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What's the purpose of making clothing trackable?


black_cat1

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Hi! I'm pretty new to geocaching (less than 10 finds so far) But I'm excited to keep going! I'm diving right off the deep end and already brainstorming/daydreaming about trackables, and I've been checking out the official store. I noticed that there are trackable patches you can get for clothing. I've done some looking, and I now know how to make myself into a trackable with a trackable tattoo, but I'm still not clear on how others can track that trackable? Like if you're wearing your shirt/hat/have your tattoo, how do other people track it? Sorry if this is a kinda dumb question!

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Hello, and welcome to geocaching!

 

A fun thing about trackable clothing, patches, vehicles, hiking sticks, name badges, dog collars, etc. is the ability to "discover" them when you meet another geocacher - whether on the trail or at an event cache.  I see you haven't attended any event caches yet - which makes sense, given what the pandemic has done to the social aspect of geocaching.  Once the world gets back to normal and events become a thing again, I encourage you to attend one. 

 

As a veteran geocacher, I stopped retrieving and dropping trackables in geocaches a long time ago.  But I LOVE discovering trackables at events, to memorialize all the great people I've met.

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5 minutes ago, Keystone said:

Hello, and welcome to geocaching!

 

A fun thing about trackable clothing, patches, vehicles, hiking sticks, name badges, dog collars, etc. is the ability to "discover" them when you meet another geocacher - whether on the trail or at an event cache.  I see you haven't attended any event caches yet - which makes sense, given what the pandemic has done to the social aspect of geocaching.  Once the world gets back to normal and events become a thing again, I encourage you to attend one. 

 

As a veteran geocacher, I stopped retrieving and dropping trackables in geocaches a long time ago.  But I LOVE discovering trackables at events, to memorialize all the great people I've met.

Oooooh! That makes much more sense!! I had been thinking of them in the way of other trackable, where you move them around.  I'd love to go to an event, but, as you pointed out, the pandemic doesn't exactly like those plans. 

 

It might be because this is all new and exciting, or because the idea of connecting to other people in any way is so tempting after months of quarantine, but I'm really excited about trackables. I found one at my first cache, decided that it looked cool, and immediately started googling. I love the idea of being able to know that a thing that you created has been passed through so many people and visited so many different places. I have some ideas of some goals I'd like to set for some trackables I'd like to make.

 

Thanks for the help clarifying for me!

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1 hour ago, black_cat1 said:

Oooooh! That makes much more sense!! I had been thinking of them in the way of other trackable, where you move them around.  I'd love to go to an event, but, as you pointed out, the pandemic doesn't exactly like those plans. 

 

It might be because this is all new and exciting, or because the idea of connecting to other people in any way is so tempting after months of quarantine, but I'm really excited about trackables. I found one at my first cache, decided that it looked cool, and immediately started googling. I love the idea of being able to know that a thing that you created has been passed through so many people and visited so many different places. I have some ideas of some goals I'd like to set for some trackables I'd like to make.

 

Thanks for the help clarifying for me!

 

I have a Tracking Code (also called a Tracking Number) for "me", so people can discover me. I had a couple T-shirts custom-printed with a cool design and nice, big Tracking Code.  And I never wore them, because about that time, this Forum was getting a lot of threads about people who had never physically seen their TB, logging it.  From some other continent.  Hundreds or thousands of logs.  People who saw a picture of the Tracking Code somewhere!

 

So instead I put the number on my magnetic name badge (a "Discover Me, My Name Is" Geocoin that had no Tracking Code of its own), and I included a teeny little Tracking Code that won't show up in a group photo.  Because I knew I may at times be in photos like that at some Event, wearing the "Trackable Shirt".

 

I'm sure you'll be fine, regardless.  But here's something to thing about.  Your TB has a 6-digit (and letter) "secret" Tracking Code that people can log when they see it, and it also has a public Reference Number that can be published, so people can visit your TB's page but not log "Discover".  What if you have the Reference Number on the front of a shirt (for example), and the secret Tracking Code on the back?

 

I'll be making a new shirt like that, it will have a Reference Number that may appear in Event photos.  I will also carry the TB dogtags, so that people who see the actual Tracking Code may log me.  I have a Tracking Code for my car (on a magnet and on a sun shade), but it's not permanently in view, and that seems to prevent "virtual logs" from folks who never saw my car in person.

 

I don't want to make to big a deal about it, nor make things too complicated before you even start.  But I thought I'd mention it, to give you some ideas, and get you started on the right foot.  If you don't have your secret TB Tracking Code shown in photos, you may not have to come back here asking why you got 1000 "Discovers" from Germany when you were never there.

 

Here I placed a green arrow pointing to where the "Reference Number" shows on a TB page:

 

Untitled-tt1.jpg

Edited by kunarion
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2 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

I have a Tracking Number for "me", so people can discover me. I had a couple T-shirts custom-printed with a cool design and nice, big Tracking Number.  And I never wore them,  because about that time, this Forum was getting a lot of threads about people who had never physically seen their TB, logging it.  From some other continent.  Hundreds or thousands of logs.

 

So instead I used the number on my magnetic name badge (a "Discover Me, My Name Is" Geocoin that had no Tracking Code of its own), and I included a teeny little Tracking Code that won't show up in a group photo.  Because I knew I may at times be in photos like that at some Event, wearing the "Trackable Shirt".

 

I'm sure you'll be fine, regardless.  But here's something to thing about.  Your TB has a 6-digit (and letter) "secret" Tracking Code, and it also has a public Reference Number that can be published, so people can visit your TB's page but not log "Discover".  What if you have the Reference Number on the front of a shirt (for example), and the secret Tracking Code on the back?

 

I'll be making a new shirt like that, it will have a Reference Number that may appear in Event photos.  I will also carry the TB dogtags, so that people who see the actual Tracking Code may log me.  I have a Tracking Code for my car (on a magnet and on a sun shade), but it's not permanently in view, and that seems to prevent "virtual logs" from folks who never saw my car in person.

 

I don't want to make to big a deal about it, nor make things too complicated before you even start.  But I thought I'd mention it, to give you some ideas, and get you started on the right foot.  If you don't have your secret TB Tracking Code shown in photos, you may not have to come back here asking why you got 1000 "Discovers" from Germany when you were never there.

 

Here I placed a green arrow pointing to where the "Reference Number" shows on a TB page:

 

Untitled-tt1.jpg

this Forum was getting a lot of threads about people who had never physically seen their TB, logging it.  From some other continent.  Hundreds or thousands of logs.

Oh goodness, that's not fun. What's the point of logging one if you haven't seen it? Is there some kind of benefit, and that's why people do it? (Don't worry, I'm not plotting to do this, just confused/curious)

I'm sure you'll be fine, regardless.  But here's something to thing about.  Your TB has a 6-digit (and letter) "secret" Tracking Code, and it also has a public Reference Number that can be published, so people can visit your TB's page but not log "Discover".  What if you have the Reference Number on the front of a shirt (for example), and the secret Tracking Code on the back?

I love that idea! And you could wear a hoodie or something, so nobody can see the back unless you want them to.

I don't want to make to big a deal about it, nor make things too complicated before you even start.  But I thought I'd mention it, to give you some ideas, and get you started on the right foot.  If you don't have your secret TB Tracking Code shown in photos, you may not have to come back here asking why you got 1000 "Discovers" from Germany when you were never there.

No, always make things complicated! I love complications and learning all the details!! Thank you so much for helping out, and for the word of warning.

 

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4 minutes ago, black_cat1 said:

What's the point of logging one if you haven't seen it? Is there some kind of benefit, and that's why people do it? (Don't worry, I'm not plotting to do this, just confused/curious)

 

You may be surprised at all the ways people "Geocache", and what they collect and what they don't.  And sometimes you can ask "WHY" all day and never truly understand how their mind works. :anicute:

 

At the very least, yes, get a cool tag or Geocoin for "you", because when other Geocachers see you, they're bound to ask if you have one, and it makes things easy when they want to go look up who they met on the trail!  ...without having to remember exactly how to type a user name.  If it's a pretty unique Geocoin (even a "tag style"), they get the bonus of a different coin icon when they discover your Trackable item.  But ordinary TBs are cool, too.  :P

 

Edited by kunarion
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35 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

You may be surprised at all the ways people "Geocache", and what they collect and what they don't.  And sometimes you can ask "WHY" all day and never truly understand how their mind works. :anicute:

 

At the very least, yes, get a cool tag or Geocoin for "you", because when other Geocachers see you, they're bound to ask if you have one, and it makes things easy when they want to go look up who they met on the trail!  ...without having to remember exactly how to type a user name.  If it's a pretty unique Geocoin (even a "tag style"), they get the bonus of a different coin icon when they discover your Trackable item.  But ordinary TBs are cool, too.  :P

 

Geocoins are honestly kind of scary because I have no idea how they work ? But I like the idea of having a tag for myself. I might order a bunch of travel bugs and send some out, knowing they may be lost, keep some so I can send more out later, and keep some for me/first to find prizes/family members/friends/future dog collars (don't have a dog, but am thinking of getting one!). 

 

This is a bit off topic, but you seem to be around a lot on the forums: on some other forums I'm on, it's common for people to 'like' or otherwise react to a post to signify that they have seen it, but don't feel the need to reply. This also applies to reading through threads. Is it common to use the 'upvote' button like that on here? Or no? Don't want to seem weird when interacting with posts.

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9 hours ago, black_cat1 said:

Geocoins are honestly kind of scary because I have no idea how they work ? But I like the idea of having a tag for myself. I might order a bunch of travel bugs and send some out, knowing they may be lost, keep some so I can send more out later, and keep some for me/first to find prizes/family members/friends/future dog collars (don't have a dog, but am thinking of getting one!). 

 

This is a bit off topic, but you seem to be around a lot on the forums: on some other forums I'm on, it's common for people to 'like' or otherwise react to a post to signify that they have seen it, but don't feel the need to reply. This also applies to reading through threads. Is it common to use the 'upvote' button like that on here? Or no? Don't want to seem weird when interacting with posts.

 

Yes, it's fine to "like" Forum posts.  Who clicked it also tends to be confidential.

 

Geocoins and Travel Bugs are all logged and tracked the same way on the site.  They're just categorized differently.  Yet the terms are used interchangeably, interconnected.  Someone might visit a "Travel Bug Hotel" and that has both Geocoins and TBs.  One extra complication is, an official "The Travel Bug" dogtag has a Tracking Code, but many Geocoins don't (of course they aren't Trackable in that case).  But watch out, the Tracking Code could be tough to find on a Geocoin.. It could even be stamped on the edge!

 

You could buy a cool Trackable tag of a design you like, and use its Tracking Code on a T-shirt or tattoo.  Or buy a Geocoin "coin" and drill a hole in it (or use a coin bezel so it's not damaged) so it can be carried like a TB dogtag.

 

Anyway, although Geocoins can be heavy treasure-like "coins" and very valuable, "Trackables" are used interchangeably.  So buckle up, because this might be kind of mind-blowing:

Everything other than a "The Travel Bug" official tag is a properly called a Geocoin, even other Trackable tags.  And even The Travel Bug is a Geocoin.  Yet since the beginning of Geocaching, any item that is to travel from cache to cache (and carried by cachers to be logged), may have been called "a travel bug"... even a Geocoin!

 

 

Edited by kunarion
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18 hours ago, black_cat1 said:

Hi! I'm pretty new to geocaching (less than 10 finds so far) But I'm excited to keep going! I'm diving right off the deep end and already brainstorming/daydreaming about trackables, and I've been checking out the official store. I noticed that there are trackable patches you can get for clothing. I've done some looking, and I now know how to make myself into a trackable with a trackable tattoo, but I'm still not clear on how others can track that trackable? Like if you're wearing your shirt/hat/have your tattoo, how do other people track it? Sorry if this is a kinda dumb question!

 

Well, it's not "tracking" like Dick Tracy following a car with a magnetized gizmo under Mumble's bumper.  :)

It's simply tracked by people's logs, saying where they saw it (usually in a Discover log).   

Everything you might need to know about Trackables Is   Here.

 

Edited by cerberus1
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15 hours ago, black_cat1 said:

What's the point of logging one if you haven't seen it?

Is there some kind of benefit, and that's why people do it? (Don't worry, I'm not plotting to do this, just confused/curious)

 

I often log Trackable codes virtually.  Most I find in searching things other than this hobby.  :)

The "why" is so the owner finally finds out where that code is showing up.  Most times it's from their own Trackable's gallery.  ;)

I don't care about numbers, so if the TO feels a need to delete my log, I'm fine with that.  Hopefully they read it first...

 

There are some people who log codes simply for stat totals.  I don't get that either...

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On 1/4/2021 at 8:16 PM, black_cat1 said:

What's the point of logging one if you haven't seen it? Is there some kind of benefit, and that's why people do it?

I don't get why people do this either.  There are some who show up at events (when we could have events!) with a sheet of TB #'s and want us all to "Discover them".  I don't bother.  But others do.  I don't get it.  Even if someone shows up with a whole box of coins and tags, I may Discover one or two that look interesting, but not the whole lot.

 

On 1/4/2021 at 9:01 PM, black_cat1 said:

I like the idea of having a tag for myself. I might order a bunch of travel bugs and send some out, knowing they may be lost, keep some so I can send more out later, and keep some for me/first to find prizes/family members/friends/future dog collars (don't have a dog, but am thinking of getting one!). 

Here's how I have used some of my "personal" tags - 

A pair of earrings given to me by my geocaching daughter in law, they are trackable, and I wear them to events and when out geocaching (at times) for others to discover.  For the year we were finding (at least)  one cache every day, I visited them to the caches we found to track my mileage for that year.  Now they just go with me to events.

An I <3 Geocaching patch with a TB code that is sewn onto my geocaching backpack, to be discovered when I am out hiking and meet fellow geocachers on the trail.

A FTF geocoin that I won at an event (and have since lost, sad to say :( ) and visited to all the caches that I was able to log as the FTF.

 

My son has a trackable on a Tee shirt, both he and his wife have magnetic TB's on their vehicles; I've seen many TB codes on vehicles, Tees, and one local guy even has a custom license plate for his truck that's a TB code!

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16 hours ago, CAVinoGal said:

I don't get why people do this either.  There are some who show up at events (when we could have events!) with a sheet of TB #'s and want us all to "Discover them".  I don't bother.  But others do.  I don't get it.  Even if someone shows up with a whole box of coins and tags, I may Discover one or two that look interesting, but not the whole lot.

 

I enjoy increasing the different coins discovered on my profile, but only actual coins. I will not discover items from a list.

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On 1/6/2021 at 7:59 PM, CAVinoGal said:

I don't get why people do this either.  There are some who show up at events (when we could have events!) with a sheet of TB #'s and want us all to "Discover them".  I don't bother.  But others do.  I don't get it.  Even if someone shows up with a whole box of coins and tags, I may Discover one or two that look interesting, but not the whole lot.

 

Here's how I have used some of my "personal" tags - 

A pair of earrings given to me by my geocaching daughter in law, they are trackable, and I wear them to events and when out geocaching (at times) for others to discover.  For the year we were finding (at least)  one cache every day, I visited them to the caches we found to track my mileage for that year.  Now they just go with me to events.

An I <3 Geocaching patch with a TB code that is sewn onto my geocaching backpack, to be discovered when I am out hiking and meet fellow geocachers on the trail.

A FTF geocoin that I won at an event (and have since lost, sad to say :( ) and visited to all the caches that I was able to log as the FTF.

 

My son has a trackable on a Tee shirt, both he and his wife have magnetic TB's on their vehicles; I've seen many TB codes on vehicles, Tees, and one local guy even has a custom license plate for his truck that's a TB code!

Do the earrings have a code on them? Because I'd love to see a picture, provided that it isn't too difficult to show a code. 

 

How often do you meet others on the trail? Is the patch large enough to be obvious, or is it more discreet?

 

Off topic, but how did you manage a cache every day? Didn't you have other stuff going on?? That's so cool!

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3 hours ago, black_cat1 said:

Do the earrings have a code on them? Because I'd love to see a picture, provided that it isn't too difficult to show a code. 

 

How often do you meet others on the trail? Is the patch large enough to be obvious, or is it more discreet?

 

Off topic, but how did you manage a cache every day? Didn't you have other stuff going on?? That's so cool!

 

Yes, the earrings have a TB code on the back - you can find them in the GC Shop.Signal the Frog® Earrings

 

As far as meeting other on the trail - that depends on where we are hiking!Most notable meetings of other cachers have occurred in Arizona, and New York.  A lot of hikers carry TB "gear" - the two we met in Arizona, in the middle of the desert, headed for the oldest Arizona cache, had a TB hat, and I had my backpack patch,  We swapped discovers!  The patch is about 3x3 inches, with a small (1 x 1/4") metal strip with the GC code engraved.  Also from the GC Shop.

image.jpeg.8ea5820faeae72d94ca2dd5c7713fa5f.jpeg

The cache a day streak is off-topic for here, but here goes anyway ... it was an adventure and something we will likely not do again!  It took effort, and a committment to getting out and finding something every day.  If a trail of caches was hidden nearby our home, we would go grab one only, and save the others closeby for a day when it was lousy weather, or we just didn't feel like going anywhere!  Thankfully, we are in a narea with several active CO's who hide regularly.  We also did some traveling, which opened up whole new areas to explore.  Road trips were easy, it was the days at home, especially towards the end of the year, that got challenging, as we had to drive 10-20 miles one way, each day, to get to caches we hadn't yet found.  It did get to be work towards the end, but I'm glad we did it, and now we just cache for fun when we feel like it!!!

Edited by CAVinoGal
Accidentally sent before completing the post!!
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Had an idea and didn't want to make a whole new thread:

The official earrings from the GC website aren't really my style, but I was thinking of getting a tag, taking the number, and putting it into custom earrings:

1611330880022-png.2498747

1611331039230-png.2498753

(NOT a real TB code, just random numbers and letters that I put in as an example)

It would also apply to something like this:

1611331128725.png

Thoughts on this idea?

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6 minutes ago, black_cat1 said:

Had an idea and didn't want to make a whole new thread:

The official earrings from the GC website aren't really my style, but I was thinking of getting a tag, taking the number, and putting it into custom

(NOT a real TB code, just random numbers and letters that I put in as an example)

It would also apply to something like this:

 

Thoughts on this idea?

 

That's very clever.   Could be a hit !      :)

Edited by cerberus1
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3 hours ago, black_cat1 said:

Had an idea and didn't want to make a whole new thread:

The official earrings from the GC website aren't really my style, but I was thinking of getting a tag, taking the number, and putting it into custom earrings:

1611330880022-png.2498747

1611331039230-png.2498753

(NOT a real TB code, just random numbers and letters that I put in as an example)

It would also apply to something like this:

1611331128725.png

Thoughts on this idea?

 

One inexpensive way to make earrings would be to print Tracking Codes onto Shrinky-Dink plastic and cut it out.

Or find most any pendant earrings (or even larger stud earrings) that have a plain surface and add tiny lettering stickers or decals to them.  Or paint the numbers on if you have good handwriting.

 

 

Edited by kunarion
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