Hello GPS family,
I was sitting at the river over Memorial weekend, thinking about what all that I carry to the river while I am exploring a new area or even just back packing to find remote areas. Some stuff may not be necessary but could come in handy if i kept it with me. I started to get curious of what other prospectors might carry with them either on there person or in there backpack.
Normally when I go prospecting with other miners we will try not to double up on all of our tools in order to help with distributing the weight, making it easier on everyone while hiking. Many people have different views on why they carry what they carry. I thought to myself it might be interesting for both the beginners and the experienced to see what other prospectors carry with them, and why.
I know just "prospecting" is so broad. If you have a particular mining activity that you do, Bedrock cracking, boulder popping, sniping, of even just digging, just write what kind of mining you are going to do. Then write what you are going to bring with you and why (If Possible) Some secrets are to be left unheard, but if you can share lets hear it. Other questions to think about are for example; how long are you going to be there? What food do you bring whether you are backpacking for the day and staying the night or just the day? Or even back packing at all. what tools are you bringing? Do you carry a sluice or just a pan? Shovel? Pick? What size? If you have made some tools you have made and you use them share them.
You do not have to write a huge paragraph or even a paragraph at all. It could be just a list with notes.
Lets all just have some fun with this.
Replies
Gang -
I am a new member so sorry I'm late to this party!
When prospecting new locations I used to be one of the "carry the kitchen sink" guys - It was amazing how much stuff I could pack! My thought was better to carry it than wish you had it. What I found was I used about one-tenth of the tools and stuff - It was heavy going in and super heavy coming back out after digging for 6+ hours.
I have adopted a completely different strategy. Here's how it plays:
I break my trips into three categories:
1. Initial trip - The most important trip because it determines all future activities at a location. It is only an area assessment - I only carry a pan, classifier, rock hammer, large screwdriver and a small hand trowel. You first identify features or points of interest and any unique characteristics and write them down (I take pics with my phone and use the notes feature). I then quickly sample each feature or POI - My goal is to determine the presence of gold. Update your notes
2. Concentrated Area Assessment - Now you are testing the gold potential in the places you found gold in trip one. The only tools I carry are specific to the targets I am working. Your goal is to work efficiently and thoroughly test each target feature or POI - You need to set a time limit on each one and stick to it.
3. Gear Up based on assessment - Now I shift from prospecting to mining but I am still bringing very specific tools. This is also where you now carry a sluice. I only mine the best concentrations based on Trip 2 assessment.
I like this method because nothing is more frustrating than carrying everything to an unproductive or low producing area -
It either quickly eliminates potential spots or get you more gold because you have targeted your efforts.
Wow, some you guys literally go "loaded for bear". I was tempted to "control f" to see if any of the lists contained "kitchen sink". LOL.
My "save a trip" stuff are: pocket knife, compass, small mag flashlight and a lighter. I may take a bottle of water and a snack.
If I have never been into a spot, I take a hat, small gold pan, 1/4" classifier, screw driver (for crevices), garden trowel (for digging), jewelers optic, mask or peeper if there is water and a gold sucker. Bug spray if the weather is warm. A pick & metal detector, if there is bedrock. If I know the spot, I will know what else to take.
I used to take a 45:70 or shotgun if there were bears, but after years of no problems, I leave that in the truck.
If I can, I will also have my dog (company).
That's it. I have found that I tend to overpack a bit the first time out of camp and very quickly eliminate stuff down to the essentials. If I have too much with me, I cannot find the things I need, I loose or damage things and I wear myself out humping too much gear. However, I prefer to be with someone who has the "kitchen sink", because I can always borrow....
Yes... Can never be to careful. I am not to much concerned about bears. We do have brown bears where I am at but I have never seen one. I do know they are in the area, which still puts you one alert. I have ran into a Mountain Lion and a large Bobcat on my claim. They tend to run away but I'm not taking any chances of not carrying. Definitely appreciate the great list of items. I tend to over pack as well mainly on the first trip out of camp, but just like you mentioned I tend to leave things behind at camp when I realize what essentials I actually used the day before. Helps with lighten up the pack.
I'll chime in on the next step, which is packing in the equipment you'll need to do some efficient placer mining once you have found your spot.
Medium size dry washer if it's dry or a 3" dredge if you have the water. One guy can pack either into a a fairly remote spot in a day.
Yeah, it will be at least 4 trips with a 3" dredge, but smaller dredges just don't cut it.
Minimum for dredging might be something like...
1. the box/riffles/matting, dredge stand
2. gas can with fuel, backpack with day's food and water, small shovel, one bucket to carry hose clamps, sniffer bottle, gold magnet, and for packing out cons - 1/4 or 1/8 classifier, two gold pans, small clean-out tub, hip waders
3. nozzle, water blaster, suction hose and pressure hoses (assuming use of suction nozzle, not powerjet) We're talking remote, small creek stuff, not floating power jet dredge.
4. motor/pump, footvalve/hose
A lot of the smaller stuff can be jammed into a large backpack, but the dredge box and suction hose/nozzle will probably have to be hauled in on your shoulder…. or donkey. The motor/pump can be strapped to a pack-frame.
Minimum dry washing haul-in might be 2 trips…...
1. Drywasher unit and stand - on pack-frame, 2-cycle blower in hand
2. Backpack with food and water for the day, small pick, small shovel, stiff brush, one gold pan (for clean-out of cons), plastic bag or some container to pack out the cons, vac bucket/vac hose, blower hose, small gas can with fuel
It's possible to carry everything you need for dry washing in one trip, but you have to really pack well.
Later, you are definitely going to want to go back and swing a detector over your area if any coarse gold was recovered
Lots of good ideas on this little thread, and I love the pictures too!
Nicely done, and all the best,
Lanny
everything that will fit in my pack. But now that one of my straps broke I leave the kitchen sink home. But I will say you guys sure are with it.
Taurus Judge 45/ 410. 410 for snakes p, 45 for........
...and I like my S&W .44 mag bear stopper.
I can definitely see the confusion, so tried to explain it the best I could in my first post.
I mean if that is all you carry prospecting than sure that's cool. My 1911 45 is normally on my hip when i am in the woods. You never now what you are going to startle or stumble on.
great idea Casey
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