TB Etiquette Question

[+The Switch]

I had a question today about some TB etiquette as a grabbed a nearby one, and thought I'd present it to the masses. I didn't see anything about the answer in another location (which doesn't mean there isn't one...I just didn't see it). So, before flaming me, please just redirect me if possible.

 

Anyway, I'm rather new to the game and have fallen in love with it. I find TB's to be extremely interesting, and love the idea of being part of the journey they take. So far I've only logged a handful, all from caches that I had previously not found. My question: Is it considered acceptable or frowned upon to grab a TB from a cache you have already logged. For instance, let's say I've already found Cache "XXXXX". If I were to run a PQ searching just for Trackables, and saw that Cache "XXXXX" had a new TB, would it be okay to make a return visit soley for the purpose of picking up a new bug, or would proper protocol say that I should leave it there for the next individual who has yet to find that cache?

 

As a follow up question, if it were acceptable to revisit the cache, would proper etiquette call for me to swap one TB for the other? So I'd at least be leaving something of equal or greater value?

 

Any thoughts or suggestions would be very welcomed.

[+terrkan78]

It's absolutely fine to revisit a cache to grab a travel bug. Just use the "write note" log instead of the "found" log. As long as you're helping the travel bugs meet their goals and moving them along on their journey (even if the move isn't a very far move), no one will mind at all if you grab all sorts of travel bugs - in fact the travel bug owners will be very happy about it. The only time I've heard of this even remotely being a problem is when you have a geocacher who grabs every travel bug they lay their hands on and then never moves them along (or they wait a year or two before moving them along). Pretty rare. And I can tell that's not an issue in your case.

 

You don't have to swap at all for travel bugs. No one will expect you to. Once, when I took all the travel bugs out of a remote cache that hadn't been found in a couple of years (because I felt bad about leaving one behind - it might sit there for another two years), I left some swag because the cache looked pretty empty with the four TBs gone. I didn't have to do that though.

[+6NoisyHikers]

Can I make a request? As someone who just accidently took a geocoin 600 miles in the wrong direction, it would be incredibly helpful if an owner marked their TB with its desired destination. Most coins come in little plastic envelopes that have space to insert a piece of paper. Bugs can have a laminated tag attached to them (I know it may not last).

 

I don't have access to the internet when I am out on the road so I would never know that I've made a mistake. But if I leave a bug or coin behind when I could be helping it, that's no good either. Please, if you have a goal in mind, let the bug speak!

 

(Huge apologies to the geojelly owner who graciously forgave my tresspass [])

[+steben6]

It is absolutely okay to visit a cache again to pick up TBs/coins - we do it often if we can help the trackable on its mission. As a coin/TB owner, I would much rather see my trackables traveling than sitting in a cache. Thanks for asking!

[+TreasureKid's]

This is an acceptable practice to keep TBs/coins moving. The main time we do this is a couple weeks leading up to a vacation, the kids then collect as many as possible to disperse along our travels.

[+The Switch]

Wonderful! Glad there was a resounding "Go for it!" Like I said, I find being a part of the journey to be rather exciting, so I want to scoop as many of them up and pass them back along as I can. Makes the game even more fun!

 

6noisyhikers, I couldn't agree more. Even in my handful of TB's I stumbled across one several hundred miles from even the closest point of it's intended trip! Just a little tag would be of use in preventing big jumps like that.

 

Thanks for the input!

[+Bear and Ragged]

It's fine to keep TB's moving.

Just be careful you don't get a reputation for always taking the local TB's before other cachers have a chance to see them!

 

Small points. (Not too clear in Groundspeaks description!)

Correct names are Retrieve from a cache, if it's listed as being in the cache you Found it in.

Grab is if it is not listed in the cache you Found it in, or you have it handed to you by a cacher.

 

IF you Grab from a cache (try to give the present holder a chance to Drop the TB first!) it helps if you Visit the TB to the cache so it gets recognition as being at the cache.

 

Discover is if you see the TB but leave it, or see it with another cacher.

 

Never feel bad about taking a TB off course from it's mission.

If it really needs to go on a certain course it should have a mission statement attached to it. We don't all have internet access out on the trail!

 

Edited October 8, 2011 by Bear and Ragged