Shareables: Geocaching adds digital keepsakes. But did the community need them?

Geocaching has long been about more than finding a box in the woods. There are logbooks, woodies, geocoins, events, souvenirs, small stories and bigger adventures. Now Geocaching HQ is adding Shareables to the mix: digital keepsakes that players can create, collect and pass on to others. It sounds like a new way to create, collect and connect, but one question immediately springs to mind: is this what the community needed?

It is worth talking about because Shareables are not just a minor extra tucked away in the background. They are a separate paid feature, not part of Premium. And this is where things get interesting. I have no problem with geocaching having paid elements. Premium is necessary because the game, app, maps, infrastructure and everything behind them are not maintained with magical dust from logbooks. What I do have a problem with is someone who already pays for Premium coming across another gate with a sign saying: pay again.

What are Shareables in Geocaching?

Shareables are custom digital artwork created by players. Officially, they are meant to be keepsakes that you can store in a collection and share with other players. In practice, they are digital images linked to geocaching activities: your own caches, logs, meetings with other players or adventures that somebody wants to mark in some way.

The idea is not entirely unfamiliar. Geocachers have been leaving all sorts of mementoes for years: woodies, stickers, cards, geocoins, trackables and other little items. Shareables take this custom into the digital world. Instead of a physical keepsake, you get a Shareable that goes into a player’s profile. On paper, it makes quite a lot of sense. In practice, as usual, the devil is not in the idea itself but in the detail.

Introducing Shareables™: a new idea or a digital version of old keepsakes?

Introducing Shareables™ sounds like the launch of a major feature, but the idea itself is really an extension of something that has existed in geocaching for a long time. People like to leave keepsakes behind. They like having proof that they attended an event, found an interesting cache, met somebody out in the field or completed a little geocaching adventure of their own.

That is why I am not writing Shareables off from the outset. Digital artwork can be a nice extra. It can commemorate a cache series, an anniversary, an event, a personal project or a particularly successful cache. It could work especially well for people who enjoy collecting and have a knack for creating small geocaching keepsakes.

The problem is that this likeable idea quickly runs head-first into the payment model. When you read about a new feature and then discover moments later that it requires a separate subscription, your enthusiasm can fade faster than your willingness to hunt for a micro under a bench in the rain.

How does a Shareable work with a cache, log and app?

According to the official description, Shareables can be given out in several ways. You can use the Geocaching mobile app on iOS and Android, or gift a Shareable when logging a find or attendance. People who then log that cache as Found It or Attended can claim the attached keepsake.

It sounds simple: you create a design, finalise it under a paid plan and use it in the game. The purpose is clear: you create a digital keepsake and pass it on.

It is also important that Shareables can be collected without a paid subscription. The person who wants to finalise and use their own Shareables in the game pays; recipients can keep them in their collection. That part is sensible, because if claiming keepsakes also cost money, the idea would have weights tied to its ankles from day one.

Does custom digital artwork fit the spirit of geocaching?

In my view, yes, but only under certain conditions. Geocaching has always had a creative side. Somebody makes a brilliant camouflaged container. Somebody builds a series with a story. Somebody hides a cache in a meaningful place. Somebody else designs their own woodies or stickers. In that sense, Shareables as digital artwork are not a betrayal of the game’s spirit.

But geocaching works best when the digital layer supports the outdoor game rather than trying to replace it. What matters most is still leaving the house, finding the cache, signing the logbook, appreciating the owner’s idea and feeling that little burst of satisfaction when the cache turns out to be better than expected. A Shareable can be the cherry on top. It should not pretend to be the whole cake.

So I see potential here, but not a revolution. This is an extra. It might be pleasant, might become interesting over time and might prove very addictive for some. But if somebody tries to sell it as a grand new chapter in the game, I would ease off the accelerator a little. It looks very attractive in the promotional material; we have yet to see how it performs in everyday use.

Why might a separate payment on top of Premium bother people?

This brings us to the biggest sticking point. Shareables are not part of Premium. They are a separate paid feature. Premium members receive a discount, but they still have to pay extra if they want to finalise their own Shareables. The official annual prices in USD are as follows: 2 finalised Shareables cost USD 9.99 for Premium members and USD 11.99 for Basic members; 5 cost USD 11.99 for Premium and USD 14.99 for Basic; and 10 cost USD 14.99 for Premium and USD 17.99 for Basic.

The amounts themselves are not astronomical. This is not the kind of price that forces you to sell your tent, flask and half your trackable collection. The problem is the mechanism. If somebody already pays for Premium, another subscription may create the impression that Premium is no longer the main package that expands the game, but merely the first step towards further charges.

And this may simply be the last straw for some people. Not because nobody understands the cost of running the service. We do. Premium is good and necessary. But if every interesting new feature comes with a separate charge, you start seeing it not as the development of geocaching but as more boxes being added to your basket. We were supposed to be hunting for boxes outdoors, not in the price list.

Should Premium include 1–2 Shareables a year?

In my opinion, yes. It is probably the simplest model and one that would immediately ease the tension. Premium users should receive at least 1–2 Shareables a year as part of their membership. Not so that everybody can immediately build a digital empire of their own, but so they can try the feature without feeling that Premium is once again not enough.

That would be a good compromise. Just want to see what it is about? You get one or two. Like it? Buy more. Do not like it? Fair enough, at least you tried it. This model would strengthen Premium because users would feel they were getting something new as part of their subscription. The current model could do the opposite: it reminds them that a new feature costs extra.

Geocaching HQ explains that offering Shareables as a separate subscription is intended to provide an additional source of revenue and help keep Premium reasonably priced. That is a fair business argument. From a Premium user’s perspective, though, the question remains: if I already support the game financially, can I really not have even a small sample of the new feature?

What did my first Shareables test show?

So far, I have only run a simple test. I created a Shareable and attached it to the caches of mine that I consider the best. Nothing major has happened yet. I therefore have no grounds to write a full review and pretend I know how the feature will work after a month, six months or wider adoption by players.

This first encounter did show me one thing, however: the feature works, but initially it feels fairly narrow. I can use it with my own caches, and that makes sense. If somebody finds one, they can receive a digital keepsake. It could be a pleasant extra for the owner of a series, an interesting cache or an event.

But one question immediately arises: why not go further? Why can I not make a Shareable called ‘TOP10 by wojtekj’ and award it to the ten best caches I have found? Why can I not easily create my own awards for other people’s caches that genuinely impressed me? That is where I would see far greater potential.

Could Shareables become personal badges?

This is the direction that interests me most. Shareables as digital keepsakes attached to your own caches are fine, but slightly safe. The real fun would begin if players could create their own badges, awards and collections connected with what they had found, experienced or particularly appreciated.

I can imagine a Shareable for the best caches found in a given year. Or for events that genuinely had a great atmosphere. Or for a cache series so good that you are still talking about it after getting home. Awards like these could build relationships between players. Not simply ‘I have my keepsake’, but ‘somebody appreciated my cache, my event, my idea’.

In this form, Shareables would be closer to the community: more of a tool for people and less of a digital sticker attached to their own patch. Geocaching thrives on players’ ingenuity. If this feature unlocks that ingenuity, it could be genuinely interesting. If it confines it to a handful of predetermined scenarios, it will remain an extra for a small group.

What can Shareables offer cache owners?

A cache owner can use Shareables as an additional keepsake for people who visit their caches. This could be fun for an exceptional geocache, a large series, an anniversary or a cache with its own story. If somebody has put a great deal of work into a project, a digital badge could be a pleasant finishing touch.

I can see it working particularly well with caches that are premium in terms of the idea, not necessarily the account. Somebody creates a brilliant finale, a good story or an atmospheric adventure, then adds a Shareable as a keepsake for finders. That can work because it does not replace the outdoor game; it simply adds a small bonus along the way.

You do have to be careful not to overdo the quantity. If every ordinary cache starts coming with its own digital keepsake for no particular reason, Shareables will quickly stop feeling special. And if everything is special, then before long nothing is. Geocaching already knows this mechanism from various badges and seasonal collections.

Where could this idea run into problems?

The biggest risk is saturation. If Shareables start dropping into collections at every opportunity, some people will quickly stop paying attention to them. It is good that you can opt out of collecting them, disable notifications, and hide or remove a Shareable from your collection. That matters because not everybody wants another digital drawer to tidy.

The second problem is inconsistent value. One Shareable might be a lovely keepsake from a brilliant event, while another is merely a random image somebody created because they happened to have a subscription. Without a good idea behind it, even an attractive design will not save the situation. It is a bit like a cache: the container itself might look nice, but if the whole thing is pointless, the excitement is like a cup of tea left on the windowsill.

The third issue is communication. Geocaching HQ talks about create, collect and connect. That sounds good, but the connection will not happen by itself. A bond between players forms when a Shareable means something: when it is a keepsake from a real meeting, cache, series or award. Without that, it is simply another element on a profile.

Shop Geocaching, extras and the question of where the game is heading.

Geocaching has long had its merchandise side. There is the Geocaching shop, along with geocoins, trackables, accessories, souvenirs and various official extras. There is nothing wrong with that. For many people, it is part of the fun. The mere arrival of a new digital product does not mean the world is ending and logbooks belong in a museum.

It is worth watching the direction of travel, though. If geocaching develops features that help people get outdoors, create better caches and meet other players, that is great. But if the emphasis increasingly shifts towards digital extras, collections and separate payments, part of the community may feel that the game’s centre of gravity is slowly moving.

For me, the best geocaching still happens away from the screen. The app helps, the map guides you and the log records the story, but the heart of it is outdoors. Shareables can fit if they remain an addition to real geocaching adventures. They should not become another thing that has to be managed, bought and sorted, while we pretend the game is incomplete without it.

Will Shareables catch on in Poland?

Time will tell. Shareables may catch on more quickly in the USA. The culture around geocaching extras, official merchandise, collecting and event keepsakes seems stronger there. Geocaching HQ also operates primarily from that perspective, so it is hardly surprising that an idea like this might be naturally aimed at that market.

The response in Poland may vary. Some people will try it, some will treat it as a curiosity and others will shrug it off because, if they already pay for Premium, another subscription will be one bridge too far. I understand that, especially as Shareables initially seem more like an extra for your own caches than a tool for freely recognising the best finds, events and adventures.

I am not writing the feature off. I have used it myself and will try to do something worthwhile with it. For now, though, it looks more like an experiment than something without which geocaching suddenly stops making sense. Shareables have potential; it would just be good if Geocaching HQ did not confuse that potential with an excuse for another charge.