do's and do not's

[Outyonder57]

Hello

I just joined today and of course have a lot of questions.  I was looking around but not extensively so thought it faster to ask.  What types of things are not allowed in caches?  Are there caches for under age kids and for adults only?  I am not talking about leaving inappropriate things but just think adults would enjoy finding things other than toys and vice versa.  

 

Thanks!

Edited February 25, 2020 by Outyonder57
typo

[+ras_oscar]

If you are new to the game, welcome. I would encourage you to visit the Groundspeak webpage and review Geocaching 101. I would also encourage you to go out and find a few caches to get a sense of what items are and aren't left in caches. Anything that you would like to find in a cache are appropriate trade items, with restrictions.

 

Trade Items Restrictions:

1. Nothing that will be damaged when it gets wet.

2. Nothing you wouldn't want your 5 year old child to find.

3. Nothing that will deteriorate, or that will attract wildlife ( food).

4. Nothing of monetary value. Leaving , say, a $10.00 bill would likely attract people that are in the game for profit, not fun.

 

Also, understand what a travel bug is. These are meant to travel from cache to cache within the community. They aren't meant to be kept as trade items.

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by ras_oscar

[+Max and 99]

3 minutes ago, ras_oscar said:

Nothing of monetary value.

FTF gifts I've gotten have had monetary value. I have often left a $20 bill or $20 gift card for FTF. 

[+ras_oscar]

I once got a $10 bill from a cache. However, that is one in several  thousand finds. My point to the newbie OP is that trade items shouldn't be something that develops a purpose in and of itself. Its a side of the game that appeals to some players. Personally I gave up the swag game a long time ago. One of the most appealing features of geocaching is the number of different ways you can play.

Edited February 25, 2020 by ras_oscar

[+ecanderson]

Nothing edible.

[+Max and 99]

26 minutes ago, ras_oscar said:

I once got a $10 bill from a cache. However, that is one in several  thousand finds. My point to the newbie OP is that trade items shouldn't be something that develops a purpose in and of itself. Its a side of the game that appeals to some players. Personally I gave up the swag game a long time ago. One of the most appealing features of geocaching is the number of different ways you can play.

Exactly. I don't have several thousand finds because I don't play the numbers side game. It doesn't appeal to me. But I do appreciate a nice FTF gift! 

Edited February 25, 2020 by Max and 99

[+Max and 99]

4 minutes ago, ecanderson said:

Nothing edible.

This is a good one! No food or smelly stuff! No chapstick, candy, bubbles or condoms! Twice we've been stabbed by a multi tool. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by Max and 99

[+L0ne.R]

11 hours ago, Outyonder57 said:

I am not talking about leaving inappropriate things but just think adults would enjoy finding things other than toys and vice versa.  

 

I like to collect things made by geocachers, aka "signature items". 

I also like pathtags. 

Some photos of things I've collected from geocaches:

 

 

 

   

 

 

[+Max and 99]

Does the Help Center no longer restrict knives? I can only find a reference to food and smelly stuff. Surely it's still there!

[+coachstahly]

Anything that has a smell that might attract critters is usually off the list of items I would place in a cache.  That's not restricted to food items either.  See the post above - chapstick.

 

While the notion that nothing that might get damaged when wet is usually a good notion, a lot of that depends on the container you're attempting to place items in.  I'd have no hesitation placing a comic book or some similar paper item (playing card like a Pokemon or Magic:The Gathering) in a metal ammo can (assuming everything was dry when you opened it up) but I probably wouldn't put it in a regular sized lock-n-lock unless it was protected from the elements.

 

For smaller children, I'd look for small or larger caches with a 2 or lower D rating and a 1.5 or lower T rating.  Those are typically easier to get to and easier to find.  Some 2 D caches might involve just a little bit more of a search than a 1.5 D or 1 D but for those kids who like "hunting for treasure", it might be worth including.  There is an attribute that cache owners can select that tell you the cache is family friendly.  Attributes are things that let you know if parking is close by, food, picnic tables, restrooms, etc....  On the cache page, you'll find any selected attributes on the right side of the cache page, near the top.  Keep in mind that some cache owners (COs) don't select any attributes or only select the ones they think cachers need to know about.  The large person holding the smaller person's hand is the "family friendly" attribute.

 

Micro caches don't usually contain items as they're too small and can be a let down for a child expecting to find trade items inside.

 

Finally, some cachers opt to leave items, as L0ne.R mentions, that are specific to them.  Pathtags are like coins and you can keep them.  Some cachers leave wooden nickels that have been made with their caching names on them.  Some leave items related to their caching name - we have one cacher who's into a brewery and leaves their coasters in caches that can hold them while another cacher leaves Magic cards as his signature item.  There are lots of things that can be done that can let other cachers know that you found it by what you choose to leave behind.

[+Max and 99]

11 hours ago, Outyonder57 said:

Hello

I just joined today and of course have a lot of questions.  I was looking around but not extensively so thought it faster to ask.  What types of things are not allowed in caches?  Are there caches for under age kids and for adults only?  I am not talking about leaving inappropriate things but just think adults would enjoy finding things other than toys and vice versa.  

 

Thanks!

I too love collecting signature items! I bet you can make a cool item to match your username. I'm thrilled to find such things in a cache!

[+niraD]

1 hour ago, Max and 99 said:

Does the Help Center no longer restrict knives? I can only find a reference to food and smelly stuff. Surely it's still there!

The cache note that I use is an edited version of one that Groundspeak used to offer for download. Mine includes the sentence: "Do not leave anything edible, dangerous, or illegal."

 

Whether a knife is considered dangerous (or even illegal) depends on where you are and on what kind of knife it is.

[+Ice and Wind]

The guidelines cover it pretty well:

 

Quote

 

Geocaching is a family friendly and outdoor friendly game. Cache contents must be suitable for all ages and suitable for the outdoors.

Do not place any of the following items in caches:

• Illegal material
• Dangerous material, such as explosives, ammunition, lighters, knives, drugs, or alcohol
• Edible or scented items
• Items that can melt, such as crayons or lip balm
• Items that can expand in the cold, such as liquids

 

 

 

[+niraD]

49 minutes ago, Ice and Wind said:

The guidelines cover it pretty well:

The catch is that those are the geocache hiding guidelines. It would be nice for that information to be located somewhere that new geocache seekers might find it.

[+colleda]

2 hours ago, ecanderson said:

Nothing edible.

I was thinking the same thing when I saw "food". Some people don't think of candy as being food.

[+HunterandSamuel]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:53 AM, Outyonder57 said:

Hello

I just joined today and of course have a lot of questions.  I was looking around but not extensively so thought it faster to ask.  What types of things are not allowed in caches?  Are there caches for under age kids and for adults only?  I am not talking about leaving inappropriate things but just think adults would enjoy finding things other than toys and vice versa.  

 

Thanks!

Welcome! Food, glass, liquids, candy. I put swag in our caches for kids and adults since families love geocaching together. Have fun! 

[+HunterandSamuel]

17 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I too love collecting signature items! I bet you can make a cool item to match your username. I'm thrilled to find such things in a cache!

Great idea! Carabiner, compasses, bandaids, mini flashlights, sweat bandanas, etc. 

[+ras_oscar]

I don't know about you, but I would never place anything in my mouth that came out of a cache.

[+cerberus1]

21 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

Does the Help Center no longer restrict knives? I can only find a reference to food and smelly stuff. Surely it's still there!

 

"Cache contents must be suitable for all ages and suitable for the outdoors" .  We don't see many kids on 4T+ caches...

We left a lot of cheapy multi tools in distant, higher-terrain caches over the years,  case of 'em left over from when we had caches on the AT.

Most were asked for by thru-hikers asking in email for them (along with lots n lots of TP  ;-).  

 -  Don't think we've ever met anyone in the woods without having some sorta knife on them...

We've left simple, little folding sewing kits that others on-trail might need as well. 

 

Parents could take a bit of responsibility themselves on what their kids are shoving in their pockets.

 - We'd probably have a few more trackables with toys attached in play...

[+niraD]

16 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

Parents could take a bit of responsibility themselves on what their kids are shoving in their pockets.

 - We'd probably have a few more trackables with toys attached in play...

Yeah, one of the bits of advice I got early on in my geocaching career was to attach something to a TB tag that would inspire photos and/or motivate people to help it towards its goal, but not to make it something that kids would want to keep.

[+cerberus1]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:53 AM, Outyonder57 said:

I just joined today and of course have a lot of questions. 

 

Try  Geocaching 101,  and  the Help Center.     

[+Seeker_Knight]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:53 AM, Outyonder57 said:

Hello

I just joined today and of course have a lot of questions.  I was looking around but not extensively so thought it faster to ask.  What types of things are not allowed in caches?  Are there caches for under age kids and for adults only?  I am not talking about leaving inappropriate things but just think adults would enjoy finding things other than toys and vice versa.  

 

Thanks!

You should look this up on the Geocaching website. They do not allow food, knives, ammunition, explosives, flammable fluids, adult themed items etc. The whole idea is to keep it family friendly so you can let your kids open the container without worrying about finding dangerous or offensive items.

[Outyonder57]

On 2/25/2020 at 11:07 AM, ras_oscar said:

I once got a $10 bill from a cache. However, that is one in several  thousand finds. My point to the newbie OP is that trade items shouldn't be something that develops a purpose in and of itself. Its a side of the game that appeals to some players. Personally I gave up the swag game a long time ago. One of the most appealing features of geocaching is the number of different ways you can play.

 What do you mean "Different ways to play"?  

[+L0ne.R]

On 2/25/2020 at 2:07 PM, ras_oscar said:

trade items shouldn't be something that develops a purpose in and of itself. Its a side of the game

 

When did it become a side game? When I started it was a major part of the activity. Thus the name “cache” in geocache. Otherwise maybe it would have been named geolocation game. 

[+ras_oscar]

35 minutes ago, Outyonder57 said:

 What do you mean "Different ways to play"?  

Everybody finds within the game what appeals a to them. Some like the challenge of searching for a hide. Some like writing creative and entertaining logs. Some like going to events. Some like getting together with friends. Some like going out alone. Some like being stealthy caching in an urban environment. Some like getting out into the wilderness. Some like the navigation aspect. Some like planing caching trips. Some people even plan their entire summer vacation around caching. Some like achieving milestones, like 100th find, filling in the caching calendar, filling in each state in the country, filling in each county in the state, filling in each square in the ADC maps. Some like setting unique containers. Some like scoring geotrails consisting of hundreds of finds exactly the same. And yes, some like the numbers. Some like completing geo art. Some people like sitting at home working out the coordinates for puzzle caches. What appeals to you?

Edited February 27, 2020 by ras_oscar
phat phinger mk pr splng

[+thebruce0]

Quote

Some like...

 

...couch logging earthcaches and virtuals and lab caches.

One reason why an irk of mine is the unqualified "everyone plays their own way" - often used to justify questionable, and sometimes antagonistic, behaviours.  So, well, sure it's true, but within the guidelines and ethics of the intended positive and community spirit of geocaching

[+IceColdUK]

On 2/25/2020 at 7:07 PM, ras_oscar said:

Its a side of the game that appeals to some players.

 

 

5 hours ago, L0ne.R said:

On 2/25/2020 at 7:07 PM, ras_oscar said:

trade items shouldn't be something that develops a purpose in and of itself. Its a side of the game

 

When did it become a side game? When I started it was a major part of the activity. Thus the name “cache” in geocache. Otherwise maybe it would have been named geolocation game. 

“Side of the game”, not “side game” - I’d say there’s a subtle distinction.  Either way, you cut off the point that ras_oscar was making, i.e. that it doesn’t appeal to all.

 

I can see the attraction for those caching with kids, but it’s never really appeal to me.

[+L0ne.R]

7 hours ago, IceColdUK said:

I can see the attraction for those caching with kids, but it’s never really appeal to me.

 

Many like signature items and trackables.

 

I don’t recall forum topics asking people to stop hiding so many larger caches with stuff in it, or room for more than a logsheet. No one says it irks them to find an ammo can in the woods. Most say it bothers them when people hide micros in forests. Cachers don’t say it bothers them that when they lift the lamp post skirt there’s a sistema container instead of a bison tube. 

 

There have been plenty of discussions about too many micros, and too many micros listed as small. And there are people who filter out micros because they don’t like the log-only experience. 

 

Those who aren’t interested in trade items, a nicely maintained cache with stuff in it is equal to a nicely maintained log-only (micro) cache. This is not true for people who enjoy the added experience of trade items.

 

It irks me when it is insinuated that an adult’s level of maturity is that of a child because they enjoy the “cache” part of geocaching. 

Edited February 27, 2020 by L0ne.R
typos

[+IceColdUK]

40 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

It irks me when it is insinuated that an adult’s level of maturity is that of a child because they enjoy the “cache” part of geocaching. 

 

My apologies.

[+HunterandSamuel]

On 2/26/2020 at 11:01 PM, ras_oscar said:

Everybody finds within the game what appeals a to them. Some like the challenge of searching for a hide. Some like writing creative and entertaining logs. Some like going to events. Some like getting together with friends. Some like going out alone. Some like being stealthy caching in an urban environment. Some like getting out into the wilderness. Some like the navigation aspect. Some like planing caching trips. Some people even plan their entire summer vacation around caching. Some like achieving milestones, like 100th find, filling in the caching calendar, filling in each state in the country, filling in each county in the state, filling in each square in the ADC maps. Some like setting unique containers. Some like scoring geotrails consisting of hundreds of finds exactly the same. And yes, some like the numbers. Some like completing geo art. Some people like sitting at home working out the coordinates for puzzle caches. What appeals to you?

Well said and worth a repeat. Right now I like getting my numbers up to a respectable number. lol But being that my daughter and son-in-law just had twins and need help for awhile, geocaching has been put to the side for now. Geocaching can also be a fun numbers competition, especially with friends and family. I also love hiding caches and getting happy responses on them. 

[+NanCycle]

12 hours ago, HunterandSamuel said:

Well said and worth a repeat. Right now I like getting my numbers up to a respectable number. lol But being that my daughter and son-in-law just had twins and need help for awhile, geocaching has been put to the side for now. Geocaching can also be a fun numbers competition, especially with friends and family. I also love hiding caches and getting happy responses on them. 

In a few years those grandtwins  will be the best geocaching companions.

[+barefootjeff]

On 2/27/2020 at 3:01 PM, ras_oscar said:

Everybody finds within the game what appeals a to them. Some like the challenge of searching for a hide. Some like writing creative and entertaining logs. Some like going to events. Some like getting together with friends. Some like going out alone. Some like being stealthy caching in an urban environment. Some like getting out into the wilderness. Some like the navigation aspect. Some like planing caching trips. Some people even plan their entire summer vacation around caching. Some like achieving milestones, like 100th find, filling in the caching calendar, filling in each state in the country, filling in each county in the state, filling in each square in the ADC maps. Some like setting unique containers. Some like scoring geotrails consisting of hundreds of finds exactly the same. And yes, some like the numbers. Some like completing geo art. Some people like sitting at home working out the coordinates for puzzle caches. What appeals to you?

 

I got into caching from a background of hiking and orienteering, so my preference is for bushland hides rather than urban ones. Terrain 2.5-4 is my sweet spot, although I picked a terrain 4.5 for my 1000th find as something that would be a memorable milestone. Speaking of which, milestones are really the only times I consider my find count, as I try to pick something special for them, the rest of the time I'm just going out for the experience and not the +1. I tend to post long logs describing my adventure with plenty of photos. While I mostly cache alone, I do enjoy going out with groups, particularly if it's to caches I'd be unwilling to attempt alone, and enjoy attending events. The amazing places I've been led to and the new friends I've made along the way are the big positives for me.

 

On the other hand, I'm not interested in swag as I'm in a constant battle to try to declutter my house of things that "might come in handy" but never did. Most of my hides are the higher terrain ones so I usually don't bother with swag unless it's something themed to the cache, as I really don't have much idea of what the swag-swappers might like. Some of my hides gradually accumulate swag, which is fine by me.

[+HunterandSamuel]

12 hours ago, NanCycle said:

In a few years those grandtwins  will be the best geocaching companions.

Yup! Thank you!  My screen photo is our three year old grandson geocaching with us, his first nano. We recently found a cast iron ladybug in a tree stump. He was so proud!  

[+Seeker_Knight]

On 2/26/2020 at 11:46 PM, thebruce0 said:

 

...couch logging earthcaches and virtuals and lab caches.

One reason why an irk of mine is the unqualified "everyone plays their own way" - often used to justify questionable, and sometimes antagonistic, behaviours.  So, well, sure it's true, but within the guidelines and ethics of the intended positive and community spirit of geocaching

People who cheat themselves out of the experience by "couch logging" miss the whole point of the activity. While it is no sweat off my back what they do, it just seems sad to me. Kinda like cheating at solitaire.
One of the things I like the best about geocaching is the opportunity it gave me to teach my daughter by example, of what character, morality, strength, endurance, honesty and other admirable attributes can add to the overall quality of life in general. So maybe there is something of value in a cache. Do you have something of equal value to exchange if you want to take it with you? If not, don't do it. You will have your chance sometime in the future. Do you have the character to at least give a search the honest effort before resorting to clues and hints? There are a thousand different ways for a kid to learn quality values doing this activity. For me at least, therein lies the real value of the whole sport.

Seeker_Knight

[+thebruce0]

18 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

People who cheat themselves out of the experience by "couch logging" miss the whole point of the activity. While it is no sweat off my back what they do, it just seems sad to me. Kinda like cheating at solitaire.

Only problem is, posted logs are read by other people which imply the state of a geocache, and if they're couch logging they are not posting first-hand verified logs and can be easily misleading to other geocachers. So couch logging isn't an activity that only affects themselves. It affects the community. Couch logging is a Bad Thing overall.

 

 

[+Seeker_Knight]

2 hours ago, thebruce0 said:

Only problem is, posted logs are read by other people which imply the state of a geocache, and if they're couch logging they are not posting first-hand verified logs and can be easily misleading to other geocachers. So couch logging isn't an activity that only affects themselves. It affects the community. Couch logging is a Bad Thing overall.

 

 

Have to agree with that, but temper it with a bit of wisdom too. A young man asked an old wise man what was to be done about the whirling dervishes that seemed to plague their area, blowing dust all over the place and generally being a nuisance. The old man asked him what he thought caused the situation, to which the young man replied, "Why the wind of course". So the old man asked the young man if God or nature had made him master of the winds. And the young man said, of course not. Then why do you think it is your business to fret about the whirling dervishes, they are really none of your business. Just let the whirling dervishes whirl.
Last I checked, nobody gave me domain over anyone else's actions. Therefore, I figure I'll just let them be and mind my own business!

Seeker_Knight

 

The other readers of this type of nonsense will also be able to discount the BS from the real postings.

Edited March 2, 2020 by Seeker_Knight

[+thebruce0]

3 minutes ago, Seeker_Knight said:

Last I checked, nobody gave me domain over anyone else's actions. Therefore, I figure I'll just let them be and mind my own business!

Um, so scrap all the rules and the spirit of anything then (whether advocating for that directly, or just personally turning a blind eye to it), because no one has "domain over anyone else's actions"? Obviously that's ridiculous. No one is arguing that every person must obey every subjective rule of logging which are based on opinion rather than the official guidelines. But there is also a spirit of the hobby, and of community, and when people begin to do things that are not good for the community, based on the excuse of basically "well I'm allowed to, so you can't stop me" (or on the other side - "well they're allowed to, so I choose not to let it bother me"), that can drag everyone else down. No, we can't and shouldn't force everyone to act for the betterment of the community, but we can certainly be irked into action to help encourage good, positive, community-minded practices. And one of those is speaking out against couch logging, as it were.

 

3 minutes ago, Seeker_Knight said:

Have to agree with that, but temper it with a bit of wisdom too.

But of course.

[+Seeker_Knight]

On 3/1/2020 at 11:53 PM, thebruce0 said:

Only problem is, posted logs are read by other people which imply the state of a geocache, and if they're couch logging they are not posting first-hand verified logs and can be easily misleading to other geocachers. So couch logging isn't an activity that only affects themselves. It affects the community. Couch logging is a Bad Thing overall.

 

 

Agree wholeheartedly that it is a bad thing, but learned a long time ago that trying to control other people just leads to deeper frustration. They are going to do what they want regardless of what anyone thinks. I just choose to not waste my time and energy on people who do foolish things.

Seeker_Knight

[+cerberus1]

I went for a cache that turned out wasn't there for some time.  People were logging it found, an eight mile round-trip walk. 

I could have walked that same eight miles to a cache that was still active (and there...).   The CO archived it after my email.

To say "no sweat off my back what they do" isn't an accurate statement...

[+L0ne.R]

5 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

I just choose to not waste my time and energy on people who do foolish things.

 

But you may end up wasting your time, energy and money because of the foolish and selfish things some cachers do. It may not matter to you. You may have time, energy and money to burn.But many of us don't have that luxury.

 

It's important that we can rely on a predictable activity where owners and players honour the terms they agreed to, and use the tools (ratings, attributes, logs) as intended in the spirit of the pastime, to benefit the community as a whole. 

[+cerberus1]

4 minutes ago, L0ne.R said:

But you may end up wasting your time, energy and money because of the foolish and selfish things some cachers do. 

It may not matter to you. You may have time, energy and money to burn.But many of us don't have that luxury.

It's important that we can rely on a predictable activity where owners and players honour the terms they agreed to, and use the tools (ratings, attributes, logs) as intended in the spirit of the pastime, to benefit the community as a whole. 

Yep.     

We already drive way-too far as it is,  and to find that people aren't honest in their logs affects my wanting to continue a hobby that (for some odd reason...) seems to now have few responsible players. 

Lately, caches that have no indication in a log that there's issues going on with the cache or area is almost a norm...

[+thebruce0]

8 hours ago, Seeker_Knight said:

learned a long time ago that trying to control other people just leads to deeper frustration.

 

Who's trying to control other people?