Vehicle Static Cling/Decal/Magnet Travel Bugs?

[+imahappycamper]

I recently purchased a travel bug window sticker. It came with a set of travel bug dogs tags as well. I will put the sticker on my car, but am I also supposed to release the travel bug into a cache?

[+BlueDeuce]

Nope, you can't release more than one bug with the same number. You have the tags so that in case you decide to stop using your car TB you can re-release it as standard traveler.

 

Just throw them in a drawer for now.

Edited December 15, 2009 by BlueDeuce

[+Minimike2]

What kind of plastic is 'cling' plastic? Is it inkjet printable?

 

Thinking up something here. I know I can print an iron on transfer to make a shirt a TB.

[+Hildy Boys]

I bought a window sticker one too, but not thinking I put them on my tinted windows and have now realized you can barely see them. So I am gonna take the tags and release them, and I will just use it as a regular TB.

 

Now I have to order another sticker one, and this time put it on the back hatch of my truck.

[+Castle Mischief]

What kind of plastic is 'cling' plastic? Is it inkjet printable?

 

Plastic sheets that stick to surfaces via static cling. There is no adhessive on the "sticker" and it can be removed and placed again and again. Similar to, but thicker than plastic wrap.

 

If you're old enough, think "Colorforms".

[+Minimike2]

Thanks, I understand cling plastic, but my question was what is it. Would printing the bug an tracking number on a piece of paper or plastic and sandwiching (inside the window) a piece of plastic wrap work? Is there inkjet printable cling type plastic?

[kaosdv8]

I have a question for all those Geo-Junkies out there just like me. I bought a TB for my truck so that the whole vehicle is the TB. Do any of you have one, or has anyone come across one. How does it work. I set one up but I would like to find out as much as I can. So if I did anything wrong I need to change it......Thank You

[+BlueDeuce]

They are primarily designed to be Discovered by cachers who happen to come across it. They wouldn't Grab it away and log it through a cache unless they took your truck 4-wheeling.

 

It's comes with a set of dog tags so that if you decide to stop using your car as a TB you can release it as a normal bug.

[+LandStar]

Yep, they are easy to activate, just like a regular TB. As the owner you can dip it (log it in and then out of a cache) every now and then for mileage. Some people set up their own guidelines, such as the vehicle (TB) must have come within x number of feet of the actual cache in order to 'dip' it into that cache.

 

Once on the vehicle the TB can be seen and 'discovered' by fellow cachers who will easily recognize it. I recently attended my first geo-event and I noticed a couple as we pulled into the parking lot.

Cachers make a log entry as 'discovered it' and then usually make some comments about where they saw it or what they were doing at the time.

 

FYI : I have also met a cacher with a TB shirt, one with TB hat and another with a TB walking stick. Two days back I came across a 6ft wooden pirate TB. You can discover it at the establishment located near GC1VY7W, The Ships Chamber. I guess almost anything can be a TB!

Edited December 25, 2009 by LandStar

[+Paxton15]

I am new to this but I bought a car decal and I was just wondering what I should put in the description/misssion are on the webpage..thanks!

[+BlueDeuce]

Here are some examples of what others a re doing:

 

99 lovers TB

 

Subaru Outback Tag

 

GMC Sierra - Aggie Wanderer Edition

 

Travel Bug Window Decale

 

StarBrand's Ride #1

 

_TeamFitz_ Toyota Rav4

[+Paxton15]

Thanks that was really helpful!

[+doc68]

The one from my vehicles;

 

Current GOAL: To explore and cache the United States. If you see me driving around, feel free to log me and let me know where you saw me.

 

About this item:

This will be on my vehicle and will be along for all caching that Docster68 and family venture out on.

[+FatCat2]

So, when ou see a vehicle travel bug decal I presume you must record the secret number in order to log it as a find, but how you do you log the location? Does that matter? Or I just mention when I write the log?

Edited December 27, 2009 by FatCat2

[+BlueDeuce]

So, when ou see a vehicle travel bug decal I presume you must record the secret number in order to log it as a find, but how you do you log the location? Does that matter? Or I just mention when I write the log?

 

Mileage/location is only tracked through caches. You'll just have to mention where you saw it.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Why worry about the decal being swiped from your vehicle?

 

Do this instead -------------

 

 

 

[Dr. Long]

Thats hard core man!!

[+Pipit Patrol]

Magnetic or "cling" travel bugs are now available. They come with normal travel bugs (2) as well, that have the same number.

 

The implication here is that the normal travel bug is launched in the normal fashion. The magnetic travel bug is then attached to your car.

 

So, the normal travel bug will be logged in the normal way by people.

 

The one stuck on your car? Is this logged in the same travel bug log? What is logged - just the sighting? Is there a real example I could look at somewhere?

 

Bit confused over this.....

[+briansnat]

Moving to a more appropriate forum

[+StarBrand]

The idea of tagging your vehicle is sort of allowing folks the opportunity to log that they spotted you somewhere (or at least your car while you were off on some god forsaken trail slogging through the mud and freezing drizzle with a bleeding arm after running into that hidden barb wire fence and missing one of your good shoes in the ooze of some chemical waste somebody illegal dumped in the 40 acre nature perserve that has a 10 stage multi cache).

 

No - don't send out the metal tags - put them on the mirror in the car.

[+BlueDeuce]

Magnetic or "cling" travel bugs are now available. They come with normal travel bugs (2) as well, that have the same number.

 

The implication here is that the normal travel bug is launched in the normal fashion. The magnetic travel bug is then attached to your car.

 

So, the normal travel bug will be logged in the normal way by people.

 

The one stuck on your car? Is this logged in the same travel bug log? What is logged - just the sighting? Is there a real example I could look at somewhere?

 

Bit confused over this.....

 

Per guidelines you cannot release multiple bugs with the same tracking number.

 

The extra set of tags is if you should decide to stop using your car as a TB, you can re-release it as a normal travel bug. Just throw them in a drawer until you should need them.

 

Car TB's are normally Discovered by people who come across it. They would not Retrieve it or move it to a cache. Unless they decided to take your car 4-wheeling.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

The tags come because that is how the makers of the magnet got the numbers to use. It is not intended for them to travel seperrately from the car.

[+Pipit Patrol]

Thank you all!

 

First explaination I had - could not find anything else anywhere.

 

Will now launch it!!!!

[+jgrab81]

I tried to log a TB sticker I saw on the back of a car, but when I enter the tracking number it says it's invalid, I've tried it 3 or 4 times. any ideas? perhaps they forgot to activate it?

[+BlueDeuce]

Check for things like 8 vs B, 1 vs l, 5 vs S, 0 vs O, etc.

[+Eartha]

I am taking the last nine (9) threads (that's as far back as I thought necessary to search) asking about vehicle TBs and merging them all together in one big lump. Any future vehicle TB threads will be merged into this thread.

[+Eartha]

Added a few more threads.

[+Castle Mischief]

I wonder if Groundspeak would consider sending out usage instructions along with the vehicle TB stickers they sell...? It does seem to come up a few times here and there.

[+SubyJeff]

I wonder if Groundspeak would consider sending out usage instructions along with the vehicle TB stickers they sell...? It does seem to come up a few times here and there.

Plus, it's not even explained on the Travel Bug FAQ nor the How to Log a Travel Bug

 

they don't explain what to do at all.

 

if they are going to sell these things then it needs to be explained correctly in the FAQ as well as the How to Log to help get rid of all this confusion.

 

when I get one, I'm going to try to accurately describe on my cache page to post the log as a Discovery

[+gum-nuts]

I have seen TB car stickers in some of the on-line shops - are they just a sticker to say "hey look I am a geocaher!" or do they work as a proper TB with a unique identifier?

 

How do you log them? What is there purpose?

[+BlueDeuce]

Car TBs are for that chance occurrence when another cacher happens to see it. They log a Discover and do not Grab it into their possession.

[+StarBrand]

Log them like any trackable - but you can only discover them. I'll call the cops if you try to "grab" or pickup my Jeep!!

 

Just a way of saying you met me.

[+jazzmonster]

... just wondering how popular they are?

 

If you have one, has anything bad / weird happened as a result?

 

jazzmonster

[+larryc43230]

... just wondering how popular they are?

 

If you have one, has anything bad / weird happened as a result?

 

jazzmonster

I don't have one (yet), but I do have a "GEO" sticker on the back of my SUV and a license plate that reads "2CACHE". I figure both give away what I do in my spare time. After more than two years with both in plain view, I haven't had anything bad happen to either me or my car (nothing I could attribute to those things, anyway ).

 

As to the possibility of attracting weird stalkers, I'm still listed in the phone book white pages. What, me worry?

 

--Larry

[+leejas72]

I haven't heard of this TB. What is it?

[+The Jester]

I've had one for the last two years. I've even moved it to a rental for a trip across Canada. The only problem I have is the odd charaters that come up and want to talk about some odd game using a GPS and hidden boxes...

[+Castle Mischief]

Q&A ABOUT VEHICLE TBs

 

Travel Bug sub-forum.

Edited February 4, 2010 by Castle Mischief

[+Castle Mischief]

Q&A ABOUT VEHICLE TBs

 

Travel Bug sub-forum.

[+leejas72]

Q&A ABOUT VEHICLE TBs

 

Travel Bug sub-forum.

 

Thanks

[knowschad]

I don't get it... how would a car thief or "wierdo stalker" make use of a travel bug on your car? Look up your geocaching profile? Send you an email from there? I don't get it.

[+StarBrand]

I don't get it... how would a car thief or "wierdo stalker" make use of a travel bug on your car? Look up your geocaching profile? Send you an email from there? I don't get it.

Me either.

 

I have the TB stickers in my windows on my Jeep and the only weirdos that I have come in contact with are Random cachers asking me my username?? (and they are no weirder than I am!)

[+Triskeles]

Was at a Cito event this past weekend, and two vehicles had 'em. We thought they were cool, and took pictures with my camera phone so I could log them later. Which reminds me...I was going to go order my own. Thanks for the reminder!!

[ThomasFamily102]

We have one on our truck. When we go to events people discover it. Its alot of fun to come home one day and someone logged it saying they saw it at like walmart or something.

[+Castle Mischief]

I don't get it... how would a car thief or "wierdo stalker" make use of a travel bug on your car? Look up your geocaching profile? Send you an email from there? I don't get it.

 

This reminds me of the "don't save your home location on your GPS device" warnings that I see from time to time.

 

Crazy stalker werdos were following you around just fine before you bought that Nuvi or put that TB sticker on your window. They already knew were you lived. Sheesh.

[+baja_Traveler]

I've had one on my truck for two years now, and I do alot of miles every year, so the truck is on the road more than the average vehicle. To this day my Truck TB has zero miles on it, as nobody has noticed the TB magnet right in the middle of my tailgate!

I've read other threads claiming the same experience as mine - the only place vehicle TB's get noticed usually is at cache events.

[Keystone]

Moved from Geocaching Topics forum.

[Keystone]

Moved from Geocaching Topics forum.

[+Harry Dolphin]

I've had one on my truck for two years now, and I do alot of miles every year, so the truck is on the road more than the average vehicle. To this day my Truck TB has zero miles on it, as nobody has noticed the TB magnet right in the middle of my tailgate!

I've read other threads claiming the same experience as mine - the only place vehicle TB's get noticed usually is at cache events.

 

I've 'discovered' two so far. One was at a CITO event. The other was while driving down Rte 36. "Pull up close at the next light, so I can read the TB number!"

[+NatureGuy360]

I bought one of the standard travel bug vehicle decals. The decal came with two other actual travel bug dog tags with the same tracking number that is on the decal.

 

Personally, I did not want my car to be discovered, so I cut the tracking number off of the decal before I applied it to my car. That way people can identify me as a geocacher without tracking my car too.

 

I just saved the dog tags themselves, and will use them on a separate item just like any other travel bug.

 

However, you can turn your car into a "travel bug" so that other geocachers can see the tracking number, and log that they discovered your car.

Edited February 4, 2010 by heyjonathan101

[TravelingGeoTrio]

I've had one on my truck for two years now, and I do alot of miles every year, so the truck is on the road more than the average vehicle. To this day my Truck TB has zero miles on it, as nobody has noticed the TB magnet right in the middle of my tailgate!

I've read other threads claiming the same experience as mine - the only place vehicle TB's get noticed usually is at cache events.

Good to know. I was thinking about doing the same on our truck. I average 50,000 miles per year, so it also sees quite a few miles. If they don't get noticed from normal every day driving, caching, and shopping, then I won't waste my time on one.