Caching With Kids Question

[+Rubberhead]

I've started taking the kids (ages 10 and 12) caching. I'm a TNLN-SLT (took nothing, left nothing, Signed The Log) kind of guy but both my kids want to trade when we find a cache. What's worse is that I've got a niece and nephew that have also gone.

 

Is there a written or un-written one-trade-per-party rule or is it OK for everyone in a caching party to make a trade?

[+travisl]

IMHO, anybody can trade anything they want. I might trade for everything in the cache myself, if I wanted to. My daughter might do a trade and I could do a trade. Sometimes, taking moldy paper and leaving nothing is trading up.

 

As long as we leave the cache contents better than we found them, the caching world is a happy place.

 

Of course, it's tough to trade up when you find a geocoin...

[+El Diablo]

as long as everyone trade up or trades even I don't see a problem.

 

El Diablo

[WH]

I agree. I usually TNLN, but as long as you leave the cache atleast as good, preferrably better, than you left it, you can trade what you want.

[+Cache Viking]

I take my kids, 5 and 8 and they both like to trade out. It has been a good lesson in trading up for them. The first couple times my son was disappointed but since he has come prepared.

[+Imajika]

I carry all the swag for Team Yatta and whenever we go, we all take a look in the cache and see if there is something we want. Sometimes we TNLNSL, other times, we all want an item, other times some of us want an item and the rest of us don't.

 

The way we work it is we leave the exact number of items as replacement for the items we took. If 4 of us took something, I dig in the swag bag and leave 4 items of equal or better value.

 

Sometimes we take nothing but leave items anyway because the selection in the cache is getting thin.

[FISUR]

I geocache with the kids all the time. Our general rule is that each child has the opportunity to take something and then leave one or more items. My main exception is when there are numerous identical signature items in a cache (such as finders buttons). In such cases, we usually only take one of those signature items, ensuring that there will be others available for the next cachers.

 

FISUR

[+cachefamily]

I have five kids that go with me. Sometimes only one, sometimes all five. Whoever takes something better have an equal or better item to trade, or no dinner!

[+cache_us_if_you_can]

Is there a written or un-written one-trade-per-party rule or is it OK for everyone in a caching party to make a trade?

As long as everyone who takes something leaves something (trading up I hope) I have no problem with it.

[bug and snake]

Just a thought - If all trading were to become 'trading up' - eventually all that is good in the world will be in ammo boxes somewhere! So, use your discretion, but now an then, we all need to empty a cache of the good stuff and leave some real rubbish - to save the world.

[+Markwell]

I've taken my son's Cub Scout Den on a couple of caches, and they literally cleaned out the contents of the cache, and stuffed them FULL of new swag. No problem there. As long as you don't empty the cache and leave gum wrappers, I think it's OK.

[+GoaTSniFFer]

When I go with another cacher, we usually have a rule that the person who actually finds the cache gets first dibs on what is taken. Most of the time we are TNLNSL also.

[+jackdaddyt]

All of my 5 kids understand that they trade for equal value, at least. I encourage them to trade up, but the 3 and 4 yr-olds barely understand the concept of "leave swag, take swag." (For what it's worth, because of the 3, 4, and 7 yr-olds, I am grateful to anyone who leaves McToys for them. It makes it easier to trade up!)