Speaking of trade items..........

[+Og's outfit]

How often do you keep a trade item and use it?

 

Do you you leave things that you hope people will keep and use?

 

 

Just wondering.

 

GO MARINERS!

 

Prophetically Challenged

[+Bloencustoms]

I guess it depends how I feel at the time. I usually TNLN, but when placing, I try to leave stuff people might get some entertainment from. The last regular size cache I placed was stocked with movies, video games, a model airplane engine, a compass, packs of dessicant, and other miscellany. The last micro I placed had a log and a pencil.

 

"The way eye"

[+DavidMac]

In trying to stick to the no knives guideline, I will almost always remove one when I find it (and leave something of value of course .) I now have several in my posession that have already seen alot of use...

 

Some of the items in my harder to get to or less visited caches have been useful things, such as mini-flashlights and first-aid kits. Maybe someone would stick them back in another one but a mini-MagLite is a nice prize for a first finder that I hope somebody would keep.

 

...Not all who wander are lost... unless the batteries in their GPS die, their maps get ruined by rainwater when their pack leaks, and they find themselves in a laurel thicket. Then, they are probably lost.

 

-DavidMac; (formerly Someonenameddave)

[+Snoogans]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Og's outfit:

How often do you keep a trade item and use it?

 

Do you you leave things that you hope people will keep and use?

 

---

 

Almost never. In 65 finds I have kept 4 things. 3 of them are useful. A tape measure with a level and a walking stick. A snake bite kit. The fourth item is a gold anodized bufflao head nickel. That sucker is lucky as hell, so I'm savin it for poker games.

 

As for the second question; I almost always leave something useful except for my night raid sig-item, which is usually just something that glows in the dark.

 

Sngans

The greatest labor saving invention of today is tomorrow....http://www.texasgeocaching.com

[+Jamie Z]

The only things from caches that I've actually used:

 

In my early caching days, I was on a roadtrip with a female friend, and we grabbed a little wooden puzzle. We played with it on the road once or twice. I don't know where it is now. For trade, my friend left the charm necklace she was wearing.

 

Same friend... about a year later traded for a harmonica. She says she still plays it now and then. I had a pre-paid phone card I traded.

 

I got a cool necklace from a cache once that I wore full-time for about three months. After a while, the copper in the necklace made a green ring on my neck, so I quit wearing it and left it at a friends house in Florida. For the necklace, I left a package of baseball cards.

 

Same friend as above, yet another roadtrip... she wanted some green Play-doh, so I put my spare set of AA's in the cache. During the drive, she made goofy characters, and the letters to her name with the Play-doh.

 

Those are about the only times I've ever traded.

 

Jamie

[+pdxmarathonman]

I've eaten a lot of food that I felt compelled to remove from the caches since it wasn't supposed to be there!

 

I used to leave shoelaces with a personalized sticker. Now I have a batch of honeychile's buttons that she customized for me. And also a decent batch of Oregon Geocoins that'll get selectively placed. So, some useful and some just fun items.

[+High Desert Fish]

When I first started caching in January I did trades more often. I used to take cars for my boyfriend and Marti Gras beads for myself. Now we have enough of both. I have taken a mini etch a sketch and still use it. I have been trading for theme items that we are going to use for a cache we are developing. Many times I just clean the cache of unsuitable items (usually food, broken items, used personal or contaminated items and trash). I always leave something that is in good condition. If a cache is especially empty, I will leave 3 or more items.

[+briansnat]

How often do you keep a trade item and use it?

 

Whenever I find a useful item. One local geocacher often leaves tape measures in caches. Since I'm inclined to misplace them and can't find any when I need one, I always take one when I see one. I have about 6 or 7 laying around the house now, so for the time being, when I need one, I have one available. Some other items I've taken from caches and used (that I can think of off the top of my head) include a geocaching.com bumper sticker, a flag pin, pack of floppys, a new RW CD, several music CD's, a roll of film, a copy of The Wild Bunch on VHS, Wheresgeorge dollars (many of these), a pack of suction cup hooks and a fishing lure. There are a lot more, but can't think of them at the moment.

 

Do you you leave things that you hope people will keep and use?

 

Yes, I try to make sure all the items I place in caches could be of use to someone. For instance, I just purchased a bunch of individually wrapped Armor-All wipes that were on sale for 99 cents and 10 LED keychain flashlights. They will find their way into either my caches, or ones I find and I think they would be useful to someone.

 

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues" -Abraham Lincoln

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on May 21, 2003 at 03:59 AM.]

[+RichardMoore]

With over 200 finds, I still have everything that I ever got from a cache. It is all displayed in curio cases in my living room, where my visitors can admire it.

I leave a variety of things, from handcrafted leather key rings to small tools to toys from cereal boxes. It depends what I took out, I always trade up, even if I have to leave 2 for 1.

 

RichardMoore

 

www.geocities.com/richardsrunaway

[Tikiroy]

I found my first cache just last Sunday, so I took the slot dice (three dice with bells, cherries, bars on them) and left a swiss army card (a gadget card that fits in your wallet).I took the dice as a sort of momento from "my first cache". From now on I will probably leave one or two items geared toward the younger cachers and TN. I think it will be great fun to check on the items and see when they are snatched up and by whom. However if I run across any Geocache Pins I will probably be tempted to trade...up of course.This is soooo much fun. Can't wait till the week-end....

[bkaysimon]

I took and kept a little keychain pocketknife just a few days ago - and already it has come in handy. I usually just take and trade stuff to put in other caches...

[+Renegade Knight]

quote:

---

Originally posted by bkaysimon:

I took and kept a little keychain pocketknife just a few days ago - and already it has come in handy. I usually just take and trade stuff to put in other caches...

---

 

Keep and use? I snagged a bic lighter once and used it. All the knives I've ever gotten have either made it back into caches or my kids have claimed them. Coins are all on a one way trip to the treasure chest.

 

=====================

Wherever you go there you are.

[+Stunod]

The only trade item I still use is a Cliff Nuts signature carbineer...it's now clipped to my dog's leash so I can tie her off to a tree easily while I search out the cache.

 

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand."

[+TMAN264]

The only things I have used are the golf balls ( to eventually find their way back into the Northern Michigan woods, sans co-ords). The rest I trade back into the next cache I find.

 

Make a sanity check.

[+Og's outfit]

UUHM.......Stunod, What's a carbineer?

 

I tried to look it up but all I got was "A soldier armed with a carbine."

 

Prophetically Challenged

[+Confucius' Cat]

I found a nice new wallet and at the time I was pretty disappointed by the one I was carrying. I'm still carrying the cache wallet and it is a showpiece for the 'great things' you can find in a cache. Most of the things I keep are for the purpose of showing interested people that there are sometimes neat things to be found.

 

I have kept several cool beanies and such and Murasaki, my daughter, makes me keep a lot of goodies, (she really likes homies). But usually anything I find in a cache is fair game to be placed in another cache.

 

I am planning a 'children's message' in church where I will be using the best of the best of my finds to illustrate the 'treasure hunt of life' (finding Jesus). I have accumulated some stuff that I think will be pretty impressive to the kids.

 

Believe it or not, there really is a lot of interesting stuff out there. The really hard part is trying to have equally neat stuff in my bag to trade.

 

The things I find interesting are items that can't be bought at Wal-mart or the dollar store. I am always impressed by these, but if I can't buy it at Wallyworld, how am I supposed to get anything to trade? Maybe I should pose that as a 'getting started' thread?

 

Caint never did nothing.

GDAE, Dave

[+Ltljon]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Og's outfit:

UUHM.......Stunod, What's a carbineer?

 

I tried to look it up but all I got was "A soldier armed with a carbine."

 

Prophetically Challenged

---

 

Try "Carabiner".

 

-

[+Desert(B)Rats]

We usually try to leave something of equal significance. Hard not to keep items with the kids helping. We keep odd coins for the collector, almost every time. One of our favorite things to leave was origami paper cranes for peace until we started seeing less conflict in Iraq. We save the custom embroidered Geocache patches (see thredworks.com) for really good finds--or if we're first, we leave them behind for second.

[+Og's outfit]

To ChurchCampDave:

I can see how you could teach real "value" to children using cache trinkets vs. the joy of the search. Lots of symbolism. Perfect for young'ins.

 

To Ltljon:

Tried that too. Still get "Soldier armed with a carbine." Must be a regional thing? What is it? a clasp of some kind?

 

Prophetically Challenged

[+nincehelser]

Carabiner

 

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=carabiner

[+Og's outfit]

Why Thank you, nincehelser for the link! My dictionary, (American Heritage) dosn't have that word, nor does my Bookman spellchecker.

 

I was pretty sure that it wasn't a...

carabid : n. Any varuous black carnivorous beetles of the Carabidae. [NLat. Carabidae,family name<Gk. karabos,horned beetle.]

 

Thanks

 

Prophetically Challenged

[+Ltljon]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Og's outfit:

 

To Ltljon:

Tried that too. Still get "Soldier armed with a carbine." Must be a regional thing? What is it? a clasp of some kind?

 

---

 

Now that I think about it I was trying to spell check that word once using the dictionary on AOL & it didn't come up either. Does now though. Guess it just took them awile to catch up to the present! I usually just post them as a "biner".

[+Stunod]

Oops...I knew that "Hooked on Phonics" was a rip off. Next time I will just say "clippy thing"

 

"Just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand."

[+Confucius' Cat]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Og's outfit:

To ChurchCampDave:

I can see how you could teach real "value" to children using cache trinkets vs. the joy of the search. Lots of symbolism. Perfect for young'ins.

---

 

Children focus well on 'object lessons'. I find that the adults, also, get more out of a sermon ofttimes if there is an interesting object or dramatics. I would never do a children's message without props. In this one, they will get to do a short 'cache hunt'- and find a cache full of candy to share.

 

I am also planning a cache hunt (along the lines of letterboxing since they won't have GPSr's) at camp this summer.

 

I think these can be excellent educational tools for children and youth. And they will understand the 'joy of the hunt' too, but this will not be the prime focus for the little ones.

 

(I think I should start this as a new thread- why not)

 

Caint never did nothing.

GDAE, Dave

[solohiker]

No wonder caches deteriorate.

 

You guys are keeping all the good stuff.

[+GeoVamp]

I always leave something normal 2Xwooden coins that I make up but the only things I take are metal pins for my collection or something that catchs my eye like my favorite thing was a new magic 8-ball.

 

"Fun is Fun, Done is Done"-Stephen King

[+GSP]

For me it depends on how hard the cache is to find and what it is stocked with when I find it. Sometimes I just move stuff around from cache to cache and sometimes I trade for keeps. If I do trade to keep something I actually do leave something of at least equal value...otherwise I'd feel like a thief. I have a couple of items that I leave in almost every cache whether I take anything or not. I'm not afraid to leave things of some value, I'm just kinda selective on which caches get those items.