Placing the tracking code: How to keep it readable in Trackable

The tracking code belongs on the trackable itself, so on the Travel Bug tag or the Geocoin. It should be in a place where any finder can easily read it, but where neither the chain nor the keyring will wear it down. It remains invisible in photos and online. Sounds simple, yet many trackables die exactly because of this: the code is scratched, dirty, transcribed incorrectly, or is visible to everyone in a log photo. Here we show you how to place the code wisely, protect it, and what you can do if something does go wrong.

The most important things in brief

• The secret tracking code is proof that someone really had your trackable in their hand. Without it, the trackable cannot be logged.
• It is something different from the public TB code and has nothing to do with the tracking number of a package.
• The best place for the code is flat, easily readable, and far away from the mounting hole, chain, and edges.
• Stamped or engraved, the code lasts much longer than printed or glued on.
• In photos, you always cover the code, because anyone who knows it can log your trackable without ever having seen it.

Table of Contents

• What the tracking code is and what it is not
• Where the code is located on the Travel Bug, Geocoin, and Co.
• The best place for the code on your own trackable
• Step by step: Placing the code on your own trackable
• How to protect the code from abrasion, dirt, and water
• Keep the code secret: Photos, logs, and social media
• If the code is unreadable or has become public
• Our view: The code belongs in the design from the start
• Trackables with code, ready for the journey
• Frequently asked questions about the tracking code
• Sources

What the tracking code is and what it is not

Anyone searching for "tracking code" will quickly end up at parcel services and package tracking. In geocaching, the term means something completely different. A trackable is a physical game piece that travels from cache to cache. With its tracking code you open the trackable's detail page, see its destination, and select the appropriate log type, for example "picked up", "dropped off", or "seen".

It is important to distinguish between two codes that are often confused:

The documentation of the c:geo geocaching app describes exactly this separation: The public code starts with TB, the secret tracking code is usually only on the object and serves as proof when creating a trackable log.

This leads to the most important rule for placement: The secret code should be easily readable by the finder, but only by them. Everything you design on the trackable serves this goal.

And the tracking number? You only need that if you order a trackable in the online shop and want to track the package. It has nothing to do with the game.

Where the code is located on the Travel Bug, Geocoin, and Co.

For purchased trackables, the placement is already predetermined. On the classic Travel Bug, the code is stamped into the metal tag. On Geocoins, it is usually on the back or on the edge, often together with a reference to the trackable page. The activation code, which you as the owner need for the initial activation, is on the other hand often included separately, for example on the packaging or an insert.

This means for you:

• Keep the activation code safe. It is intended only for you as the owner and does not belong on the trackable.
• Do not cover the tracking code. If you attach a travel companion to the Travel Bug, it must not cover the tag.
• Do not detach the tag. The code is tied to the tag. If the tag separates from the travel companion, the code continues its journey and the object becomes "anonymous".

If you are unsure about the difference between the types of trackables, our article Geocoin vs. Travel Bug comparison will help you.

The best place for the code on your own trackable

It gets exciting when you design a trackable yourself, whether from wood, metal, acrylic, or 3D-printed. Then you decide yourself where the code goes. A few basic principles have proven themselves in practice.

Away from friction and edges

The biggest enemies of the code are the chain, keyring, and the edges of other objects in the cache. Around the mounting hole, it constantly rubs. Therefore, place the code:

• in the center on a flat surface,
• with distance to the hole and all edges,
• on the side that does not strike against metal when carried on the ring.

Well visible, but not on the display side

The front is for the design, name, and mission. It ends up on most photos. The code belongs on the back. This way, a finder can show the beautiful design without revealing the code. A small hint on the front like "Code on the back" helps beginners.

Clearly readable font

The finder has to type in the code, often in the forest, in poor light, and with cold fingers. Therefore, choose:

• a simple, sans-serif font without flourishes,
• sufficient size so that you can read the code without a magnifying glass,
• enough distance between the characters,
• a single line, if space allows.

Pay special attention to characters that are easily confused, such as zero and the capital O, or one and the capital I. A font with clearly distinguishable characters will save you many messages from confused finders later.

Create contrast

A stamped code on bare metal is sometimes barely visible in sunlight. You get more contrast if the indentation is darker than the surface, for example through paint in the engraving. In 3D prints, a color change between the base surface and the font works very well.

Comparison of placement options

The back, centered, is almost always the best choice. You should avoid a piece of paper as the only code carrier: It gets soggy, tears, and is quickly gone.

Step by step: Placing the code on your own trackable

This is how you proceed when equipping your own trackable with a code:

1. Prepare the code. Take the tracking code from your Travel Bug tag or your trackable number. Check every character twice before you transcribe it.
2. Plan the surface. Draw on the blank where the hole, design, and code will go. The code gets the calmest surface.
3. Choose the method. Engraving, stamping, working with laser engraving, or deep printing in 3D printing. Stickers and felt-tip pens are at best a last resort.
4. Place the code. Work slowly and evenly. A misplaced character makes the trackable unusable.
5. Do a test run. Let someone who does not know the code read it and type it in. If everything is correct, the placement is successful.
6. Activate and test. Activate the trackable with the activation code and check if you get to the right page via the tracking code.
7. Protect. Seal the surface so that dirt and water have no chance. More on this in the next section.

For ideas on what else you can put on your trackable besides the code, look at our article with Engraving ideas for Geocoins and Travel Bugs.

How to protect the code from abrasion, dirt, and water

A trackable experiences more in one year than some jacket in ten: wet tins, pocket wear, sand, frost, sun. So that the code survives this, it is best to combine several measures.

Deepen instead of printing on top. A code that is in the material survives abrasion significantly better than one that is on top of it. Printing and stickers are the weak point, engraving and stamping are the strength.

Seal. A clear, weather-resistant varnish or protective layer over the code surface keeps dirt out of the indentations. Test beforehand on a sample piece whether the varnish does not attack the material.

Keep your distance. Leave air between the code and the chain. A short chain ring or a spacer prevents metal from constantly rubbing over the font.

Pack. A small weather-resistant bag or protective cover helps with sensitive trackables. Make sure that the finder can still read the code without unpacking everything.

Build in redundancy. For large or valuable trackables, you can additionally place the code at a second, protected location, for example inside the lid of a cover. If one place fails, the other remains readable. But keep the second place just as photo-safe.

Write it down yourself. Write the code down at home or save it securely. If it becomes unreadable on the trackable, you as the owner will always know what it is.

Keep the code secret: Photos, logs, and social media

The secret code practically works like a password. According to c:geo, it is the proof that someone has physically seen or moved the trackable. Anyone who reads it from a photo can log the trackable without ever having had it in their hand. This falsifies the journey and annoys every owner.

This is what you pay attention to as a finder:

• Photograph the trackable from the side without the code.
• If the code is in the picture anyway, cover it with your finger or make it unidentifiable in image editing.
• Never write the code in the log text, not even partially.
• Use only the public TB code in the log and in conversations.

This is what you pay attention to as an owner:

• Place the code on the back, so that typical cache photos do not show it at all.
• Write a short request in the mission: "Please cover the code in photos."
• When introducing your new trackable online, also only share the front side.

How trackables are correctly logged and passed on in Germany, you read in detail in our article on the Trackable rules in Germany.

If the code is unreadable or has become public

Even with the best placement, it happens: The code is scratched, or it appears on a photo online. No panic, usually it can be saved.

As a finder with an unreadable code

• Look closely. Tilt the trackable against the light or take the mobile phone flashlight from the side. Stamped characters often become visible again this way.
• Clean carefully. Some water and a soft cloth loosen dirt from the indentations. Do not scratch around in there with metal.
• Check variants. For unclear characters, try the obvious possibilities, such as zero instead of O.
• Contact the owner. If nothing works, write to the owner via their profile. They know the code and can help you. State the cache in which you found the trackable.
• Let it continue its journey anyway. Put the trackable in the next suitable cache, even if the log is still missing. The journey is more important than a quick log.

As an owner with a damaged code

If the code on the trackable is barely readable anymore, you can improve it at the next opportunity or give the trackable a well-protected insert with a hint. Many owners ask the next finder in the mission to briefly send the trackable back for a repair. Once you have it in your hand again, you can re-engrave the code area or reseal it.

If the code has become public

If your code appears on a photo, kindly ask the person to edit or remove the image. Most cachers react immediately, because no one likes to reveal a "password". Afterwards, monitor the logs of your trackable. Suspicious logs, for example from locations where the trackable cannot be at all, you can check as the owner. In case of repeated abuse, contact the support of the geocaching platform, which can tell you what options are available for your specific case.

Our view: The code belongs in the design from the start

We develop and test our caches and trackables ourselves as active geocachers. In doing so, we repeatedly see the same pattern: A trackable is lovingly designed, with a motif, name, and mission, and the code is added at the very end somewhere where there is still space. These are exactly the trackables that later reappear with a worn-off code or disappear entirely.

That is why we plan the code first. It gets the smoothest surface, the best readability, and the greatest distance from anything that rubs. Only after that does the motif come. With our 3D-printed items made of PETG, we deliberately use the material: It is robust and made for the outdoors, and details can be cleanly implemented in the material instead of just on it.

Our tip from practice: Always do the test with someone who does not know the code. If your family or caching partner types it in correctly on the first try, you have done everything right. And if not, it is better that you notice it at the kitchen table than a finder in the forest.

— Benedikt

Trackables with code, ready for the journey

You don't want to start from scratch? In our shop you can find the Geocaching Travel Bug® as an aluminum tag with chain and activation code. The code is already firmly attached to the tag there, you just have to attach your traveler, activate it, and send it on its journey.

For very personal projects, there is our customizable trackable in memory of special people or pets. And if you would like to look around first, browse our overview with Travel Bugs, Geocoins, and other trackables.

Frequently asked questions about the tracking code

Is the tracking code the same as the TB code?

No. The TB code is public and may be shared; it identifies the trackable online. The tracking code is secret, is only on the object, and is your proof that you have actually seen or moved the trackable.

Can I print the tracking code on a sticker?

As a short-term solution, yes, but probably not in the long term. Stickers come loose in damp containers and rub off quickly. Better is a code that is engraved, embossed, or recessed in the material during 3D printing.

Where does the activation code belong?

Not on the trackable. You only need the activation code as the owner to activate it, after which you keep it at home. Only the tracking code travels with the trackable.

What do I do if I accidentally showed the code in a photo?

Edit or delete the photo as quickly as possible. If the trackable does not belong to you, briefly inform the owner so that they can keep an eye on the logs. Most cases can be resolved without consequences this way.

Can I log a trackable without a readable code?

Without the secret code, logging is usually not possible. Write to the owner, state the cache, and describe what else you can recognize on the trackable. They can help you with the code.

Sources

• Geocaching: Find and log trackables
• c:geo User Guide: Trackable handling

Recommendations

• Using a car as a trackable: mount it weather-proofly and log correctly
• Secure trackables against theft: What really helps
• Trackable rules Germany: How to log Travel Bugs correctly