Team cards cuasing a problem.

[Damo.]

When caches were few and large enough to actually hold stuff it was not an issue.
The 2 dogs team used to leave a calling card of a carved and painted wooden Hounddog and Snifter which was cute. Obviously they had put a lot of effort into making them. When I found a new cache and was looking through the contents I'd spot a little snifter in the bottom and know they had been there before me.
I haven't really been bothered by calling cards in my caches. Seems like a better choice to use a sticker or stamp in the log book though.

[RobWinmar]

Ah, so it's not just me who thinks they're a pain then! But then I think half the stuff in caches is a pain, particularly when it makes it difficult to shut the lid.

[roundcircle]

I think they are just cache litter. They seem to be dropped into micros and small caches at the same rate as the larger caches. And it doesn't take long before there's quite a collection in some areas. I have often thought of taking them out, but figure it's not my cache and just because I don't like them doesn't mean it's unreasonable for others.

[CraigRat]

I used t put them in larger caches I really enjoyed back when I first started, but nowadays I don't. Used to love seeing the cards from other cachers too, but in smaller caches, these things are a pain.
(I do miss signature trade items though... that's something thats almost gone the way of the dodo)

[Rabbitto]

I ended up following a day behind another team on a geocaching trip earlier in the year.

They put a team card in every cache.

They put their team card in the logbook on the first blank page.

They were small.

I would open up the log book to sign the log.

Their team card would fall out onto the floor.

I would have to pick it up and put it back into the cache (not into the log book)

No matter how many caches I went to I would always forget about this until the team card actually fell out.

I followed them for around 60 odd caches.

I am not saying how I voted.

[stringy]

I am sick of them,

The Log Book in the cache is for people to write in them not, put your card in the cache quickly and go.

Thats what a log book is for, otherwise don't have a log book then.

[Alansee]

.
I don't like them.

They create litter, and whenever I maintain a cache I remove them.

One similar thing that annoyed me was one or two teams who cut a shape out of a page with a stamper. They always left the tiny cut out bit to create a problem! Haven't seen it for a while.

[Dvixen]

I'm not fond of them at all. They so often end up outside the cache, and having to CITO at a cache site something another cacher left... Yeah. (If they are taped into a logbook of an appropriate size, no worries!)

I had a punch (origami crane) that I used, but I quickly realised it wasn't a great idea, cut out pieces create the same sort of trash. It lasted two caches before I relegated it to home only use. Stickers are an idea I am playing with - if I can guarantee to myself that I won't be leaving stickers backs behind by accident.

[If]

Woo Hoo !!
Someone else has brought up a topic that annoys me, but I was too scaredy cat to address
The whole idea of finding a cache is to make swaps (optional) and sign the logbook
Leaving a card is just plain olde gen Y laziness
And yes they do fall out of caches and litter the landscape.
On a plus side the very presence of a previous finder's calling card has, on occasions, revealled the caches hiding spot for me
Trash In, Cache Out

[SA_ParrotHead]

[Maybe having a gallery to publish offenders cards in would discourage them![/quote]

Perhaps people just like to leave something of themself behind. We have a stamp and had it made because we like our icon and want it to be part of what geocaching is all about, and that is the individuality of it. With the increasing popularity of pathtags perhaps cachers will take to using these more than cards. Personally I like looking at the cards to see who has been before me and the creative aspects of the team cards because some put effort into them. I like traditional caches with things in them, I'm sick of nanos and micros, I find them boring. The pirate in me wants to find treasure, and cards are other peoples treasures and so I'm happy to find them and I'm happy to take the time to pick them up should they fall out. I would not like to think that we reach a point of having the geocaching police come after us because we like to leave something of ourselves behind and for something that probably brought a smile to a face when they see their final product made and ready for placing. Remember there are children who play this and they may like to make these as their contribution. Publicly humiliating people is not in keeping with the community spirit of the game.
Mrs Parrot

[gmj3191]

I bought a stamp about 4 or 5 years ago (see my avatar). The ink is lasting well, but I'm not a maniacal cacher, and only find a few each month.
If I did it again, I may get a spot for the date and time included.
I usually put most of my notes in the gc.com log rather than the cache log.

As I recall, I just did a rough drawing of what I wanted, and they copied it pretty much exactly.
There are any numbers of companies that make them. I think I used one in the northern suburbs of Melbourne.

[delboy1203]

This thread has inspired me to put my phone number in each of my caches so that if people are having trouble finding it they can call me .........

Bit hard to call you for help when they need to find the cache to get your number...

I usually put most of my notes in the gc.com log rather than the cache log.

Same here. I usually write my team name and time I log the cache and whether I take a TB or coin out. The rest of the info goes onto GC.com log.

[The Ducks Nuts]

Hi all am only new here, but will throw my two cents in for what its worth. I can see how these calling cards would become a pain, but then again if there a other people around who dont play the game i would rather the calling card put in from them than to have them busted trying to sign the log book. I think that its just one of those things that we will have to put up with like catching every red light that we come too. Maybe another way is to have something on the Cache lid that lets others know that the owner dont want calling cards left. If i ever hide my own cache i would welcome them and make sure that my cache is either alittle bigger to handle these cards or i will check on it more often to clean it out as part of a maintenance thing. If putting a calling card into a cache makes someone happy doing that then i say let them do that.
Maybe these people with the calling cards could have them made smaller. I say lets keep the game fun.

[swampgecko]

An interesting topic, I have never used a "team Card" I have a hole punch and a stamp of a swampgecko(What some of my NQ friends use to call crocodiles), but I haven't used them in quite a while.

The Team cards are a pain in the caching rump. They fill the cache up with needless paper and could eventually become geolitter,( and this says a lot about the geocachers who allow the cards to escape from the cache and not pick them up). I think I'll be taking them out whenever I find them loose in future.

[Richary]

I had some made, and I usually have a few in the wallet with me. However after various negative comments over the past couple of years on this topic I tend not to use them. The exceptions may be a large cache interstate/overseas, or if I rock up to a cache and have forgotten my pen (or the stupid thing decides to die there) and the cache doesn't have one in it. Or the logbook is too wet to write in.

So I use them as a backup option these days when normal logging methods fail.