seems like a lot would rather have things they actually want, rather than the leftovers found in a cache.

 

In my area, there are many caches with great swag, and some that don't have any. It doesn't always depend on the cache owner, it sometimes can be just the cachers who visit that cache. Larger caches always tend to have the better swag. I only have 2 caches of my own that can actually fit something in other than the log book.

 

Maybe this seems to be to broad, but I generally find the greatest reward at the end of the day, to be enjoying the time outside with my family and friends, generally who I go with. The real "treasures" are the experiences with them. I think those lessons are the types that bring out the best in people, that a hike through the woods is better than a dollar in a micro.

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me. Now days, it doesn't seem to matter what gets left behind - somebody is going to complain about it. People with kids complain when a cache has no toys, people without kids complain when a cache has too many toys. People with lots of money to buy "swag" complain when there isn't something brand new for them to take, frugal people complain that they're expected to spend so much money on swag. It's ridiculous.

 

As far as I'm concerned, if you can't enjoy geocaching when there isn't a prize involved, you're just doing it wrong. If you want new stuff, go shopping.

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I leave more swag than I take, by far.

My mother and sisters still send me knick-knacks in care packages and Christmas and Birthday presents that I don't care for, so those get left in geocaches. Jelly-bean pooping plastic cat? Left in an ammo can. Wind-up gorilla that does back flips? Left in a lock-n-lock.

Groucho Marx glasses? left somewhere in a cache.

List goes on.

 

My Podcacher Secret Santa sent me an ammo can full of swag, so caches around Portland will get a swag infusion in the next few weeks.

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Did I misunderstand geocaching?

 

I think so. If to you it is about what's in the cache rather than the hunt then you are bound to be disappointed. The real treasure is the rainbow. Forget about the pot of gold, it will always be elusive.

 

I understand that young kids enjoy the treasure aspect and it what attracts many of them to the game at first. The more kids that can be coaxed from in front of their PlayStations the better, but when you find caches that are a disappointment for your kids, perhaps you can use it as a teaching moment. It's not always about the material things. Did they have fun searching? Did they enjoy walk? Did they see cool things along the way?

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me.

 

Yeah, when I started caching, it didn't seem like people actually bought anything to stock a cache with or trade. It was all stuff found at home. It had a cool diversity to it, and caches were often crammed to overflowing. I remember having to take several things out just to close the lids sometimes.

 

Boy, that sounds like an old wives tale, or the "good ol' days". :laughing:

 

"Whyyy, I remember in the olden days, when caches grew on trees, and they were full of gold medallions...".

 

:rolleyes:

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In the end, even though Geocaching.com's home page says "Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game", adults and kids might to want to emphasize the hide-n-seek experience rather then the pirate-treasure aspect.
Yeah, I avoid using the word "treasure" when describing geocaching to others. I use the term "scavenger hunt", because that implies searching for something of little value just for the sake of finding it. But I don't use the term "treasure hunt".
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Thank you all for your comments. I had the conversation with my children the other day that we are following a rainbow and may find gold but may just find a pot! Anyway, I will certainly always leave something for the next geocaching hunters and hope they don't mind getting silly bands or a ring or some other small token rather than car keys :-)

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me.

 

Yeah, when I started caching, it didn't seem like people actually bought anything to stock a cache with or trade. It was all stuff found at home. It had a cool diversity to it, and caches were often crammed to overflowing. I remember having to take several things out just to close the lids sometimes.

 

Boy, that sounds like an old wives tale, or the "good ol' days". :laughing:

 

"Whyyy, I remember in the olden days, when caches grew on trees, and they were full of gold medallions...".

 

:rolleyes:

For over seven years now I have been taking advantage of small to large caches to redistribute still useable "stuff" that we no longer need or want. It certainly fits in with your idea of diversity when it comes to swag. We don't leave junk. We have boxes of "stuff" that we haven't sent off to Goodwill so I fill up a gallon sized baggie from time to time and head out to find an ammo can or a nice lock n lock to fill up. Sometimes I find a 50 cal. ammo can and leave the entire baggie full!

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me.

 

Yeah, when I started caching, it didn't seem like people actually bought anything to stock a cache with or trade. It was all stuff found at home. It had a cool diversity to it, and caches were often crammed to overflowing. I remember having to take several things out just to close the lids sometimes.

 

Boy, that sounds like an old wives tale, or the "good ol' days". :laughing:

 

"Whyyy, I remember in the olden days, when caches grew on trees, and they were full of gold medallions...".

 

:rolleyes:

For over seven years now I have been taking advantage of small to large caches to redistribute still useable "stuff" that we no longer need or want. It certainly fits in with your idea of diversity when it comes to swag. We don't leave junk. We have boxes of "stuff" that we haven't sent off to Goodwill so I fill up a gallon sized baggie from time to time and head out to find an ammo can or a nice lock n lock to fill up. Sometimes I find a 50 cal. ammo can and leave the entire baggie full!

You must have a lot of stuff at home, if you can still find things after seven years. ;)

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me.

 

Yeah, when I started caching, it didn't seem like people actually bought anything to stock a cache with or trade. It was all stuff found at home. It had a cool diversity to it, and caches were often crammed to overflowing. I remember having to take several things out just to close the lids sometimes.

 

Boy, that sounds like an old wives tale, or the "good ol' days". :laughing:

 

"Whyyy, I remember in the olden days, when caches grew on trees, and they were full of gold medallions...".

 

:rolleyes:

For over seven years now I have been taking advantage of small to large caches to redistribute still useable "stuff" that we no longer need or want. It certainly fits in with your idea of diversity when it comes to swag. We don't leave junk. We have boxes of "stuff" that we haven't sent off to Goodwill so I fill up a gallon sized baggie from time to time and head out to find an ammo can or a nice lock n lock to fill up. Sometimes I find a 50 cal. ammo can and leave the entire baggie full!

You must have a lot of stuff at home, if you can still find things after seven years. ;)

During my first few years playing this game, I traded at just about every (non-log only) cache that I found. Typically, I wouldn't keep anything for myself. I would simply trade something out of one cache and then into the next cache that I found.
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It's not always about the material things. Did they have fun searching? Did they enjoy walk? Did they see cool things along the way?

 

Very cool.

 

I talked with a bunch of brand new Army flight school students the other day, and told them about the importance of working hard to be able select your specific airframe and duty station. We work in a sometime-meritocracy. They seemed happy to know that their hard work would be rewarded.

 

Then I told them that, sometimes, it doesn't matter how hard you work. Life throws curve balls at even the top 10% of the class, and you don't get what you rightly deserve and worked so hard for. It's how you adapt to disappointment that shows your true character. They looked disappointed. M'eh. They'll learn.

 

There isn't always "treasure" in a cache. Somes we get disappointed, especially after we worked hard to get there. The way that we treat that experience shows our character. If we shrug it off, add something from our own collection, and admire the path that got us to where we are... we are better people for it. I don't have kids. I have Soldiers who, even at age 21, still haven't learned that lesson.

Edited by lil_cav_wings
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Not everyone reads the forums and even if every active cacher saw this the swag would still degrade over time. I try to put a few nice things in my caches, but eventually it turns into a big empty box with one or two decent things. I've also seen fellow cachers trade swag for a TB or coin (which I don't feel is right) or take something nice for something of lesser value. It's a sad fact of caching.

 

If the cache owner is still active you may want to note the barren cache in your log or send them a quick email. If someone did this on my cache I would make sure to have some more swag to drop in next time I did maintenance.

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The nature of trade items has changed a great deal since I started caching. It used to be fun to find a cache full of assorted junk drawer items, little toys, pretty stones. The trade items were a physical reminder that other people had been to a spot before me.

 

Yeah, when I started caching, it didn't seem like people actually bought anything to stock a cache with or trade. It was all stuff found at home. It had a cool diversity to it, and caches were often crammed to overflowing. I remember having to take several things out just to close the lids sometimes.

 

Boy, that sounds like an old wives tale, or the "good ol' days". :laughing:

 

"Whyyy, I remember in the olden days, when caches grew on trees, and they were full of gold medallions...".

 

:rolleyes:

For over seven years now I have been taking advantage of small to large caches to redistribute still useable "stuff" that we no longer need or want. It certainly fits in with your idea of diversity when it comes to swag. We don't leave junk. We have boxes of "stuff" that we haven't sent off to Goodwill so I fill up a gallon sized baggie from time to time and head out to find an ammo can or a nice lock n lock to fill up. Sometimes I find a 50 cal. ammo can and leave the entire baggie full!

You must have a lot of stuff at home, if you can still find things after seven years. ;)

During my first few years playing this game, I traded at just about every (non-log only) cache that I found. Typically, I wouldn't keep anything for myself. I would simply trade something out of one cache and then into the next cache that I found.

Yup! Old school. :P I remember taking things out of caches and putting them into others. That was part of the coolness of the swag, moving around from cache to cache. I don't think many, or any people probably do that anymore.

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