sporfrog

When I am geocaching with the app, I prefer to write a draft log after a find (or DNF) with notes about cache and the experience. Later, often when I am back in service, I review the drafts, write a few more details and post the log. I would like to be able to do the same with trackables. Unfortunately there does not seem to be an equivalent for TB logs. It would be great if TB logs had the same draft log now, then post later option. The app is getting better all the time. I am hopeful this features makes it into a future release.

I have been using the app for a little while now, but just recently used it to log TB's. I noticed that when logging a TB, it appears the date is one day off - in the future. Maybe it is a timezone thing or something. I just scanned through the forum and it appears date has been an issue with the app for a while. Getting date right should be pretty easy. Looking forward to the update the fixes it.

I was reading the forum and discovered this post so I took a look at my recent TB logs. It does appear to still be an issue. I used the official app to log TB's just a few days ago and the date for all the logs is one day off. Grrr. How does an app get the date wrong? Hopefully it is something stupid like using the wrong time zone or something. Now, do I go back and fix all the dates, or just let it be? Bummer.

You are "people" so at least someone does! That's a good idea! Of the 17 trackables I have found, only one had such a tag. I was not originally impressed by the idea because the info tag was in horrible shape and barely readable. The trackable was only about a year old. I suppose that depends a lot on how big the add-on tag is and how it is laminated. For those really concerned about their trackables and want them to stay moving as long as possible, this can only help. I may try this next time!

Yes, Groundspeak should add "Do Not Keep Me" on every trackable tag! Add that to the list of things that would help. The old classic aluminum colored tags still say that, however a very high percentage of all the others do not.

While Red Starred's post may seem a little extreme it does have some merit. It would be nice if somehow cachers were encouraged to maintain an email address. I suspect many don't answer communication because they entered a netzero.net email address long ago and have never gone back to change it to their new email address. Nobody wants a pesky trackable owner bothering them, but at the same time a simple inquiry should be possible. Groundspeak could also do a little bit more to make trackables easier to understand. Make it clear they are not swag. Make it clear what they are. Improve the instructions for logging a trackable and reduce the number or clicks to get there. Fix the confusion around "Collectible Preference" - which should be reworded "OK to Keep?" and default to NO. Given the nature of our game, I don't think "HQ" can prevent trackables from going missing, but there is some room for improvement. Remember though...it is just a game! Have fun!

Of course, check for common mis-entries per NanCycle's post. Good suggestion! After that I would hold on to it for a couple of weeks, maybe a month to see if the owner ever activates it and if the primary tag ends up in a cache. If so contact the trackable owner and let them know you have it. If not I would probably just discard it in the metal recycle bin. The confusion that could be created by having the both the primary and copy tag out in the wild at the same time is not worth the risk of activating it yourself and sending it out.

To drop the Tracking Bug using the website, you will enter a "Dropped Off" log at the same time you log the cache find. The trackables in your inventory that you can drop off are automatically listed for you when you start the found log for the cache. Feel free to screen the geocache and select a good one to drop off the trackable. I like to check how often it is visited and if there are other trackables listed in the cache but not likely there. I don't like to drop it in a heavily trafficked cache if it looks likely to go missing. I also don't like to drop them in a cache that rarely gets visited. It's a balance. Of course if the mission is to visit as many caches as possible it may be best to drop it in a high visit cache and hope for the best. For my trackables I like visit logs to a point. I would rather know it is active in the game while a geocacher is waiting for the perfect spot to drop it. Further if you find a TB in California that wants to visit all 50 states, there is nothing wrong with visiting it in Oregon on your way to Washington. Good luck and welcome to the game!

Unfortunately that is kind of the norm for trackables. They seem to go missing, get improperly logged, or end up in someone's pocket. It seems especially true for Geocoins. It's probably best to never assume you will see your trackable item or hitchhiker again. I have found a few this year - but I often go looking for them. Regarding caches that list trackables but don't have them...everyone can help. I suspect if the cache inventory was accurate it would not seem like so many are missing. If you run across such a cache you can let the cache owner and the trackable owner know the trackable is not there. Either can mark the item missing which will remove it from the cache inventory but NOT remove it from the game. Good Luck! I hope you run across a trackable soon!

You are right, the official app does not show you YOUR trackables, only trackables in inventory that you can leave in a cache or visit. This might be a better topic in the app forums. Groundspeak Forums > Bug Reports and Feature Discussions > [Android or iPhone] > Geocaching® [Android or Iphone] App.

I'm not sure that is a good idea. You never know if the original will be found. I found a trackable once that had been lost for 2 years. Others have stories of their own trackables not being logged for years then all of a sudden getting found. If you have two trackables out there with the same number, the logs and maps are going to get very confusing. I thinks it's probably best to buy another trackable item and send it out instead of reusing a tracking number.

Consider it this way...Not everyone who finds it can move it to the UK. And once it is there does it only want to stay in the UK? As others have said, find a cache that may be a bit closer or a cache that is more likely to have a UK bound visitor like closer to an airport. I'm sure the owner will be happy that it has been dropped in a new cache and that it is still out there and not lost.

Contact the cache owner if the cacher is unable or unwilling to change the log. Maybe contact the cacher again. Explain the importance of keeping that number confidential, and thank them for moving your trackable. When contacting a newbie (presumably) be sure to be polite. Once I made a mistake and got several rather hateful "you're a dumba**" kind of emails. It sort of turned me off for a while. Eventually I realized I still liked the game and corrected my mistake. A simple, kind message that also educates can go a long way. Nobody wants to feel stupid. Good luck!

So, your trackable has not been logged in six months, even though the cache it's in is found once a week. Finally an email arrives. A fellow geocacher writes a log that “Mr Bunny Foo Foo” is not in the cache. What!?! He never even left the state! Bummer! It’s probably time to mark Mr Bunny Foo Foo as missing. It’s OK. Marking a trackable missing does not remove it from the game! Let me repeat… marking a trackable missing does not remove it from the game. It simply removes it from the online inventory of the cache where it is listed as being, but is not actually there. The trackable is then moved to an "unknown" location which is accurate - since it is, well, unknown. This is not the same as archiving a cache. If the trackable is found again a geocacher can "Grab" it and then "Drop" it in another cache. Miles will accumulate, the map will update and all will be well again. Different people play the game differently. Some go out looking for trackables to pick up and move along. It is frustrating when a cache is supposed to have a trackable but actually doesn't. If your trackable is missing, go to its page on geocaching.com and “Mark Item Missing”. Hopefully it will show up some day in some far away cache and continue the mission. https://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=152

The words chosen make a difference. Maybe instead of "Collectible Preference" (which is vague) it could be a simple question. "Can this trackable be kept?" Make it default to NO. In the app screen shot where circled in a previous post "Can I keep it?"... The answer should be "No! Unless the owner has specifically indicated so." If an owner wants to keep it themselves, mark it YES and move to their collection. If the owner is OK with someone else keeping it mark it YES and place it in a cache. Besides the keeping part, the app instructions in the screen shot do seem to be simple and maybe could be a model for the website link on each trackable!

Every geocacher was once a newbie and if they keep playing eventually finds their first trackable. I remember when I ran across one the first time. I recall reading about them previously, months prior, but really didn't know what to do. I remember reading through long complicated instructions when all I really wanted to do was finish my logging. Making it easy to determine what to do with it is not dumbing-down anything. Good simple easily available instructions that properly educate newbies benefits everyone and only makes the game better.

My post may have been confusing. Oops! I didn't mean the geocache's inventory. I meant the "My Trackable Inventory" in the Geocaching app. In the Geocaching app click the menu button (3 horizontal bars) then click your Profile Photo. It will show the trackables in inventory and collection. On the website they are labled "Trackable Inventory" and "Trackable Collection". I think it might be easier if it only showed Trackable Inventory.

I'm not sure I see the problem with visiting a trackable at various caches as you move it closer to it's mission or goal. What's wrong with knowing where a trackable has been? Why does it have to be caches it has been in? Obviously anything can be overdone and the so called "armchair" problem is in fact a problem. If you pick up a trackable in California that wants to visit every state and you are driving to Washington, what is wrong with visiting it in Oregon on your way? I agree that it should not be automatic "dip every TB in your possession into every cache". It should be a choice the holder makes individually for each trackable they have, for each cache they find and ideally logged uniquely.

Use a Pocket Query. You probably need to be a premium member to do this... 1) Play -> Pocket Queries. (Under the Play menu on the geocaching.com home page select Pocket Queries) 2) Click [Create a new Query] 3) Name the Query something like "Nearby Trackables" 4) Keep the default selections for Days, Types, etc. 5) Under the "That (and)" section, check "Have Travel Bugs" 6) In the "From Origin" box select or enter something. Select "My Home Location" or enter a postal code. 7) Change the radius as needed. Often the default of 100 miles is too big. 8) Click [submit Information] 9) At the top in green letters click the "preview the search here" link The next time you want to check, assuming the same location, just click the name of your Pocket Query -> [submit Information] -> preview the search here. This, of course, shows you the caches that are listed as having a trackable. If you are seeking one out it is a good idea to look at the logs of the trackable and the cache to determine if the trackable is likely really there. For example if the cache is visited once a week and the latest trackable log is a year old, it probably isn't there. If you do go to a cache that is supposed to have a trackable, and doesn't it can be helpful to let the trackable owner (and others) know via a "Write Note" log.

Thanks for replying! Yes that is true, but it goes to the general Trackables page that allows the reader to do a lot of different things (There are 16 links plus three fields to enter data.) It can be confusing. My thought is the link should take the reader to a simple "How To" page so they don't have to decide what to click next.

First off another thanks for fixing the issue with "Klingy Trackables"! One more minor yet related thing... I don't know if the design is intentional or not, but collected trackables show up in inventory in the app. On the website they are listed separately. Generally when I am out Geocaching I don't want to interact with the trackables in my collection - only those in inventory. It might be nice if the collected trackables don't show up in inventory in the app to keep the list shorter. I am trying to think of negative consequences, but can't really right off hand.

I'm kind of on a mission to make Trackables simply work better. There are a lot of things that could help. Here is one that may help them not get "lost"... I am only guessing, but I suspect that most trackable owners do not want their trackable collected, and instead want it to go from cache to cache. I have no idea if that is 60%, 80% or nearly all. Anyone know? Assuming it is most, it seems like the default setting when activating a trackable should reflect what most owners want - not collectible. Further, why is there an unset, "The owner hasn't set their collectible preference.", setting? Seems like it should be binary - collectible or not. Make sure you set this setting to match your preference!

I'm kind of on a mission to make Trackables simply work better. There are a lot of things that could help. One is the link on every trackable page that reads "First time logging a Trackable? Click here.". Couldn't this link point to something better? Why does it go to the general Trackables page and not to a "How To" page. Since logging geocoins and other trackables is exactly the same, point it to a simple page about "What to do if you find a trackable" or "How to log a trackable". Keep it simple. Make it easy for new geocachers to figure out how to log trackables! Make it a responsive page so it is readable on a smartphone as well as a computer. Help newbies keep trackables moving! Whew...that felt like a rant. It wasn't intended to be. (:

The update today fixed the trackable inventory problem. Thanks!

I am experiencing the same issue even after the update yesterday. The inventory in the app says I have 7 trackables. However 2 of them are ones I released earlier in April and are currently in a cache - not in my inventory. The website shows this correctly. Helping trackables travel around is one of my favorite parts of this game. It is a bummer when they get lost or mis-logged. This app needs make the trackable logging process easier, not confusing. An inaccurate inventory list is confusing.