Are there less travel bugs now?

[ZeekLTK]

I started geocaching in 2009, and although I never found a ton of caches (I just passed 200 total this year), I seemed to find a travel bug fairly regularly (in fact, I think that was the aspect that got me "hooked" - I'm always traveling, so I liked taking one with me and dropping it off in a new state). But lately, in the past year or so, I've noticed that I'm not finding hardly any TBs any more (I haven't found one at all this year yet! And I've found more caches this year than I have in any other year before!). Are there just not as many out there? Or are there so many geocachers now that they just get taken immediately when they get dropped in a cache?

 

It's also difficult to even see what caches actually have travel bugs in them, because lots of caches are marked as having a travel bug, but they don't actually have one. I think this is also making it harder to find them, because you can't even reliably look for the "has TB" icon - it's usually a false positive.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as well? Any idea why this is happening?

Edited October 14, 2013 by ZeekLTK

[+NanCycle]

I started geocaching in 2009, and although I never found a ton of caches (I just passed 200 total this year), I seemed to find a travel bug fairly regularly (in fact, I think that was the aspect that got me "hooked" - I'm always traveling, so I liked taking one with me and dropping it off in a new state). But lately, in the past year or so, I've noticed that I'm not finding hardly any TBs any more (I haven't found one at all this year yet! And I've found more caches this year than I have in any other year before!). Are there just not as many out there? Or are there so many geocachers now that they just get taken immediately when they get dropped in a cache?

 

It's also difficult to even see what caches actually have travel bugs in them, because lots of caches are marked as having a travel bug, but they don't actually have one. I think this is also making it harder to find them, because you can't even reliably look for the "has TB" icon - it's usually a false positive.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as well? Any idea why this is happening?

 

I think it is because there are so many new smart-phone cachers who take the TBs out of their first- or second-ever caches and then never drop them again because they've quit caching and gone on to something else.

[+KazumiSun]

I love tb however I have a few that are MIA....So now I. don't buy as many . Also many caches are two small to hold a TB, With A big key chain and a note saying. please don't keep me. Just todayI planted. a TB hotel cache that's 10 inch long and 4 inch wide. I made it big enough so TB lovers need not worry if it will fit.

[+wmpastor]

I started geocaching in 2009, and although I never found a ton of caches (I just passed 200 total this year), I seemed to find a travel bug fairly regularly (in fact, I think that was the aspect that got me "hooked" - I'm always traveling, so I liked taking one with me and dropping it off in a new state). But lately, in the past year or so, I've noticed that I'm not finding hardly any TBs any more (I haven't found one at all this year yet! And I've found more caches this year than I have in any other year before!). Are there just not as many out there? Or are there so many geocachers now that they just get taken immediately when they get dropped in a cache?

 

It's also difficult to even see what caches actually have travel bugs in them, because lots of caches are marked as having a travel bug, but they don't actually have one. I think this is also making it harder to find them, because you can't even reliably look for the "has TB" icon - it's usually a false positive.

 

Has anyone else noticed this as well? Any idea why this is happening?

 

I think it is because there are so many new smart-phone cachers who take the TBs out of their first- or second-ever caches and then never drop them again because they've quit caching and gone on to something else.

 

Yep, it happened to me. The n00b cacher finds the TB and announces it excitedly; soon afterward it's reported missing. Then, no more caching and no reply to my two emails, and as I later learned, no reply to a couple of emails from the person who placed it there and felt bad for me.

[+NanCycle]

Or are there so many geocachers now that they just get taken immediately when they get dropped in a cache?

 

It's also difficult to even see what caches actually have travel bugs in them, because lots of caches are marked as having a travel bug, but they don't actually have one.

Has anyone else noticed this as well? Any idea why this is happening?

 

I think it is because there are so many new smart-phone cachers who take the TBs out of their first- or second-ever caches and then never drop them again because they've quit caching and gone on to something else.

 

Yep, it happened to me. The n00b cacher finds the TB and announces it excitedly; soon afterward it's reported missing. Then, no more caching and no reply to my two emails, and as I later learned, no reply to a couple of emails from the person who placed it there and felt bad for me.

 

Yeah, the noob smart-phone cacher has not validated their email, has never visited the site, didn't actually log the TB (just mentioned it in their cache log) so it still shows as being in the cache although it has been taken.

[+Semper Questio]

With the growing problem of lost/stolen/mislogged/unlogged travelers, I know I am not too keen on spending more money on them. I imagine many other folks feel the same way.

[+kd0bik]

I just ordered several, but reading this is making me question whether I will let them out of my hands.

[+kunarion]

I just ordered several, but reading this is making me question whether I will let them out of my hands.

Just keep them. There are a bunch of cool ways to use the Travel Bugs besides donating them to sticky fingers.

[+cerberus1]

With the growing problem of lost/stolen/mislogged/unlogged travelers, I know I am not too keen on spending more money on them. I imagine many other folks feel the same way.

Yep.

My other 2/3rds (most trackables are on her separate account) finally gave up.

We're not buying any more and keeping what we have in our possession.

Other than the Geico freebie, we've lost all we paid money for and sent out.

 

I have to wonder if Groundspeak's decided which is more of a cash cow... Trackables or phone apps.

[+6NoisyHikers]

At this year's Block Party it was mentioned that Groundspeak was planning to include good-quality proxies with their trackable items in the near future. Hopefully that will make the loss of a traveller less painful to the owner because they will stil have the original item in their collection.

 

And as far as smartphone n00bs go, I completely agree. I think the demo app is the worst thing to happen to geocaching in general. To be fair, however, we've had a few of our trackables end up in the hands of trackable maniacs, who retrieve/grab/discover every trackable they see, but can't seem to move them on or help them with their goals or even take any pictures. We only take what we can handle (usually three or four) and move those on before we allow ourselves to pick up new ones.

[+NanCycle]

 

To be fair, however, we've had a few of our trackables end up in the hands of trackable maniacs, who retrieve/grab/discover every trackable they see, but can't seem to move them on or help them with their goals or even take any pictures.

 

Yeah, that too, but trackable hoarding has been going on for years; the smart-phone n00bs are a more recent addition to the problem.

[+ayrbrain]

I like to find a TB in a cache, and if possible and I know I am going out caching soon then i will take it to move on.

I have some that are MIA, but reading on here of some that turn up months or years later gives me hope for my missing TB's

 

Annoying to read in an online log that someone has written "left a TB" in a cache but do not log it properly online. It is only by asking on here or asking a friend or looking at the Q&A on the cache site that we learn how this all works.

I only manage to geocache through the autumn/winter, so i do get rusty and think 'how does this work again?' But a quick search on the internet and the answer appears. Thankfully

[+Twentse Mug]

I'm curious. How do you see on the profile the gps receiver that a cacher is using who is keeping a trackable?

[+terrkan78]

I'm curious. How do you see on the profile the gps receiver that a cacher is using who is keeping a trackable?

You generally can't see what GPS they're using from their profile (they'd have to type that info in there specifically). It shows on your own profile (assuming you told geocaching.com what kind of GPS you use), but it's not part of your public profile. Sometimes you can tell from people's logs what type of GPS they're using.

 

If your question is in response to some of the discussion about smart phone users, I think the assumption is that because travel bugs started going missing more often around the same general time frame that smart phones became popular for geocaching, that new smart phone cachers are to blame (at least in part). I started caching (with a smart phone at first) at the beginning of the smart phone geocaching explosion, so I haven't been around long enough to know if indeed trackables used to fare better before smart phones came on the scene.

 

It does seem like I find less trackables now than I did a few years ago, but I suspect the reasons for that are many. And my own caching habits have changed since then, too - so maybe I'm just not hitting the right type of caches anymore to find trackables. I'm pleasantly surprised when I find one.