+The "B" Team Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I was traveling on business and decided to do some caching. In two caches I found box cutters mixed in with the treasures. I don’t know how others feel, but I find it to be inappropriate. Caching is such a great family activity, and I just have a hard time figuring why someone would leave behind such an item for a child to find. Guess they were on sale, and someone bought them in bulk, not realizing what harm they could cause! Quote Link to comment
umc Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Don't let your kids leave the house. They could get hurt. I see no problem what so ever with leaving a pocket knife or something similar in a cache. I highly doubt that a small child will be out in the woods caching on their own. If they are old enough to go caching on their own then I highly doubt that a knife will be a problem. ______________________________________________________________________________________ So far so good, somewhat new owner of a second/new Garmin GPS V 20 plus finds so far with little to no problem. We'll see what happens when there are leaves on the trees again. Quote Link to comment
+Jacksons Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I have to agree with umc on this,many people leave pocket knives in caches and box cutters dont bother me. I'm a man and I can change if I have to,I guess. Quote Link to comment
+jeff35080 Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Knives are cool. My kids and I often leave them in caches we visit. My kids are ages 8 and 11. Don't most homes have kitchen knives? Jeff http://www.StarsFellOnAlabama.com http://www.NotAChance.com If you hide it, they will come.... Quote Link to comment
+The "B" Team Posted February 20, 2003 Author Share Posted February 20, 2003 Knifes don’t bother me, but they are closed. But when you have an open blade or razor exposed aren’t you asking for trouble? Quote Link to comment
+Jacksons Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 I've never seen a box cutter that had a blade that could not be retracted or closed. I'm a man and I can change if I have to,I guess. Quote Link to comment
+Brian - Team A.I. Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 Obviously when leaving items, discretion is a MUST. To the person placing the questionable item, their intentions may be good, but at the same time, common sense must come into play. Several months ago, I was out caching off of Hwy 88 (Arizona), and found 2 WWII era weapons clips with 5 LIVE rounds of rifle ammunition in each. Keep in mind, these rounds were manufactured over 50 years ago, adding to the "Oh My God" reaction when I found these in the cache. I took both out of the caches, without leaving an item because I felt this to be entirely unsafe. Who would be to blame if one of those rounds fell and fired, killing someone? Quote Link to comment
+MaxEntropy Posted February 20, 2003 Share Posted February 20, 2003 That's why I open the caches, not the kids. it's also in case there's something inappropriate or disgusting in there. No problems yet though. Mickey Max Entropy More than just a name, a lifestyle. Quote Link to comment
+Sissy-n-CR Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I feel parents should open and inspect a cache before letting a child or toddler into it. (Pre)teens and above probably are old enough to let open the cache. Hopefully, by then you've done a good enough job that they'll be able to use good sense. Remember, it's not just sharp objects in that you have to look out for. Sometimes people leave totaly inappropriate items and you can't have rules for everything.. CR Quote Link to comment
Dinoprophet Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 quote:I've never seen a box cutter that had a blade that could not be retracted or closed. I have several. I don't think it's a problem as pertains to kids -- do you keep your steak knives locked away somewhere? -- but it would have been nice if the placer had taped up the exposed blade. Mein Vater war ein Wandersmann, und ich hab' auch im Blut Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 What's wrong with a box cutter? I'd be perfectly happy to find on in a cache. They are useful items. And I wouldn't hesitate to leave one either. A government that is big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. -Barry Goldwater Quote Link to comment
madapple Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I agree with the crowd here. Just use a little common sence and it will be OK. My son(13) and I often trade pocketknives in caches. He really enjoys trading them. Adults should be adult enough to supervise your children with sharp objects. Exploring the world,,,one Cache at a time !!!!! Quote Link to comment
+Mopar Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 quote:Originally posted by umc:Don't let your kids leave the house. They could get hurt. I see no problem what so ever with leaving a pocket knife or something similar in a cache. I highly doubt that a small child will be out in the woods caching on their own. If they are old enough to go caching on their own then I highly doubt that a knife will be a problem. Great. Now I find myself agreeing with UMC. Every word of it. I hate when that happens. Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon. Quote Link to comment
+ScottJ Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I personally don't, on general principle, have a problem with knives in geocaches. I do object to switchblades and other illegal weapons). I have a really nice miniature folding knife that I use often, and I found it in a cache. At a recent Georgia Geocachers Association meeting, it was mentioned that in Georgia and many other states, prisoner work details are often seen working in parks and other areas where geocaches might be hidden. One would not want a prisoner to stumble on a geocache, find a knife in it, and arm himself. It's a bit of a stretch of the imagination, but it does give one pause. Therefore, there's an unwritten "rule" here that knives aren't left in geocaches. Some of the more aggressive proponents of this policy seem to be actively confiscating knives from caches wherever they find them. A number of them were distributed as door prizes at the February GGA meeting. So if you leave one in a cache in Georgia, you're basically just donating a door prize for the next meeting -- Scott Johnson (ScottJ) Quote Link to comment
+Mr. Snazz Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I know several families who have had their children find geocaches by accident while playing outside. Certainly the kids ought to know better, but why are we all so willing to disallow food items, but so insanely against anyone suggesting that maybe we shouldn't put knives in caches? Are we really more concerned about protecting a cache from wild animals than we are about preventing a cache-finding child from getting cut up? Quote Link to comment
RangerDanger Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 keep in mind that many caches are on public land, subject to public land use rules. Anything that might be considered dangerous in a cache could be the catalyst for rules against geocaches. Let's keep that in mind. After all, the fun is in the finding, the swapping is a bonus (at least for me). Let's keep the bonus from becoming an anchor. Quote Link to comment
Northern-Lights Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 Obviously when leaving items, discretion is a MUST. To the person placing the questionable item, their intentions may be good, but at the same time, common sense must come into play. Several months ago, I was out caching off of Hwy 88 (Arizona), and found 2 WWII era weapons clips with 5 LIVE rounds of rifle ammunition in each. Keep in mind, these rounds were manufactured over 50 years ago, adding to the "Oh My God" reaction when I found these in the cache. I took both out of the caches, without leaving an item because I felt this to be entirely unsafe. Who would be to blame if one of those rounds fell and fired, killing someone? The above quote is from one of you.....I forgot now who.....but lest we accuse you of being paranoid and un-informed....I'll just explain that the rifle clips you "took", are probably collestors items and VERY special.....maybe even exspensive. And the ammo isn't a threat unless actually fired from a barrel where it can generate gas and pressure. The ammo is probably a collectors item as well......and is almost totally safe....I did say almost. One does have to handle with common sense. Now, that being said....it is probably not appropriate for it to be in a cache....but through your mis-understanding of how things work....you removed what was probably the most valable items in the cache and by your own admission, didn't replace anything.......I for one would find that very inappropriate if it was my cache......if you don't like what you find in a cache....leave it alone. If you trade.....trade even....trade up....or don't trade!! We're going on a treasure hunt...we're not quite sure just where...but with our trusty GPS, we'll find a cache stashed there!! By Daughter Cheryl Quote Link to comment
Cloak_N_Dagger Posted February 21, 2003 Share Posted February 21, 2003 I agree that the parents, or other responsible adults, should inspect the cache first. Sometimes cache containers become cracked, making them great homes for spiders, etc. So It's always a good idea to look the contents over carefully, and just good common sense not to let a child shove his/her hand down into the unknown. With that being said, I see nothing wrong with putting a (read--->closed)pocket knife in a cache. If the utility knife mentioned above had an exposed blade/razor, that's another story. If you stop and think about it, lots of items in a cache could be considered dangerous to a small, UNSUPERVISED child. Here are a few that I've heard of, found, and/or placed myself: Golf Balls - Choking Hazard Spare Batteries - Acid leakage Flash lights - Broken lenses (sharp) Geo Coins - another choking hazard Nail Polish - That stuff is flammable Bungee cords - might hang themselves Insect repellent - poisonous ink pens & pencils - you might put an eye out Rubber balls - yet another choking hazard Fish Hooks - sharp, barbed edges Fishing lures - see above Butane Lighters - 'nuff said And let's not forget the McToys! - Heck the package on many of them even has a "choking warning" I guess what I'm trying to say is that almost any item can be called a hazard, under the right circumstances. It's up to us to make sure our children stay safe. Even if someone is not a geocacher, common sense should tell them to teach your children not to even pick up strange packages, much less open them. Of course we could all just start packing our cache with cotton balls for safety. Nope ... wait a minute ... someone might choke on them too. Quote Link to comment
+Mr. Snazz Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Since any item can be called dangerous, why not leave loaded guns in caches? And why, oh why, not leave food? Are we more concerned about protecting the cache from animals than we are about protecting children from knives? Am I the only sane one left?!?! Quote Link to comment
+zippes Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 If ‘contents’ is your hot-button… then expend your energy into controlling what ‘you’ put into ‘your’ caches… (.. to be perfectly safe, you might consider not placing any ‘actual’ items… only printed pictures of the item [on bio-degradable paper of course]). [..there are times that common sense seems to go into the weeds on these topics * sigh *] As for ‘food’… my vote?… don’t do it… (..although a nice gift certificate for dinner at Outback would be nice). Bottom line… the ‘content responsibility’ belongs to the cache owner… if you as a ‘hunter’ get your panties in a wad about something left in a cache… either “trade it out of there” or send the owner a note and let them take care of it. "Remember... nothing is completly worthless... it can always be used as a bad example"! Quote Link to comment
+Mr. Snazz Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Give me a break. No knives. Quote Link to comment
cwoper Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 Use common sense...knives are o.k... Porno, drugs,food items, anything that maybe offensive is not acceptable.Use common sense. Quote Link to comment
+jstream Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 At age seven I got my first real knife, an 8 1/2" Air Force survival knife. Imagine what you can cut with that! I never cut myself with it, never cut anyone else with it. Just what the Cub/Boy scout needs. Teach your kids to be responsible and you'll be surprised at what they can handle. Sorry all... my personal rant. will Quote Link to comment
+IV_Warrior Posted February 22, 2003 Share Posted February 22, 2003 quote:Originally posted by cwoper:Use common sense...knives are o.k... Porno, drugs,food items, anything that maybe offensive is not acceptable.Use common sense. Well, if ANYTHING that MAY BE offensive is banned, I guess we better not leave ANYTHING in a cache. Trust me, no matter what you can think of to leave, SOMEONE will consider it offensive, stupid, dangerous, etc....BTW have you noticed common sense ISN'T in common SUPPLY. I'm lost. I've gone to find myself. If I should happen to get back before I return, please ask me to wait. Quote Link to comment
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