Exchanging More Than One Item

[+Greg&Patty]

Hello,

 

I'm new to caching (I know you hear that a lot) and had quick question the etiquette for exchanging more than one item during a visit. It has become an issue with my 2 kids (ages 3 and 5), both wanting to make an exchange at each cache. For the moment I'm making them take turns.

 

It occured to my that there are group hunts and it may be common for more than one person to want to exchange something during the same visit. Just wondering if there is recommendations on this topic.

 

I checked the FAQs, and searched forums. I wasn't able to find any comments on the topic.

 

Greg

[TimSkells]

Good form would be for every item you take place another.

 

Its ok to occasionally break rules as long as its all for a good reason. Mabey theres 2 items you want reeeallly bad but you only have one item to place back. Then I would say its ok.

 

Im fairly new too thought.

[+Hemlock]

I would say its ok to take multiple items, but you should then also leave multiple items. Overall when trading I try to leave a cache with more/better items than what I found.

 

A few dollars every week at the dollar store goes a long way

[+eddthejailer]

i think your asking if every member in your group....ie..both kids can trade items at the same cache.my answer to that is of course they can.if your "team"finds a cache i would say and often do myself have each person take one item and each person leave one item.it would not be fun for my daughter if i only let her trade items at every other cache.and as far as that goes if they find a cache that one of them finds 2 things they just cant live without as i have done before just have them leave 2 things or one thing better than both of the things he or she took.as long as you leave the cache better than you found it i see no problems at all.my advise is bring a bag of trade items for each kid in your group with items varying in value..lots of trinkets and 2 or so $5.00-$10.00 items just in case you find something really nice you want to take from the cache.

[+briansnat]

Go right ahead and exchange multiple items, I don't see anyone having a problem with that (as long as you aren't taking nice stuff and leaving garbage). Now if you were taking 2 or 3 things and leaving one, that could be a problem.

Edited January 4, 2004 by briansnat

[+DustyJacket]

Originally, when caching with my family, I let them each take something if they wanted to (although there were rarely 2 items worth taking) and I replaced with more items than we took. (It is beginning to cost plenty for geo-swag.)

 

As of last week, I decided that only the person to make the initial find can trade.... we'll see how that goes.

[FISUR]

It's just fine for each child to take an item. Just be sure to trade up or trade even. One additional suggestion: If the cache hider has left a number of his/her signature items in the cache (e.g., Joe Geocacher's Handmade Super-Duper Geocaching Geo-Pencils), I would only allows the kids to take one of the signature items and leave the rest of the signature items for other geocachers to enjoy. (This suggestion was actually brought up first by someone else, I forget who, in another thread, I forget when. All I remember is that it was a good point.)

 

FISUR

[+icecoolputer]

Ther are times where you want 2 things but have to figure out whether you are trading up or down rather than trading even. There has been a time where I have put stuff in and taken nothing. There was not much in the cache, so it needed something. Ther was also nothing that I wanted, but in the end, I feel I came out even by the view that I had of the city I live in. It was a spectacular view that I would not even know existed had it not been for Geocaching.

 

/Rant on

If the kids want 2 items, then they should understand that trading down is not right for the next people with kids that come through. Would they want to come to a cache and find nothing that they like? It is a matter of trying to teach them some sort of values that will last them a lifetime. Rant/off

 

Not much of a rant, but it is the way I would want my kids to deal with the situation. Hmmmm... me having kids... Rotflmao!!! Ya right!!! I figure I am gonna get hit by lightning before that happens!

[+Touchstone]

Have you ever cached with a 4 yr old? Jr. T invariably wants more than one thing ("is this a one item or a two item cache?"). Actually, that's kind of my yardstick for a cache with "good schwag" (georgeandmary's spelling). If Jr. T sees a couple of things he wants I go ahead and let him have them. Then I make him pick out the stuff to leave. If I see him undercutting the trade, I'll point it out. Kind of a good lesson that it's not always about, "me, me, me".

[+mattt]

I cache with my 2 daughters (6 and 4). They each pick an item and then we leave at least 2 items in return. Occasionaly they will find an item that 'mom would really like' (mom stays at home but collects cat or snowmen items) and we will take a third item and then we will leave at least three items in trade.

 

We take turns with who gets to pick first. At the first cache of the day - the daughter that finds it first gets to trade first and at the others that day first trade is alternated. BTW when I see the cache first I just announce that I have seen it and then let my daughters search until they see it also.

[+Sparky-Watts]

Have you ever cached with a 4 yr old? Jr. T invariably wants more than one thing ("is this a one item or a two item cache?"). Actually, that's kind of my yardstick for a cache with "good schwag" (georgeandmary's spelling). If Jr. T sees a couple of things he wants I go ahead and let him have them. Then I make him pick out the stuff to leave. If I see him undercutting the trade, I'll point it out. Kind of a good lesson that it's not always about, "me, me, me".

That is an excellent way to teach your youngster good values! I took my brother and 4 y/o nephew out on a hunt with me, and we let MattChuck pick what he wanted (one item) and also let him choose what to replace it with. He always traded up, and we were so proud of him! He said he wanted the next kid to find the treasure to be happier than him! Such a smart little bugger! Can't wait for warmer weather so I can take him out again. Made the hunt a lot more fun for me!

[+BoredKitty]

I carry a large ziplock bag full of trade items with me. I usually always trade multiple items and leave much more than I take. I obtain a lot of my items at trade shows and conventions so I have loads of stuff to trade, especially stuff that little kids would want! -BK

[+Fritz_Monroe]

I carry a large ziplock bag full of trade items with me. I usually always trade multiple items and leave much more than I take.

This is pretty much the way I do it as well. I always leave more than I took. If my 5 yo son is with me, we trade. If I'm alone, I leave my current sig item and usually a trinket and take nothing. I figure that it will help keep people with kids in the sport. It keeps the kids interested. I can only imagine what I'd have been like if this existed when I was little. I'd want to go caching constantly.

 

I also agree that it's fine for each of your kids to trade an item. As long as they are trading even or up, it's good.

 

F_M

 

Edited for clarity

Edited January 5, 2004 by Fritz_Monroe

[+Greg&Patty]

Thanks for all of the responses. Rereading my original post may have been a tad unclear. What I meant was that each kid wants to exchange an single item not multiples. The question was about both kids exchanging one item each per find vs only one kid exchanging one item per find. My kids will be glad to hear about the Geocaching communities flexiblity. I also like the idea about more expensive items in exchange for 2 items. Leave it better than before, that works for me.

 

Greg

[+Melrose Plant]

Have you ever cached with a 4 yr old?  Jr. T invariably wants more than one thing ("is this a one item or a two item cache?").  Actually, that's kind of my yardstick for a cache with "good schwag" (georgeandmary's spelling).  If Jr. T sees a couple of things he wants I go ahead and let him have them.  Then I make him pick out the stuff to leave.  If I see him undercutting the trade, I'll point it out.  Kind of a good lesson that it's not always about, "me, me, me".

I run into this with my son Max, who is also 4. I only allow him to take one thing per cache, but I always leave a Sacajewea dollar coin at every cache I find (if I've remembered to bring a roll with me). It's sort of become my signature. I always have one in my own caches, too. Funny, it's usually the first thing to be taken!

 

You just never know what a 4 year old is going to want, either. A few days ago, we found three. From one, he wanted some flashcards, from the second, there was a plastic police "badge", and from the third, we took a small bottle of Burt's Bees Bath & Body oil. A rather eclectic day, if I do say so.

 

This is just my own opinion--if a person wants to fit a Travel Bug in a cache, it is OK to remove enough items to make it fit. I would be OK with somebody doing this to my own caches.

 

James

Edited January 5, 2004 by Balboagirl

[Bobthearch]

Absolutely each kid should be able to trade at each cache they visit. that'll make it more fun for them. From what I've seen, the types of items found in caches aren't likely to be missed anyway. And as long as each kid places something back in, theres's no problem at all.

 

Best Wishes,

Bob

[+Geo Ho]

I used to think that if you take two items then you should replace two items of equal or greater "value", etc. Then I got my wrist slapped by a friend and fellow cacher for trading more than one item at a cache. His point being that the cache owner didn't mean for one person to trade out all the items in his/her cache or that it was bad form to trade all the good stuff and not leave anything good for anyone else. However . . . my experience has been (as far as good stuff goes) is that one man's junk is another man's treasure: i.e. what I find appealing may not appeal to someone else.

 

I personally feel that as long as you trade equally and/or trade up it's okay to trade more than one item; BUT . . . don't clean out the cache of it's original contents.

 

So there it is . . . my opinion such as it is.

 

Happy caching and stuff!

[+Night Stalker]

I often cache with a large group including children. They are encouraged to trade 1 for 1 and to replace the item taken with something of equal or better value. This has worked out well with our group.

 

[TahoeJoe]

As long as each child has something to trade I also don't see a problem.

[+4leafclover]

We just got started this weekend, and neither of my two girls (11 and 3) had a problem with one item each. If my three year old was holding something in her hand intending to take it, then found something she liked better, I just told her "Then that means you have to put the other thing back." Her crowning glory right now is a hand made rainbow bead belt...

 

I have several back packs filled with trade items rightr now, and we have so much more fun putting stuff in than taking out that I have been definately leaving more (and not trashy items, mind you...) than we take.

 

In fact, I have a few ideas for caches that are gonna be pretty big hits, I think. SOmething for the guys...soem for the kids...

[+WalruZ]

In my area there are themed caches, the "Girly cache", and (visited today), the "Guy-y" cache. It's an idea if you have nothing similar near you.

 

When trading, consider the mix of the cache. generally speaking it makes more sense to trade in toys to caches that are 1-2 1/2 in difficulty and don't require long hikes. kids visit these. it makes more sense to trade adult items (maalox, magnifying glasses, 'roid cream, etc) [] in the caches that require longer hikes. If you and your 5-year old visit one of these, consider trading to fit a likely target audience, ie, take the toys and leave something non-toy.

 

Most cache owners don't care a doot if you trade everything out for new stuff, provided the worth and appeal of the cache does not suffer. Considering how widespread McToys are in caches, if your kids take a shine to one the cache owner will consider that a 'win-win'.

 

I let my kid trade, and then later I'll ask, "do you *really* want that?" Often the answer is no, not so much, so we leave it in another cache. A nice thing about trading this way is that you can have a sorta interesting item for awhile and then trade it back.

 

btw, I find that my used paperbacks make a good cache item - run them through bookcrossing.com first.

 

The common sense golden rule works best. Treat every cache as if it were yours. leave the world a better place than you found it. Reach for the light. yadda.