Society of Better Swag

[+ProfessorBenson]

Here are the latest 10 coins I've produced.

I tossed a dime in the middle for comparison

Edited April 14, 2012 by Rummah

[+kunarion]

Here are the latest 10 coins I've produced.

I tossed a dime in the middle for comparison

Those coins look awesome! Are they brittle? I've read that polymer clay is brittle, but your coins are a kind of epoxy(?). I haven't actually tried any of that, having zero creative ability, but may try it anyway sometime.

[+ProfessorBenson]

Thanks.

No, Unnameable never gets totally rock hard. There is always just a tiny bit of give to it to avoid cracking. I'd expound on it more, but I've already been accused of trying to use this forum to promote my product.

As far as artistic ability, I have less than zero and was able to make the prototype with no sculpting tools in about two hours. But then I'm the kind of guy who will slog two miles into a swamp just to find a cache.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Rummah

[+ProfessorBenson]

And, where possible, I have been editing out the name of the compound I used to make these signature items since some people have questioned my integrity. Anyone seeing the original name of the compound, just try to ignore it.

[Skippermark]

Please don't post links to commercial sites.

 

Thanks everyone!

Edited April 15, 2012 by Skippermark

[+oxford comma]

my first find was a 35 mm film can with a melted cough drop in it. I'm pretty new to caching but have found a lot of junk- torn paper , trash, etc. I cito anything that is plainly trash ( empty and cruddy ziplock bags) and add a few extra things. I also try to trade up. i dont have a lot of $$ to buy stuff, but i figure if its at least things my daughter and her friends like ...I also put all my swag is in little plastic bags , even stuff that could technically withstand cache dirt & moisture. so.... at less there are some new cachers that don't abide by The Swag That's A Drag mindset.

[+ohmelli]

I LOVE the post about being a Swag Faerie! LOL! I guess that's what I consider myself as well. I never really take anything - and I almost always leave SOMEthing -- even in the little film canisters. I DO allow my granddaughter (Nana's Luz) to trade when she is with me - and she IS being taught to trade fairly! I often go caching without her... and then when I have her I will often take her BACK to the better caches I have found. I find that works quite well to keep her hungry to cache. She is only 7, so it's IMPORTANT the swag be good! We've made LONG treks back to the car too, when we have found a cache that she wanted something that I had nothing with me worth trading for it... in the car I keep a LARGE selection of swag JUST for that purpose... but I don't carry it ALL with me! (that would be CRAZY!) I do carry a gallon baggy full of swag, and if a cache is in really bad shape, then it's "out with the old, in with the new"! I don't however replace containers OR logs, though I will leave an "additional" log if there is room. But in the case of a nano with a full log, I do NOT take the CO's log and replace it. I just leave them a note when I log online that their log is full and needs replaced.

 

I do have to agree with Gitchee-Gummee though, that the people who are degrading the swag are NOT taking time to visit these boards. And my BET is they have never hidden a cache either... or if they have, they are the ones who do NOT keep them up! Actually, I've not placed my first cache yet either... I'm waiting for the permission man to call me back! But the container is ready... and full of good swag!

[+oxford comma]

to clarify- I meant $$$ to buy things like custom path tags, etc. I am brainstorming something I can make.

Edited April 15, 2012 by lampethree

[ll JK ll]

I've noticed the same thing in regard to crappy trade items. I've only found 3 containers that had items for trade and two were good, one was utter garbage. Business cards, the seal to a milk drink, wet towel from Buffalo Wild Wings, used erasers....it was pathetic.

 

I like geocaching for the hunt and being outdoors, and I don't have a "what can I gain" attitude, but I'd be lying if I didn't say part of the fun is finding a container of cool items to trade.

 

I went to the dollar store and picked up some random items - LED keychain flashlights, toy cars, marbles, etc...things for the little ones. Then, I went home and looked through my keepsake stuff from over the years and decided to pick through it all to find worthy items for adults.

 

So, my way of upping the swag ante is to maintain caches in my area. Last weekend I revisited a cache I had already found and added numerous items so that hopefully the next person will have some decent stuff to look through.

[stldenise]

I'm going to go find that Facebook page now...SOBS unite! My kids are my hiking buddies and they just don't see the point in going with me anymore because most of the caches were pretty crappy. As an old Girl Scout, I thought geoswag would be like camp swaps. So disappointed!

 

We started two kid friendly caches close to home and I'm try to keep them stocked with party favors. My favorite swag item was a bunch of plastic compasses, which I thought were appropriately themed. We've also revisited a few caches in the neighborhood just to play swag fairy.

 

I love the idea of making interesting swag....maybe shrinky dink material would work nice?

Edited April 19, 2012 by stldenise

[ll JK ll]

I came across a treasure trove of good swag items the other day. I found a guy on Craigslist selling some old Soviet pins which look to me like they were for formal Naval dress attire. I find historical items like these interesting and planned to keep them for my personal collection.

 

Once I got there he also showed me a freezer bag of US Navy pins. Some look like official US Navy pins, others are like commemorative items for certain Destroyers and various conflicts.

 

Now I have a load of good swag items for trade in the event I find something of equal value in a good cache.

[stldenise]

I stopped by my local crafty store this morning and picked up cool swag from the bead and scrapbook sections. I have round stone beads that I'm marking with words like "hide" on one side and "seek" on the other, butterfly beads, some faux coin charms and round metal tags from the Tim Holz line with words punched into them. I might string bits of leather to the tags to dress them up.

 

Oh, and today I got into a cache where someone left a screaming Halloween gadget. I left it there, because it made me jump. I must find some for my cache!!!

[+ByronForestPreserve]

Here is the second set of the GeoCoins I've produced with ProCreate, an epoxy modeling compound.

Comments welcome.

 

I was going to mention a technique like this. All it takes is a decent stamp ($5 Hobby Lobby) and some Sculpy or similar ($2 worth would make maybe 20 tokens?). Roll a ball of Sculpey, flatten with a stamp, bake, and bingo. They even have metallic Sculpey now.

 

Yours are great! I made some with leaf imprints, which works, but I think a stamp would be much better. I might have my own stamp made...and then get some block printing ink and use it on blank wooden nickels, also.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

Yes for better swag! What's the point of finding a small or regular size cache when you might as well have found a micro or nano? Lots of people suggest hiding the largest container an area will support...which would be great if people would take advantage and keep good stuff in them. I've hidden two regular size caches and have another in the works, as well as two smalls. For me, part of maintenance is keeping the contents in good shape. I see people with 500+ hides and can't imagine they could visit them all and check on them even over the course of a year.

 

If I find a small or regular cache, it's going to be in better shape when I leave it. Maybe a new baggie or pencil/pen if it needs it, and definitely good swag. I also like to leave things to help others help caches: small zip bags, golf pencils (helps that we run a golf course and I have an endless supply), and small log books, too (whoops, edit to remove link, but I love Boku books because they're 2"x3", a perfect size). I consider those things "adult" swag, I guess. And I love leaving TBs and Geocoins--haven't lost one yet! (Okay, it's only been a few months, but still.) I second the leaving of polished rocks, chunks of fool's gold, painted rocks, tokens, foreign coins...all things that will hold up (or be easily washable if things get grimy).

 

Liked on FB!

Edited April 20, 2012 by ByronForestPreserve

[stldenise]

Here is the second set of the GeoCoins I've produced with ProCreate, an epoxy modeling compound.

Comments welcome.

 

I was going to mention a technique like this. All it takes is a decent stamp ($5 Hobby Lobby) and some Sculpy or similar ($2 worth would make maybe 20 tokens?). Roll a ball of Sculpey, flatten with a stamp, bake, and bingo. They even have metallic Sculpey now.

 

Yours are great! I made some with leaf imprints, which works, but I think a stamp would be much better. I might have my own stamp made...and then get some block printing ink and use it on blank wooden nickels, also.

 

I was wondering about scupty...I do some scrapbooking and I've got a collection of stamps that would make nice coins. I think I have a couple compasses and dog/wolf prints from scouting pages I've made.

Edited April 22, 2012 by stldenise

[+Nomesquad]

I love finding homemade swag items in caches. Found a concho beaded keychain in a cache this weekend and traded for it.. very cool

[+vthadley]

We are swag fairies We regularly get rid of wet/broken/slimy swag and completely refill containers with assorted goodies for all ages. A few compass carabiners, a few toys, spare batteries, jewelry pendants, etc... For film canisters I always carry a handful of these coins in a variety of styles:

 

 

We just decided to always pay it forward. If the next finder opens the box and says "Wow!", then maybe they will do the same.

 

*One thing we've learned is that swag stays in better shape if it is in a baggie when it's placed. Part of the reason junk piles up in a cache is because stuff gets wrecked and then no one wants it.

 

As a relatively new cacher that does this as a family activity with kids, I thank you. The first few caches we found were old and had not been attended to in quite a while. A big disappointment for the kids, though we all realize the real fun is in the find. It's a bummer when you have nice things to trade and there's nothing but slightly moldy junk in there.

[+vthadley]

Our minimum trade / deposit are geotokens (non trackable coins). Search "geotoken" on amazon.com. Comes out to ~$1 each. (and no, I'm not talking about the "Jack Squat" coins....)

 

Are you talking about the compass coins? We got them too. Beautiful, inexpensive.

[DannyCaffeine]

I miss seeing trackables. I think there was/is a trackable theif in my area I think that we should just proxy our trackables and then send them out.

[+ByronForestPreserve]

I miss seeing trackables. I think there was/is a trackable theif in my area I think that we should just proxy our trackables and then send them out.

 

Me, too! I'm traveling this weekend and thought it would be a good opportunity to grab some TBs and move them. I found 12 caches yesterday (including a TB Hotel) but no coins or TBs.* I've decided that I'm going to release a bunch, but not proxies...I mean, really--a tag costs about the same as a latte and a coin two or three lattes (yes, I relate many things in life to coffee). Even knowing some will disappear, the rest will bring joy to other cachers, especially the kids.

 

*The D3.5 T4 I found was missing about 5 coins and TBs that were listed in the inventory and not there. That's a lot of trouble to go to to steal trackables. Anyway, on a swag note, that one had some great stuff. I took a re-useable shopping bag in a small stuff sack. Unfortunately, I also removed a box cutter and a 9mm Luger bullet. I guess someone thinks bullets make good swag?

[stldenise]

What is a proxie? And if it's what I'm thinking (some kind of lame stand in for the actual bug) what's the point? A travel bug isn't to look at...if you want to collect them as knick knacks, then buy two. The proxie can still get lost if someone picks it up and doesn't know how to log it in.

 

I know that the bugs are pretty cool looking. My kid won a Boy Scout geocoin at camp and thought it was way too cool to release into the wild. But that's different than taking one home.

[sukibeth]

I went out on my first hunt this past weekend - had a blast, even though I wasn't sure what to expect. I was lucky to find 1 TB (a really cool Boy Scout badge), but didn't move it because we couldn't help it move along on it's goal. Other than that, quite a few business cards, religious tracts (I understand why, but... really?), 3 year old McDonalds toys. Now that I know what I'm doing, I plan to leave some handmade things - that's what I'd like to find!

[+emmett]

.

 

On the one hand the problem with lousy contents lies with the people who trade down. In addition, many cache owners are to blame for starting their caches with junk inside. In my case, I published many caches with decent stash and some with excellent stash and all were plundered in short order. Those who say play the game at a high level and others will follow suit are talking nonsense.

 

But there is a larger issue. The problem with contents is the same as the problem of so many crappy caches. GC.com has built a business model that in some ways discourages quality and in other ways casts a blind eye to it. As a result, the culture it created leads to crappy caches with junk inside if they have anything inside at all. Afterall, what can you put inside a lamp post micro? While the company has done a great job in creating a superior quality website, it has shown little regard for cultivating a superior quality game.

 

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied. But since there is probably no money in it, don't expect anything to change except that people who place quality caches will lose interest and walk away. At least that is what has happened in my neck of the woods.

 

.

[+Mushroom420]

I too have noticed this.

My girlfriend and I are 28 and 29 and we love to trade for swag (lol).

However, we always up the swag.

You can go to the dollar store and get a 5-10 pack of dinosaurs or lizards or bugs for a freaking dollar.

We carry a little Crown Royal bag filled with swag, swapped and purchased, and will always keep the stuff moving. More like a swag traveler than us keeping them.

I smiled when I seen a little keychain compass in a different cache than I left it in (i put it in our very 1st cache....an accidental find)

 

So, +1

[+niraD]

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied.

Okay, I'll bite. What could Groundspeak do to improve the overall quality of caches, keeping in mind that different geocachers define "quality" differently?

[mead2006]

i always put good things in catche's toys, puzzles in a sealed bag, mini pens,keychains, stickers, glow sticks, lanyards,sticky notes, magnets, trading cards, coins, wristbands, bracelets

 

always at the dollar and discount stores looking for neat swag even found a small duck that grows when you put it in water

[+FuzzyDuo]

may i join this society? i just started caching and i only have 50 finds so far. i started in South Dakota with my girlfriend and we found some pretty awesome caches! but now im back home in ohio and started finding the caches around here and im SHOCKED! i found one cache and im NOT kidding you, it contained a broken plastic fork, a "traveling cache dollar bill", a rusty old ring thing and a business card that looked like it was in someones wallet for WAY too long. i just dont understand, if your considering throwing it away, then throw it away! dont put it in a cache x.x

 

but even worse, when i logged my find i wrote that it was filled with utter junk so the owner could restash it or take it down or do something to it. and what did he do? he wrote me a huge email raging at me calling me a jobless immature ungreateful little selfish kid. now, being new, this is pretty much my first interaction with another cacher. not to mension, this person has like 20,000 finds. now im starting to question the types of people in this hobby o.0 im sure not everyone is crap leaving raging jerk so im not stereotyping, but come on. wheres the fun anymore?

[+Mushroom420]

Ive noticed a lot (some) of folks take things a bit too far (IMHO) in this activity.

 

Mostly just from reading the posts here.

 

Dont be too discouraged, as with any other thing in life, you'll encounter the less desirables here too.

That being said, 99% of the folks seem fun and lighthearted.

 

Cache owning isn't as SERIOUS BUSINESS! as some people make it out to be.

 

Its a great, fun, hobby...and I am very thankful I stumbled upon a cache one day, on accident.

[+GrizzlyW/Cubs]

This is a great thread. Sign me up for your club!

 

My wife and I (almost) always cache with our 4 and 6 year old kids, so they are always looking for swag to trade.

 

Being in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, in our case), it's very common for even cache containers that are generally water-resistant, ssuch as ammo cans, to be very wet inside, which is why (as a parent) I never buy swag for trading unless it's something that is A) Waterproof and Does not go into the mouth.

 

In addition to the actual trash (wrappers, ripped paper, broken pieces of toys, etc.), I see so many stickers or balloons, even cheap whistles... things that my kids would normally like... that are destroyed by moisture or I won't let them have because I don't want them putting who-knows-what bacteria in their mouths. We always carry swag that won't rust or dissolve and can be scrubbed with soap and hot water if needed. Things like plastic dinosaurs/animals, marbles, bouncy balls, plastic jewelry, dominoes, letter blocks, etc. I carry a gallon-sized ziplock in our Geobag for trading swag and can easily fill it to capacity for less than $10 at the dollar store.

 

I'm one who never re-trades items I take from caches, so when I leave something, it's almost always something I purchased for trading or something we had around the house but didn't want anymore. I made myself a wooden "treasure chest" when I started caching and I just collect everything in it. My kids love going through it and looking at all the things I've collected from caching, even though they re-trade things all the time.

 

I have a huge pack of 2" square ziplocks from the craft store that I will put things in if I doubt how well they can handle moisture. I use the same bags for the "Geocharms" that I make as signature items which I use for trading, I just don't leave them places where I think they will get ruined by mud/water or muggled.

 

One thing I wanted to add to the conversation is that something does not need to have intrinsic value to not be "junk". Kids love all kinds of trinkets. Sometimes there will be an old penny in a cache right next to a Hot Wheel type car and my 6 year old will still want the penny... or the old bottle cap (I've even traded for a couple of bottle caps myself when I thought they were neat or rare ones)... or the rock (as long as it's not just a piece or gravel)... etc. Things that I would just as soon CITO, my kids love to find (like those stupid rubber bands that are shaped like thing, bah! )

 

As for myself, I enjoy trading for the quirkiest item available, oftentimes. For instance, last week I traded for a high school detention notice. It made me laugh out loud when I found a folded (not wet or ripped) up detention notice in a country cemetery geocache... the note said it was to be signed by a parent and returned, which it clearly had not been. Is that note "garbage"? Yeah... kind of, but I still thought it was a fun thing to find in a cache. I added it to my treasure chest along with nicer items I have also traded for. As long as it's not something that is dangerous or clearly trash (used straw wrappers... sticks of gum in moist caches... eww.. really? Now an un-opened spork I might trade for, lol). It takes all sorts.

 

Here are the charms I make, with the intention of the finder hanging it on their geobag or GPSr (whether or not anyone has, who knows?)-

[+Lady Loki]

 

Here are the charms I make, with the intention of the finder hanging it on their geobag or GPSr (whether or not anyone has, who knows?)-

 

That is really cute! I've gotten some great ideas from this thread; is it ok if I use this idea as well?

[+GrizzlyW/Cubs]

That is really cute! I've gotten some great ideas from this thread; is it ok if I use this idea as well?

 

Of course it's okay!

 

What we did is go to the craft store and have each member of our family choose one color of glass bead. Then I wanted something with a bear because of our Geocaching nick. I found those bear pendants but everyplace wanted like $5.00 each for them, but after about 45 minutes searching on eBay, I ordered like 300 of them directly from China for something like $12/shipped. How's that for markup at the local craft store?

 

I put them in little baggies with a note explaining what they are and who made them and I put a serial number on each note so if anyone ever contacts me about them and gives me the number, I'll know what cache they got it from to see if it ever moved caches. I made an Excel spreadsheet that I record the serial # and the cache I dropped it in and the date. It's made them a little more fun because I've had a few finders email me through geocaching.com telling me where they find them, so I can also record who found it. It's a little OCD, but I think it's interesting.

 

I added it all up and (with buying the silver bears and silver beads in bulk on eBay), they cost me 57 cents each to make, including the baggie... not including my time, of course... so they are affordable, but still a nice thing to have for trades.

[+Chisholm Clan]

skippyp -- you may be a crab, be it a fiddler, hermit, blue or otherwise -- I dunno. As far as being a "crab" in regards to the SWAG that you see... no, you're not. No more so than anyone else that frequents these forums or enters them to speak of the SWAG situation.

 

The problem is... you are preaching to the choir. Your SOBS idea is admirable and it would be a marvelous thing if others would join in and make it a community effort. I say 'go for it', but.... you must be able to also reach those who do not participate in the forums. THAT my friend, is the problem. Of all the cachers out there, so very few ever come to (or even know of) the forums. Sure, if they have a problem, they show up and ask.... many never return to even read the responses.

 

Organize and unite (not all can organize). I hope you can and I wish you well. We trade little, but always carry some SWAG with which to add into a 'lacking' cache. Just keep in mind that the cache degradation issue is one that has existed since the beginning and I (for one) fail to see any end in sight.

 

To date, the best thing regarding this matter has been to lead by example. Perhaps you can get something better going.

[+Chisholm Clan]

Here here! I am new to the forums, I had no idea they were here until I was frustrated and wanted to find a way to vent about the swag situation. Is there anyway to know if someone commented on your discussion or comment other than logging in and finding your discussion and checking? I will leave a note when I log in the log books - "Cache cleaned and cool swag added" so that maybe some people that didn't know will think twice next time they find a "sad" cache! - Julie

[stldenise]

Here here! I am new to the forums, I had no idea they were here until I was frustrated and wanted to find a way to vent about the swag situation. Is there anyway to know if someone commented on your discussion or comment other than logging in and finding your discussion and checking? I will leave a note when I log in the log books - "Cache cleaned and cool swag added" so that maybe some people that didn't know will think twice next time they find a "sad" cache! - Julie

At the top of each discussion thread there's a button to "watch" the conversation. You'll get an email update.

[stldenise]

 

Here are the charms I make, with the intention of the finder hanging it on their geobag or GPSr (whether or not anyone has, who knows?)-

 

That is really cute! I've gotten some great ideas from this thread; is it ok if I use this idea as well?

I like what you did with the charms. I found some butterflies like that in the clearance bin, but wasn't sure what to do with them.

[stldenise]

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied.

Okay, I'll bite. What could Groundspeak do to improve the overall quality of caches, keeping in mind that different geocachers define "quality" differently?

Not that I'm suggesting this...but they could restrict the free membership to a couple of caches so you could try the game. Or restrict how far from home you could see, or that you could only see a level 1 cache...you could then earn a higher membership after a number of finds or after you placed a cache or after you bought a membership.

Edited May 2, 2012 by stldenise

[+niraD]

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied.

Okay, I'll bite. What could Groundspeak do to improve the overall quality of caches, keeping in mind that different geocachers define "quality" differently?

Not that I'm suggesting this...but they could restrict the free membership to a couple of caches so you could try the game.

That is highly unlikely...

 

Or restrict how far from home you could see,

How would that improve the quality of caches? It would just prevent people from geocaching while on vacation (unless they reset their home coordinates to wherever they're going for vacation, of course).

 

or that you could only see a level 1 cache...

What's a "level 1 cache"? And again, how would that improve the quality of caches?

 

you could then earn a higher membership after a number of finds or after you placed a cache or after you bought a membership.

A "higher membership"? Do you mean another level of premium membership? With what benefits, specifically?

 

There might be a reason to offer different levels of premium membership at different prices, but I don't see how that would improve the quality of caches.

 

I don't think we need an additional incentive for people to find more caches, and I don't see how a reward for finding more caches would improve the quality of caches.

 

And I definitely don't think we need an additional incentive for people to hide caches. That would reduce the overall quality of caches, not increase it. There's a good reason why Groundspeak won't allow challenge caches, seed caches, curse of the FTF caches, and other elements that push people to hide caches before they're ready to own and maintain them for the long term.

[stldenise]

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied.

Okay, I'll bite. What could Groundspeak do to improve the overall quality of caches, keeping in mind that different geocachers define "quality" differently?

Not that I'm suggesting this...but they could restrict the free membership to a couple of caches so you could try the game.

That is highly unlikely...

 

Or restrict how far from home you could see,

How would that improve the quality of caches? It would just prevent people from geocaching while on vacation (unless they reset their home coordinates to wherever they're going for vacation, of course).

 

or that you could only see a level 1 cache...

What's a "level 1 cache"? And again, how would that improve the quality of caches?

 

you could then earn a higher membership after a number of finds or after you placed a cache or after you bought a membership.

A "higher membership"? Do you mean another level of premium membership? With what benefits, specifically?

 

There might be a reason to offer different levels of premium membership at different prices, but I don't see how that would improve the quality of caches.

 

I don't think we need an additional incentive for people to find more caches, and I don't see how a reward for finding more caches would improve the quality of caches.

 

And I definitely don't think we need an additional incentive for people to hide caches. That would reduce the overall quality of caches, not increase it. There's a good reason why Groundspeak won't allow challenge caches, seed caches, curse of the FTF caches, and other elements that push people to hide caches before they're ready to own and maintain them for the long term.

 

Emmett threw it out there that Groundspeak could some how improve the game. I was offering possibilities. It would be like the app games you can get for your mobile device. The game is free for a couple plays, then you have to buy it. Oh, when I said "level 1" I was thinking difficultly level 1.

 

Like I noted, I'm not saying this is even doable, but just brainstorming. I was hypothesizing that the really crappy cache swag out there is the result of people who play the game to try it out, but don't stick with it. Maybe people who found out their phone could geocache & gave it a whirl without reading the instructions.

 

Eh. I'll do my part through Karma. I leave 2 things for every one I take and I leave decent stuff. Or maybe I'll just learn to love the micro cache.

[+fuzziebear3]

I think that is a flawed assumption. I don't think crappy swag has anything at all to do with new players.

 

Actually, I think sometimes new players do better with the swag, because they expect better.

I think a lot of seasoned players have given up on swag all together, so they don't make any effort at all / don't play for swag.

 

I think it is really human nature to take something you want, and maybe not to trade even/up for it. (sad but true)

Maybe they just don't have something worth the same, or maybe they just have more desire for the item.

One person's value may also be different than another's. Took CD, left pet rock.

[+Nomesquad]

 

 

This is awesome. I hope I'm lucky enough to find one someday, I'd proudly hang it on our geobag!

[+Tim&Angie]

I was so excited to see a topic like this pop up! Tim likes to hunt for the micros, but I'm ALL about the swag.. I've made it my personal mission to NEVER leave junk. In fact, I went through boxes and boxes of stuff from my childhood last night and pulled out all kinds of old treasures.. (Actually starting a cache with some of the best ones, called A Very Vintage Collection.) Anyways, I've got my first dozen caches all assembled, camo'ed and ready to hide, and I've spent quite a good amount of time/investment on the swag, and I'm so hesitant to make 'em active, and come back in 6 months to find a tin of crap. (I did a Bug Out theme cache and filled it full of really cool bugs, etc.) I've been fortunate enough to find some pretty sweet swag (and, yes, I'm still pretty new at this) ~ but I've also run across some really sad caches. If we're all trading good items, we should never have to worry about popping the lid on our newest find, it should all be good!! I'm totally on board for a SOBS. Sign me up!

 

[+Tim&Angie]

 

These are great!!! I, too, make my own trinkets and jewelry to put in caches.. I just recently got some REALLY GREAT ideas off of ebay (search Geocache Swag) and I can't wait to get to making some of those!!

[+ProfessorBenson]

I'm planning on leaving some travel bugs, imitation gold coin pieces, and other neat things in the first caches I will soon be releasing. I just hope they don't fill up with bottle caps.

[+TheNomadicGriffins]

Yay for better swag! I love leaving swag and though I've never taken anything, I always leave as many things as will fit into the cache so the next people find something fun. I have a huge swag box here at home with everything in individual zip lock bags. I'm such a swag nerd! Here is what's in my box at the moment:

 

Carabiner clips

Waterproof torches

4 x aa batteries in coloured plastic storage boxes

Mini compasses

Mini binoculars

Mini harmonicas (sorry parents)

Mini rubicks cubes

Metal puzzles

Scrabble tile necklaces in plastic bubbles

Hair clips

Badges/buttons - various

Iron on patches - various

 

Ummm I can't think of what else.

I love swag!

[Marjie-UK]

I couldn't agree more. I am very new to Geocaching, but I often try to find boxes with swag since I often have my daughter, who is ten, with me. She gets so excited to see what is in the container. Mostly, everything has been pure junk. I know a lot of people try to find the crappiest thing they can think of to put in for swag, but it is very disappointing for a child to find a straw wrapper or business card. We always leave something decent and if I don't have any swag with me, I will leave a quarter. The excitement of a child finding a quarter is priceless. I would be thrilled to find the owl or something equivalent. I agree also that if you hide a cache, you should check it a couple times a year, clean it, replace items, etc. That's the responsibility of a cache owner.

 

This is why I am so stoked to do more of it. On the way home from the soccer we found one cache and it had some cute stuff in it. Signed the log but didn't have anything to put in it. Naughty - but allowed my daughter and her friends to take some toys out. She was super excited to find 'Treasure' and thinking of that made sure I went back and put some stuff in to replace what we had taken (although ours WAS slightly better in that it did NOT come out of a McD's kids' meal). I like foreign currency so put in a 20p piece. I am now sure to go to a cache only if I have both a pencil and somethings to place in a cache on me. Just thinking of finding an empty or damaged box makes me a bit sick when I imagine someone else's kid looking for treasure. <the pencil is from my second cache where I have had to go back to log my name in (not having realised that without the signature the find doesn't count. Live and learn newbie, live and learn!).

[Marjie-UK]

So, like anything else, you wonder why there is a problem? The buck stops at the top. If ownership actually cared, the problem could largely be remedied.

Okay, I'll bite. What could Groundspeak do to improve the overall quality of caches, keeping in mind that different geocachers define "quality" differently?

Not that I'm suggesting this...but they could restrict the free membership to a couple of caches so you could try the game.

That is highly unlikely...

 

Or restrict how far from home you could see,

How would that improve the quality of caches? It would just prevent people from geocaching while on vacation (unless they reset their home coordinates to wherever they're going for vacation, of course).

 

or that you could only see a level 1 cache...

What's a "level 1 cache"? And again, how would that improve the quality of caches?

 

you could then earn a higher membership after a number of finds or after you placed a cache or after you bought a membership.

A "higher membership"? Do you mean another level of premium membership? With what benefits, specifically?

 

There might be a reason to offer different levels of premium membership at different prices, but I don't see how that would improve the quality of caches.

 

I don't think we need an additional incentive for people to find more caches, and I don't see how a reward for finding more caches would improve the quality of caches.

 

And I definitely don't think we need an additional incentive for people to hide caches. That would reduce the overall quality of caches, not increase it. There's a good reason why Groundspeak won't allow challenge caches, seed caches, curse of the FTF caches, and other elements that push people to hide caches before they're ready to own and maintain them for the long term.

 

Emmett threw it out there that Groundspeak could some how improve the game. I was offering possibilities. It would be like the app games you can get for your mobile device. The game is free for a couple plays, then you have to buy it. Oh, when I said "level 1" I was thinking difficultly level 1.

 

Like I noted, I'm not saying this is even doable, but just brainstorming. I was hypothesizing that the really crappy cache swag out there is the result of people who play the game to try it out, but don't stick with it. Maybe people who found out their phone could geocache & gave it a whirl without reading the instructions.

 

Eh. I'll do my part through Karma. I leave 2 things for every one I take and I leave decent stuff. Or maybe I'll just learn to love the micro cache.

 

Interestingly enough I think it is likely NOT the newbies leaving rubbish but the people who have reached a certain level of boredom with the swag and are just logging numbers in terms of finds. As a newbie I would be embarrassed to place rubbish in exchange because I wouldn't want anyone to read the inventory and think - you cheap mare! LOL! I think that as OPs have pointed out - greed wouldn't appear on the big list of 7 if it wasn't a prevalent quality in our natures. Happily threads like this might make people try to be their better selves for a while - kind of like new year's resolutions make you feel the need to go on a diet...or some such...

[+Team Periwinkle]

OK, we've been watching this thread for a while and searching high and low for good ideas. Unfortunately I'm not as crafty as any of you, so I had to resort to being crafty with my wallet . We're now ready to apply for membership in the Society of Better Swag.

 

1) Tiny caraBINERS

2) Little zipper pulls that CLIP to your zipper and are LIT when twisted. They have an LED light.

3) CARABINERS imprinted with our team name GXSIGNATURE. The ones pictured below have a compass and a flashlight...those will be reserved for the most deserving caches, but most that we will set out are just plain carabiners with our team name.

 

Pictures below....

 

(P.S. just google the red all caps words)

 

 

 

[+L0ne.R]

OK, we've been watching this thread for a while and searching high and low for good ideas. Unfortunately I'm not as crafty as any of you, so I had to resort to being crafty with my wallet . We're now ready to apply for membership in the Society of Better Swag.

 

1) Tiny caraBINERS

2) Little zipper pulls that CLIP to your zipper and are LIT when twisted. They have an LED light.

3) CARABINERS imprinted with our team name GXSIGNATURE. The ones pictured below have a compass and a flashlight...those will be reserved for the most deserving caches, but most that we will set out are just plain carabiners with our team name.

 

Pictures below....

 

(P.S. just google the red all caps words)

 

 

 

Excellent store-bought swag. Inexpensive, practical, fun and attractive. Carabiners and zipper pulls are popular cache swag and those are above average.

[Marjie-UK]

OK, we've been watching this thread for a while and searching high and low for good ideas. Unfortunately I'm not as crafty as any of you, so I had to resort to being crafty with my wallet . We're now ready to apply for membership in the Society of Better Swag.

 

1) Tiny caraBINERS

2) Little zipper pulls that CLIP to your zipper and are LIT when twisted. They have an LED light.

3) CARABINERS imprinted with our team name GXSIGNATURE. The ones pictured below have a compass and a flashlight...those will be reserved for the most deserving caches, but most that we will set out are just plain carabiners with our team name.

 

Pictures below....

 

(P.S. just google the red all caps words)

 

 

 

LOVE these! Especially with your name on the side! Trop cute!

 

I love marbles so have been collecting some really pretty ones to put in a cache I am going to dedicate to my Mum. I found these awesome ones called Panther Eyes that are black glass and marble. But seeing this think we may want to do some bracelet making with a team name on it (as in Triple M or something as it is myself (Mummy/Marjie, Mason and Maddie who are the newbie cachers chez nous) - plus that just ads one more thing to keep the kidlets busy this summer.

[+Jen-sniffer]

Cache fairy - I like the sounds of that That is me! I have a big backpack full of swag I carry to caches and I rarely take anything out. I clean out the actual garbage that I find and replace it with some little trinkets for the wee ones that cache. I always add a pencil if it is needed and a new log page if there is no room or its in bad shape. Good karma!