are cachers cheap?

[sanfranseeker]

i have just started this sport. i have noticed that people start their caches with cool stuff in them. all of the caches i have found have been full of garbage. are geo-cachers just cheap?

[+Brian - Team A.I.]

Depends. People like to start their caches off nice (for the most part), and they tend to devolve. Personally, I could care less about what's in the cache, because the reward for me is the find. At the same time, if there's something cool, I'll trade for something just as cool if I happen to have something equal with me.

 

Brian

Team A.I.

[+Brainerd]

I wouldn't say that geocachers are cheap. I think that the main benefits of the sport are the hunting, the discovery, the logging, and getting to new places. Like many people, if I want something I buy it. Even if someone leaves nice stuff in the cache box, it rarely is something that I need.

 

Happy hunting,

Tom

 

Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.

Henry David Thoreau

[+briansnat]

Some are cheap, some are clueless and some just don't give crap about others.

 

I know a lot of long time geocachers just care about the hunt and not the contents, but there are new geocachers who are intrigued by the idea of a "treasure" hunt and disappointed when they find a cache filled with 2 inches of slimy green water and broken toys. There are also people who hunt with children and even a handfull of long time geocachers who still open the container with a sense of anticipation.

 

"Au pays des aveugles, les borgnes sont rois"

[+Renegade Knight]

No cheap, Socially challenged maybe but not cheap.

 

=====================

Wherever you go there you are.

[motoXman]

Yes, we are cheap. We are out hunting tupperware containers slapping at mosquitos. Otherwise, we would be in the Carribean on a private chartered exploration yacht scuba diving, searching for gold bullion from ancient shipwrecks. Upon our return to the yacht Playboy Bunnies would greet us with cocktails and compliment us on our prowness at finding treasure. We then would tip the Bunnies with priceless gold goins. (for massaging our...ummmm....egos so well)

 

Next question?

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

 

[This message was edited by motoXman on June 19, 2003 at 07:35 AM.]

[+TotemLake]

It might help to know your perception of cheap.

 

Also, bear in mind families are involved in this sport and kids like to trade too, and their perception of give aways will certainly differ from yours. This perception can very easily be comapared to you only giving away the $1 scratcher versus the $2 or $3 scratcher. At 12 finds, your budget can be high or low depending on which one you are giving away. The low could be perceived as being cheap even if it is a neat idea that the finder might win something.

 

Me... I move items from cache to cache with no intent to keep any of it. I'm unemployed, so continuing to buy things to put into caches is a little tough on the budget. Is that cheap or frugal? In reality, I'm really there more for the hunt rather than the trinket so the idea of continuously shifting the contents from cache to cache is intriguing to me.

 

OTOH, I know of folks who have custom made geocache coins to leave as signature items. A pricey thing to do, but it is part of the fun.

 

It's all in the perception isn't it?

 

Cheers!

TL

[Team Kender]

quote:

---

Originally posted by motoXman:

Yes, we are cheap. We are out hunting tupperware containers slapping at mosquitos. If we were not cheap, we would be in the Carribean on a private chartered exploration yacht scuba diving, searching for gold bullion from ancient shipwrecks. Upon our return to the yacht Playboy Bunnies would greet us with cocktails and compliment us on our prowness at finding treasure. We then would tip the Bunnies with priceless gold goins. (for massaging our...ummmm....egos so well)

 

Next question?

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

---

 

There's a difference between cheap and not rich

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[motoXman]

oops, forgot to pull up my flame resistant underwear.....

 

*****my above post was intended to be taken in an entirely humorous fashion*****

 

they should change that "post now" button to "run like hell" ROFLMAO

 

However, maybe it's just me, but ya ever notice there is often a very close relationship between cheap and rich? What I mean is, I'll bet if Bill Gates were to take up geocaching he'd be leaving stacks of used Windows XP pamphlets as trade items. O.K., I deserve to be flamed for that comment, go ahead. I'm removing the flame proof underwear . They itch like crazy anyhow..

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

[+Shoebox]

If one cacher in ten takes a good item and leaves junk, and no one else takes it, then in time all the good items will be traded that way. Eventually only junk is left. The problem is that no one takes junk and leaves a good item. I suppose there should be a spring-cleaning to older caches from time to time.

[Team Kender]

quote:

---

Originally posted by motoXman:

oops, forgot to pull up my flame resistant underwear.....

 

*****my above post was intended to be taken in an entirely humorous fashion*****

 

they should change that "post now" button to "run like hell" ROFLMAO

 

However, maybe it's just me, but ya ever notice there is often a very close relationship between cheap and rich? What I mean is, I'll bet if Bill Gates were to take up geocaching he'd be leaving stacks of used Windows XP pamphlets as trade items. O.K., I deserve to be flamed for that comment, go ahead. I'm removing the flame proof underwear . They itch like crazy anyhow..

 

someday we'll look back on all this and plow into a parked car.

---

 

Um, I was going with your joke. If you want to be witty, please expect other people might be as well. How many of these do you want so you realise it?

 

But yeah, actually I would expect Bill Gates to leave those AOL mailers. That's how cheap he probably is.

 

Team Kender - "The Sun is coming up!" "No, the horizon is going down."

[+Team GeoCan]

How cheap is cheap? Sure some of us are using caching to get rich!!!!

 

Really it is like any other avocation, You get out of it porportionate to what you put in, and that includes attitude.

 

If it isn't FUN, stop doing it. If you can Make it fun, Please do so.

 

If you think the family Heirloom 5 Carat ring is going to be in the cache, dream on.

 

Caching is EXERCISE, it is Mental stimulation, it is "time consuming" (or some would say wasting).

 

It is a chance for some of us to get out and change our immediate surroundings for a while.

It is also a form of expanding our social horizons, meeting and discussing with people we would never have met otherwise.

 

This is generally a wholesome, family oriented activity, that can be done (really) anytime by almost anyone, and unless it is ruined by prohibitive laws, restrictions and other "Party Poopers", it can stay that way.

 

Sure there are those who want the trinkets, and those who want the exercise, open spaces and challenge of the hunt. There is room for ALL.

 

(And since I am TERRIBLY out of shape, I anticipate the exercise for myself, My new sportrak map gps is on ORDER...)

 

So Have Fun THEN evaluate Which part is the MOST fun, then improve on it.

 

Jeff Scism, IBSSG http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/

 

Time to hide

a treasure inside,

and what will we find?

 

A dream

a trinket,

stimulation for the mind?

 

Log: Neat stuff, Thanks!!

 

Log Two: Took serial number keychain, put stuffed dog back.

 

Log Three: Took log pages, No TP.

 

Log four: Took Ammo can, Left nothing.

[+Sabaharr]

I agree that some are cheap, some are clueless, some are not so financially fortunate, and also some do not care. Sounds like a cross section of the general population. Geocaching also has its crooks just like the rest of the population. I do not mean the inconsiderate person that happens on the cache and takes it even with the do not take message on it. I mean the team that went through my area a while back finding caches, stealing them and posting a note on the cache page. This would also include the people you pay with your tax dollars at the National Parks service that are so much hollier than thou that they feel you are a criminal if you "litter" their precious parks. Heaven forbid a taxpayer actually use the public property to enjoy the outdoors, get some exercise, and have a little fun. Yeah, that has to be illegal. So off my soap box and back to the subject. I personally seldom take anything out of a cache except a Travel Bug which most do not consider trade items anyway. Generally I just T.N.L.N.S.L. (Since this is a beginners forum question that means TOOK NOTHING LEFT NOTHING SIGNED LOG)

 

Life is like being on a dog sled team. If you are not the lead dog the view is always the same.

Complacancy is feeding a tiger steaks while waiting for him to become a vegitarian.

[+mozartman]

I am a new cacher, (7 finds, thank you very much) and I started out doing urban microcaches; that's mostly what I'm still doing. With urban micros, there's no room for a lot of great treasure, but that's not what I cared about anyway, I was just interested in the hunt and the discovery of new places.

 

but in reading these forums, I have come to understand that a lot of people, and especially their kids, really get a big kick out of what was in the cache itself; so I am going to start putting some cool stuff in those caches that I run across that have room, but take nothing, since I don't really care about that aspect of it myself... now I have to figure out what constitutes a cool item!

[+DustyJacket]

I think mine are cool...

 

I leave silver dollars and silver half dollars, as well as dustyjacket buttons.

 

I also leave outdoors goodies like pin-on compasses, whistles, light sticks, mini flashlights, etc.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[+SerenityNow]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Flockmaster:

How cheap is cheap? Sure some of us are using caching to get rich!!!!

 

Really it is like any other avocation, You get out of it porportionate to what you put in, and that includes attitude.

 

If it isn't FUN, stop doing it. If you can Make it fun, Please do so.

 

If you think the family Heirloom 5 Carat ring is going to be in the cache, dream on.

 

Caching is EXERCISE, it is Mental stimulation, it is "time consuming" (or some would say wasting).

 

It is a chance for some of us to get out and change our immediate surroundings for a while.

It is also a form of expanding our social horizons, meeting and discussing with people we would never have met otherwise.

 

This is generally a wholesome, family oriented activity, that can be done (really) anytime by almost anyone, and unless it is ruined by prohibitive laws, restrictions and other "Party Poopers", it can stay that way.

 

Sure there are those who want the trinkets, and those who want the exercise, open spaces and challenge of the hunt. There is room for ALL.

 

(And since I am TERRIBLY out of shape, I anticipate the exercise for myself, My new sportrak map gps is on ORDER...)

 

So Have Fun THEN evaluate Which part is the MOST fun, then improve on it.

 

Jeff Scism, IBSSG http://blacksheep.rootsweb.com/

 

Time to hide

a treasure inside,

and what will we find?

 

A dream

a trinket,

stimulation for the mind?

 

Log: Neat stuff, Thanks!!

 

Log Two: Took serial number keychain, put stuffed dog back.

 

Log Three: Took log pages, No TP.

 

Log four: Took Ammo can, Left nothing.

---

 

Well said!

 

This world has nothing for me

And this world has everything.

All that I could want

And nothing that I need.

**** Cademan's Call ****

[magellan315]

I don't think that Geocachers as a whole are cheap, but osme do lacka sense of creativy when selcting items to trade in a cache. The other side is that when some does place a McToy in a cache most people won't take it so it stays. eventually the cache does fill up with McToys.

 

Even though I am living on a tight budget, there have been several caches that were so full of junk that I took it ak out and replaced with more usefull trinkets. I did this out sheer frustration and in the hopes that maybe someone will take the hint.

[+ballast949]

My rule of thumb is to stock trade items worth about $1 - that ranges from matchbox cars to $1 coins. What I want to find is something unique to put on my trophy shelf - it doesn't need to be expensive, but stickers, stamps, and coupons don't make good "trophies". If I take something obviously more valuable than normal, I leave several items in its place.

 

The real problem, of course, is that if we stocked a lot $5 items, it would attract cache raiders.

 

Ballast & the Booby

[+geopug]

My kids and I are new to geocaching, ten found so far. The hunt is the best part but we get a kick out of looking through the stuff, even though most is junk. We try to leave something in the $1.00 range and take something small. The cheapest thing I've found was in our first cache, an attorneys business card with a note on the back, "Hurt looking for this cache? Give me call", I threw it away.

[+Alan2]

I'd give you my 2 cents worth but I'm saving up for a new unit...

 

Alan

[+Garbo]

To an extent we probally are, I mean once we buy our unit most of the expense is in transportation from cache to cache, sometimes I barely look through the contents, when my girls are with me they always look at everything

[+Cat'N'Geo]

Our back pack of gear hauling has:

 

Logo'd stress ball

Logo'd magnetic man poseable figureine

Logo'd Whimmy Diddle with instructions

Logo'd metal magnetic statue like the kind with all the pieces of metal in a huge magnetic field you can fiddle with on a desk. (Big, non-compass containing caches only.)

Logo'd Note pads in 3 layers of waterproof shrinkwrap (14, each different logos)

Logo'd paper holders to hold a sheet of paper up beside a monitor

Logo'd pairs of socks from size 6 to 14 (Mens, american size range from a previous job)

Logo'd boxs of pencils (6 boxes, 5 pencils each)

Logo'd Static sticker boards, kinda like paper dolls, but do not need cutting (2)

Red Clown noses (4, unused, or washed & sterilized)

 

I am not ALLOWED to bring anything NEW back with me, unless it itches, washes off, or sucks on my blood.

 

So, is this acceptable to y'all or what?

 

They say this universe is bound to blow,

I say we crank up the Calypso Control!

~Jimmy Buffett

 

~Someday I Will~

 

(editesd for spelling- dangit.)

[+The Outlaw]

I don't think cachers are cheap. You need to take into account the fact that folks are hiding tupperware containers in the woods. If you are expecting to find the keys to a new car in a cache, you are probably going to be disappointed. 95% of what I leave in a cache came from the cache before it. I very rarely find anything of value save the logbook in a cache. The value I find is the hike to and from the caches. The opportunity to see what beauty nature has placed on my path. Personally, I would rather find a cache stuffed with AOL cds and Mctoys at the base of a waterfall, or the top of a mountain, then a cache stuffed with high priced swag at a dump. I can't even tell you what I took or left at the caches I have on my top 10 list, but I can tell you why they are on that list.

Hope this makes some sort of sense,

 

Wayne (The Outlaw) Geocacher, Poison Ivy magnet, and Chigger food.