It Might As Well Have Been A Dustbin

February 21, 2005

Having been introduced at the weekend to the niceties of Letterbox Hybrid caches only to be followed by finding GC171 View from Coombe Hill and the nearby

GCJPZM Monumental! Caches stuffed to the rafters so that the lids could not seal, I have to ask, ‘Are we really doing enough?’

Both those caches were full of basically tat. Hidden dustbins.

Whereas the letterboxes have something collectable, namely the individual stamp mark. You leave yours, and take away a souvenir.

Apart from one item that I have found, which annoyingly I appear to have lost, I cannot think of any other item that has been worth removing.

Setting aside TB’s, (and some of those are no better than a McD toy), I see no point in leaving ‘treasure’ behind, and would like to adopt the letterbox stamp approach. Firstly as a signature in the log book, but hopefully if momentum gathers, as a alternative approach. I will place a stamp in my next cache, if possible with either an artistic or graphical association to the cache itself.

Anybody with me??

2.9k · February 21, 2005

Got three kids sorry cant join in unless i ban them from swapping stuff. We have taught them about fair trading and insist on leave it better than you found it.

However if you find a good source of small rubber stamps i would be willing to get one for each of my caches so that you could collect stamps at these. A stamp of our avatar with the cache name underneath would suffice.

Can't change them all to letterbox hybrids as some are mystery caches.

February 21, 2005

I already have an ink pad and stamp that I now use as a signature item for the log books of caches other than micros but cant see the harm in boxes containing "tat" as you put it.

If families with kids get excited about the "treasure hunt" part of our game and that helps to perpetuate the sport, then I say lets continue it.

I have no objection to folks that want to move over to 2202's ideas either as it wont affect me one way or the other. As far as I am concerned if someone doesnt like whats in a cache box then the letters TNLN says it all.

1.2k · February 21, 2005

I don't mind the 'tat' when it is clean dry and newish tat. I despair when it is old knackered damp and dirty tat.

I went through a trade up phase, but decided it was futile in the end, I like the stamp idea though, the stamp could include stars for difficulty and terrain as well.

1.7k · February 21, 2005

Surely you have to kiss a few toads, before you find your Prince(ess).

Sure some are full of rubbish, and some are not. But when kids are involved, which add a whole new dimension to caching. A rubber stamp in your book or a toy motorcar, I`m sure I know what most children would choose.

We usually just sign the log book, but sometimes there is something you think, umm that`s good I`ll have that, and put something of similar value back.

Everyone play the game how they like. If I want to place a Letterbox Hybrid we would, but find puzzle cache making more fun, everyone plays the game the way they like.

Have you ever taken young children caching??? Taking my brothers little lad caching, he`d already choosen what he wanted to put in the cache, a toy car, when we got there there was alsorts of little odds and sods, but he chose the most unlikely object to take, a fossil..... So what appears at tat to you, is treasure to child.

Pengy

February 21, 2005

I think we miss the point here. The idea of visiting the caches is the thrill of the hunt, your average 50p shop would yield more toys and interesting tat than a lot of caches. I think this is a little bonus for the children but not really the primary reason!!

February 21, 2005

BLIMEY Victor Meldrew lives on in the form of 2202 !..what do you want people to leave ? keys to a new car ? deeds to their house ?,an all expenses paid holiday ?,a kidney ?..to me geo-caching is the thrill of the hunt,not what i can get out of the boxes,it is nice to bag a piece of treasure at the end though.its fair to say that 'tat' as you call it does pop up in boxes but we are all guilty of leaving it sometimes.kids like to find n recieve the toys etc so its all good in my view.

February 21, 2005

I can see two views here. First is the hunt, and yes I would agree that the kids do want some 'treasure' and to exchange worth for worth.

Others such as my self. The exercise, the hunt, sign the log and thats another one done.

I feel that anything that adds to the enjoyment cannot be bad. Why not the stamp idea. I would be for it. At the moment I leave a card as others do.

So you can count me in for the stamp.

Where can you get them made? How much?

6.2k · February 21, 2005

I did find a kidney in one of my caches once. I wish I hadn't. I had to throw it out as it was past its best. I must say, as one of the owners of a box of tat as 2202 puts it (Monumental! is mine) I'm not sure what the answer might be. I'm neither rich enough or dumb enough to leave items of significant worth out in the woods and would expect such a thing to vanish as fast as you can say 'That's worth a bob or two' - apart from hiding micros which don't look empty with just a small pencil and a logpage, I don't know what I can do to make him happy. The stamp thing is all well and good, but just *how* is TNLNSL (stamped log) different from TNLNSL (signed log)?

SP

2.5k · February 21, 2005

I always try to stock my caches well, but I do concentrate on stuff that kids would like as it is generally kids who are most enthusiastic about swapping. As 3DW says, what exactly do you expect from a box that is going to be left lying about in the woods? I try to be creative with what I put in caches but price and practability are both strong influencing factors.

By the way, I think it is very bad form to single out an particular cache and name and shame it. If you do a cache and see that there is a particular problem, surely it would be better to contact the cache owner directly and inform them? The setter of the cache you mention has placed many caches locally which I have really enjoyed doing. I don't suppose I have done much in the way of swapping in any of them. I know I have added stuff and not taken stuff from some of them. For me, the pleasure of the caches has been the thought and planning that has gone into setting a creative cache for me to enjoy.

February 21, 2005

Yes I have taken kids, and yes they enjoyed taking home something from it, but yesterday 2 decent caches were overflowing so much that you could not get the lid back on. Both lids were not attached when I found them. GC171 after a bit of rearranging I managed to get the lid back on properly, and hide it so that it could not be seen from 20 paces. On SP's Monumetal! I have bought two seperate things away with me just to get the lid back on.

And yes, I do put TNLN most of the time., or leave the odd £1 coin if I like the cache. so don't Victor Meldrew me, let alone stocking one of my caches with bought second books and in a couple of others old cameras (box brownies)

Thats why I support the Letterbox Hybrid idea, best of both worlds, but can we clearly think about what we put in the boxes next time.

And it nothing to do with SP at all, god bless him, far far from it, but its to do with the users, us, who put the items in it in the first place.

Edited February 21, 2005 by 2202

1.7k · February 21, 2005

There are many ways of playing this game, I am just happy with a find (I like the hunt), whereas Sue enjoys having a rummage and reading the logs (she hates micros), and our son is really disappointed if he can't swap a bit of tat.

February 21, 2005

I think if anyone is even a little bothered with the contents of any cache, they should take it all replacing everything they deem to be sub-standard with anything they believe to be better.

If there was a cache out there big enough i would be putting my hardly used metal detector in it because as far as i am concerened i am yet to return home from anywhere feeling as rewarded as i have done after a day Geocaching.

It's not just the possibility of an interesting artefact, it's the gift of adventure, of getting to see a place you may never have seen in your whole life. Of solving a puzzle and being part of a movement that those around you most of the time have no idea about.

I am really new to this and so no doubt am still full of newbie-wonder. Maybe soon i will have a cache trashed or a TB stolen. Then maybe i shall become a little more cynical to the whole thing.

In the meantime i am packing my first cache with things i would love to find. I am trading up and planning to attach to a travel bug a totally unique item... If it goes missing then so be it...

At least it was there and momentarily lived outside of the draw it now sits in. They are just things...

I dare people to start placing 'things' that are either unique or even valuble...

Imagine the next person to look into that cache is you...

6.2k · February 21, 2005

...but its to do with the users, us, who put the items in it in the first place.

No, it's the SETTERS who put the items in the box in the first place.

My personal experience has been the contents of my boxes seem to go up in value and quality rather than down (lucky me) and a cache that's so full the lid no longer seals is a cache that needs something bigger (often a TB) removed and something smaller (lottery scratch cards are nice ) left in its place.

So long as the caches I find aren't packed with lighters, knifes, cigarettes, porn, matches or 'missing' Uranium, I'm happy enough. I tend to remove *real* litter from caches (such as out-of-date coupons and the like) but if it's harmless, dry and not too big, I'll leave it be.

I do tend to TNLN, but occasionally I'll add items to an empty looking cache (a candle, blank CDR, toy car or blank audio tape tend to be the things I have in my swap-bag - but I will be making 'The Best of The Missing Cacher' VCDs when it's finally been archived) and I swap very rarely. When I do, I try to swap up but an item of similar value is sometimes a tricky thing to define. What do you swap for a McToy which was given free? The only time I've made a 'bad swap' (from the feedback I've had) was when I took a 4xAA battery case and left some 'Police cordon' tape - which I left because I thought it was interesting and in it's own way, a unique item. Well, the case went back into circulation somewhere and someone, somewhere, has the chance to own some blue and white striped warning tape.

What is it they say about pleasing all the people all the time?... Oh yes. It can't be done!

SP

February 21, 2005

im STILL hoping to come across the much elusive pink 'THING'.

February 21, 2005

Seen a thread like this somewhere before, somewhere before etc. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I like McD Tat, and other little 20p plastic items. I have a nice little collection of plastic fish, I am looking at now, collected from caches. For those who know I try to swop for an Isle of Man souvenier or another piece of tat from my holidays abroad. If you do not like what I leave take something else or nothing. With all the caches that are getting muggled it would be very sad to know that the real gold necklace you swoppped for a folding bicycle was now around the neck of a muggler. Leave a carved stamp in the cache by all means but do not be surprised if a cacher thinks it is a swop. It's the challenge of finding the cache that's the best bit. If the cache only contains a log book, it's still fun.

6.2k · February 21, 2005

im STILL hoping to come across the much elusive pink 'THING'.

It's only in Milton Keynes, in a cache that's not been that often found. Go on... you know you want it

SP

2.9k · February 22, 2005

No one found a stamp manufacturer yet ?

I would like to collect stamps.

Did you know that Groundspeak tried to collar the letterboxing market in the early days, the letterboxing people stopped him, hence the term letterbox HYBRID

2.5k · February 22, 2005

I got a custom stamp done for myself with my flying pig avatar on it, but it was not very cheap. It was after getting stamp envy after a day of caching with JollyJax. Saves people not being able to read my unintelligable scrawl when I sign the logs!

I have a letterbox hybrid all made up and ready to deploy. I have my spot all lined up as well and I have discussed what it takes to qualify for a letterbox hybrid with one of the approvers too. The stamp I have used in the cache was quite an inexpensive foam backed one, pack of 4 assorted plus ink pad for £1.99 from local craft store. Have a look for craft stamps on EBay, you can pick up a bargain. I believe that for a letterbox hybrid you have to have the co-ordinates of the start point and then clues (or a description) of how to get to the box, ie an offset.

Coming soon to an area near you... er ME actually! :surprise:

2.3k · February 22, 2005

How often does this topic come up???

FYI good items I can remember we have traded OUT of caches;

Head Torch!

3 cuddly toys that we converted to TBs at a later date

Packs of cards

CDs

and back in;

Trolley/locker £1 token keyrings

CDs

Torches

Gift Sets

Software

However I agree with three degrees ( :surprise: ) for us it is the find and TBs that make us go out caching.

February 22, 2005

Paul

Where's that Police Cordon tape? - we think that'd be a cool prize and would definitely head out for that cache! :surprise:

Team CP

6.2k · February 22, 2005

It was last seen by me in T( r )oll Free, on the Ashridge Estate in Herts. Mind, it may have moved on by now, swapped for a Rolex or similar... :surprise:

SP

P.S. I see ( r ) without the gaps makes a ® - cool!

Edited February 22, 2005 by Simply Paul

2.3k · February 22, 2005

Slipping off topic but what others are there?

® © ?

KEWL!

Edited February 22, 2005 by The Hokesters

February 22, 2005

For custom made rubber stamps try www.stamps.userfriendly-devon.com who specialise in stamps for letterboxing

February 22, 2005

It was last seen by me in T( r )oll Free, on the Ashridge Estate in Herts.

It was still there last maintenance visit, although it is now called

Police Cordon Tape that was left by "That Bloke " from the Telly :surprise: :anibad:

SP could you please sign it next time you are near (thinking eBay)

3.9k · February 22, 2005

I'm not a great trader, and my own caches tend to start off with a pretty "sparse" arrangement. However, planning an event with 10 or more new caches (less than three months to go now !) has forced me to re-examine my priorities (oops, starting to sound like a Life Coach).

So I've been shopping for fun, cheap items (it has to be cheap when it's x10 !). Thus far I've picked up:

- Breathalysers $0.99 each

- Small hand-carved wooden animals (OK, these came from the duty-free shop at Mombasa airport): $5.00 for 10

- Small FM radios with headphones and batteries: 1 Euro each ! (Don't ask me how... there was a big "1 Euro promotion" at my local supermarket)

Note for men: if you expect persons of the female persuasion to visit your cache, take the plunge and cross the threshold of Claire's Accessories. Depending on the time of year, you can find some very cheap items in the clearance section; either a rack of items at 20p each instead of £3.99, or a goody bag with say £25 "worth" (original price) of stuff for £1. Don't ask what any of it is for - it's "girly stuff" - but it's guaranteed to find favour.

1.4k · February 22, 2005

My granddaughter (age 6) does not complain about the treasure she finds in caches. Some adults may consisder some of the contents to be 'tat', but Eden certainly does not. It is nice to find some interesting or useful treasure, but, what the heck, it's just part of the whole thing about caching. The deciding which caches to do, the drive, the walk, the find, the log the walk back, the drive to next cache or pub lunch, or whatever. Then the final bit. Logging the find on the internet. What is in the box is only a small part of the game.

I have found some 'tat', but on the other hand, the optical mouse I found in one of the 'Wombles' caches is in constant daily use. That was a real find:-) Whatever, I always do an exchange, hopefully leaving something of equal or better value/use.

February 22, 2005

There's tat and then there's rubbish. I have no problem with kiddies things, they no doubt think free toys with gristleburgers are a good thing.

But what about half a mussel shell :laughing: or a pair of polythene gloves, the sort given away on garage forcourts? How do you feel about shampoo and soaps that have been taken from hotels? Who on earth thinks they have a value and that someone will want to take those sort of "swaps".

I can well imagine the delight of any youngster on finding that sort of tat.

Nobody ever trades down of course, but *someone* puts rubbish into caches.

February 22, 2005

Dear Naffita, I took shampoo and soap from a cache I did in Hampshire this Xmas. Just what I need on my next camping trip to Cornwall at easter. There you are, useful items. Thanks to whoever put them in the cache. Swopped them for a brand new Isle of Man Neck Canister which may be of use to someone but not all.

February 22, 2005

i think we all agree that one mans rubbish is another mans treasure

end of........next !!!!!!!!!

February 23, 2005

I took shampoo and soap from a cache

Well done you, I only hope they were not slightly second hand like the ones I found.

3.9k · February 23, 2005

I took shampoo and soap from a cache

Well done you, I only hope they were not slightly second hand like the ones I found.

Eeewww. At least all the condoms I've found in caches up to now have been unused...

1.1k · February 23, 2005

Eeewww. At least all the condoms I've found in caches up to now have been unused...

I found a couple using one about 15m away from a cache the other day. I didn't quite stumble over them whilst following the arrow, but nearly did!

Edited February 23, 2005 by NickPick

February 23, 2005

Reference the Hotel soaps and shampoo bottles. I have some strange friends as one actually collects these bottles, empty or not. They are on a par with stamp collecting and match box label collecting. One day they may be worth a fortune to his grandchildren! He displays them on shelves in his bathroom. Must have 500 plus. They make fascinating reading as they come from all over the world. I added to his collection with ones from China.

Soap, shampoo thread now closed?

February 23, 2005

im STILL hoping to come across the much elusive pink 'THING'.

So is my wife!!!

February 23, 2005

Eeewww. At least all the condoms I've found in caches up to now have been unused...

I found a couple using one about 15m away from a cache the other day. I didn't quite stumble over them whilst following the arrow, but nearly did!

How do you know they were using one, methinks you stopped and watched!!

1.1k · February 23, 2005

Well, I hope they were using one, as they turned up at the car park in different cars, and had a head start up the hill for the time it too kme to but my boots on.

1.3k · March 1, 2005

Being a team of six of varying ages (2 boys, 2 girls, mum and dad) we probably have someone in each of the possible categories as far as this goes. Mum and Dad do it for the fresh air and exercise, Lauren aged 14 likes to find trades for her baby sister Megan, Luke aged 13 doesn't often come along but likes to find different packs of cards, Josh aged 3 is happy as Larry if he finds a toy car. When we set up caches, we like to put in items we think we would like to find and try to put at least one thing in for each of adult male, adult female, boy child and girl child, etc. We enjoy setting up caches as much as finding them. We tend to work on putting in stuff up to about a fiver in value when setting up cache (not including the container!) and have great fun looking for bargains in the supermarkets etc. Just yesterday we were killing an hour whilst Luke was in detention - we found half a dozen Mutant Turtle pencil cases for 20p each and some nice denim address books for 49p. It's always nice to find a well stocked cache and disappointing to find tat but if that happens we TN but try to put in something a bit decent. The adults in our team don't mind just TNLNSL but if we found tat everytime the kiddies might not be so keen to come caching! Our team believes in trading fair or trading up although we have noticed that some people don't practice this. At the end of the day, there's a mixed bag of caches about and it usually pans out okay. There's only been one day when we have been out and discovered rubbish in every cache - items such as popped party poppers, faded rubbery pencil toppers, a decaying packet of seeds, etc.

March 1, 2005

I set up a series of 5 cache's last year and all were stocked quite well, on a recent maintenance visit i checked on all the cache's and they have gone down in quality what should i do as cache owner?

replace contents (which i was going to use for another series)

or archive these cache's and set up the new series

or keep these with "tat!" going and still set my new series up aswell

March 1, 2005

Replace the contents where needed and set up your new series as well

Edited March 1, 2005 by Bekandian

March 1, 2005

Replace the contents where needed and set up your new series as well

mrs p will not give me any more pocket money

1.3k · March 2, 2005

How about when setting up caches adding a bright sticker to the box somewhere asking cachers to trade fair and also adding a note to the cache list in a similar vein. Perhaps we should ask Jeremy to build an option into his newly designed site where you can select a "Please Trade Fair" feature when putting up a new listing.

6.2k · March 2, 2005

My first dupe post. Hooray! :rolleyes:

Edited March 2, 2005 by Simply Paul

6.2k · March 2, 2005

Sounds a bit like the 'Bass Boost' button on my stereo - It should be marked 'press this to make your music tinny' - It never gets pressed. Every trade should be a fair trade so a sticker on the box or note on the cache page would be a reminder, at most. Jeremy adding an option to a cache page would be asking people to choose if they want items traded fairly in their cache or not - e.g. not a sensible choice at all.

SP

1.3k · March 3, 2005

OK OK SP of TV fame ... that was a bit of a TIC (tongue in cheek) suggestion. At the end of the day, who really cares?! It's just a bit of fun. <_<

6.2k · March 3, 2005

Fair play :unsure:

SP

P.S. Oh, and it's not a bit of fun, it's practically a religion <_<

1.3k · March 3, 2005

Well show some reverence then and keep your t-shirt on .... we seen da photos! :unsure:

It Might As Well Have Been A Dustbin

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