Trackables

The name comes from the English word “track”, because these are items that travel from cache to cache. If you take any object and attach a special metal tag to it, you create a travel bug. The tag has a unique “birth” number stamped on it, used for logging the item and tracking its journey. You can follow its travels in detail on its page at geocaching.com — on the map and in the logs.

A geocaching coin — a so-called geocoin — can travel as well, with one difference: it does not need a tag, because the tracking code is stamped directly on the coin. Geocoins are small pieces of art and are usually minted in larger quantities. Because they have a higher value, it is quite common that coins “mysteriously” disappear from caches. That is why some cachers send laminated paper copies of the original coins instead — or they do not send them out at all and keep them in a personal collection. You can sometimes see such collections at events and log the coins you have seen.

The most common trackables are travel bugs and geocoins, but there are many other types. A tracking number can be stuck on, engraved, or stitched onto practically anything: a car, a T-shirt, a bicycle, a hiking pole, a dog collar — or even tattooed on your arm.

Although trackables are placed into caches, unlike regular cache contents they are not meant for classic trading. If you place a trackable into a cache, it does not mean you should take something else in exchange.

I found a trackable. What should I do with it?

If you have internet access, go to geocaching.com and choose Find trackables from the menu. Enter the tracking number and read the goal of its journey.

If you can help the item move toward its goal, take it with you. If not, leave it in the cache.

When you log a trackable with a Retrieve log, you virtually remove it from the cache and it appears in your inventory.

Logging options

Retrieve – when you take the item from a cache.

Discovered – when you only see the item.

Grab – when the item is listed in a different location online.

Visited – when the item travels with you but is not dropped.

Dropped off – when you place it into a cache.

Missing – when the item is lost.

Collectible – for items kept in private collections.

Unwritten rules

Move trackables on as soon as possible.

Log only items you have physically handled.

Activating a new geocoin

Before a geocoin can travel, it must be activated on geocaching.com. The activation code is usually included in the packaging.

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