New guy. Geocaching Etiquette?

[fun2belost]

Hello All,

 

Really new at this. I'm going to test searching for a few myself. But, once found. Do we take what's inside and the container? Just what's inside and leave the container for reuse? or just leave it after it is found and declare it found?

 

I don't want to annoy the Geocaching Gods. Please advise. Thanks!

 

Regards

Ciro

[Pup Patrol]

Hello All,

 

Really new at this. I'm going to test searching for a few myself. But, once found. Do we take what's inside and the container? Just what's inside and leave the container for reuse? or just leave it after it is found and declare it found?

 

I don't want to annoy the Geocaching Gods. Please advise. Thanks!

 

Regards

Ciro

 

You can trade trinkets, but one doesn't usually take everything in the container.

 

And you definitely do not take the container.

 

You don't have to trade trinkets (swag). You could just sign the log book and return the cache to its location.

 

If you want, you can also log the find online.

 

Help Center → Finding a Geocache

Finding a Geocache

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.book&id=25

 

Geocaching 101

https://www.geocaching.com/guide/

 

B.

[+noncentric]

Really new at this. I'm going to test searching for a few myself. But, once found. Do we take what's inside and the container? Just what's inside and leave the container for reuse? or just leave it after it is found and declare it found?

You can learn more from the links that Pup Patrol posted.

 

In general terms, the main thing you do is sign the logbook inside the cache. Sometimes this is a notebook, but often is a folded or rolled up piece of paper. It's often kept inside a resealable bag to protect it from moisture, so please replace and reseal the bag in such cases. After the log inside the cache is signed, then you can log your find online.

 

After finding the cache and signing the log, then you'll want to replace the log and container in the same way that you found it, so the next person looking for the cache will have the same experience when they search for it.

 

Regarding the contents of the cache. You can trade items if you want to, but it is not required that you take anything. If you take something, then you should add something that is of equal or greater value. Fair trade. Some caches are too small for trade items and only contain the log to sign.

 

When you log your find online, then you can change the date of your find using the calendar on the logging page. It's good to make sure that date is the date you actually visited the cache. Some people don't log their caches online until days later, so setting the date to the actual date is a good function.

 

You can also attach photos to your online log. If you do, then don't post "spoiler" photos that give away the hissing spot.

 

Welcome to the hobby and feel free to ask more questions before going out on a 'hunt'.

[+Team Abarth]

Welcome to the forum. My wife and I are new to this also, and we found a couple local Facebook groups. Sometimes they hold classes on different things that may help. We're attending our first one this Saturday.

[fun2belost]

Thank You.

 

This is great. I can't wait to try my search when the weather clears a bit. I was actually thinking of just adding trinkets instead of taking any. Is this ok?

 

Or better yet.... If I can take to swap (of equal value), my intention would be only to swap trinket A from cache A with trinket B of cache B over a little bit of distance while logging the associations between the two caches. This would be a three point process, but, it would be kind of neat. Would this be acceptable?

[Pup Patrol]

Thank You.

 

This is great. I can't wait to try my search when the weather clears a bit. I was actually thinking of just adding trinkets instead of taking any. Is this ok?

 

Not a problem. It's actually a good thing, as some caches end up quite depleted of any trinkets.

 

Or better yet.... If I can take to swap (of equal value), my intention would be only to swap trinket A from cache A with trinket B of cache B over a little bit of distance while logging the associations between the two caches. This would be a three point process, but, it would be kind of neat. Would this be acceptable?

 

Also acceptable, but you might get bored with doing that if you start finding a lot of caches. You would need to backtrack between caches, and that could get very tiresome after a while. It might get to be a bit of a headache trying to keep it all straight, and it's not really something I've seen done. But if that's what you want to do, then go for it.

 

B.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Pup Patrol

[+cowgirl68]

When you log on-line, be sure to write at least a sentence. Cachers are encouraged to make observations or tell a story. This used to be a rule, but now with the advent of smartphone logging, it seems to be observed less often. Your on-line log adds to the experience and encourages those who hide caches.

[+dprovan]

When you log on-line, be sure to write at least a sentence. Cachers are encouraged to make observations or tell a story. This used to be a rule, but now with the advent of smartphone logging, it seems to be observed less often. Your on-line log adds to the experience and encourages those who hide caches.

I don't believe that was ever a rule. And I think it's wrong to blame short logs entirely on cellphones: although cellphone logging does admittedly encourage short logs, I think in general the game has gotten more focused on the finds so the old school idea of the experience being the main thing has gone out of favor.

 

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy real logs, and I write them myself. But I think short logs are yet another thing being blamed on pesky newbie cellphone users when I see vacuous logs as much if not more from long time cachers that have, over time, become more and more focused on finding caches and less and less interesting in reporting their experience to everyone else. Geocaching is no longer exclusively an add-on for people hiking: finding caches is a hobby all on its own.

[+cerberus1]

I kinda agree with dprovan.

We've noticed that once this hobby changed to a game, folks became (just a little bit...) more interested in numbers than location, and because logging takes time, shorter, or acronym-only logs are what we're seeing more of today.

Now that many long-time cachers are switching over to phones (they're handy I guess), we've noticed no real difference in their logging, short or lengthy.

 

"Log your experience at geocaching.com" doesn't seem much like a requirement for a lengthy log to me.

Have seen hints on "Master the 5 Ways to 'Log Your Visit'", "5 Tips for Writing the Best Log in the World", and similar in the blog and some newsletters, but that (to me) seems to do more with product marketing.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I think it was a "rule" as in a standard practice, not a literal rule.

 

Smartphones might not have decreased log length much from existing cachers, but definitely brings in lots of new cachers who write little.

[+Justin Of Terrytown]

Here are some YouTube videos that may help you:

 

 

 

Go Geocaching YouTube page