What are good items to leave in a Cache?

[+dan415]

I want to know what items are good to leave in caches.

 

I am not much of take and leave person. I am in this for the hunt.

 

However, I feel a little guilty after I sign the log and don't take and leave something.

 

Ideas please. Thanks.

[+Shinook & White Juan]

Good items not to leave are matches, knives, food, scented items, anything in liquid form.

[+Touchstone]

I'll usually trade signature items when I run across them:

 

Signature Items

 

I noticed that you entered your occupation on your Profile. Something like the following would be pretty cool to find:

 

 

I always enjoy finding handmade items when I see them in caches. Doesn't have to be overly complicated, but something personal and meaningful adds a nice touch to the game.

[+terrkan78]

You totally don't have to trade at all if you don't want to. Many people never trade anything, and that's absolutely fine.

 

If you do decide you want to trade, I think a good rule of thumb is to leave things that you'd like to find in a cache. People have different ideas as to what constitutes good trade items - just do it your way (staying within the guidelines as to what belongs in a cache and what doesn't) and you'll be fine.

 

I think foreign coins are really cool and whenever I get my hands on some, I use them as swag (unless they're so cool I can't stand to part with them). I've also found the mother lode of swag underneath my kids' beds...lego men, assorted little warrior-looking dudes, polly pockets, tiny plastic Furbies that I think came from McDonalds a long time ago (I couldn't bear to part with the little Furbies...why that is, I'll never know) []

[+Chief301]

Don't feel guilty. People Geocache for different reasons....do it however you enjoy it. If you don't feel like trading you are certainly not obligated to do so. I almost never do.

 

If you want to come up with some inexpensive signature item and just sweeten the caches you find without taking anything, that's OK too.

[+dan415]

Thanks all. Appreciate the comments.

[+Trav'lin Two]

We have been caching on the Oregon coast for a couple of days and have found all kinds of junk in caches. Who wants an expired subway stub or a movie ticket, expired coupons from a local store, candy, condoms, beer tops, candy wrappers, rocks,and any other trash you might have on hand.

 

If you can't leave a non moisture absorbing item, don't leave anything, especially if the cache is in an area where there is a lot of moisture aka rain.

 

I guess my thing is, if you don't want your kids to see it, don't leave it.

Edited April 9, 2014 by Trav'lin Two

[+dan415]

I picked up some sweet cache swag. I got some really nice Cache Glass beads to drop off at selected sites. I am pretty stoked.

[+Dadie99]

I picked up some sweet cache swag. I got some really nice Cache Glass beads to drop off at selected sites. I am pretty stoked.

I am slightly stumped to the value of coins/trackables that can be taken ...but what to be left as a swap? Ok toy car = toy car easy enough

to work that one out or little kid stuff for little kid stuff...

But coins etc have me confused as new to this, but, after looking to see what they retail for to buy ..do you leave an £10+ item in the cache if you take a coin /trackable that is going in the next cache it fits in?

[+niraD]

But coins etc have me confused as new to this, but, after looking to see what they retail for to buy ..do you leave an £10+ item in the cache if you take a coin /trackable that is going in the next cache it fits in?

You don't trade trackables (geocoins or Travel Bugs that are trackable on geocaching.com). Instead, you move them from cache to cache. So you can take a trackable without trading for it. And later, when you drop it off in another cache, you're just moving it, not using it to trade for something else.

 

See also the Help Center article Trackable Etiquette.

[+and1969]

I want to know what items are good to leave in caches.

 

I am not much of take and leave person. I am in this for the hunt.

 

However, I feel a little guilty after I sign the log and don't take and leave something.

 

Ideas please. Thanks.

 

As others have said there is no obligation to swap "swag", although many cachers do seem to expect this. I carry some foreign coins to leave in caches.

 

If your item will not "go off" (food etc) and will not embarrass or upset parents if their children find the item, it should be fine.

 

Do not be afraid to remove offending items without replacing them, as you will be doing a service to the caching community. One time I threw away a "magic tree" air freshener which was stinking a cache out. This is a type of car air freshener in the UK which is made of cardboard, impregnated with a very powerful perfume. Other items I threw away were stones, religious propaganda (it should the responsibility of parents to provide religious guidance to their children), and glitter. A cache near me was vandalised by some local kids using some glitter that a cacher had innocently left.

Edited April 27, 2014 by and1969

[+Dadie99]

We found a few caches today with lollipops in...we took the lollies and something else (kid bits) and put back in some kid bits.

Felt a bit cheated as the lollies are going straight in the bin (unopened /not licked)as there is no idea how long they were there for and Im not sure on the whole sweeties from strangers thing...Kids n stuff n safety etc...Bit worrying for parents when edibles are left in caches!...spech when adults are 100yards or so back from lil cachers!..might lick before adults catch the cachers!

[+u1bd2005]

We found a few caches today with lollipops in...we took the lollies and something else (kid bits) and put back in some kid bits.

Felt a bit cheated as the lollies are going straight in the bin (unopened /not licked)as there is no idea how long they were there for and Im not sure on the whole sweeties from strangers thing...Kids n stuff n safety etc...Bit worrying for parents when edibles are left in caches!...spech when adults are 100yards or so back from lil cachers!..might lick before adults catch the cachers!

 

Never take candy from strangers, unless of course it's Halloween, then you can gamble everything on that 1 night xD

 

But yeh, I agree, edibles shouldn't be left in the cache under any circumstances.

 

-

 

My favourite swag to find is foreign or old coins + signature items. But I enjoy looking through all the swag, the stuff I see most is stuff such as bouncy balls, packs of playing cards, erasers, hair bobbles, etc...

 

The hair bobbles aren't quite that bad, but the hair clips with the metal parts on them tend to rust easy, so I'd refrain from putting those in caches.

 

Basically just take a trip down to your local Pound/Dollar store, and hit the toy section with a basket, it's amazing what little goodies you can find which were clearly created just for putting into geocaches.