While we have previously discussed in detail metal detector brands you should be looking at, in this article we go into a little more detail regarding accessories for your gold panning or gold prospecting adventures. Whilst we’ve previously discussed gold prospecting accessories in general in our Ultimate Guide To Gold Prospecting however we will go into a little more detail below.
This article also won’t discuss basic gold panning equipment either, though we do recommend that you own some good quality panning equipment if you are planning to make this a regular part of your gold expeditions.
Below we go through 5 gold panning accessories you should buy.
Terrain tools for gold prospecting
When going out into rugged terrain you will need some tools (aside from a metal detector) to help get you to the gold, some of these tools are:
Large Pick
If room in your pack is plenty or you have plenty of storage in your vehicle then it might be worthwhile investing in a large pick, particularly if the gold prospecting location you are planning to return to has plenty of solid rock that needs to be broken up before you can get to your gold.
Large picks can range in size with a shaft over 30 inches with the head of the pick well over 15 inches and the best picks are usually made of solid steel attached to a wooden or metal handle and shaft.
One of the best brands for quality large picks is Apex and their biggest pick is the Apex Extreme which has a quality Hickory handle and stainless steel pick head, which you can purchase for under $100.
Small Pick
If room in your pack or kit is tight then you could look at a smaller alternative and if you are going gold prospecting to a rockier terrain, however the gold is relatively close to the surface it may be wise to invest into a small pick.
Small picks can range in size with shafts barely getting into double figure length in inches, however what they lack in size they make up for in sturdiness and definitely pack a punch.
As per above, one of the best pick brands is Apex and their small pick is the Apex Badger which comes in several sizes with the smallest being 12 inches. This pick also has a quality Hickory handle and stainless steel pick head, which you can purchase for about $70.
Even though it’s small you want a powerful enough pick to handle plenty of rock picking and one that is safe from the elements.
Folding pick
A hybrid option for a pick, one where room is in your pack however there will be plenty of rock breaking needed, a folding pick could be a solution. Depending on which pick you choose, even though the pick folds, it is still sturdy enough to break through rock.
Examples of this type of pick include the Folding Pick Mattock.
Folding shovel
As with the pick above, if the room is tight yet you need to shift a lot of dirt to get to your gold, it might be worth an investment in a folding shovel. Similar to the folding pick above, this shovel is very sturdy when fully locked and can shift similar dirt amounts compared to a similar sized regular shovel.
A quality folding shovel is the Rhino Folding Shovel is made of carbon steel and is 23 inches at full length yet is only nine inches when collapsed.
Stainless Steel Scoop/Sand Filter
If you are going gold panning or gold prospecting in or near water, it is very helpful to use a scooping tool, preferably one that allows larger excess or waste to be filtered away. Not only is this easier on the body, it (hopefully) gets you to the gold quicker. This should mean less work and more gold.
Alternatively if prospecting on land and there have been gold finds close to the surface, having a scoop with you can be a handy way to sift for gold. When selecting your scoop/filter you want a scoop that is solid and won’t be affected by the elements, such as a stainless steel school and importantly you want the right scoop for the right terrain you are prospecting on.
A metal sand scoop we recommend is the Garrett metal hand scoop which retails for about $80. For those wanting a hand scoop with the ability to attach a shaft, the CKG sand scoop is a quality scoop that can be used with a handle or you can attach a shaft to the scoop to get deeper and harder to get places. Nokta Makro also has a quality metal sand scoop that can be attached to a shaft and for those wanting a plastic scoop we recommend the Nokta Makro plastic sand scoop.
Sluice Box
For those who plan on doing a lot of gold panning or looking for gold along a water source, you want accessories that can sift through the sediment and filter out a lot of the rubbish to get to the gold quicker.
A sluice is a perfect accessory to help you with this. A sluice box essentially filters the gold pieces from the water as the water travels down your sluice box. Sluice boxes come in different sizes and can be made from plastic or stainless steel so take that into mind when looking to purchase your sluice.
For those who prefer a plastic sluice box Serious Detecting sells pocket sized plastic sluice boxes as well as a larger version with the Le Trap Sluice Box.
Gold Hog produces some quality metal sluices such as their Piglet Mini Highbanker.
Serious Detecting also sells a good range of metal sluices such as the pocket aluminum sluice box and the Yellow Jacket Sluice Box.
Amazon sells a wide range of sluices however you want to do your research before making a purchase as some of these sluices are lacking in the quality you will be after.
Small shelter or bush hutchie
While this isn’t technically a gold prospecting accessory, having a small shelter or bush hutchie is a rather useful piece of equipment particularly if you are out in the hot sun or if you are stuck in an outdoors emergency.
A small shelter that can be used in an emergency or even a place to store your equipment out of the path of the hot sun, a small shelter or a bush hutchie only takes up a small amount of room in your backpack or vehicle and can literally be a lifesaver in an emergency.
First Aid Kit
Last but not least, one of the most important pieces of equipment for any outdoors expedition is a first aid kit. Going out to the rugged terrain there are all kinds of injuries that could happen and if you aren’t prepared for this it could be a very painful and long lasting expedition.
Plenty of health emergencies could have been avoided or at least helped significantly if there was a quality first aid kit nearby. With health emergencies, time is of the essence and if you have quality equipment that can provide immediate benefit then you are likely to end up on the right side of your emergency.
Depending on the size in your backpack or vehicle will determine how big your kit it however at a minimum your first aid kit should include:
Bandages, wound dressings, tourniquets, distilled water (used for eyes), disinfectant and adhesive strips should form the basis of your first aid kit and for those looking to put together their own first aid kit, St John’s of Australia have a first aid checklist you can follow.
A quality small first aid kit is the My Medic Everyday First Aid Kit while those with a bit more space or looking to go traveling in more remote rugged wilderness or with a group of people could look at the Adventure Medical Kits’ Professional Guide I Medical Kit.
Amazon has a nice range of first-aid kits however do your research as the quality of all providers varies.
Good first aid also includes knowing in detail the environment and the surroundings of your gold prospecting/panning destination, knowing how to perform emergency first aid, having a reliable communication device and letting close contacts know of your gold panning or prospecting destination or route.
Snake Bite Kit or Snake Bite Protection
For those who have room or want to take their safety planning to the next level or if you are going to be panning or prospecting in a remote location that is known to be home to various poisonous snake species then its worthwhile looking at a snake bite kit or at least making sure your first aid kit has relevant snake bite medical gear such as detailed instructions on how to provide first-aid to snake bite victim.
You hope you’ll never need to use it but there may be one time that you do need it.
Snake bite protection could include special boots such as the Rocky range of boots or gaiters to attach to your pants and boots such as SnakeProtex or the Outdoor Research range of Mens and Womens gaiters.
This is only a small list of accessories that we suggest should be in your kit. You might have some of these or you might have all of these already. You might even have a couple of other favorites or must haves that we haven’t discussed on this list.
At the end of the day work out your budget and build your kit around your personal must haves and with what you can afford. If budget is an issue then look for more all round or all in one tools that can do many different things but most of all make sure you are buying quality accessories that will last you a long time.