Complete Gear List for the Beginner Prospector
There are many variations of each type of equipment so do your research on each to determine what will work best for you.
Backpack / Gear Bag — Keeps tools organized and protected while you’re walking to and from the site.
Bucket(s) / Wash Tub — For rinsing, mixing, and transporting concentrates safely. Or for turning upside down to use as an emergency chair!
Classifier (Sieve / Rock Classifier) — A set of screens that helps you sort material by size so you process the right fraction and reduce waste.
Concentrator — A sluice-like channel with smaller rifles to capture smaller flakes of gold. Concentrators are most often paired with 12-volt battery powered water pumps to help manage water flow speed.
Crevice Tools (Pick / Small Scraper / Crack Tool) — Helps extract gold-bearing material from tight spots like stream edges, bedrock cracks, and crevices.
Eye Protection (Safety Glasses / Goggles) — Protects your eyes from flying grit, sand, and debris during digging and washing. Especially important if you are using a pick to loosen material.
Gloves — Improves grip and protects your hands from cuts, sharp rocks, and irritation from wet material.
Gold Pan — The classic handheld pan for washing concentrates; you swirl and remove lighter material to leave gold behind.
Magnets for black sand removal — Helps reduce unwanted heavy minerals so gold recovery is easier, especially when panning.
Gold Vial (or Sample Vials) — Small containers for storing collected gold for inspection, sorting, or later testing/travel. Vials come in plastic or glass.
High Banker — A sluice system with a pump and a hopper/bucket setup that lets you process more material efficiently than a basic sluice.
Pinpointer (optional but useful) — A handheld detector-like tool for quickly locating small targets in dig holes.
Shovel — Used to dig and move pay dirt; look for a sturdy, durable design for digging in gravel and soil. A "D-handle" shovel about 18" long is comfortable to use and easy to carry.
Scoop — For transferring smaller amounts of material into your classifier, pan, or sluice without overloading.
Sluice Box — A riffled channel that uses water flow to separate heavier gold from lighter sand and gravel. Sluice boxes come in many sizes with some folding models used for backpacking.
Snuffer Bottle — A small bottle used to gently “suck up” gold from the bottom of a pan or vial without disturbing fine sediment.
Water Pump (for high banker / sluice setups) — Powers water flow to move material through your sluice/high banker efficiently. These use 12-volt batteries and usually are included in battery operated high bankers and concentrators.