Geocaching Shareables: I’ve Spent Money on Stupider Things

My defense of Geocaching Shareables is pretty straightforward.

I’ve spent money on stupider things.

That probably won’t make it into Geocaching HQ’s next marketing campaign, but it was enough to convince me to give them a try. They looked like something I might enjoy, and I was curious enough to find out.

So far? I’m having fun with them.

A Niche Within a Niche

For anyone who hasn’t run across them yet, Shareables are digital artwork that geocachers can create, collect and exchange. You can also link them to geocaches you own. Collecting them is free; finalizing designs to share requires a separate Shareables subscription. Geocaching HQ has the full explanation.

That’s the practical description. The appeal is a little harder to explain to someone who isn’t already interested.

Then again, try explaining geocaching itself without eventually saying something about using satellites to find a container somebody hid behind a parking-lot sign.

We’re probably familiar with enjoying things that sound a little odd when you describe them out loud.

Shareables are niche. A digital collectible associated with a hobby built around finding hidden containers is a fairly specific form of entertainment. I’m comfortable with that.

Making Them My Own

I’ve already created personal Shareables, along with others linked to geocaches.

Hot-Diggity-Dog!
A little Joliet geocaching humor for National Hot Dog Day.Design by Steven Pierson

That’s where they become more interesting to me. Making something personal gives me a chance to put a little of myself into it. Linking one to a cache gives it a connection to a particular hide and the experience of finding it.

For example, complete my Historic Downtown Plainfield Walking Tour Adventure Lab, then find and log the Historic Downtown Plainfield Adventure Lab Bonus (GCAXWWJ), and you’ll collect one of my Shareables.

Historic Downtown Plainfield
A vintage stamp design for the Historic Downtown Plainfield Adventure Lab Bonus.Design by Steven Pierson

Or head to my Matthiessen State Park – Lake Falls virtual cache (GCAJFYP). Visit the falls, fulfill the virtual’s logging requirements and log your find, and there’s a Shareable waiting for you there, too.

Lake Falls — Matthiessen State Park
A vintage postage stamp design celebrating Lake Falls at Matthiessen State Park.Design by Steven Pierson

One takes you through a little downtown history. The other takes you to a waterfall. In either case, the Shareable gives you another small reminder of the place you visited.

I like the idea of someone coming away from a cache with another small reminder of the visit. The container, the location and the hunt still do the heavy lifting. A Shareable adds a little something extra.

If you ever meet me, another member of Team LEGOhead, or Cache_the_GeoDog out on an adventure, we’d be happy to exchange our personal Shareables with you.

There’s also some fun in creating the thing in the first place. Geocaching gives us plenty of opportunities to follow somebody else’s coordinates. This is another opportunity to make something of our own.

Was It Worth Trying?

For me, yes.

I paid to try something that interested me, made some of my own, and found that I enjoyed it. That seems like a reasonable outcome for a hobby purchase.

I don’t need to calculate a cost per digital collectible to decide whether I’m having a good time. I also don’t need everyone else to enjoy the same part of geocaching that I do.

Some people will see the appeal immediately. Others will look at Shareables, shrug, and go find another cache. Fair enough. There’s room for both reactions.

My enthusiasm comes with fairly modest expectations. I’m interested in what I can create, how I can make it personal, and how it might add a little character to my caches. So far, that has been enough to keep me entertained.

One More Thing to Enjoy

Geocaching has given me a lot of different ways to have fun over the years. Sometimes that means a road trip or a memorable find. Sometimes it means spending a little time making a digital collectible that will probably make the most sense to another geocacher.

I’m happy to give this particular corner of the hobby a try.

It’s a little niche. It’s kind of fun. And I’ve already made a few that are my own.

Considering some of the stupider things I’ve spent money on, I’m calling that a perfectly acceptable result.