+ecd1211 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 New to geocaching -- just got a new Magellan Meridian Color from my wife for our anniversary. Before I start looking for some caches, I'd like to have an idea of the kinds of stuff people take along to put in the cache. Rolex watches? Keys to a new BMW? A new iPod? I guess I'll get an idea as I progress through some finds, but I don't want to go off on my first expedition under- or over-prepared... Quote Link to comment
Team Kender Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Hey there and welcome to the fun! here's an excellent thread on having "signature items" to trade with And you can find out about what annoys people in cacheshere Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down." Quote Link to comment
+Desert_Warrior Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Come visit my caches in El Paso. Bring all of the above! Seriously... Things like spare AA batteries, special coins, emergency blankets, up to mini-mag-light flashlights and Gerber multi-tools. If you think it is cool, likely someone else will too. The idea is to trade up or trade even. This means put in something of equal or better value than what you take. Many good caches soon turned to junk because cachers took the good stuff and left broken Mc-Toys. Do not be afraid to not trade at all, just sign the log. Also... NO FOOD ITEMS! Use your imagination! Mike. Desert_Warrior (aka KD9KC). El Paso, Texas. Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom. They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS! Quote Link to comment
+Spzzmoose Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 Welcome edc! $100 dollar bills are alway's nice! Seriously, I tend to leave hand tools such as tape measures, screwdrivers, hex key sets... A good idea would be to read the cache's description first. It may be a themed cache thus giving you a good idea what to bring. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 There is an art to finding good geojunk at affordable prices. Plus one mans junk is another's treasures. BrianSnat posted a list of junk he had found and more than one item was somthing I'd of driven out of my way to go get (and I'd drive a long ways just for a cache). It's all relative. Nobody has come up to me at an event cache and said "wow you sure trade great stuff" so I must not of perfected the art yet myself. ===================== Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 I try to keep the cache 'balanced'. Some items that small kids would want along with stuff that older kids or adults would like. McToys, in my opinion, actually make fairly good trade items as long as they are new and still packaged. Of course, you won't want to trade a McToy for the brand new car. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 In addition to my list of junk that Renegade Knight mentioned, here is a partial list of suff I've put in caches (my own and ones I've found): US flags flag pins modeling clay carabiners Energizer squeeze lights stickers bags of toy soldiers pocket knives (um I mean tools) 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 cigarette lighters (I don't care what they say) 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 Wheresgeorge stamps Geocaching.com hats, pins, patches and compasses "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" Quote Link to comment
NightThree Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 If you look around, there are a lot of great things you can get for under $1 that other people would miss... dollar stores can be great places. On the other hand, you might want to take some $3-$5 things just in case there's something really nice you want in a cache. As Desert_Warrior said, the polite unwritten rule is that you trade up; leave more than you take. I try to take things that will be helpful depending on the cache location. Think what you'd do if you were there: towellettes for a picnic area, bug spray for a forest, emergency blankets or flashlights for long hikes. And the ideal thing would be to create something of your own (signature items) as Team Kender said. Leave a craft or something. It can be lots of fun coming up with things to leave. Have fun! Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 quote:If you look around, there are a lot of great things you can get for under $1 that other people would miss... dollar stores can be great places. On the other hand, you might want to take some $3-$5 things just in case there's something really nice you want in a cache. Agreed. 90 percent of the things on my above list can be had for under $3. Some for under $1. "Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois" Quote Link to comment
GeoPernas Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 The cache we found tonight was the perfect example of what NOT to leave in a cache. It was horrible, and contained such gems as: + a filthy spaghetti sorter + dirty, broken McToys + faded, rusty pin + broken pin and the coup de'grace... + a dirty, unused band-aid There was probably some correlation here, but it was by far the easiest cache we've gone after. The fact that it was in a busy park and had been there for over a full year was astounding. For the record, I did leave a brand new, shrinkwrapped set of 25 disposable drink coasters with jokes on them. I'm sure it will get replaced with a dirty McToy on short order, but ah well. I carry about a half-dozen cache prizes on me, ranging from a cheap SpongeBob keychain to a (used, but excellent shape) Minority Report DVD. Personally, with the exception of the DVD I always leave new items. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY wants crappy used McToys. I realize the thrill is in the hunt, etc., but it is kind of de-spiriting to the group to find a container full of garbage. I haven't set up any caches myself, but when I do I'm pretty sure I'll make them all "members only". Call me elitist or whatever, but I'd be upset to check on my cache and find it full of crap. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Prepare yourself to get upset Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 ...and get used to being upset... Cheers! TL Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 ...but you eventually will get over it. Quote Link to comment
The Falcon Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 I'm sure it's just because I'm a noob, but I can't belive this post, or rather the replies. What a great world we live in that we can have a hobby that uses protected, public land for everyone to enjoy, expensive toys, cars, etc., and people are complaining about McToys? Try living in a country where a family can't afford McDonalds (food quality another issue), let alone a computer to post on these boards, or a GPS unit. <All above just IMHO, of course. Comments welcome> ===== It is the tale, not he who tells it." Quote Link to comment
GeoPernas Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Yeah, go pull a few caches and get back to us. Cheap stuff I don't mind, but check out the filthy, revolting crap people leave behind. You'll be astounded. Quote Link to comment
The Falcon Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Yeah, I agree with not leaving band-aids, pieces of glass, and such. Anyone w/ some Porche keys I'll trade for my Prizm keys! Don't mean to be a troll, this is just a sore point of mine. Seems many ppl don't appreciate the wealth we live in. ===== It is the tale, not he who tells it." Quote Link to comment
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