Contact Information In A Cache

[+PandyBat]

I am preparing my first cache to hide. I have a stashnote printed out. Should I put my contact information on it as well, just in case it needs to be removed or whatnot? I am leary of leaving my phone number on it but I would be willing to put my email address on it. But then, people without a computer would have a hard time reaching me. Do any of you put contact information in a cache and if so, what kind of information do you leave?

[+Renegade Knight]

I think its enough to put your geocaching name on it. If you leave it on the outside the only way to contact you is via this site. On the inside and if the cache had a problem, people may blow it up rather than risk opening it.

[Ferreter5]

I tend to put my geocaching name and e-mail address on both the outside of the container and at the front of the log book. There's no way I'm leaving my home address and/or phone number lying around.

[+Stem]

I created an email account at yahoo and put that on the outside of my ammo cans. I have all the mail to that account forwarded to my regular account. That way, I can be contacted, but noone has my "real" info.

[+fly46]

I guess it'd depend on where you hid the cache.

My only hide so far is in my front yard, and in a tree at that. Noone's going to stumble across it accidentally, so I didn't put any info on it.

 

If I hid it in the woods, that'd be a different story.

[+PandyBat]

Well, I guess I will just leave my member name and email address on the outside. That way if anyone REALLY needed to get ahold of me, they would find a computer somewhere. Thanks for the advice. I can't wait to hide this one.

[+SnowLeopard]

I posted my full contact info inside my cache (name, phone, email, GC.com username).

I figured anyone who found it wouldn't start calling and asking what I'm wearing, but if a city worker found it (it's in a city park), they might call to have me remove it, rather than just throwing the whole thing away.

[+NightPilot]

It's pretty hard to do geocaching without a computer. How else are you going to get the cache information? I suppose you could get them from a friend, but I think that's pretty rare. Just an email address should be sufficient. With a phone number, you can get an address very easily just by typing it into Google or Yahoo.

[+writer]

It's pretty hard to do geocaching without a computer. How else are you going to get the cache information? I suppose you could get them from a friend, but I think that's pretty rare. Just an email address should be sufficient. With a phone number, you can get an address very easily just by typing it into Google or Yahoo.

Although I tend to leave an email address, it's not necessarily going to be enough. The problem is not geocachers stumbling across the cache, but those unfamiliar with the game, so assuming that they have email access is less of a safe bet. However, in the end, I don't think I want my phone number sitting out there, whatever I'm wearing.

[+wolf452]

While an e-mail address is nice, it's not going to help in "an emergency" when I'm not home and online!!! Website info would probably be better as it's "always on". I just with the bomb squads would use some common sense before they go all out. After two or three of these explosions you would think every bomb squad would know about us already.

[+briansnat]

I put my e-mail address and real name on the stash note and will put my e-mail addr, this website's URL and sometimes my phone number on the outside of the container.

Edited April 21, 2004 by briansnat

[+JeepCachr]

There's no way I'm leaving my home address and/or phone number lying around.

Are you listed in the phonebook?

[+ShowStop]

I have my e-mail address (a generic forwarding address) listed on all my geocaches. I want to have contact info available should somebody need to reach me about one of my caches, but I wont leave any further personal info besides that. If a person finding the cache doesnt have e-mail, I'm sure they have a friend that does.

[+dzdiver]

We have not hidden our first cache yet, but I would like to offer the following. The first cache that I found was a class act cache. It was an ammo box, properly placed, with quality stuff inside. I don't remember how the outside of the cache was marked, but the inside had the hiders name, email address, and phone number. Later in our geocaching we were doing a multi-cache hidden by the same hider. One of the stages was a micro that had leaked during heavy storms. The paper was wet and the ink ran. We could not make out the information needed to complete the final stage of the multi. Through the geocaching web site I sent the hider a couple of emails that were never answered. Finally I decided that I would go back to my first cache which I remembered having his direct email address and phone number. I sent a direct email that was not answered. But the phone call got through and the user was very helpful in providing the information and fixing the micro cache.

 

Now that we are getting ready to hide our first couple of caches, I too am considering how to mark our caches. Working in public safety, I see two concerns: 1. I want public safety officials, land managers, geocachers, and concerned others to have a direct way to reach me. 2. I do not want to reveal information that could put me or my family at risk. I have decided that a disposable yahoo account that I monitor daily and a cell phone number for my personal cell phone with voice mail is the way to go. I will also mark the outside of the cache with geocaching, the cache name, etc. Just some thoughts to consider.