Great work Jamie, a really good video that I know many should find useful. I too love trackables and we have a large fence-mounted box TB hotel of our own. It is not in a high traffic area, so we always discover tbs in there, do maintenance on any that need it to make sure that all visitors know immediately by looking at any what their current goal is, all have an individual baggie. We also have free palm size booklets for anyone to take that explains what a trackable is and what to do with them. They are placed in containers marked 'australia', 'overseas' and 'larger tbs'. We have another cacher who visits regularly and looks after them like we do and will pick up and drop off. Being in an out of the way location we rotate tbs often so that none sit for too long. It was great you showed and talked about the different sort of trackables. There are so many these days and many do not look like trackabIes at all. I once found one of those lego block trackables you were talking about. Hubby thought it was just a toy swag thing. But it had a number on the side so I retrieved it and before moving it on put one of our cards in a baggie with it marking its current mission on the back of the card. I notice its still moving today so I am glad I did that because otherwise I think it would be MIA by now. Another time my daughter found a new lego man overseas in a cache, took it as it was cute then realised a few days later it was a trackable with a number so we fixed it up with a card and bag so that hopefully it will not get lost. One of the cards you show at around 10.32 on your video was one we made from an online Australian site I have used many times called Vista Print, you can gets hundreds for a very small price. I agree with your idea of attaching a hitch hiker to the tags, makes them stand out just that bit more. I have found tags in caches on their own and they often get overlooked, especially the plain silver ones. I usually check the page, contact the owner and let them know I found their tag but what it was originally attached to has gone awol and would they like me to attach something else suitable. All have been thrilled that someone has gone to the trouble to try and help their tb. I always send them a photo in messages of the re-dressed tb. BTW I love the hitch hikers you make. Like those comments below I have seen them attached by chain, key ring and also by cable tie or sewn.
Pinning this comment because I think it is great on what you are doing to help keep trackables from getting mistaken for swag. You are right though. They are starting to look more and more as swag so it is important to really look them over. I wish I had some of the ones that look more like toys on me when I filmed this to show them off. I hope to visit your TB hotel someday :)
That would be so cool, if you are ever coming to NSW Australia please message, hubby and I would be more than happy to show you and Rory around our area here :)
Love this! I've actually had a coin go missing and then found at a garage sale in a box of children's toys before being rescued by a geocacher and put back out to travel again :)
I recall my first travel bug find when I first started. The travel bug had a gorgeous polished stone in the shape of a ring or donut. Not knowing how the TB thing worked, my wife wanted it and I shortly realized that this was not a tradable item, but part of the travel bug. I can see why new players would see TBs as keep items. This is great that you are making the geocaching community better and getting the 411 out there on Travel Bugs. KUDOS
I only put them in premium caches to avoid having someone find it that’s only trying out the hobby and might find it and never move it. I figure if someone is paying for a premium subscription they’re at least caching occasionally.
I am ashamed that I kept a trackable for 3 years. I messaged the owner and apologised and they were very understanding. I moved it on and it bounced about 30 miles from where I left it. I may get some of these, but I will never do the pretty ones. I think the dog tag trackables would be better since they look like something not to keep.
I have been doing this for about 3 months now. I have about 45 finds, so totally newbie at this. I ran across this video, from another video. You put alot of thought and great information out there. Thanks for that, happy travels...
Hey, thank you so much for this vid. We have just started geocaching as a family. Only 4 finds in. After watching this will try a trackable if we can find one. Sounds like a lot of fun. 😀👍
I'm just in the initial process of learning about geocaching (this is the 5th video I've watched related to geocaching. Admittedly, most of the information in the second half of the video went over my head, however I know it'll prove to be valuable information once I understand and become familiar with the geocaching app and website. Although I'm excited to begin "regular geocaching", the trackable travel bug aspect seems even more appealing. Thank you for sharing this information.
We found our first trackable last weekend on our way to Noojee in Gippsland Victoria Australia it's goal was to travel to Florence Italy and had started it's journey in America. I have an Italian background but with Covid I decided to leave the trackable there until a later date when international travel is allowed again.
thank god you came out on my feed!! I’m still a newby for geocaching in Miami so this was a great video to come across bc I had no idea how these worked :)
That is awesome! I am glad you found the video helpful. Good luck on finding some geocaches. Don't get discourage if you can't find them. I still have trouble. If possible try to start with easy 1 difficulties. Check the comments too to be sure they have been found recently.
I'm a newbie so this video was very helpful. I have seen a trackable in a cache but just left it because I didn't know what to do with it. So thanks so much!
No problem! This part of geocaching was really confusing to me at first. I hope your trackables get to travel to lots of cool places. Hopefully none go missing but that sadly happens sometimes. i have had some that i thought were missing and then start moving again years later.
Thank you for this. It has re-awakened my interest in caching. I really got into Munzee and haven't been caching so much. I will try to do more of both this Spring.
you are welcome! this is always a fun part for me with geocaching. especially if i can't get out there as much. i like to see where my travel bugs are. just sad when they go missing but it happens.
This was extremely informative and helpful for me, a new geocacher. I can't wait to find my first trackable! I see a travel bug hotel listed near my home area, so I'm going to go see if I can find it. You've really given me 'the bug' - thank you!!
Great video, I like to attached something nice to my travel bugs. When at a thrift store, I surf the jewelry cases and see if there are any necklaces with amulets that are nice and would work with a travel bug. Usually these are just a few dollars and it is a great way to add something that looks appealing without spending a much. I agree, there is a fine line between adding a special attachment to the bug and making it too nice that it disappears.
I have moved on maybe a handful (not quite a pun) of trackables, enough to know that I should just leave them be because I will forget about them. If anyone watches this video and is still confused, then they are hopelessly lost. I hope you busted out the good TH-cam tags on this one so your video shows up for people searching about trackables!
I absolutely love geocaching I keep meeting great new friends and building brand new experiences with my loved ones not to mention all of the really cool places the geocaching has taken us we never would’ve seen before.
A very good video for newbie geocachers. Your remarks and ideas about trackable maintance are also for experienced geocachers. To add a new hitchhiker or a new note is not very common. I like to see pictures of my own trackables so I always make pictures of the trackables I move forward and post them on the trackable page. Unfortunately most of my trackables are ‘lost’ because they are still in hands of geocachers. Most of them cache for a lot of years and they don’t respond to mails. Very annoying. I personally don’t like it when people log my TB’s as ‘took it to’ for more than one cache a day, but I know people who like this.
Sorry to hear your trackables are getting lost. I hope as more people learn about them they take better care of them and understand what they are. Safe travels to any trackables you still have moving around out there. :)
I have replaced travel bugs that have gone missing. I make surrogate bugs out of sheet aluminum and a metal stamp set. I take black shoe polish and fill in the stamped letters to make them more readable. I have learned to look for 2 or more of the same type of attachment trinket on the off-chance the original goes missing. Out of the 30 TBs I have out there, I have lost 4 so far in 5 years. I think that is unusually good. Part of it is I try and get them over to Germany and that area (Switzerland, Netherlands, UK, etc). I have not lost one TB after it gets over there, they take great care of TBs.
Ty 😊I'm only 2 days old in the geo world today is August 31, 2023 trackable reminded me of flat Stanley from my son's elementary class when he was little 😅 except these are way cooler!
I’m fairly new to this, I have 83 finds, my geocaching name is Jimbabwe54. I bought some trackables but I haven’t hid any yet, and I have some TO hide. I’m going to have to watch your video again, this is more difficult than I’m comfortable with but it is what it is.
This was so helpful! I still don’t totally understand why you would want to spend the time “discovering” all these trackables. It’s not really helping the trackables travel or complete their mission.
When you discover them, you get icons on your profile. Some like to do it for the icons and maybe some other reasons that I can't quite think of at the moment :) Thanks for watching and glad you found it helpful.
Let a trackable go without a baggie and goal on it. Gone at the first cache. Kid raved about finding it on the cache page...she and her dad didn't respond to my contact attempts to move it along (and he had a lot of finds). I'd suggest against attaching a cool toy...that's how mine got taken. Sad face. Total miles traveled...zero!
What is "fill a cache with swag"? As a newbie hearing this I'm puzzled as to why we're using our funds to fill a cache box with swag especially trackables, don't we need to log in these at geocache?
If you have a cache container that you are hiding that is big enough for more than a logbook, people tend to fill with items that cachers can trade for. This is just another added part of the hobby. You definitely want to at least have a log book for people to sign. You don't have to fill up anyone else's caches with swag. I will do this though if I have extra toys or trinkets on me and the cache container is looking really empty. If you take a trackable from a geocache, you should try to log it right away or at least on the same day. Be sure to log it properly. If just discovering but not moving it, log as such. If taking it with you to move to another cache log as retrieved or grabbed. Try to move the trackable to another cache where it should be safe from being stolen.
I put a bunch of trackables out when I first started geocaching. After a couple years, having lost most of them, I gave up on them completely. I haven't even considered looking at any kind of trackable in over a decade.
I think this is missing comparing numbered wooden nickels and coded pathtags. I've noticed that newbies see the numbers and assume it's a trackable. It's only when they try to log it that they realized it's SWAG.
Thanks for the great info on trackables. I thought there would be a way to interact more with a travel bug - like posting a picture of it at it’s goal location or something. I let one into the wild many years ago. It made it to Hawaii and then went missing, but I seem to remember a photo of it at the beach. I did not see a way to add a photo, but maybe I need too look again. I just picked up a traveler and want to help it with its goals. Thanks!
My first TB went missing right out the gate. Upsetting because it had a special mission. I contacted the person and asked her to log it and keep it going, but alas no results.Im about to make a proxy for it and release it again to get it going. Im a bit unsure about releasing them now, I have seen a lot that were not in the caches they were listed. .
Most of mine are still moving. Less going missing compared to those I have moving. My Geocoins though did go missing pretty quickly even though I marked them as not swag. Maybe yours will turn up again someday
I hope so. I have a geocoin, but I dont think I will send it out without making a proxy for it. they are too nice and I would think it would go missing fast
Just got into geocaching recently with my boyfriend and he got a patch to put on our tott bag. Thought it would be a fun find for others when we go to events or while we are walking around and they spot our patch. How would we log it? Since it’s not moving to different caches?
If you want to have it log miles with you wherever you go, you will log it as visited that cache or event. Others will just log it as discovered wherever they happen to spot it. Hopefully they leave a message where they happened to see it at. More than likely you will know where they spotted it at since it will always be with you. If I spot one on someones car, I usually will say where I saw their car at when I log it as discovered.
It would probably be safe putting it in a new cache. Most of the die hard geocachers will be the first ones to find it so they would know what the trackable is. I would also recommend hiding it in caches that are premium to help reduce the risk of a new geocacher mistaking it for swag while they learn about the hobby
I just started geocaching, this is really cool. I haven't run into any trackables yet but now I'll know what to do. Thanks for the informative video. I have a lot of little things I could probably make into trackables as long as I make it obvious it's a trackable. I wonder do people take pictures of trackables as a part of their goal? I think it would be cool if your goal was for the trackable to reach a particular landmark like say the Statue of Liberty and someone took a picture of it with the Statue of Liberty in the background. I don't know if the app has a feature like this but I'm wondering if this is something people do.
I am new to Geocaching so I found this informative. What if the trackable is listed as collectable? Means I can keep it? Not that I would but was not sure. Thanks for the videos.
I am glad you found this helpful. From my understanding is, if it's marked collectible it wasn't meant to go from cache to cache and the owner was going to keep it for people to discover. It is possible they marked it wrong. I would still keep it moving if it has a mission or reach out to the owner to see what they wanted to do with it :)
You hang on to that one. What some cachers do is use that tag to send out if their main one goes missing. Good luck to your travel bug on it's future adventures.
For trackable patches you would treat those as a discover only trackable. You will see these mostly at events attached to geocachers or their bags, hats, etc.
swag is what is in a geocache that you are permitted to take and keep. When you take swag, you want to replace it with another item of equal or greater value. This is just another part of geocaching. Most fill the caches with toys to make it funner for the kids but you can always spot items from time to time that may interest you.
My first Travelbug went missing a month or so after release. Been a few years now. I have one named "The Collector". I sent it out bare, and the Goal is for cachers to add hitch hikers. During its 3rd or 4th stop, the "collection" was taken as SWAG! Ugh...people...
dang that stinks. I have seen TBs and added to them myself. I hope this helps them not going missing a much. Need people to share the video to spread the word haha
Is it possible to make our own trackable by engraving or etching a code onto it or do you have to buy an official travel bug tag from the geocaching website for it to work?
Yes I have seen people buy a trackable just for the code. Keep that trackable and then etch that code into another item to travel around. There might be a way to just purchase a trackable code by itself.
Question from a newbie geocacher in Australia: I found a trackable recently however I wasn’t able to (online) retrieve it from the cache, however I physically retrieved it. I messaged the TO who is in Germany so they know I have it physically & the actual cache I retrieved it from. However what is your suggestion for me, so that I can get it in my possession online. So then I can formally visit & drop it. ?? Thank you 😊 for your video on trackables 💛
First off thank you for messaging the owner of the trackable to let them know you have it as I am sure they will get notices from others that visit that geocache next letting them know it's missing. To log it, go here www.geocaching.com/track/ and then type in the code on the back of the trackable. You will select grabbed or retreived from the options. It will then show with you. These steps can be found around the 25 minute mark on the video. th-cam.com/video/MD7lGSb4DlQ/w-d-xo.html After those steps it will show that the trackable is now with you :) You will then try to find anothe cache to put it in and then log it as dropped in that cache from the app or the website. I prefer the App because it's instant and I can do this while I am still at the cache location so I don't forget. I hope this helped. If you have any other questions, let me know. You can even message me on the geocaching website. My username is Stardustzzz
I learned a lot from this video because I didn't understand what trackables were. I am new to this Geo world and I have never seen one. I learned a few things through this video. Thanks. I just come up with something crazy. Wouldn't it be great if I, (a rookie) try to get a trackable to one of your caches? And I'm from Belgium so that could be very exciting if it worked out. Ok, stay safe, stay awesome.
If you're not finding any in your area try making your own simple geocache with a container that can hold some and put a couple in it. Make it viewable by premium only and hopefully people will follow suit and start making similar containers and moving them around.
Sure thing! There is a thinner variant of 550 cord that can be found in the jewelry/bead section of most craft stores. To secure the travel bug to the hitchhiker, utilize a loop secured together with a RUNNING DOUBLE OVERHAND. In my opinion, this works best for this application. It's a very durable, flexible, and extremely strong bond between trackable and hitchhiker. In my experience, the bead chain is typically weak and breaks easily. This is a link to how to make the RUNNING DOUBLE OVERHAND. Hope this helps out some of your viewers. P.S., you could always use this skill and 550 cord to make swag bracelets; lightweight/cheap/you can make a lot of them/they won't take up too much room in your tradable swag bag. Semper Fi and cache on! th-cam.com/video/bgNV9lmCeCw/w-d-xo.html
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) I would like to get a trackable someday but I need to think of a unique or interesting goal first. I have been trying to find a new trackable to move but lately if the cache lists one it is normally not present or it will be in the cache with no record of it on the site. Very annoying. I might borrow your trackable hotel when I make a larger geocache in the future. Thank you.
Our GS troops coins got stolen(I say that because it was an old-timer who did it) and they logged them a few times but never relinquished them or got them further on their missions. The kids were really upset.
oh no! I am sorry to hear that. I made this video to help those realize what geocoins are. Sadly, I feel like the coins get stolen more than the other trackables. You could always private message the last person that had it to see if maybe they are still holding on to them. I have had that happen. If they haven't been as active geocaching they may have forget they have them to move them. I have had some turn up with activity years later or at least months. Hopefully yours will get moving again and you get some updates.
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) tbs not TVs lol. I'm trackable or asking people to grab or discover me. WBX9FJ on geocaching.com I'd have to grab myself back though. I ended up once it the Atlantic lol!! I hope they do Jamie. Can I swap Tbs through the post with you? Want to set up a fb postal exchange. What do you guys think?
Making my first trackable, pretty sure it’ll get destroyed or go missing….I’m trying to remain optimistic….it’ll be a good social experiment, and need to remember it’s all for fun…..we’ll see
I die a little every time I see a trackable show up on a sale site! I always message the seller and the original owner to see if I can set things straight.
Your explanation of what a trackable is lackluster, if i'm going to be polite. I went through the first 1/3rd of the video and i'm still confused about all these things, and you've moved on to showing off how they look like. Are you supposed to put it back into the same cache? A different one? Why this talk about preventing people from taking them if they're supposed to be taken? What's trackable about them, it's impossible they'd have some gps chip in them? How is it supposed to get to you if it's out travelling? Is that what it's supposed to do? What do you even do with it if you find one?
Great work Jamie, a really good video that I know many should find useful.
I too love trackables and we have a large fence-mounted box TB hotel of our own. It is not in a high traffic area, so we always discover tbs in there, do maintenance on any that need it to make sure that all visitors know immediately by looking at any what their current goal is, all have an individual baggie. We also have free palm size booklets for anyone to take that explains what a trackable is and what to do with them. They are placed in containers marked 'australia', 'overseas' and 'larger tbs'. We have another cacher who visits regularly and looks after them like we do and will pick up and drop off. Being in an out of the way location we rotate tbs often so that none sit for too long.
It was great you showed and talked about the different sort of trackables. There are so many these days and many do not look like trackabIes at all.
I once found one of those lego block trackables you were talking about. Hubby thought it was just a toy swag thing. But it had a number on the side so I retrieved it and before moving it on put one of our cards in a baggie with it marking its current mission on the back of the card. I notice its still moving today so I am glad I did that because otherwise I think it would be MIA by now. Another time my daughter found a new lego man overseas in a cache, took it as it was cute then realised a few days later it was a trackable with a number so we fixed it up with a card and bag so that hopefully it will not get lost.
One of the cards you show at around 10.32 on your video was one we made from an online Australian site I have used many times called Vista Print, you can gets hundreds for a very small price.
I agree with your idea of attaching a hitch hiker to the tags, makes them stand out just that bit more. I have found tags in caches on their own and they often get overlooked, especially the plain silver ones. I usually check the page, contact the owner and let them know I found their tag but what it was originally attached to has gone awol and would they like me to attach something else suitable. All have been thrilled that someone has gone to the trouble to try and help their tb. I always send them a photo in messages of the re-dressed tb.
BTW I love the hitch hikers you make.
Like those comments below I have seen them attached by chain, key ring and also by cable tie or sewn.
Pinning this comment because I think it is great on what you are doing to help keep trackables from getting mistaken for swag. You are right though. They are starting to look more and more as swag so it is important to really look them over. I wish I had some of the ones that look more like toys on me when I filmed this to show them off. I hope to visit your TB hotel someday :)
That would be so cool, if you are ever coming to NSW Australia please message, hubby and I would be more than happy to show you and Rory around our area here :)
Love this! I've actually had a coin go missing and then found at a garage sale in a box of children's toys before being rescued by a geocacher and put back out to travel again :)
Chris Mackey what a coincidence
I love the promotion of assistance in maintaining caches. I'm a newby, but it's clear to me this is a community effort. I love it.
Thank you very much. Being a very much new geocacher, with only 10 finds, I found this very helpful.
I recall my first travel bug find when I first started. The travel bug had a gorgeous polished stone in the shape of a ring or donut. Not knowing how the TB thing worked, my wife wanted it and I shortly realized that this was not a tradable item, but part of the travel bug. I can see why new players would see TBs as keep items. This is great that you are making the geocaching community better and getting the 411 out there on Travel Bugs. KUDOS
I only put them in premium caches to avoid having someone find it that’s only trying out the hobby and might find it and never move it. I figure if someone is paying for a premium subscription they’re at least caching occasionally.
i try to do the same if I can.
Noooo
Not a bad idea. I had a nice coin go missing after someone asked to buy it. Its been gone for about 10 years now. Only got 4200 miles on it :\
Thanks for making a video. Just getting started 5 years after you posted this. I’m really enjoying my new hobby
I am ashamed that I kept a trackable for 3 years. I messaged the owner and apologised and they were very understanding. I moved it on and it bounced about 30 miles from where I left it.
I may get some of these, but I will never do the pretty ones. I think the dog tag trackables would be better since they look like something not to keep.
it would be cool to finally figure out what happened to your trackable tho
I have been doing this for about 3 months now. I have about 45 finds, so totally newbie at this. I ran across this video, from another video. You put alot of thought and great information out there. Thanks for that, happy travels...
Thank you for the info It has helped me know more about these trackables I found. Now to get them back out there.
Thank you for this! My son and I just started geocaching and I needed more info to understand trackables.
Hey, thank you so much for this vid. We have just started geocaching as a family. Only 4 finds in. After watching this will try a trackable if we can find one. Sounds like a lot of fun. 😀👍
Welcome to the fun hobby of geocaching :) thank you for watching the video. Have fun moving trackables along on their journey.
I'm just in the initial process of learning about geocaching (this is the 5th video I've watched related to geocaching. Admittedly, most of the information in the second half of the video went over my head, however I know it'll prove to be valuable information once I understand and become familiar with the geocaching app and website. Although I'm excited to begin "regular geocaching", the trackable travel bug aspect seems even more appealing. Thank you for sharing this information.
Thanks for the very informational video. "Discovered" my first trackables after watching your video.
We found our first trackable last weekend on our way to Noojee in Gippsland Victoria Australia it's goal was to travel to Florence Italy and had started it's journey in America. I have an Italian background but with Covid I decided to leave the trackable there until a later date when international travel is allowed again.
thank god you came out on my feed!! I’m still a newby for geocaching in Miami so this was a great video to come across bc I had no idea how these worked :)
One of your longest videos but needed one. Wish I saw this when I started caching
Thanks. I wish I had something like this too when I first started caching and looking for help :)
I am a beginner to geocaching so thank you for explaining!!!!
I'm a newbie who is going Geocaching for the first time tomorrow morning. Thank you for this information!!❤
That is awesome! I am glad you found the video helpful. Good luck on finding some geocaches. Don't get discourage if you can't find them. I still have trouble. If possible try to start with easy 1 difficulties. Check the comments too to be sure they have been found recently.
Found a trackable on day 1 today. Looked it up and moving it out tomorrow 😊
I'm a newbie so this video was very helpful. I have seen a trackable in a cache but just left it because I didn't know what to do with it. So thanks so much!
No problem. I am glad you found it helpful :) Have fun helping the trackable travel now.
Thanks for the video and all the helpfully info can't wait to buy one and get started
No problem! This part of geocaching was really confusing to me at first. I hope your trackables get to travel to lots of cool places. Hopefully none go missing but that sadly happens sometimes. i have had some that i thought were missing and then start moving again years later.
Thank you for this. It has re-awakened my interest in caching. I really got into Munzee and haven't been caching so much. I will try to do more of both this Spring.
you are welcome! this is always a fun part for me with geocaching. especially if i can't get out there as much. i like to see where my travel bugs are. just sad when they go missing but it happens.
This was extremely informative and helpful for me, a new geocacher. I can't wait to find my first trackable! I see a travel bug hotel listed near my home area, so I'm going to go see if I can find it. You've really given me 'the bug' - thank you!!
Great video, I like to attached something nice to my travel bugs. When at a thrift store, I surf the jewelry cases and see if there are any necklaces with amulets that are nice and would work with a travel bug. Usually these are just a few dollars and it is a great way to add something that looks appealing without spending a much. I agree, there is a fine line between adding a special attachment to the bug and making it too nice that it disappears.
I saw a trackable bowling pin once. I thought that was a nice attachment.
This was very helpful. I started geocaching last week and just got a new Travel Bug today!
I have moved on maybe a handful (not quite a pun) of trackables, enough to know that I should just leave them be because I will forget about them. If anyone watches this video and is still confused, then they are hopelessly lost. I hope you busted out the good TH-cam tags on this one so your video shows up for people searching about trackables!
Thanks I am hoping this video helps people better understand them. I tossed on as many tags as I could think of :)
I absolutely love geocaching I keep meeting great new friends and building brand new experiences with my loved ones not to mention all of the really cool places the geocaching has taken us we never would’ve seen before.
A very good video for newbie geocachers.
Your remarks and ideas about trackable maintance are also for experienced geocachers. To add a new hitchhiker or a new note is not very common.
I like to see pictures of my own trackables so I always make pictures of the trackables I move forward and post them on the trackable page.
Unfortunately most of my trackables are ‘lost’ because they are still in hands of geocachers. Most of them cache for a lot of years and they don’t respond to mails. Very annoying.
I personally don’t like it when people log my TB’s as ‘took it to’ for more than one cache a day, but I know people who like this.
Sorry to hear your trackables are getting lost. I hope as more people learn about them they take better care of them and understand what they are. Safe travels to any trackables you still have moving around out there. :)
This was a very informative video! Thank you for the trackable logs as well. Good practise for logging trackables. Haha
Glad it was helpful!
I have replaced travel bugs that have gone missing. I make surrogate bugs out of sheet aluminum and a metal stamp set. I take black shoe polish and fill in the stamped letters to make them more readable. I have learned to look for 2 or more of the same type of attachment trinket on the off-chance the original goes missing. Out of the 30 TBs I have out there, I have lost 4 so far in 5 years. I think that is unusually good. Part of it is I try and get them over to Germany and that area (Switzerland, Netherlands, UK, etc). I have not lost one TB after it gets over there, they take great care of TBs.
I always wondered why travel bugs seem to last longer over there compared to here. What are they doing differently lol I need to know :)
thank you so much for your videos, tips and inspiration.
found my first one today - in Byford West Aus - called horse play :)
Thank you. Very helpful. I'm completely new to all this. I guess I really need to go and read the official website.
Thanks for a great video for us newbies!
Ty 😊I'm only 2 days old in the geo world today is August 31, 2023 trackable reminded me of flat Stanley from my son's elementary class when he was little 😅 except these are way cooler!
I’m fairly new to this, I have 83 finds, my geocaching name is Jimbabwe54. I bought some trackables but I haven’t hid any yet, and I have some TO hide. I’m going to have to watch your video again, this is more difficult than I’m comfortable with but it is what it is.
Thanks! I bought two they are so nice! I will set them free and hope it work
Thank you for the help with trackables.
new to geocaching,,,very informative,,,,thanks for the video
Glad it helped! Have fun moving those trackables around now.
This was so helpful! I still don’t totally understand why you would want to spend the time “discovering” all these trackables. It’s not really helping the trackables travel or complete their mission.
When you discover them, you get icons on your profile. Some like to do it for the icons and maybe some other reasons that I can't quite think of at the moment :) Thanks for watching and glad you found it helpful.
People spotting them also helps the owner keep track of its whereabouts.
Let a trackable go without a baggie and goal on it. Gone at the first cache. Kid raved about finding it on the cache page...she and her dad didn't respond to my contact attempts to move it along (and he had a lot of finds). I'd suggest against attaching a cool toy...that's how mine got taken. Sad face. Total miles traveled...zero!
Liked and subbed. Total newbie, lovin your vids, learnin stuff😊
Love it and I am just starting and love the info
Where did you get that dog Travil bug
What is "fill a cache with swag"? As a newbie hearing this I'm puzzled as to why we're using our funds to fill a cache box with swag especially trackables, don't we need to log in these at geocache?
If you have a cache container that you are hiding that is big enough for more than a logbook, people tend to fill with items that cachers can trade for. This is just another added part of the hobby. You definitely want to at least have a log book for people to sign. You don't have to fill up anyone else's caches with swag. I will do this though if I have extra toys or trinkets on me and the cache container is looking really empty. If you take a trackable from a geocache, you should try to log it right away or at least on the same day. Be sure to log it properly. If just discovering but not moving it, log as such. If taking it with you to move to another cache log as retrieved or grabbed. Try to move the trackable to another cache where it should be safe from being stolen.
I put a bunch of trackables out when I first started geocaching. After a couple years, having lost most of them, I gave up on them completely. I haven't even considered looking at any kind of trackable in over a decade.
Your dad's a geocacher AND had nice handwriting!? Most awesome!
I think this is missing comparing numbered wooden nickels and coded pathtags. I've noticed that newbies see the numbers and assume it's a trackable. It's only when they try to log it that they realized it's SWAG.
I wanted to go into so much more with this video but 30 mins was long enough aahah. I originally had about 60-70 mins worth of footage.
Thanks for the great info on trackables. I thought there would be a way to interact more with a travel bug - like posting a picture of it at it’s goal location or something. I let one into the wild many years ago. It made it to Hawaii and then went missing, but I seem to remember a photo of it at the beach. I did not see a way to add a photo, but maybe I need too look again. I just picked up a traveler and want to help it with its goals. Thanks!
Great stuff!
My first TB went missing right out the gate. Upsetting because it had a special mission. I contacted the person and asked her to log it and keep it going, but alas no results.Im about to make a proxy for it and release it again to get it going. Im a bit unsure about releasing them now, I have seen a lot that were not in the caches they were listed. .
Most of mine are still moving. Less going missing compared to those I have moving. My Geocoins though did go missing pretty quickly even though I marked them as not swag. Maybe yours will turn up again someday
I hope so. I have a geocoin, but I dont think I will send it out without making a proxy for it. they are too nice and I would think it would go missing fast
Just got into geocaching recently with my boyfriend and he got a patch to put on our tott bag. Thought it would be a fun find for others when we go to events or while we are walking around and they spot our patch. How would we log it? Since it’s not moving to different caches?
If you want to have it log miles with you wherever you go, you will log it as visited that cache or event. Others will just log it as discovered wherever they happen to spot it. Hopefully they leave a message where they happened to see it at. More than likely you will know where they spotted it at since it will always be with you. If I spot one on someones car, I usually will say where I saw their car at when I log it as discovered.
Where do you buy Trackables? I’m brand new to this. I’d like to get one to travel from CA to my niece in OR.
Never mind… I found them in the site.
How do you use your own trackables and geo coins
May I create a link to your video for my newly adopted Travel Bug Hotel?
Do you recommend putting a trackable in a cache before it has logs entered or is it better to wait until more geocachers log then add it ?
It would probably be safe putting it in a new cache. Most of the die hard geocachers will be the first ones to find it so they would know what the trackable is. I would also recommend hiding it in caches that are premium to help reduce the risk of a new geocacher mistaking it for swag while they learn about the hobby
I just started geocaching, this is really cool. I haven't run into any trackables yet but now I'll know what to do. Thanks for the informative video. I have a lot of little things I could probably make into trackables as long as I make it obvious it's a trackable. I wonder do people take pictures of trackables as a part of their goal? I think it would be cool if your goal was for the trackable to reach a particular landmark like say the Statue of Liberty and someone took a picture of it with the Statue of Liberty in the background. I don't know if the app has a feature like this but I'm wondering if this is something people do.
I am new to Geocaching so I found this informative. What if the trackable is listed as collectable? Means I can keep it? Not that I would but was not sure. Thanks for the videos.
I am glad you found this helpful. From my understanding is, if it's marked collectible it wasn't meant to go from cache to cache and the owner was going to keep it for people to discover. It is possible they marked it wrong. I would still keep it moving if it has a mission or reach out to the owner to see what they wanted to do with it :)
I got a travel bug another tag came with it that says copy tag- Keep me. What do I do with that one???
You hang on to that one. What some cachers do is use that tag to send out if their main one goes missing. Good luck to your travel bug on it's future adventures.
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) thank you!
Excellent Job Jamie
Thanks! Feel free to share the video to any place you think it could help people understand TBs :)
already done :)
Any info on trackable patches?
For trackable patches you would treat those as a discover only trackable. You will see these mostly at events attached to geocachers or their bags, hats, etc.
Saw your video and learned about trackables but what is "swag" that I didn't see it explained. Ty
swag is what is in a geocache that you are permitted to take and keep. When you take swag, you want to replace it with another item of equal or greater value. This is just another part of geocaching. Most fill the caches with toys to make it funner for the kids but you can always spot items from time to time that may interest you.
"SWAG" - Stuff We All Get
like your work!
My first Travelbug went missing a month or so after release. Been a few years now. I have one named "The Collector". I sent it out bare, and the Goal is for cachers to add hitch hikers. During its 3rd or 4th stop, the "collection" was taken as SWAG! Ugh...people...
dang that stinks. I have seen TBs and added to them myself. I hope this helps them not going missing a much. Need people to share the video to spread the word haha
Trackables are like a weird ongoing experiment with passive human interaction. Sorry you got the beat end of the stick.
Skimbosh funny you should mention it. It was the butt end of a rare marching drumstick from back in the day. You're so intuitive.
But wouldn't that end be the non-"beat" end? :D
Skimbosh Huh, I read butt end.
Is it possible to make our own trackable by engraving or etching a code onto it or do you have to buy an official travel bug tag from the geocaching website for it to work?
Yes I have seen people buy a trackable just for the code. Keep that trackable and then etch that code into another item to travel around. There might be a way to just purchase a trackable code by itself.
Oh ok, that's what I was wanting to know. Thank you muches for the quick reply.
Question from a newbie geocacher in Australia:
I found a trackable recently however I wasn’t able to (online) retrieve it from the cache, however I physically retrieved it. I messaged the TO who is in Germany so they know I have it physically & the actual cache I retrieved it from. However what is your suggestion for me, so that I can get it in my possession online. So then I can formally visit & drop it. ??
Thank you 😊 for your video on trackables 💛
First off thank you for messaging the owner of the trackable to let them know you have it as I am sure they will get notices from others that visit that geocache next letting them know it's missing. To log it, go here www.geocaching.com/track/ and then type in the code on the back of the trackable. You will select grabbed or retreived from the options. It will then show with you. These steps can be found around the 25 minute mark on the video. th-cam.com/video/MD7lGSb4DlQ/w-d-xo.html After those steps it will show that the trackable is now with you :) You will then try to find anothe cache to put it in and then log it as dropped in that cache from the app or the website. I prefer the App because it's instant and I can do this while I am still at the cache location so I don't forget. I hope this helped. If you have any other questions, let me know. You can even message me on the geocaching website. My username is Stardustzzz
Instead of the little chain, I prefer to use a key ring....then I use heat shrink on the ring , but could be used on chain I suppose also
That is a good idea
Where is the best place to buy trackables?
Hi Jamie i like your beaded Zelda stuff. How can i get one that was made by you :)
ooh man I dunno. Was there one you had on mind?
I learned a lot from this video because I didn't understand what trackables were. I am new to this Geo world and I have never seen one.
I learned a few things through this video. Thanks. I just come up with something crazy. Wouldn't it be great if I, (a rookie) try to get a trackable to one of your caches? And I'm from Belgium so that could be very exciting if it worked out. Ok, stay safe, stay awesome.
Your smile is vary endearing. Just a random observation from a random artist.
Thank you :)
Can someone just let me know what state you Geocache in, and if you find many trackables? I haven't found any yet.
If you're not finding any in your area try making your own simple geocache with a container that can hold some and put a couple in it. Make it viewable by premium only and hopefully people will follow suit and start making similar containers and moving them around.
Can you do a video on Pathtags?
like this? th-cam.com/video/anoM8VO13V8/w-d-xo.html
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) OMG I totally forgot about that. My mind is still on my father inlaw and friends in Florida.
550 cord works really well as a replacement for the chain
That is a great suggestion. Thank you!
Sure thing! There is a thinner variant of 550 cord that can be found in the jewelry/bead section of most craft stores. To secure the travel bug to the hitchhiker, utilize a loop secured together with a RUNNING DOUBLE OVERHAND. In my opinion, this works best for this application. It's a very durable, flexible, and extremely strong bond between trackable and hitchhiker. In my experience, the bead chain is typically weak and breaks easily. This is a link to how to make the RUNNING DOUBLE OVERHAND. Hope this helps out some of your viewers. P.S., you could always use this skill and 550 cord to make swag bracelets; lightweight/cheap/you can make a lot of them/they won't take up too much room in your tradable swag bag. Semper Fi and cache on!
th-cam.com/video/bgNV9lmCeCw/w-d-xo.html
Found my first geocoin the other day. It was a proxy coin so the owner was able to keep the coin but have a cheap copy travel in its place.
I have seen those too. Pretty neat way to watch it travel but not worry about the real one getting stolen.
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) I would like to get a trackable someday but I need to think of a unique or interesting goal first. I have been trying to find a new trackable to move but lately if the cache lists one it is normally not present or it will be in the cache with no record of it on the site. Very annoying. I might borrow your trackable hotel when I make a larger geocache in the future. Thank you.
Ty!
Our GS troops coins got stolen(I say that because it was an old-timer who did it) and they logged them a few times but never relinquished them or got them further on their missions. The kids were really upset.
oh no! I am sorry to hear that. I made this video to help those realize what geocoins are. Sadly, I feel like the coins get stolen more than the other trackables. You could always private message the last person that had it to see if maybe they are still holding on to them. I have had that happen. If they haven't been as active geocaching they may have forget they have them to move them. I have had some turn up with activity years later or at least months. Hopefully yours will get moving again and you get some updates.
Yeh what I found so upsetting is a lot of my TVs have been archived due to missing not had a chance to come back
You don't think anyone will log them months or so from now after realizing what they have?
Rae the Random Scoper! I had a TB lost for years and it just reappeared in a cache so there is always a chance they will show up.
JamieLP3 (Stardustzzz) tbs not TVs lol. I'm trackable or asking people to grab or discover me. WBX9FJ on geocaching.com I'd have to grab myself back though. I ended up once it the Atlantic lol!! I hope they do Jamie. Can I swap Tbs through the post with you? Want to set up a fb postal exchange. What do you guys think?
RacerGirl88 I hope so !! 😊💞🙏🏻 can you grab or discover me at WBX9FJ? 😋😆
Hope you are safe in Georgia with Irma headed up there.
Thanks! It is hitting us now. Responding to as many comments as I can before we lose power...if we do :D
6:54 words are hard
ya they are
Making my first trackable, pretty sure it’ll get destroyed or go missing….I’m trying to remain optimistic….it’ll be a good social experiment, and need to remember it’s all for fun…..we’ll see
I will definitely be discoverer all of them that you showed WyattWizardKnxgirl
You should make a trackable that wants to go to the beach to sunny Florida maybe Naples Florida LOL
I had dog tags made to go onto my trackabkes that are just like those cards
I die a little every time I see a trackable show up on a sale site! I always message the seller and the original owner to see if I can set things straight.
I almost took a trackable the other day, luckily though I wasn’t interested in it
Why are trackbables made so appealing if that eye candy just encourages theft? Why not use more plain-looking objects as trackables?
Your explanation of what a trackable is lackluster, if i'm going to be polite. I went through the first 1/3rd of the video and i'm still confused about all these things, and you've moved on to showing off how they look like.
Are you supposed to put it back into the same cache? A different one?
Why this talk about preventing people from taking them if they're supposed to be taken?
What's trackable about them, it's impossible they'd have some gps chip in them?
How is it supposed to get to you if it's out travelling? Is that what it's supposed to do?
What do you even do with it if you find one?
My friend found a toy car with a tag telling the person to take it to new port
I bet toy cars get mistaken for swag a lot. I see toy cars as a very common hitchhiker on travel bugs.
Im from Québec and im hère for tours Track bug. Thé trackeble or your friend is a Jeep ??