A geocacher friend once showed me these cool, colorful little metal tags she had made to place in her geocaches and share with friends. “They are called pathtags,” she told me. I was immediately captivated and had to know more about these small signature items.
A pathtag is a small metal circular tag the size of a U.S. quarter or euro coin. They are used as a personalized signature trading item by geocachers and collectors. The front of a pathtag contains a custom enamel-painted design reflecting the interests of the creator of the tag. The back has a serial number allowing for tracking of the set of custom-made tags.
According to Pathtags.com, the primary supplier of pathtags, at the time of this writing, there are 41,788 tag designs that have been created.
Although they have become popular, many geocachers are still unsure what to do when they find one of these tags. This article will provide you with all you need to know so that you can incorporate pathtags into your own geocaching experience. More fun, right?
What is a Pathtag?
A pathtag is a small, circular, high-quality metal tag about the size of a U.S. quarter or one euro coin. They are personalized, signature trading items used by geocachers, collectors, scouts, the military, and other groups.
Pathtags look and feel like a coin. They are made of solid iron, so they will attach to magnets. The front of a pathtag has an appealing custom-made design that reflects an interest, characteristic, or uniqueness about its creator. If made by a geocacher, the tag will typically contain the owner’s geocaching name.
The back of the pathtag will contain a 7-digit serial number that allows tracking of the set of pathtags with the particular design.
The primary supplier of pathtags is a U.S. company called Pathtags.com. According to zoominfo.com, Pathtags.com is based in Ada, Michigan, has 22 employees, and a revenue of $4 million.
Pathtags Aren’t Geocoins
Some confusion surrounds pathtags because they look and feel like a geocoin, another type of signature item placed in geocaches. However, there are distinct differences:
- While geocoins should be relocated to another geocache when found, pathtags are meant to be kept by the finder.
- Geocoins will have a unique tracking number allowing its progress to be tracked online through GroundSpeak at geocaching.com. Pathtags, conversely, are only trackable as a set. Each design has one serial number applicable to all tags made with that design.
- The design process for pathtags is much simpler than for making geocoins.
- Often referred to as the “poor man’s geocoin, pathtags are much less expensive to make.
What Do You Do with Them?
Keep Them. Unlike geocoins, travel bugs, and other trackables, pathtags are meant to be kept by the finder. Yes, you get to keep it! You treat it just like regular SWAG (stuff we all get). Most geocachers (including myself) keep the pathtags because they are so cool.
I can personally attest to the thrill of finding a pathtag. My first pathtag find was made at a rest stop after crossing into the state of Georgia. I was on my way to a new job, and I viewed the pathtag as a sign of good things to come.
Move Them Along. Some people treat pathtags like SWAG and put them in another geocache to be traded just like other SWAG items.
Collect Them. It’s not a surprise that pathtags are so popular. They are very attractive due to the variety and uniqueness of the designs, and the “coin” characteristic lends to the thrill of collecting.
Share & Trade. Once a geocacher has their very own, personalized pathtag, they can share the fun by placing the tags in geocaches, trading or exchanging them with geocaching friends, or trading them at events or online.
Connect with Others. Pathtags.com has an online pathtags community. Due to the popularity of these tradeables, the community is an expanding and evolving social networking arena.
Are Pathtags Trackable?
Pathtags are trackable to a certain extent, but not through Geocaching.com. Instead, they are tracked through pathtags.com.
Also, pathtags aren’t individually trackable (meaning each individual tag), but instead, all tags of the same design are tracked by the serial number of that design. It’s not possible to track an individual tag.
To track the pathtag, the finder goes to the tracking community on pathtags.com and enters the serial number. This will require the user to create an account, but it’s free and only takes a minute.
When logging the pathtag, the system will ask the following:
- Where you found it
- The tag’s serial number
- How many tags you are logging
- When you found it
It also allows you to leave a personal message for the tag owner.
Once logged into the pathtags.com system, the owner of the tag design can see where the finder found the tag and where they are from. It’s a great way to support sharing and develop social networking within the geocaching community.
How to Design Your Very Own Pathtag
Designing a pathtag is very rewarding. The person ordering the tag has the option of creating the design for the tag themselves. It’s a fun way for geocachers to express themselves and their geocaching experience with a custom design.
The design process is fun and there is a definite thrill to receiving your own custom-made pathtags in the mail. Most people will create one signature pathtag to represent their geocaching experience, while others expand on the fun by ordering multiple designs.
Designing your own pathtag is actually an easy process. The hardest part is creating the design. Once you’ve done that, you simply upload it to pathtags.com. Pathtags.com has a windows design application where you can import graphics, create layers, text, edge patterns, and simple graphics.
Pathtag Design Partners. If you feel challenged making your own design, pathtags.com has a list of design partners who will help you for a nominal fee. Design partners are skilled freelance artists. They are not employees of pathtags.com; they are independent. A design partner service typically costs $25 to $35. The fee is paid directly to the designer.
Also, if you just want to get tags sooner (without the design and production period down-time), you can order ready-made tags. Pathtags.com lists design partners who have ready-made designs.
Design Tips. Being aware of a few design tips will make the process go a lot smoother:
- Remember that pathtags are small. Thus, less is more. Keep it simple.
- Don’t use gradient colors. Pathtags are made with liquid enamel, not printing. So, any gradient colors will be converted to a solid color.
- Avoid fine details. Designs with fine details will get lost in the process.
- Make sure you designate where the hole should go. Improper placement of the hole could harm your overall design.
Colors. You can choose up to 10 colors to include in your pathtag design. However, using only 6 colors will achieve a better result. Bright colors are best. Pathtags.com also has glitter, glow, and translucent colors available for an additional fee.
Front of the Pathtag. The front of the pathtag is where the design goes. The design will be made using enamel. You can design “almost” anything you want for the tag’s front side. This is what you’ll upload to pathtags.com.
You don’t need a high-resolution image to upload with your order. A setting of 500×500 pixel JPGs at 72 dpi is sufficient. Higher resolutions aren’t necessary due to the small size of the tag.
All tags made by pathtags.com are converted to a blueprint, which can be reviewed before production begins. So, any changes can be made before production starts.
The Back of the Pathtag. Your choices for the back of the pathtag are more limited. Instead of designing the back, you can select from tag backs to further personalize the tag. Some of the available backs are free, but some cost extra per tag.
Pathtags.com has a cool program called “give backs” that allows you to choose a charity to be featured on the back. These do cost extra, but the funds go to the organization or charity featured. This is a great way to support a group or cause.
The back will contain a serial number (7 numbers) that will be present on all the tags made of the select design. You can request a “vanity code” for your serial number. With this option, you can choose any 7-character serial for the tag. This costs a one-time $20 fee.
Plating. There are 4 options available for plating: silver, black nickel, gold, and copper. Silver is standard; the other choices cost an additional 10 cents per tag.
Additional Specifications. These additional pathtag specifications will help you create your design:
- Diameter: 23 mm
- Total thickness: 2 mm
- Face thickness (one side): 1mm
- Hole dimension: 3.5 mm
- Hole distance from the edged: 1.2-1.4 mm
- Hole border minimum size: .25 mm
- Width of colored areas: .3mm for images, 1 mm for colored text
- Width (thickness) of raised metal features: .5 mm
- Spacing needed between raised metal features: .5 mm
Displaying Your Pathtags
There are various ways to display your pathtags if you are a collector.
I don’t have many pathtags, so I simply put them on my keychain. They are a wonderful reminder of the fun times I’ve had while geocaching.
Since the tags are made of solid iron, they are magnetic. You can place a small magnet on them to display them on your refrigerator, file cabinets, or any metal item.
Some people display their pathtags on a corkboard, using the small hole to pin them to the board. I’ve also seen boxes and boards with small holes that allow you to insert the tags for display.
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