Geocaching Acronyms - GEOCACHING

Geocaching can be great fun but sometimes a little puzzling in the some of the acronyms or terms you may find in logs and forums. Bellow is a list of some of the most commonly used, it’s by no means all of them so if you know of others please let us know so we can add it and keep everybody up to date.

Ammo Can

Ammunition can, a large-sized cache container.

Attributes

Attributes that are asigened to a cache giving details terain, equipment needed and more. See here for more detail

Bison Tube

A small cache container normally 3-5 cm tall. example

BYOP

Bring Your Own Pencil.

CITO

Cache in, Trash Out,

CO

Cache Owner, the person who placed the cache

Dipping

The logging a Travel Bug or GeoCoin into a cache, and immediately logging it back into ones possession. Someone might “dip” a Travel Bug or GeoCoin in order to register miles

D/T

Difficulty / Terrain ratings for a cache, The difficulty number is always first and each number can range from 1 to 5 in 0.5 increments. A 1/1 cache is the easiest to find and get to and a 5/5 been the hardest.

DNF

Did Not Find, Always worth logging in case the cache has been moved or muggled.

Earth Cache

A virtual cache exploring a unique geographic feature, shown as a cut-away earth icon. IE GC1HWY9

Event Cache

A gathering of geocachers at the same place, date and time, shown as a “thought bubble” icon.

FTF

First to Find a new cache

GC Code

Geocaching code, or GC number. The unique identification number of a cache, always starting with GC. Ie GC2ZCEN

Geocoin

Small or large coin with unique trackable number on it, left in a cache with a goal to travel. examples

Geotrail

Geocaching trail, a series of caches designed to explore a region, wood, park, or other area of interest.

GPS

Global Positioning Satellite receiver. Normally hand-held devices are used for geocaching

GPX

A cache database file format. Files in the GPX format are available only to Premium Members.

GZ

Ground Zero, the GPS specified place of a cache

Letterbox Hybrid Cache

A traditional cache that is also a Letterbox, shown normally as an envelope icon. Letterboxing is not the same as Geocaching, as it uses clues instead of GPS coordinates to find the hidden item.

Log

Paper strip or notebook inside a cache where you sign with your name and the date you visited the cache

Micro

Very small traditional cache container, Simlier to bison tube. example

MOC

A Members Only Cache is one that’s reserved for Premium Members

Muggle

A Non-Geocaching person

Multi-Cache

A traditional cache with multiple finds required, which leads you to the last cache, Icon as a perpendicular pair of yellow box’s. example

Mystery Cache (Puzzle Cache)

A traditional cache that requires a puzzle to be solved to learn the last coordinates, shown as a question mark icon. Can sometimes be part of Multi-Cache

Nano

Extremely tiny traditional cache container. Can be quite hard to find!!!

Pocket Query (PQ)

Pocket Query is a custom geocache report that can be uploaded to your GPS device. This is a premium members feature

Reviewer

A person who validates a cache submission prior to the cache being posted.

R.O.W

Right of way

S.B.A

Should be archived. Log type indicating that there is a severe problem with a cache maybe its missing or been muggled

STF

Second to find a cache.

SL

Signed Log

Spoiler

A log or picture that could give the cache location away.

Swag or Geoswag

Non-trackable trade items found and/or placed in a geocache.

TB Hotel

A traditional cache set up as an exchange point for Geocoins and Travel Bugs.

TFTC

Thanks for the Cache

TFTH

Thanks for the Hide or Hunt

TNLN

Took Nothing, Leave Nothing

TNLNSL

Took Nothing, Leave Nothing Signed log

TOTT

Tools of the trade

Trackable

Any trackable item, usually a Geocoin or Travel Bug

Traditional Cache

A normal cache containing at least a log, shown as a green box icon. example

Travel Bug / TB

Small metal tag, often dog-tag shaped, including a unique trackable number that is attached to another object. example

UPS

Unnatural Pile of Sticks, a common way to find a cache container hidden in the woods

Virtual Cache

A location with no physical cache, shown as a ghost icon. Cachers “prove” a visit to a virtual cache by taking a photo, answering a question, or otherwise demonstrating you were at the right spot.

Webcam Cache

A cache at the site of a webcam, shown graphically as a webcam. You must get “caught” by the webcam, and capture the cam picture as proof of visit. Not as simple as it sounds!