Brand new and excited

[+Rifleman68]

OK, I bought a new GPS for my son and dug out mine from the closet. We are excited to go out and hunt. I have read the FAQ and a bunch of posts, but what I don't see is what the "average trade item" is and also if me and my son do this together (im 42 he's 13) do we both sign the book? or just one? (we don't plane to be a team on all our hunts as he has a friend that also does this) and same with trade items, can we both take and leave? or is this bad form?

[Lambert_Loonies]

OK, I bought a new GPS for my son and dug out mine from the closet. We are excited to go out and hunt. I have read the FAQ and a bunch of posts, but what I don't see is what the "average trade item" is and also if me and my son do this together (im 42 he's 13) do we both sign the book? or just one? (we don't plane to be a team on all our hunts as he has a friend that also does this) and same with trade items, can we both take and leave? or is this bad form?

 

Me and the family just done our first Caches today, and we Took from the first cache and put in a small elephant toy,

And I filled out the logbook, Kind of like a team log msg,

The second cache we found we put somthing in from the first cache we found and took another thing out, and we intend to put the thing we took from the second cache into the next one we find,

so on and so forth,

I think the rules say if you are going to take somthing out you should put somthing of equal or greater value,

But nothing illegal or inapropriate.

 

But have fun on you're cache!

 

Andy.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Welcome!

 

You don't have to swap/trade items. (A lot of caches don't always have anything in to swap!)

If you do take something, you leave something of equal or higher value.

Most things are worth about $1/£1 or so.

 

There's nothing stopping you from taking nothing, but leaving something!

But it is bad form to take, without leaving something.

 

** Travelers -TB's and Geocoins- are not considered to be swops/swag and can be taken/left to help them on their journeys.

 

edit to add.

As for signing the log, if your son caches with you and with other friends, it might be worth having his own account to keep a record of his finds.

Edited April 14, 2011 by Bear and Ragged

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

For youngsters, the trade or swapping is oftentimes what this is about. For adults, they usually start out with swapping, but usually gravitate over to just the hunt and the find, along with the discovery of some new place to see. Trading still exists in their mind, but mostly it is secondary to the rest.

 

IMO, separate accounts for each person. From that, you can form a team which doesn't necessarily have to have an account. When signing the log, each uses their username, when logging online: "tiddlywink of Team XXXXXX."

Personal profile (only if you want) simply tell a bit about yourself/team.

 

Just keep in mind that over time, team members usually split or drop from the team. If it is a team account, a lot of juggling takes place to search and change all of the previous logs to make them true and correct.

[+The Blorenges]

I'd also agree that it's probably best if you both create individual accounts for yourselves: Your son is old enough to do his own logs and that will give him another element of being really involved in the game. Remember - most cache owners enjoy to read the finder's comments about their search and experience of the cache and area so two logs gives double pleasure.

 

It's fine if you both want to swap items - As others have said, just ensure that you leave the cache contents in as good, or better, state than you found them.

 

Have fun.

 

MrsB

[+A & J Tooling]

My kids are a lot younger so we share this account. If it looks like they are gonna' be addicted to this, then I'll let them have their own account but for now, it's mine....er.... ours.

 

Before we go out I ask them to get their swag bags. This is stuff they deem valuable but are willing to swap for other stuff. We all give and take at the caches. The kids swap toys. We always leave more then we find and I'm the coin/bug dude.

 

Enjoy the sport. This is the most fun I've had since my last job of blowing up stuff and smashing things and playing in the mud.

[+ngrrfan]

My friends and I sign logs with a team name simply to save log space yet each of us makes an online log entry under our own name and mentions the team name so the CO and others can figure out who signed the log sheet.

[+StarBrand]

Sign both names if there is any chance that he will fall in love with this and continue for many years.

 

As for trade items - shop your local dollar store or Oriental Trading for under $1 items. I pick up on-sale stuff as well - I got 50 Calculators (originally 2.99) for just 10 cents each last fall.

[+Jayman11]

Welcome to the fun!!

[+Rifleman68]

Thanks so much for the help, the dollar amounts helped alot. Ill have him make a account then and we will hunt under a team name together or forum name as solos. Also, i see alot of people collect the coins. If the coin is track able isn't this a bad thing? and a tractable isn't counted in as trade items ie. my son can trade toys AND grab a bug to take someplace else?

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Thanks so much for the help, the dollar amounts helped alot. Ill have him make a account then and we will hunt under a team name together or forum name as solos. Also, i see alot of people collect the coins. If the coin is track able isn't this a bad thing? and a tractable isn't counted in as trade items ie. my son can trade toys AND grab a bug to take someplace else?

 

Keep in mind that the dollar amount that was described is just an example. You may want to fill a swag bag with items which range in value. That way if you come across something that might be worth $5 to you you'll have something you can swap for it rather than drop in 5 $1 items.

 

Many people do collect trackable coins, but they don't "collect" activated coins from caches. Typically collectors buy or trade coins with others or occasionally can get them as FTF prizes. In that case, they coins are not yet activated. If you encounter a coin with a tracking number on it in a cache it's best to assume that it's owned by someone and if you grab it, you should move it to another cache rather than "collecting" it. trackable coins and trackable items (the a TB tag) are *not* considered trade items so if if your son chooses not to trade items they can still grab the bug and move it along.

[+StarBrand]

...

Keep in mind that the dollar amount that was described is just an example. You may want to fill a swag bag with items which range in value. That way if you come across something that might be worth $5 to you you'll have something you can swap for it rather than drop in 5 $1 items.

...

Yes - absolutely!!

[+Rifleman68]

Thanks alot, you all have been very helpful. I think I have an idea now.

[+BigAl437]

Have your son sign up for his own account. He will love that. I just had my 13 year old sign up for his own account and that was BIG stuff for him. He now signs his own name and he keeps telling me he will catch me and pass me in cache finds. I just tell him "cache me if you can". As far as swag, tyr the local dollar store, Walmart, and the like. Garage sales are another good place to pick up nice stuff, but be sure it is really nice.

 

Welcome to the addicting sport of Geocaching. Hope you both enjoy it and get plenty of exercise out of it. Have fun and cache safe.

[+Rifleman68]

ok we have been doing this for awhile now, we have over 45 finds and are preparing 2 ammo boxes to hide(just waiting on the stickers for the sides to get here)we have site permission and cords. i also have an idea for a puzzle cache, well i think its a puzzle..if it takes a trick (you need to bring something)to get it and you leave a clue its a puzzle i think. so soon we will start placing caches under our team name

Edited June 2, 2011 by Rifleman68