Baby Panda Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 So ok then most of us know that it's the hunt for the cache and the view that is the reward, but what do you class as the min value of a swap?? When I have swaped it can be anything from a mc toy up to free tickets (£10) but the harder or more distance for the cache then I think the better the cache swap should be. I am about to place my first cache, what is the normal amount of start up goods to start off a cache. Quote Link to comment
+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Here in Oregon dollar store items are the norm. I have put out a couple of caches with much nicer items but experience has taught me not to bother with that again. Honestly I think putting in items that kids would appreciate is the best way to go. After all how much junk can you collect and kids love little toys. Maybe the parents won't have much trouble taking the kids along if they get a little reward. Quote Link to comment
+tirediron Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 ... I am about to place my first cache, what is the normal amount of start up goods to start off a cache. I don't think that there is a "normal" amount for a cache. I agree that degree of difficulty should be one of the deciding factors in what goes in, but more importanly, are things like how much $$ can you afford to put into this cache, and how busy do you expect the cache to be. If I were placing a 5/5 cache at the top of a mountain that required an all-day hike, I would put a much higher quality swag into it than a 1/1 on the edge of a city park that anyone can walk up to after school. Remember too that there is lots of inexpensive cool stuff... cheap swag doesn't have to be McToys. I recently found a whole bunch of personal AM/FM radios that were on clearance for $1.99 - regular about $12.95! In short, aim for what you would expect or be happy to find if you were the one discovering the cache. Quote Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 An Item that I have found and or heard of that I quite like are CD-Rs of MP3s. A neat way to get to hear some stuff ou might not normally hear and it's pretty inexpensive to put half a dozen CD-Rs in a Cache. Quote Link to comment
+tirediron Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 An Item that I have found and or heard of that I quite like are CD-Rs of MP3s. A neat way to get to hear some stuff ou might not normally hear and it's pretty inexpensive to put half a dozen CD-Rs in a Cache. Of course those would be copywrite-free MP3's Quote Link to comment
+Halden Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 Of course or with written consent from the artists, The RIAA and your Mom. Quote Link to comment
+bons Posted December 9, 2003 Share Posted December 9, 2003 A lot depends on your budget and what it's worth to you. You could fill it with dollar store items and it would be great. On the other hand, I've been showing off my swag from Tom Kat's "Double Your Pleasure" cache and some of the people in the office have been drooling. I've left a $10 starbucks card in a new cache and felt no worry that the same cache included some dime store toys. Common items I leave include cheap puzzles, baby screwdriver keychains, hot wheels, virgin geocoins, or virgin travel bugs. For Tom Kat's cache I went shopping just to make sure I had something that I felt would keep the value of the cache up there (and I would have left it even if I didn't take anything, just out of appreciation of a great time). For me, caching is like going to a movie. Some cache's are dollar rentals and that's perfect. I like dollar rentals. Other cache's are opening night complete with popcorn and anticipation and that's some serious money for a few hours entertainment. The difference is that you can choose after the fact what it was worth to you. But accept that what you think it's worth and what you can afford is a personal choice. If you get caught up in what other people leave and trade, then you're likely to not have as good of a time. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 (edited) I try to stock my caches very well when I place them, so I don't have to go back as frequently to replenish the contents. Here is a partial list of items I've placed in caches. Most are under $3 and many are under a buck. Small US flags US flag pins modeling clay carabiners Energizer squeeze lights stickers bags of toy soldiers Swiss Army tools (not knives, we don't call them knives) water colors mini screwdriver sets allen wrench sets gel pens boxes of crayons or colored chalk emergency rain ponchos packs of AA batteries collectable coins (buffalo nickels, indian head pennies, SBA or Sacagawea dollars) music CD's blank RW CD's cassettes (blank and recorded) calculators clip on safety strobes bungee cords LED key lights "euro" stickers & other decals mini sewing kits maps (hiking & road) software small packs of Wet Ones or Baby Wipes Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars key rings bags of balloons velcro fasteners interesting buttons foreign money rolls of film lighters Leatherman type multi tools movies on VHS & DVD office supplies (packs of paper clips, thumb tacks, Post-Its, etc...) Mylar emergency blankets decks of cards packs of Armor-All & Rain-X wipes survival whistles Wheresgeorge bills and stamps Geocaching.com hats, pins, patches and compasses Edited December 11, 2003 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
2oldfarts (the rockhounders) Posted December 10, 2003 Share Posted December 10, 2003 Your first decision is the container (size and type) then you can decide how much to put into it. We usually only fill the container about 2/3 full. This leaves room in case someone has a large trade item they would like to leave, such as a paperback book or a stuffed animal or maybe a travel bug. As to how much to spend on the cache, that will depend on where the cache is located. In or near a city the cache will get traded down rather quickly, (meaning all the good stuff will go and just junk will be left). If it takes some effort to get to then it probably will not get traded down very fast. Some of our caches still have only nice items in them. We try to vary what we put into our caches, so that everyone might find something they would like, regardless of age. We did do one cache filled more for the ladies, though. Most of the items we fill our caches with are under $5 but we have been known to spend more on occasion. We like to put things in that we would like to find. We usually stick with new items also. Also after your first cache is out, if you watch the logs you'll know what items were a good choice for your area. You can then try a second cache with more of this type of item. Hope this helps you decide what to use. Good luck John & Shirley Quote Link to comment
tannhausergate Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 An Item that I have found and or heard of that I quite like are CD-Rs of MP3s. This is a great idea! I think I'll start leaving audio mix CDs, as opposed to MP3 though. If I found a disc in a cache I'd want to listen to it in the car on the way home. Quote Link to comment
+team walkingsticks Posted December 11, 2003 Share Posted December 11, 2003 I recently filled a cache with stuff ordered through a website called American Science an Surplus... www.sciplus.com They have stuff on clearence all the time. Many items are under a buck or two and they have fun toy type items like Aliens in Goo, Sparkdinos, glow in the dark tatoos, and on and on. Check it out! Quote Link to comment
+SBPhishy Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 because im a poor student, i went to this "nick-nack" store by my house. They have tons of bouncy balls, keychains, rubber frongs, squishy putty, little toys, airplanes etc. They are all pretty cheap. I always bring a handful to the cache i am trying to find, and if there is something good in it that i want, i will leave 3,4,5 etc. little toys to balance out the good item. Anyways, i think you can just use common sense. I found a cigarette butt in a cache today, and i dont think that counts as a good item. Quote Link to comment
+BoredKitty Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 I attend the annual international comic convention that we have here in San Diego and get tons of free pins, toys, stickers and the like. I've been trading these as well as stocking my own caches with them. Some items are collectibles that can be sold on ebay if the finder so wishes and some items are just for kids or fun. I had one cache that was nothing but 99 cent jewelry and people with little girls loved it. Just go for anything except food and weapons and have fun! Quote Link to comment
+Sparky-Watts Posted December 22, 2003 Share Posted December 22, 2003 What I've heard that sounds the best is try to put in what you'd like to find. Quote Link to comment
+Lafrog Posted December 23, 2003 Share Posted December 23, 2003 I agree . If it seems like junk, and looks like junk, it's probably junk. Leave only what YOU would take yourself. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
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.