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  1. Does anyone know the dimensions of the XP backpack?
  2. I could use some advice from the true adventurers out there. I have used a regular backpack for the past 4 years and it has gone with me all over the West (and even in the Amazon jungles of Brazil) on my detecting adventures. Inside I carry food, water, first aid, extra coil, TP, and other essentials. I have strapped sleeping bags and gold pans to the outside. I have it ready to go for at least one or two nights sleeping in mild weather. But the miles have taken their toll. For those of you who venture far from your vehicle into the bush, I would like to know what kind of pack you use. Pics and advice are welcome. I am looking for something that can carry 1-2 gallons of water, a sleeping bag, battery bank, possibly the ability to strap my detector and pick to it for long hikes, and either waterproof or with a rain cover. Price is not important. I have an old frame pack I could use but it is gigantic.
  3. When I drive out to the desert, 20 lbs. of dust coats the back of my rig, and I do not want to even open the hatch back. My detectors get dirty. Rocks need cleaning. Computer keyboard has crumbs in it. Whatever. I got tired of wasting money on canned air products which add up fast. At $66 this option is not cheap up front, but it saves money over time. Main thing is it works. Sometime you do this and get a toy, which is why I avoided the cheapie options. This little blower is very powerful, not canned air powerful, but as close as you will get in a little blower I think. It is micro-USB charged, so stays plugged in in my car full time now. First thing I do when I park is blow the 20 lbs of dust off my rig, and it gets great use at cleanup time dusting out the car and detectors, etc. Pricy, but a good tool, and really handy at times. Battery Operated Air Duster at Amazon OPOLAR Rechargeable Blower
  4. Well it been a long year since COV19 hit, it would be nice to see some camp fires from your detecting grounds. This was winter about 15 years ago in WA.
  5. I have prospected with people who subsist on sardines and bread out in the bush, and those who prefer a pan seared steak, asparagus, and baked potatoes. I like to keep things simple and would love to hear your favorite easy camp foods for five plus days in the wilderness. Military MRE’s were my choice before the prices went up after COVID-19. A days worth of food in one pouch, and has the benefit of saving your TP since they turn into Quikrete after eating them. But they make a ton of trash and are expensive. Please share your own Spartan food choices for someone more interested in detecting than playing chef at camp. I cook at home and when I’m out in the wilds food is just fuel for the adventure. Looking for options that are easy, affordable, don’t require refrigeration or much water since water goes fast in the desert.
  6. Unfortunately someone decided that they needed the 2 caravans I had left on one of my mining leases more then I did, even worse one of them was Paul’s little van from camp yank. While pondering new accomodation for the next yank invasion I spotted this As soon as I seen ‘Special’ I thought of Paul! She is going to need a bit of remodeling but will make fine yank worthy accomodation I reckon. Plenty of room for you in there too Steve if your brave enough to bunk with Paul.
  7. EDIT: This post contains mistaken information. Please accept my apology. At this time it is not possible to travel greater than 300 miles with a starlink antenna. Please read entire thread on page 2 for clarification. My bad fellas. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up that starlink is finally accepting pre-orders. For those who don't know this is Elon Musk's satellite internet which is super fast and has no data caps. The service is 100 bucks a month and 500 to buy the equipment. To enter the pre-order is only 100 refundable deposit. I've done alot of research on this and it looks like the antenna is small enough that I could easily carry it in my camper and set it up wherever I am. The power usage is only 300 watts w/ dish motors running and 150 without. SO this could easily run with a battery and inverter for a number of hours, no 24 hour a day generator. I'm super excited to have an option for when I am far away from civilization. Go to starlink.com and get signed up if you wanna!
  8. Dear Valued Members,We are very happy to announce that we are adding 2 new accessories to our line up!MULTI-PURPOSE BACKPACK (Accomodates all our models including Simplex, Kruzer, Anfibio as well as accessories)PINPOINT LEG HOLSTERPlease find the link to the introduction video we have made below: Regards, Dilek
  9. I'm not exactly sure where to post this, or really how many people might find it useful. But it's been an expensive lesson trying different ways to get a real-time, cloud connected security camera video feed on my remote land. There is an expensive 4G trail cam that you have to pay a fairly hefty monthly fee for, and are pretty well data restricted. This wasn't working well for me, so I decided I'd try something like a Verizon JetPack connected to a router, and then wiring up a network of security cams with an NVR or wired directly to the router. Ugh...expensive as heck. And if one component needs reset then I'm screwed 1000 miles away. Plus they all need full time AC power and ethernet cables strung. Wireless cams are of very limited range, especially if I secure the jetpack/router or NVR in my metal Conex. On a whim I decided to try the ReoLink Go 4G even though it said it only works on T Mobile networks. There are only Verizon towers out here, but I got it hooked up last night and it works, not sure if it's using the Verizon tower or if there is a new T Mobile tower now? T Mobile prepaid cards are cheaper, and have way more data than the trail cam 4g thing, and the resolution is better. The software is better too. I can see my cameras anywhere in the country now, and even if someone steals the cameras, the video stays in the cloud and I have a face to give to the sheriff. It's also solar powered so it doesn't need connected to power, I can hide them anywhere on my property with no cables, and the panel seems to provide enough power to let me stream the cameras when I want to see what's going on. Anyways, finally satisfied with a product after a year of researching and messing around. Hopefully that saves someone time and money if they too have remote property or mining equipment they want to monitor from wherever they are at.
  10. Here is a video about an underwater camera. What do people here use?
  11. I’ve been sidelined without my prospecting rig for over a month, long story but the old 4.0 died and I’m waiting for a new engine being built by a shop back East. Chad Golen, of Golen Strokers is building a 4.6 stroker motor and a shop here in Vegas is putting it in and doing a bunch of other upgrades. While waiting with devils time on my hands I’ve been shopping for a little personal protection to pack with me on my excursions in the wilderness. I looked at a number of different guns and calibers and finally settled of a 10mm Glock 40 gen4 mos, this seemed to check a lot of boxes good for hunting in most states, very reliable, 15+1 rounds, been effective on bears in Alaska and lots of mods and upgrades are available. I just put a Trijicon SRO red dot on it and there’s a compensated KKM match barrel on order just for fun. I haven’t had a chance to take it out, hopefully I run a few rounds out of it tomorrow I picked up some defense hollow points and a 1000 rounds of federal 180 grain full jacket to plink with. I also picked up a really nice chest holster I hope will keep it far away enough from the 7000 it doesn’t give me problems? Anyone else carry a Glock or any other firearm with you out detecting, If you do carry will the coil pick it up has it affected your detector?
  12. Back in HS, I had a great class called " Outdoors" . I loved it. It covered the whole spectrum of the outdoors. One of the things we learned was outdoor survival. So we had to make a survival kit that fit into a metal Band-Aid box. We got graded on how many essential items that we could fit into it. Also got extra points for some not as essential item that might fit. This was in the day before cell phones, gps, internet. We used to have a dime in the kit, so if you made it to civilization you could call someone on a pay phone. I try to keep it small and light enough to fit in my backpack. I don't carry always. If I'm going to be detecting near my truck. But for more remote locations, a MUST. ! I carry in my "survival kit" some essentials ... Waterproof matches, lighter, knife, parachute cord, mirror, whistle, gps, emergency space blanket, poncho, flashlight/headlamp,signal mirror, water purification pills. You can never go under prepared into the backwoods or desert. So what would you add to the list ?
  13. Colonel Dan's Detector Rack Anyone who is into metal detecting knows what its like to pack your vehicle for a day in the field or at the beach. This is what my SUV looked like...and that was on a very organized day! Two detectors, a shovel, a sand scoop, equipment bag and cooler Not much room left for Miss Mary's suitcase or art equipment when she goes along. Not much usable space for anything else really except for a small area behind the passenger seat. I'm sure everyone has their own version of this load plan but you know the deal. There had to be a better way. I experimented with different ideas that worked to some level of success but none that fit the primary Cavalry Principle of KISS. I wanted a system that was portable, i.e. easily and quickly installed in and removed from my SUV. It had to be solid and stable with some heft so my detectors could ride safe and sound without tipping over or sliding around back there. Secure vertical stacking seemed to be the solution for me. The question was how to do it. I thought about several things I could build or re-purpose and finally settled on an unused truck gun rack. It was solidly built for my intended purpose, had rubber protection on the hooks to prevent damaging the detectors and had pre-drilled holes I could use for mounting it on a vertical frame. I decided to use 2x4s: easy to build with enough weight and heft to provide stability for my detectors. I built a frame that was 20” in height, 24” in width with feet 8” long which prevents tipping over or sliding around when fully loaded with equipment. Padding on the back helps protect the sidewalls of my SUV and a layer on the feet adds an additional level of prevention against slipping. My detectors finally have a safe place to ride—they're happy campers! And my load plan now looks like this. Much more available space for Miss Mary to use any way she likes! Life is good!
  14. Klunker and I are all ready to go to the diggings for the season. Wondering what did we leave off the list? What would you add to it?
  15. We go gold detecting some/all day in the bush whether it be in Vic or WA ( Oz) away from our 21'6" caravan, and for my other half, a fem with her 65th birthday just a memory, this can have some inconveniences and little privacy. On our recent trip to Tassie ( Bottom State underneath the Oz Mainland) came across a campervan whereby the young couple had mounted a Kickass Shower/loo tent on the side of their Campervan. I have mounted similar on the side of our Landcruiser. I will bring the small porta potty from our 1/2 cabin boat to do the job. Did the Install just prior to the lockdown, ( cannot travel to Vic or WA) so have not used it yet. If you have a 4x4 and detect with a fem or if your Campervan is not fitted out with an inside shower/loo this item may be worth thinking about. Peter
  16. Which size and type of backpacks do you all use to hike in for panning?
  17. Just Found This Tonite! It's A Winner Imo. Any Members on the Forum Seen this B4 or used one? Just Wondering.......Cheers Ig https://www.notelusa.com/
  18. I started the above thread yesterday and (as usual) got some good responses. As a bonus there were some suggestions on the choice of vehicle. I decided to start a new thread since if someone were to search topics they might not find that discussion there. For starters, like metal detectors, the choice of a vehicle depends strongly upon what and how it will be used, and even who will be using it. Not only is there an obvious higher cost involved (well, unless you're talking about a Zed ) but also the variety of required tasks is likely considerably larger. I'm certainly not going to talk negatively about someone else's preferred choice. Just like detectors, if it works for you then that's exactly what you need. I'm going to concentrate on what works for me, or at least where I'm currently sitting in terms of my next vehicle -- I might change my mind and you might help me there. In the other thread there were a couple (maybe more) suggestions of getting a Toyota 4WD Tacoma pickup. Below you'll see why it's not the perfect fit for me, even though it's a great vehicle and, IMO, if I were locked on getting a pickup it would likely be my #1 choice. I live in the midwest and I'm going to be driving at least to the Rockies (1000 miles one way absolute minimum; California is more than twice as far) two or three times per year. Those are highway miles. Efficiency matters to me. Comfort, at the moderate level, matters to me. Safety (e.g. blind-spot-alert) matters to me. I need a vehicle I can sleep in (safely), that I can lock up securely (obviously no guarantees if a thief is determined enough). Here are, in order of importance, my requirements: 1) Off-road worthiness -- as written this is pretty vague so I'll try to explain a bit. First off, a minimum is four wheel drive (4WD). All wheel drive ("AWD" -- unfortunately the disctiontion isn't clear cut here) and obviously 2WD (whether front or rear) aren't going to make it. I want at least one wheel on each axle pulling at all times (when needed) and an extra low gear (not just the transmission 'L' gear). Locking differential(s) and/or limited slip differentials are a bonus. This requirement #1 eliminates a huge number of vehicles currently on the market, some of which claim to or try and give the impression they can be taken off-road. (Well, anything can be taken off-road....) Those typically are designed for slick pavement, meaning concrete or ashphalt. And and many are designed to make you look cool. Enough on that tangent.... 2) Enclosed, unified storage, etc. volume -- what I mean is that one key unlocks the entire space. This rules out a pickup truck. Yes, there are extended cab pickups which offer more room, and there are sliding windows to give you access between the cab and the bed. But those aren't enough for me. (I want to sleep in the main volume.) We've now trimmed down the choices another order of magnitude. 3) High fuel efficiency -- now this is where things really get cut down to a few, or none depending upon your definition. (Using US units here) a huge number of 4WD's don't even get 20 mpg highway. Of the remainder, most are in the low 20's. Now, many/most will say "fuel is cheap..." It's not just the cost for me. I don't want to add any more CO2 to the atmosphere than is required to meet my needs. But even the "cheap" part, if it remains true for the future (and I, for one, don't think it will if you're thinking 10+ years -- my vehicle's minimum life expectancy), consider this: 30 mpg vs 20 mpg at $3/gallon for 16,000 miles (a typical year for me, I'm anticipating) is $800. That's a new detector every year or two! 4) Age & Cost -- obviously few of us is wealthy enough to ignore this. In the US you can easily pay $50k for a new 4WD pickup. I'd like to stay near or under $30k with $40k the max. I'm not going older than a year or two for many reasons, not the least of which is rust from Midwest salted winter roads. (As I've said before, you guys out West don't know how good you've got it.) There isn't a non-stainless steel in existence that can handle our Midwest roads. The key is to underwash the vehicle multiple times in the winter to minimize the damage, and do you trust a used vehicle seller to have done that? I've considered quite a few vehicles. Toyota: Tacoma, 4-runner, FJ Cruiser; Chevy Colorado ZR2 (the new killer off-road vehicle); Ford Explorer; Subaru: Forrester, Outback, Crosstrek; Nissan Frontier and X-Terra. All excellent vehicles if they meet your needs/requirements. All fall short of my 1-3 filters above. As far as I've found, only three vehicles make the cut and all are Jeeps. No question the hard-core off-roader is drawn like a magnet towards a Jeep Wrangler. Unfortunately they are about as aerodynamic as a ship's sail. Fail on #3. Jeep does make vehicles which satisfy at least 1-3 above: from lowest to highest in cost: Renegade Trailhawk, Compass Trailhawk, Cherokee Trailhawk, and Grand Cherokee (several submodels). The Compass gets the best fuel economy (30 mpg highway) while even the heaviest of the bunch -- Grand Cherokee -- is rated at 24 mpg highway. The Renegade is too small (and too cutesy) for me. For a long time the Cherokee was the front runner, but 30 mpg vs. 25 mpg is a big plus for the Compass, sacrificing power (Compass only comes with 4 cylinder engine...), but surprisingly not much in interior room. Compass Trailhawk (new) is under $30k; Cherokee Trailhawk is just over $30k; properly outfitted (for example: Quadra-Trak II transfer case and skid plates) Grand Cherokee can be found for high $30k's. I'll be the most surprised of all if I end up with anything other than one of these three. It really is all about priorities. I'm always open to suggestions, though. Something satisfying my 1-4 requirements and I'm all ears.
  19. Retirement less than 6 months away.... Kinda like waiting for the Equinox -- time really slows down when it's something you want really badly. Few of us are 20 years old anymore, and obviously the ability to put in a good day of detecting requires, at a minimum, a good night's sleep. I've not quite settled on a vehicle, but I'm close. Front runner is the new (2017&18) Jeep Compass Trailhawk. That choice could be discussed/debated but I have a more mundane question, and that's how to sleep comfortably. My plan is to be able to fold down the back seat and passenger seat to give enough length to sleep inside the vehicle with all doors securely closed. I envision some combination of low profile cot, air mattress, foam mattress, air/foam pillow, and of course sleeping bag, etc. to stay warm/cool. Can I get by with just a cot, or just an air mattress, or would I be better combining cot + air/foam mattress? Any favorite products that have worked for you?
  20. OK, I have to admit the years are sneaking up on me. Comfort takes on more meaning the older I get though I am way behind most people in that department. Roughing it in a minimalistic fashion is just ingrained in me. That is changing however. It used to be just a squat over a hole behind a bush. Seems like these things take longer now and my haunches don't like squatting for long - help, I can't get up! So for several years I have used one of those small, cheap folding toilet seats for extended field operations. They are rather precarious and really too small but they get the job done. I finally decided I wanted something a bit more upscale for camp use that is large enough to straddle a deep hole for a field privy. A trip to Walmart for a cheap steel folding chair and a soft padded toilet seat gave me what I wanted for about $20. Just cut the hole to fit with a jigsaw, a little smoothing with a file, and mount the seat. Only catch was lid would not fold up and stay up due to the chair back and so it just gets set aside while unit is in use. I now survey the desert in comfort from my new field throne when camped in one location for more than a day. A worthwhile upgrade!
  21. I know the sun is probably just coming up in the States, but it's nearly set in most of Oz. What prospecting gear did you receive this year? Anything else that was interesting? Was it what you wanted? Me? Got a few small items but none of it for detecting. Best thing was a torch holder that locks onto the bottom of a barrel via a magnet. Top little addition to the fox hunting arsenal. May have purchased it myself and popped it under the tree Interested to see what others got. Merry Christmas. Northeast.
  22. I spent some more time detecting at Miners Tip Gulch. Several targets were in the midst of poison oak roots. I knew this was risky but the lure of gold was too strong and now I'm paying the price. My left forearm is looking like raw hamburger pattys. Does anyone know of any good remedies? Technu doesn't do anything for me.
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