Jump to content

Infantilizing of cache contents


Guest Count de Cache

Recommended Posts

Guest Count de Cache

I realize that the main adventure and pleasure of geocaching is the hunt, and the find. But I do like the idea of exchanging small items, leaving something nice and taking something as a souvenir of a particular hunt. Also, I can only speak for caches I have found here in the mid-Atlantic area, but more and more I find nothing in caches except kiddie toys, nothing that an adult would want to take away. I have left calculators, small kaleidoscopes, CDs, tapes, keychains, laptop cables, compasses, none of more than a few dollar value. But I am not going to want to take an toy action figure, a ball of silly putty, or other juvenile thing home to put on my "trophy shelf" to remember the hunt.

Have others in other areas found the same thing? I'd like to appeal to people to put more interesting items in caches.

Thanks.

Link to comment
Guest Point2Point

Just to keep things in perspective, I went cache hunting with my 9 yr old daughter today and she was thrilled to find a plastic magnifying glass in one!

 

I don't really think it's that important to find a meaningful or valuable item in the cache, but I can understand the disappointment of finding the same old keychains over and over.

 

I always take my camera - my satisfaction is taking pictures of the find and of the sights along the way.

Link to comment

Anymore, I rarely take anything, although I usually leave something behind. If/when I do take something, it's usually some small toy or trinket for my one year old. Still, it's fun to occasionally find a cache which has some object you might otherwise have never seen - case in point, the military jet aircraft locking pin (complete with red warning tag) I found in a local cache which now adorns a shelf in my office.

Link to comment
Guest moghedian

I have found in some caches dirty racquetballs(?), golf balls, etc. I feel if you are going to leave those things, why not spend a couple bucks and leave those same things but new? Buy a sleeve of golf balls and leave one in each cache you find. When you open a newly discovered cache and only see used things, it can get a little disappointing. We still love the hunt, but finding a brand new little plastic dinosaur or such in a cache is better than finding some old, used thing.

Link to comment
Guest similarjim

I can only speak for myself but I tend to leave a varied lot of stuff in my short cache time. When my two year old goes with me we tend to pick/grab two year old stuff...I also make her give away some two year old stuff. She has a little backpack with all her finds(most of them in the original packages as she thinks her backpack is full of treasures and they are to look at not play with)...as well as some acceptable stuff and she chooses what to leave when she chooses what to take(with parental monitoring of coarse). I find this teaches her as sharing approach..she puts great thought into what she wants and what she is going to put back in. It is kind of neat to see her do that. Now when I go by myself, usually to the harder rated caches, I leave and take more adult stuff.

 

I find that in the harder cache's more adult items exist.

 

[This message has been edited by similarjim (edited 15 September 2001).]

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by makaio:

- case in point, the military jet aircraft locking pin (complete with red warning tag) I found in a local cache which now adorns a shelf in my office.


 

I wondered who got that icon_smile.gif

 

-fractal

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by makaio:

- case in point, the military jet aircraft locking pin (complete with red warning tag) I found in a local cache which now adorns a shelf in my office.


 

I wondered who got that icon_smile.gif

 

-fractal

Link to comment

ollar bill local paper from 9/12/01

floppy w/recipe for friendly bread and pics of wtc attack

thermometer and i put stupid things like keychains and pacifiers

 

one of the caches i visited had swiss army knife dvd movies cdroms i didnt take anything

because i felt that i had nothing of equal value to place back

 

i have been to easy ones to find

soon i will go to some of the harder ones

and see whats in them

 

and to all that read this

place some caches in se indiana or at least im hoping to find other people close to get together with

i have tried talking to the cachers in cincy

but they dont seem to want to reply to my messages

Link to comment
Guest Pat in Louisiana

To me it does not mater what?s in the Cache it is all treasure to someone. I have collected a small bottle of Tabasco sauce, a Olympic pin and a lot of memories. The only Cache I have hidden had a Variety of items. From Mickey Mouse pins to Mexican currency. I have always left 2 items for each I keep.

 

------------------

Pat in Louisiana

30:27:13.392N

91:02:55.054W

 

I never get lost!

I simply investigate alternate destinations!

Link to comment
Guest bunkerdave

Many, like myself, have gotten tired of putting thoughtful items in caches because so many cachers seem to have a seriously skewed concept of value and equity, and tend to leave CRAP when they take the good stuff. I am not willing to put anything "good" in a cache unless it is one that is so hard to get to that I am convinced that only the most diligent will go for it. There seems to be a connection between the diligent cachers and the honest ones.

Link to comment
Guest Wesley Horton

I have mixed feelings on what to leave in a cache. I try to start and maintain my caches with kids in mind because I think of it as a family hobby and can picture the joy on some small child's face when he opens the "treasure box" and finds some really neat trinket.

 

I certainly agree too, that there should be a few items that are of interest to adults. Notice I said of interest to adult and not adult items. The trick is to find inexpensive items that are of interest and use for adults and simular items for children. I will start a new thread with a list I have taken a few moments to come up with and look forward to seeing other people's ideas as well.

Link to comment
Guest Choberiba

I've found the the compass/keychains that you can order from Groundspeak are ideal for cache trades. icon_biggrin.gif

 

http://shop.Groundspeak.com/shop/item_detail.asp?ID=2082

 

Alternatively you could leave some form of (status unsure)lottery ticket.

 

Someone once mentioned 99 cent stores as a possible location to find items worthy of a swap.

 

I always try to leave something worth more than what I take. Otherwise the cache needlessly degrades.

Link to comment
Guest Choberiba

I've found the the compass/keychains that you can order from Groundspeak are ideal for cache trades. icon_biggrin.gif

 

http://shop.Groundspeak.com/shop/item_detail.asp?ID=2082

 

Alternatively you could leave some form of (status unsure)lottery ticket.

 

Someone once mentioned 99 cent stores as a possible location to find items worthy of a swap.

 

I always try to leave something worth more than what I take. Otherwise the cache needlessly degrades.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...