Do Most Geocachers Tnln?

[+YodaDoe]

For those who've been around longer, I have a question: Do the majority of finders of a cache TakeNothingLeaveNothing? I can understand this for caches that are in crazy locations or multi-caches, where the main point is the hunt. But there are others, like the one I recently placed, that are not much of a complicated hunt. But it seems a lot of these get TNLN logs. I don't know about most people, but the item trade seems like the cherry on top. What weird and interesting things will I find? What will people think of THIS item that I'm going to leave? It seems that a lot of people think of the item trade as an afterthought... or a non-thought... I don't want to go to the trouble of stocking mine with fun items if no one cares!

 

YodaDoe

[Tahosa and Sons]

I for one do a lot of TNSLB-AL, but my son is always looking for some kind of swap. Most of the caches that I have are quite isolated and full of some real good stuff, and I still get some TNLN's and that doesn't even bother me. A lot of caches will degrade in swag over a period of time and I imagine that is why there is some TNLN's and some just hunt for the cache and go on.

[+Cachengrab]

Well in our area I will say it is about a 50/50 split for TNLN or a trade. Trades take place by choice of 4 things in my opinion.

• Unique
  
• childrens item
  
• sig. item
  
• trade up
  

I try to trade up if I can, but if a cache is a trash can I will TNLS. I try to leave items that will work for pets, or children on the easy caches and something more imaginative for the more difficult.

[+Melrose Plant]

To tell you the truth, the only reason that I bother putting anything in my caches is for the kids. I sure wouldn't want them to be disappointed. Maybe we just don't know how to do it right around here, but I've only ever run across one cache item that I really wanted. It was a postcard from West Virginia dated 1913 or something like that. I didn't take it, of course, because my son really wanted to take a cardboard model airplane instead, and all I had to trade was a Sacajewea dollar. Oh well, that's part of being a parent.

 

I sure wouldn't want to put anything valuable in there, for fear of pilfering. Maybe attitudes in other regions are different.

[+beejay&esskay]

I will almost always TSLS since it seems part of the game.

 

The few times that I TNLN have been:

 

1. Unplanned trip when I left my trade goods at home

2. Nothing but garbage in the cache

3. Nothing small enough to trade.

 

Most, but not all, cachers in this area seem to do the same.

 

Some of the most frequent TNLN are cachers who have found 100s of caches....maybe they've seen too many McToys to want to trade.

Edited January 24, 2004 by beejay&esskay

[+Lazyboy & Mitey Mite]

I don't take anything. We have a little treasure chest filled with dollar store items we've taken from caches. We don't need anymore nor desire to recycle said items. So its tnln

[+Halden]

Most of the time I TNLN, I also TNL(something) but I hardly ever take anything because I have enough stuff crowding my space. I only ever take anything that looks really cool or Travel Bugs.

[+RPW]

I agree with several of the other posters. After a hundred or so finds the excitement is not in the goodie but rather in the find itself. A signature item is a "cherry" a McToy or something I can buy in a dollar store myself is not. I do try to leave something in the cache for the kids since they like the geo-loot a lot.

More often than not I do a TNSL left kids toy.

Travel bugs are, naturally, taken when appropriate however this is not a "trade" per se.

[+Harrald]

I've taken 3 things from caches.

 

1) was a hand made Totom Pouch that hangs from my rear view mirror . It has the GC.com logo on it

 

2) a carabiner. I needed one for my pack to hold my hat.

 

3) another carabiner. I needed one to hold my hiking stick together.

 

I figure the stuff is there more for kids. Let them have the fun of going through, picking out and trading for something. I just read the logbook.

 

As for leaving. I always leave something in a cache. Mostly it's a pencil. Or if a cache is hurting for tradeables I'll add something else.

Edited January 24, 2004 by Harrald

[+Renegade Knight]

I trade for coins, though I've been pondering sig cards. Most cards here are printed on ink jet printers though and are fairly well mangled or damp with ink runs by the time I find them in a cache.

[+KiltCacher]

I've become a TNLN about 70 percent of the time. At first, I tried to trade at every cache, but a lot of the caches had nothing but McToys, and everyone knows you can never have enough of those. Most of the time it's just a log, maybe a trade if there is something interesting, and almost always leave something even if I don't take something. I also like to trade coins, I even have a theme cache just for that purpose.

[+Sparky-Watts]

I'd say about a third of my 22 finds were TNLN, either because there really wasn't anything I wanted or because I didn't have anything with me that would have been a trade up. I do take TB's when I've found them, providing I can help them along on their journey.

 

It just depends on the cache and my mood, I suppose.

[+robert]

I trade for coins, though I've been pondering sig cards. Most cards here are printed on ink jet printers though and are fairly well mangled or damp with ink runs by the time I find them in a cache.

RK,

 

I bought one of the new Epson printers with the "dura brite" ink that is supposed to resist moisture-problems. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

OP: For most caches, I TNLNSL, but have plans to get a bunch of stuff to leave in caches for "the kids", no matter what age. I think it's an issue of whether or not anything is decent enough to take it. If so, I have no problems swapping. When I get a good bag of stuff to trade, I sometimes just leave stuff even if I don't take.

 

Just trying to lighten the load.

[+ZingerHead]

Trust me, after 450 finds the thrill of trading is very much gone for me. The thrill of finding that carefully concealed magnetic keyholder, or film container, or ammo box remains, and that is why I love this game. I still carry a few items in my pack in case I come across something remarkable, or to replenish a cache that's down on prizes. But honestly, I'm to the point that the only thing I look for in the cache is the log book. I've found that most of the stuff I brought home wound up in my kids' hands - and they have too much stuff already.

[+Prime Suspect]

I don't know about most people, but the item trade seems like the cherry on top. What weird and interesting things will I find?

That's just it. Most of the time, there's nothing weird or interesting there. And that's not a knock against anyone. The last cache I put out didn't have anything particularly interesting, except a Waypoint15 geocoin (I had 2, so I decided to put one back in circulation). As a matter of fact, a geocoin (wood or metal) that I haven't seen yet is about the only thing I'll trade for. But that doesn't mean I won't leave something, especially if the cache is a little sparse.

[+fosterbass]

I prefer to take something, but I hardly ever find anything around here worth taking. At my first cache I took a CD. At my second I took a ceramic elephant. I don't think I've found anything since.

[SBPhishy]

I usually almost always trade something, just because. If there is nothing worth taking, I just leave what I was going to trade with anyways. Sometimes there is some cool stuff though. In my newest multi, i left a lot of cool stuff, and the FTF prize was a brand new flask.

[+Wulfster]

I always look through the swag, but only take something if I really want it. I collect lapel pins, so I'll always grab those it they're in the cache.

 

I also have so much swag in my pack that I end up leaving 2 or three things in each cache I visit (somethines more). The only times I TNLN are when there isn't any more room in the container (usually Tuppermaid; why do so many people insist on using these things for caches?).

[+ohgr]

We're fairly new at this, and the stuff we have found in caches hasn't been all that great but we have agreed to leave the cache a little better off than when we found it, and have therefore tried to trade up. I think the coolest thing we have found so far is a Laminated sig card. Absolutely ZERO value in the real world, but the coolness factor is what I like.

 

I think that if you could change the rules to:

Nothing is to be left in caches that wasn't made by you.

 

Then lots more people would trade, just to have a sig item that is missing from their growing collection.

 

Ohgr

[+briansnat]

I'll take something if there is something worth taking. Usually it's Wheresgeorge bills because they're the only thing worth taking in many caches. I'll often take nothing and leave a few items...unless the cache is wet, or will become wet (Gladware), or is in a spot where its likely to be plundered.

Edited January 25, 2004 by briansnat

[+astheravenflies]

I felt compelled to trade on the first few caches I found. But the norm now is to TNLN. Its usually because I don't see anything that I need or want. I carry around a bag of goodies for trading just in case. I have a few items I picked up at the local historical museum for leaving in out-of-state caches when I travel. These items include tote bags and pencils with the name of our town. I haven't decided on a personal signature item.

 

I don't want cache owners to feel bad or insulted about a TNLN. Every cache I've found has been a fun experience and I appreciate the efforts of every one of those cache hiders.

[dampeoples]

I enjoy the time outdoors with my children. I've taken one thing for me, and the kids usually get something. I like to trade up, most of what I trade is junk to me (I traded a matchbox car for my boy for an eTrex case once, I sold my eTrex), but the kids like it, and I get the exercise, something sorely needed after my three knee operations

[+mozartman]

I never take anything, just because that aspect doesn't really matter to me. I have some small new sig items that I think are pretty cool, though, and I will probably start leaving some of those in caches just as kind of a "calling card".

 

I also want to echo astheravenflies' post that newbies shouldn't take the "TNLN" as a slight or insult of the cache in any way. Many people just aren't into trading, it doesn't mean they didn't like what's in the cache..

[+Darkmoon]

When I first started geocaching, I loved to trade for what I considered cool swag, now after 500 finds, I am mainly loving just the hunt so I rarely take anything though I always try to leave an item or two, mainly one of my signature pieces! I love the hunt and the find, not the treasure itself! Of course if there is something in there I can't live without, well........

 

Darkmoon

[+JT & PJ Cole]

TNLNSL is the way I go most of the time. It is the journey, the search that I enjoy.

[+E = Mc2]

Trolling along, I have to agree with the majority of the posters. I prefer the hunt and the AHA! to trading. I rarely even carry any swag with me any more, since it's just one more thing to have to lug around. There have been times when I've found something neat and ended up leaving it because I didn't have anything to trade, though.

 

Edited for content and speeling

Edited January 27, 2004 by emccoyii

[+bigredmed]

Recently I have started to TNLN. Particularly on long trips where I carry only limited geoswag and don't want to consume it trading for geotrash in some cache. TNLN is not without a downfall though. If you come upon a cache that is really full of junk, and you TNLN, you don't leave the cache any better than you found it. The junk is still there and the next cacher will do the same and the the junk will still be there, and so on. By leaving a small thing that is cool, you make it better for the next player.

[Palex]

I think that as a geocacher everyone should take something and leave something. It's how the sport works.

 

Palex

[+yumitori]

I think that as a geocacher everyone should take something and leave something. It's how the sport works.

 

I understand where you're coming from, Palex. But on the other hand, like zingerhead said, the trading aspect has sort lost its appeal for me.

 

For a long time we carried a selection of stuff to pump up the cache contents even when we weren't taking anything, but after awhile some of the items were becoming pack-worn so we stopped that as well. I'd like to start doing so again, but need a better idea on how to transport trade items that might not get placed for awhile.

[+Bob&TheGang]

I almost always leave something, but will not always take something (unless there is something unique).

[+flask]

i always try to leave something. i usually take even cheap junk because a cache that is likely to be plundered or fall apart deserves to have something for people to look through, but not the GOOD stuff.

 

i always leave good stuff in a cache that seems stable. and although i don't care about HAVING stuff, i like to look through what's in the box. i like to look. sometimes it's interesting stuff. sometimes it's funny stuff.

 

and here's what i like to take, in order of precedence:

 

signatures

coins (interesting: canadian $2, canadian $1, other foreign coins, us coins no longer in circulation, state quarters that i do not yet have, and assorted tokens for tolls and amusements.)

keys

small lighting devices

recorded music (NOT pirated)

unbroken toys

coins (boring: US pocket change, canadian small change)

[+KSWader]

As a new geocacher, with kids in tow, I feel that you should at least leave something even it if is a McToy. To me, the cache is for the kids and the hunt is a way to spend time with the family outside and get a little exercise. My kids call it "treasure hunting" and and the end of the hike they hope to find a "treasure." Once we find the "treasure" and open it, the kids expect to find something they can trade for. The kids are heart-broken when the cache is pretty much empty with nothing that they can even take. Even leaving a state quarter or happy meal toy brings great joy to the youngest "treasure hunters!" We always make sure there is some items for children when we leave the cache. If the cache is overflowing, we would still swap out items in the cache. The items we take may end up in another cache down the line. This makes sure that the "treasure" for the kids are always changing incase a family often visits the same cache a few times a year.

[+robert]

I think that as a geocacher everyone should take something and leave something. It's how the sport works.

 

Palex

You'll see.

 

edit: Elaborating on that comment, "you'll see" that you will soon find times you don't feel like carrying much and just want to enjoy the hike and the find. I do understand what you're saying, and you're right--in a way. The other day I made a pact to myself to try to "up the ante" when I find a cache, puting in stuff even if I don't take. That way the cache gets upgraded when I visit.

Edited January 28, 2004 by mrkablooey

[+Wulfster]

The other day I made a pact to myself to try to "up the ante" when I find a cache, puting in stuff even if I don't take.

I made the same pact some time ago. Unfortunately, there's only so much room in the Tuppermaid caches that seem to be so plentiful around here.

[+robert]

wulfster:

 

the "I do what I can" philosophy comes to mind.

[+bons]

I think that as a geocacher everyone should take something and leave something. It's how the sport works.

Took out trash. Left signature.

 

Please, don't expect me to take something if there's nothing there I want. I'll often leave something and now that I have sig items, multiple somethings, but there's already enough frigging rules and by the time I'm done thinking about the dual concepts of "I have to Take Something Leave Something" and "I must Trade UP" I'm sitting there wondering if drug abuse might be a cheaper hobby. If caching is supposed to be free (and it's my impression that TPTB seem to feel strongly about this) then this whole "leave something and trade up while you're at it" doesn't work very well.

[+GeoSharks]

99.9% of the time it's TNLN. Often I grab the log and don't even look at the stuff. I bring a little swag along just in case.

[BeadBoy]

I always bring a trade item but don't trade unless its something I like (unless I only do one cache in a day)

[+reveritt]

I always try to leave something--foreign coins, arcade tokens, or whatever. When I have my granddaughter with me, she very much enjoys the trading, and it's an opportunity to teach her to trade fairly.

[+flask]

i really wish this debate wasn't framed around trading being for children; i REALLY like looking through the stuff almost as much as i like the hunt. a good cache with good contents can be like a small remote museum. i don't especially need to take anything, but i like to see the stuff and play with it a little and then pass it on.

 

recently i have placed some handmade kaleidosopes in caches. i have found some very nice things which i have kept and looked at for a while and then passed on to other caches. moving the good stuff enriches the local cache economy and makes the whole experience richer, not just for children.

 

if a cache seems to have nothing of interest to grownups, i try to leave something for them. if there is a shortage of toys that a child would enjoy, i try to leave that.

 

sometimes i carry my whole cache bag, and sometimes i just carry my skeleton supply: a nice toy, a few interesting coins, and maybe a cheap item. what goes in depends on what i find.

[+Metaphor]

I'm generally a TNLS (Took nothing, Left Something). If there is something that strikes me as cool, I'll take it. If there isn't, I don't. Generally, I leave foreign coins (neat for kids and adults -- I remember as a kid wondering what the place was like where the odd money came from, which developed into a liking for maps and travel), eclectic stuff that is interesting to me, at least, local postcards if I'm out of my area, Maryland memorabilia, but rarely anything commercial, like McToys or cheap dime-store junk. If the cache has a theme, I'll try to follow it, depending on what is in my cache bag. I've even left colorful woven swag bags that I used to get from a coffee deal with an orphanage in South America. It's not the price that counts as much as the interesting quality of the item. I'd rather see a cache with just a couple of interesting items, than one jam-packed with generic plastic crap. (Can I say crap?) Even if the hunt is what you are after, I think it's polite to add to a cache; after all it is is the individual visitor to the cache that combats cache degradation.

[+Metaphor]

I'm generally a TNLS (Took nothing, Left Something). If there is something that strikes me as cool, I'll take it. If there isn't, I don't. Generally, I leave foreign coins (neat for kids and adults -- I remember as a kid wondering what the place was like where the odd money came from, which developed into a liking for maps and travel), eclectic stuff that is interesting to me, at least, local postcards if I'm out of my area, Maryland memorabilia, but rarely anything commercial, like McToys or cheap dime-store junk. If the cache has a theme, I'll try to follow it, depending on what is in my cache bag. I've even left colorful woven swag bags that I used to get from a coffee deal with an orphanage in South America. It's not the price that counts as much as the interesting quality of the item. I'd rather see a cache with just a couple of interesting items, than one jam-packed with generic plastic crap. (Can I say crap?) Even if the hunt is what you are after, I think it's polite to add to a cache; after all it is is the individual visitor to the cache that combats cache degradation.

[+Team DaSH]

I usually don't even look in the cache, except to find the logbook. I'm just in it for the hunt!

[+WalruZ]

I think that as a geocacher everyone should take something and leave something. It's how the sport works.

 

I actually sort of agree (sneaking up on 140 finds). I almost always take something and leave more - and always try to leave something a kid would find cool.

 

What I don't do is keep stuff (usually). Most of what I take just gets transported to another cache. You don't have to want something to do the trade. Instead, I take anything that is even remotely interesting and then trade it back out, sometimes the same day, along with one or two of the items I usually bring along.