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Caching etiquette


SLCDave

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Hello Everyone, I want to know if there is a place, site, link, anything that will list "Caching Etiquette". I know a lot of it is common sense, but, for instance, I read somewhere that you should trade items of equal or greater value. I'd hate to see what was traded for the broken army men I've seen in some caches. If there IS such a list of rules, I'd like to have a copy

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And you said it. A lot of it is common sense. Don't trade a your broken McDonalds toy for a new Mini Mag Lite, don't rip up the ground around the cache, don't describe the hiding place in your logs, don't leave the cache exposed, don't make arrows out of sticks pointing to the cache, or flag the route with surveyors tape.

 

All common sense you would think, but I've seen, or read about all of the above.

 

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day" - Dave Barry

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My son (4yrs old) caches with me about half the time I go out, in which case we trade toy for toy for him. If I'm by myself, I usually try to place a useful item that I would want to find myself. Lately, though, I've just been signing logs. I agree that there is alot of junk out there, but the find is usually reward enough for me so far.

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I'm not trying to be a spoil sport, and I agree that most of the fun is in finding the cache, but I think we can also all agree that it would be more fun to find a well maintained cache, filled with things of interest, and not a "devalued" cache full of broken McDonalds toys and food items.

 

"I'm 35 Years old, I am divorced, and I live in van down by the river!" - Matt Foley

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Just to be fair to McDonald's toys, I've seen more than a couple kids get pretty happy to find one of those Sega "videogame" electronic McDonald's toys that have been floating around lately. Much happier than they would have been with anything else in the cache. So, don't label all "McDonald's Toys" as trash. icon_wink.gif

 

That being said, I also try to leave things of some value/interest whenever possible. Although, as far as TAKING things go, I just have a shelf of little tidbits that I've collected -- and I specifically take the low-value things since I plan on just displaying them with everything else. I have a LOT of tiny, plastic, 5-cent dinosaurs/insects. heh...

 

- John...

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quote:
Just to be fair to McDonald's toys, I've seen more than a couple kids get pretty happy to find one of those Sega "videogame" electronic McDonald's toys that have been floating around lately. Much happier than they would have been with anything else in the cache. So, don't label all "McDonald's Toys" as trash.

 

I don't think there is a geocacher in the world who thinks a nice, new McDonald's toy, in its original wrapper is junk. What people object to are broken, dirty and obviously well used McToys, esp. if they are traded for something like a Leatherman tool. Another bone of contention is the well stocked cache that eventually degrades into a box full of broken, or well used McToys.

 

"Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll sit in a boat and drink beer all day" - Dave Barry

 

[This message was edited by BrianSnat on July 21, 2003 at 04:42 PM.]

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I try to keep my stuff about equal in value, although sometimes it's not always possible... The first cache I went to, I took a WheresGeorge.com dollar as a favor to the person who left it (because what georger doesn't want a hit, right?) and all I could leave was a sheet of stickers and a little egg man that came off an easter pushpop sucker, because that's all that would fit in the cache.. (Although my stickers are a big hit, and they're now my trademark item!)

I've traded a book for a little hand towel... The third cache I went to, since it was my last one for the day, I left a bunch of stuff in it... (It was also very bug infested, and I thought anyone running through those bugs deserved something good!) For a Hello Kitty clipon toy, I left a dollar, a book, and my sheet of stickers.

 

Another thing I try to do... If I go there and see junk or something actually in the cache (and by junk i mean papers or broken things) I will take them out to clean the cache out.. And help maintain the integrity of it..

Usually, though... The caches near me are pretty good, stuff wise.

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quote:
Originally posted by Greg&Christy:

What if we started putting a note with large print in the cache(maybe attached to the inside of the lid) that was like a friendly reminder to CITO ,trade up or equal, please rehide correctly etc. Do you think it would help or just be ignored?


 

Probably, but then again it wouldn't hurt. Many people put this type of information on the cache page online, so why not in the cache itself? For our first (and only, so far) cache, in the online description, we asked people to sign the log, cache in/trash out, and trade kindly (a term I saw in a post on the forums and liked as a nice way of saying trade up/even).

 

But people are people, and some have more common sense and courtesy than others.

 

icon_smile.gif ~ Lesley

 

____________________________

 

I'm a loner, Dottie. A rebel.

When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high,

And don't be afraid of the dark

 

www.bookcrossing.com Read and Release!

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I was very disappointed when I had spent the whole day out caching, and had nothing to show for it. All the caches I went to were full of junk, i.e. broken toys, bottle caps, pictures of peoples dogs and broken computer equipment. At least I was able to enjoy the hunt for the caches. When you get to a cache if you don't have anything worth trading just write in the log book. You still can log it as a find. Lets have some respect for others who might have something to trade that is of some value. Cache owners should at least make an effort to maintain their cache. And when it comes to hiding the cache please make an effort to make the hiding place look natural. A cache covered by sticks that are out of place or a cache that is just thrown in a bush is not natural, and are a dead give away to anyone even those who are not geocachers. And people wonder why their caches go missing.

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Hi!

 

I’ m relatively new to geocaching but what I like most is the Hunt. The swapping goods are only part of the fun. Is more natural to leave nothing/take nothing. I couldn’t forget one of my first caches, here I was with a nephew, 10 or 11, completely new to the game just to hunt a treasure in the hills. Of course that he doesn’t believe in the story, more like a fairy tale to him. Find a treasure? Sure… what else? icon_rolleyes.gif

When we found it, the look in his eyes has only clouded when he realize that we must left there almost everything, (What? Leave the “treasure” here? Stupid game…). Now he normally manages his own trades and is common leave something and take nothing. A kindof… leaving his mark!

icon_cool.gif

 

No matter how hard you try, is always some fun left...

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quote:
Originally posted by Greg&Christy:

What if we started putting a note with large print in the cache(maybe attached to the inside of the lid) that was like a friendly reminder to CITO ,trade up or equal, please rehide correctly etc. Do you think it would help or just be ignored?


 

For those who practice Trade Up or Equal, it would be like preaching to the choir.

 

I can see it, a well visited cache would be TRADED UP so that someone would left the keys to a new Landrover. The next log would say...Took keys to 4x4 and left a McToy Buzz Light Year. icon_rolleyes.gif

 

Bob ~

Early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese...

Isn't the best way to save face to keep the lower part shut?...Stephen Wright

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quote:
Originally posted by butche:

The treasure is all in the beholder.

One mans trash is anothers treasure.

 

Close Enough, eh!


There is a difference between someones trash and just plane old garbage found on the trail to the cache.

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quote:
There is a difference between someones trash and just plane old garbage found on the trail to the cache.

 

Reminds me of all of the perfectly good golf balls that I've been finding lately near some caches. Perhaps I should start dropping those in some of them. (What is it with the golf balls anyway? They're just popping up near the caches.) frog.gif

 

Lone Duck

The Quack Cacher

http://www.netwalk.com/~jporter/BackPage.htm

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We always take something that seems fitting to the place we are or what someone that may be with us might want.

 

We always leave at least one or more items of same value or more. We keep a container of items in nap sack and leave a couple items that we think might be needed by someone finding cache and something interesting. most items are $2.00 to $4.00 in value.

 

I've never seen anything of greater value in a cache. We are new to this thought. Who knows we just might find a gold bar someday.

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quote:
Originally posted by Happy Bubbles:

Do you have to trade up/even if there's an exceptionally good item? I read a description of a cache where they left $100 as a bonus for the first to find. Also, can you leave several low quality things in exchange for a medium quality item?


Well, it would be nice to trade even or up, but not always possible. So if you trade a couple items or whatever for a nicer item that's better than just one for one.

 

Bugs can just be taken from the cache. Don't need to trade for them, but it's nice thing to do. I usually trade something for a bug if possible.

 

I assume that the First Finder Prize is for the First Finder to take whether he or she actually trades. I would label the item as a First Finder prize though to make that clear.

 

If it's a bigger prize, don't mention it in the cache page...this helps to avoid the mad rush to a cache and possibly ill will between hunters...check out BC's money caches...don't have the link, but some caches gave out thousand bucks or more.

 

Also the finder should keep quiet about the prize if it's big one (nice sum of money for example) or be vague. That way future caches put out by the hider do not suffer the rush as well. These last two paragraphs are soley based on my own opinions, but I think it's a good idea to consider.

 

[This message was edited by evergreenhiker! on August 04, 2003 at 07:22 PM.]

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It really makes sense to trade up, considering that geocaching keeps me busy for hours (especially those multicaches). I just had the horrid experience of paying to see Spy Kids - Game Over, when I should get paid for the time I wasted on it instead.

 

I'll gladly "pay" for a good cache by upping the value and leaving something better than I took.

 

That's also the reason I just became a premium member, despite being a newbie. $2.50 a month for unlimited caching sounds like a great investment to me, and it'll keep the site up.

 

Amer

 

Amer and Bel

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quote:
skarolek wrote:

I've been wondering, would it be OK to leave something like Blockbuster video rental coupons/vouchers in a cache? Depending upon what's rented, they're worth $2 (kids videos) to $6 (games)...


Sure, why not? I've been thinking of doing the same thing. It would be a good idea to leave them in a ziplock bag though, so that they don't turn to mush. icon_wink.gif

 

*****

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I have a couple of etiquette questions that don't relate to cache contents quality, but didn't think I should start a new mwssage thread...

 

On a multi cache, if I can figure out where the final destination is w/o visiting any of the clue caches that are supposed to lead me to it, is it considered a vaild find, and should I log it as such? Would it be acceptable to go directly to the end of a multi cache and grab a travel bug, for instance?

 

If I went to a cache, did a TNLNSL, but a couple of days later realized I would like to have grabbed a travel bug from it, would it be wrong to return to the cache, log a general note instead of another find, and grab the travel bug? (I doubt I'd do it this way since there are a lot of caches available in my area, but the thought occurred to me.)

 

Is it acceptable to take a travel bug on a vacation trip and put it in a cache many miles from my normal caching area? (please answer for both establishing a new travel bug of my own in an area far from home, and taking one that I grabbed out of a local cache on a vacation trip).

 

Thanks.

 

Learning Daily.

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Good questions.

quote:
Mark 42 wrote:

On a multi cache, if I can figure out where the final destination is w/o visiting any of the clue caches that are supposed to lead me to it, is it considered a valid find, and should I log it as such?


Sure, you found it didn't you? There are a number of cachers who pride themselves in being able to bypass multi stages and that's fine. Personally, I prefer to do the cache the way that the hider intended so that I don't miss something that they wanted me to see.

quote:
If I went to a cache, did a TNLNSL, but a couple of days later realized I would like to have grabbed a travel bug from it, would it be wrong to return to the cache, log a general note instead of another find, and grab the travel bug?
This is perfectly fine. Just make sure that you log the TB on the site.

quote:
Is it acceptable to take a travel bug on a vacation trip and put it in a cache many miles from my normal caching area?
Absolutely. Most people like to see their bugs moved large distances. It's expecially good if you can move the bug towards it's goal. And yes, you can place a travel bug of your own in a cache while on vacation.

 

*****

 

[This message was edited by Jomarac5 on August 08, 2003 at 12:44 PM.]

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I didn't realize a travel bug could have a goal!

 

Do they all have a goal, or is it just some of them? (I'd imagine it's up to the originator... I'll go re-read the travel bug instructions).

 

BTW, I got thinking about the quality of the items one puts in a cache, and I think the problem is explainable (in part) by a concept I learned yesterday in one of those company psychobable morale/attitude improvement meetings.

 

The problem is that some people may be following the "golden rule"... do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.

 

That sounds like a good plan, but some people may be okay with any old junk being exchanged in a cache... they are mainly interested in the hunt, and figure if someone takes something nice that they left and puts something junky in its place, that's just fine. Maybe they do a little of both ways. Maybe they think the item I perceive as junk was actually a pretty good item.

 

Now, you ask, what whas the new concept I was taught...?

 

"Do unto others as they would like you to do unto them".

 

Different personality types perceive things differently.

 

I try to be careful that my kids put nice things in the caches and don't only take nice things out. I was a bit concerned about this on one cache we did... but I think we did okay.

 

I'll have to try to get to the dollar store or the thrift store to find some nice toys (used does not mean junk, to me).

 

Anyway, for once the psychobable session made me think!

 

I hope that someday we will be able to

put away our fears and prejudices and

just laugh at people.

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quote:
Mark 42 wrote:

I didn't realize a travel bug could have a goal!


You'll find that most TB's have a goal -- usually a specific location or locations that the owner wants them to go to (some have several different locations that they are travelling to -- one bug I picked up was travelling to all the Intel offices in the world). You can place your TB while on vacation and have it's goal to get back to a specific cache in your area -- it's fun to track the progress.

 

*****

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Where do I find out what the goal of the TB is?

 

Can I find out before I go to a cache? In other words, can I look at a few caches (online) with travel bugs, see what the goal of each bug is, and then decide which cache to look for based on trying to find one with a TB that has a goal which my trip would facilitate?

 

Let's say, a TB has a goal of reaching as close to the South Pole as possible... would I get (electronic) rotten tomatoes thrown at me for taking it from Seattle up to Alaska?

 

I hope that someday we will be able to

put away our fears and prejudices and

just laugh at people.

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quote:
Originally posted by Mark 42:

Where do I find out what the goal of the TB is?

 

Can I find out before I go to a cache? In other words, can I look at a few caches (online) with travel bugs, see what the goal of each bug is, and then decide which cache to look for based on trying to find one with a TB that has a goal which my trip would facilitate?


 

Yes, exactly as you describe. If there's a travel bug logged into the cache, a bug symbol and the bug's name will appear in the upper right-hand portion of the cache page. The name is a link; click it to see the bug's page, which will mention any goals it has. Plenty of bugs have no particular goals, and you can take them where you will.

 

quote:
Let's say, a TB has a goal of reaching as close to the South Pole as possible... would I get (electronic) rotten tomatoes thrown at me for taking it from Seattle up to Alaska?

 

In short, yes. The bug said SOUTH pole, not north. It's only polite to respect it as much as possible. If you were taking it a few miles north, say to a travel bug hotel near a major metropolitan area that's likely to contain some people who might be going to the South Pole eventually, that's one thing. But taking it hundreds of miles in the wrong direction, deliberately, would be rude. Can anyone stop you? No. But there are plenty of other bugs out there, and it would be nice of you to take one that would LIKE to go to Alaska rather than one that specifically wants to go the other way.

 

But I'd also say that keeping a bug moving is more important than any of this. I'd rather see my bug move five miles at a time, occasionally the wrong way, than be held by a cacher for three months and then flown to its goal. If you wonder whether Alaska might be a fun diversion for a South Pole-bound traveler, go to its page, find out who owns it, email its owner and ask. You can never go wrong asking, and maybe the owner would be pleased to go for either pole. Worked for Amundsen.

 

If you intend to hold a bug longer than a month or so, it's also nice to talk to the owner about it and see if that's okay by them. Our bug's been held since March, and it's very boring; I'd been hoping to get frequent emails about its travels, maybe some pictures or something, but instead it's made a couple of hops and come to a standstill. Nobody's so much as written an extra note in its logs. If you want to make travel bug owners happy, take some pictures of the bug at local attractions and write a nice little note to go with them. I'd be happy to let you take my San-Diego bound bug to Alaska if you'd just snap some pictures. But that's just me icon_smile.gif.

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Other than how to find out about a specific bug (I never realized it was a link... had the same problem trying to find definitions for the icons next to the caches on the search results pages), most of it seems common sense & courtesy, especially now that I read them.

 

I would definitely ask before I took a bug a long way in the wrong direction, but wasn't sure it was an option (to ask).

 

I can see where, I might start a bug with a goal of the south pole, but get a kick out of seeing how far away it could go in the process.

I could also see where I might not appreciate someone doing something contradictory to my bug's goal (assuming I had a TB). So contacting the owner seems reasonable.

 

The idea of not holding a bug seemed obvious to me... maybe too much so. I was thining that until I am geocaching at least a couple of times a week, I better not grab a TB and hold onto it (possibly a week or two). I'd hate to cause one to stagnate, and most of my caches are in a small area still, so there isn't much point in moving TB's around until I am covering miles instead of yards.

 

The upcoming trip is actually just my family (I don't have enough vacation time), and it's in a couple of weeks. But I'd like to find a travel bug for my wife to take with her (she's planning to do some geocaching on her trip). Of course, she'd have to be with me to find the bug (which is most probable anyway since we do this as a family most of the time) in order for it to really be "Proper" (at least in my mind of ethics definitions).

 

I just want to start finding out about the process, and don't want to wait until the last minute to go find a suitable travel bug (since there's no guarantee I will find any given cache that I look for). I guess a couple of weeks is acceptable. Hopefully she wouldn't strike out finding a cache on her trip... she will be leaving me the new (good) GPS and taking the old (Horrible) GPS... though there may not be as much tree cover where she is going, so the old one could be just fine (It works great if you're out in the open, but dies immediately in the forest).

 

If I don't get to search for a new cache with a TB, I suppose I could always wait until a few days before, and return to a cache I already know how to find, but that seems a little "cheesy" to me. But I will keep it as a last resort if I get to where I really want to move a travel bug, and haven't got time to do it in a proper fashion by finding a new (to us) cache.

 

But, I'm glad you mentioned the TB "goals" to me... otherwise THIS ONE might have found itself down in Florida in a couple of weeks!

 

[This message was edited by Mark 42 on August 08, 2003 at 02:29 PM.]

 

[This message was edited by Mark 42 on August 08, 2003 at 02:29 PM.]

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quote:
Originally posted by BrianSnat:

...I don't think there is a geocacher in the world who thinks a nice, new McDonald's toy, in its original wrapper is junk....


 

I do. We had so many of these dadgum things laying around the house I moved the kids off the kids menu just to stop stepping on them. Their destiny is to fill up all our landfills. They do make good targets though.

 

In it's wrapper it has two things going for it. Someone elses kid can have the new toy feeling, and some people actually collect these things.

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quote:
Originally posted by Renegade Knight:

In it's wrapper it has two things going for it. Someone elses kid can have the new toy feeling, and some people actually collect these things.


 

eBay!

You could probably find someone willing to buy one to complete a set if you wait until awhile after they are no longer available. Who knows... maybe you could even buy some decent trinkets at Toys R Us with the money.

 

SLCDave... this one's for you:

Click Here for an inspirational message from

a professional motivational speaker.

 

[This message was edited by Mark 42 on August 08, 2003 at 03:29 PM.]

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Do you think it would be proper for the cache owner to clean out broken items and items that he/she sees as "junk'?

Personally i don't think i would have the heart to throw anything out be it a rock or stick or whatever some child may have put in even if it's broken.

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Sure it's proper to clean up your caches!

 

It also is proper to improve to upgrade the stuff in your cache and remove junk. I also move large items from a small cache of mine which was stuffed to a larger one, mine or someone elses.

 

I have also picked up a TB from a remote cache of mine after it had been there a long time and moved it to a more popular cache. I post a note to keep the TB on course.

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Our family is new to caching and I'm glad I read this thread. We've been trading knick-knacks, coins, tokens, stickers, playing cards, etc. Mostly small stuff, and haven't yet come across anything too valuable. We enjoy the adventure of searching for the cache, and the little prizes are just bonuses. My kids ( and us, too) have just as much fun deciding what to bring and leave for the next cachers. Today we had an interesting situation come up... we were going to the Old Glory 9-11 Rememberance Cache, and the kids were collecting patriotic stuff from around the house. Our son couldn't find anythind red, white and blue, and asked if he could draw a picture with those colors. We thought that was a great idea, and all three kids drew flags, twin towers, etc. This seemed appropriate for the "theme" cache, and also because on our first cache, the item he chose was a child's cartoon comic drawing. Anyhow, the pics seemed like a great idea, but after reading some of these responses, I hope other's aren't offended by our donations, they were thoughtful, but, yes, Cheap. I have two question... my kids have each been taking/leaving an item... is this okay? Also, I instinctively removed a broken item today, and logged it in the book. It was a tiny plastic stencil. I guess I'll check out those links to caching etiquette. [P)]

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5 Brats:

 

Please understand value is not always measured in money. Childrens' pictures are priceless and certinaly not in the catagory of AOL CDs. Anyone not wanting one can feel free not to take it.

 

The treasures in the cach are there to serve as a reminder of the hunt and the place. My rule of thumb is take what seems approprate for this trip. Leave somthing of yourself and a toy or two for the kids.

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