Guidelines

[Sel]

OK, so I've been reading a few of the posts from the last week, especially those ones regarding guidelines, and the arguments that Huga was bringing up...

 

Now, as far as I see, the Geocaching.com pages says "No food, but bottles of water are a good thing".

 

And lots of people, including Tim and June, have said "No food or drink at all."

 

But in another post, I think it was Tim and June (I've lost the post) said "tinned food and canned drinks are OK".

 

Now to me this is all a bit contradictory and in some cases apparently hipocritical.

 

I would very much appreciate a bottle of mineral water if I'd just climbed a mountain, but would be less certain about food...or maybe if it were wrapped properly...oh, i don't know.

 

So, now that there are real efforts being made to "follow guidelines", can we have some clarification of what they are?

 

Is food OK? What about tinned food?

Is drink OK? What about bottles of water?

 

Oh, and BTW, my etrex arrived this morning! I hope to start finidng caches this weekend.

 

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Why'd ya have to go and make things so complicated?

[+Richard & Beth]

As has been said the official guidelines here clearly state

 

quote:

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Do not put food in a cache! Critters have better noses than we do, and will bite, nibble or swallow your cache in an attempt to get to the goodies. Bottled water is a good alternative (and refreshing to geocachers).

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As has been said before people can't physically stop cachers placing unsuitable items in caches, however it is worth bearing in mind what impression it will give of Geocachers in the wider world if it does become a problem.

 

From a personal perspective there are plenty enough other choices for items to put in caches without getting into an argument over whether a tin of pineapple chunks or a tin of spam is any better or worse than a mars bar, or a snickers bar. Better to just say no food and not get into a largely theoretical discussion about how easy or hard it would be for an animal to get into it.

 

Richard

 

[This message was edited by Richard & Beth on March 19, 2003 at 02:15 AM.]

[+John Stead]

Personally I don't see the point of tinned food and much as I would sometimes welcome a drink (proper or non-alcoholic) surely the difficulty is that of freezing unless cache owners check them in the autumn and replace the bottles in Spring - as if!

Oh, yes, glad you've got your etrex Sel - now enjoy using it and joining the madmen (and madwomen)!

[+washboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by jstead:

...surely the difficulty is that of freezing unless cache owners check them in the autumn and replace the bottles in Spring - as if!

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I say "No" to liquids of any kind. Of the (admittedly few) caches I've found, several had been spoiled by leaked bottles of bubble bath, shampoo, etc. It wouldn't have been so bad if the bottles had been left in zip-loc bags.

 

Do folk not appreciate the extremes of temperature some caches experience throughout the year?

 

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There's no such thing as a free lunchbox!

[+Tim & June]

Sel is right, we have said that food and drink should not be in a cache because animals will smell it and might at least disturb the cache and leave it exposed to passers by.

 

One of the first caches we visited had a small tin of pineapple in it which seemed quite reasonable and since the smell was the main problem we considered ring pull tins of fruit and the like would cause little problem.

 

However, the land managers we have been talking to have said that they do not want food and drink in caches so I guess we will have to abide by that and adopt the rule even before it is finally set in stone. This is a rule that we will have to stick to the letter of, rather than the spirit as has been the case in the past.

 

The guidelines drawn up by GC.com are largely specific to the USA and things are bound to be a little different here. Once we have a firm outline of what will and will not be allowed we will let it be known but at this stage it is probably better not to put any form of consumable items is caches. Personally, we never take the risk and always carry water with us if we are not close to the car.

 

We are at a difficult stage right now and geocaching is in a state of flux, and not just in the UK. There was a time when it was all down to common sense, guess that's all out of the window now.

 

Tim & June (Winchester)

 

See June, I told you that sign which said 'Unsuitable for Motor Vehicles' was wrong !

[+The Good Shepherds]

quote:

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One of the first caches we visited had a small tin of pineapple in it which seemed quite reasonable

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Tins can burst when the contents are frozen. (c.f. the previous thread hijack about frozen beer!)

[Moss Trooper]

I am in full support with T n J.. I for one have stopped putting food or drink into my caches.. basically as you can't get much else in anyway.

 

This issue has to be put to rest for the sake of geocaching in the future within the UK.

 

Moss de Boss... Sorta

[+Wood Smoke]

Hi All,

 

I agree that NO food and drink should be in caches, and if you want a bottle of water after a long climb up a mountain............carry it with you, as you should if you follow a good walking code.

 

I WILL remove any food or drink I find in a cache and bin it!!!!

 

As I did today with a packet soup!!!

 

WoodSmoke

[+Wood Smoke]

Hi All,

 

I agree that NO food or drink should be placed in caches.

 

If you want a bottle of water after a climb up a mountain.............carry it with you, as you should if you are following a good walking code.

 

I WILL remove any food of drink I find in a cache and bin it.

 

As I did today with a packet soup.

 

WoodSmoke

 

Yours Roy