Post Your Gear!

[F350Platinum]

2 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Here's my park/school gear.  (I was feeling guilty for it not being minimalist but then I saw CPT_Ghostlight's post.  ?)

(Lower, from left to right):

1) GI belt (army surplus),

2) Estwing rock hammer/pick sheath (not used for parks/schools but keep it mounted),

3) knee pads (above belt, from Menards -- Midwest big box hardware/lumber store),

4) White's Bullseye TRX (for fine target location after Carrot gets me in the ballpark),

5) ankle straps (made for bicyclists, but I use for extra coverage to keep bugs out of my pants legs),

6) hook on belt for carrying gold pan,

7) TreasureWise leather sheeth (beats the hell out of nylon) and toothless (modified) Lesche (don't want to damage tree roots),

8 ) Detectorpro Carry-All finds and trash pouch with Garrett Carot pinpointer.

(Above center):

Fisher plastic Gold Pan with the following:

a) plastic garden trowel (handle serendipitously removed -- for deep loose dirt removal when other scoops are inconvenient),

b) insect repellant (actually leave it in the vehicle, but good reminder...),

c) 1" wide aluminum garden trowel (for working between roots),

d) spray bottle containing water (used to indentify coins, then quickly dry the find -- in case you don't know it I'm allergic to dry-rubbing finds, might as well use sandpaper, IMO....)

e) nugget scoop (removes lots of looose dirt quickly).

The gold pan (which I typically carry in my non-detector hand) doubles as an easy storage container for loose dirt and a handy place to dump scoop that contains target for further location with pinpointer.  All the loose items shown in the gold pan go somewhere in the finds/trash pouch.  I don't wear gloves except in winter to keep my hands warm (I have three different weights depending upon how cold it is).  I seldom put my bare hands into holes; I let the scoops do that. 

My homestead (permission) setup is pretty much the same except for longer handled tools (e.g. reinforced Lesche Sampson, pick, etc.)  My gold prospecting setup shares some items but this thread is about park/school/homestead/beach(?) so I'll leave those details out.

Thanks GB!

Minimal is my preference, but remember I have a golf cart that I keep a lot of stuff in. ? Water and bug spray in particular. I have only detected on beaches near the RV parks I go to, so stuffing a water bottle or 2 in my cargo shorts is how I hydrate. Run out of water and it's time to quit.

I'm jealous of your TRX, been reading about that pinpointer, shame they're about as hard to get as a Coiltek 10x5. I see you take really good care of your digger, bet your Sampson is clean too. I have a 25 year old spade I used initially in the farm fields that looks new, it gets a coat of WD-40 after every dig. Take care of your tools, they will take care of you.

Wrangler came out with a line of shorts, long pants, and insulated long pants a few years back that have cell phone/water pockets. Sometimes I separate my finds in the cargo pockets and use the pouch for trash. Just about everywhere I go I'm wearing them in some form. They're cheap at Walmart and Amazon. They even have colors other than camo ?

The main gist of this thread is for getting an idea of what people use, and ideas for additional gear. Bring it on! Yeah, prospecting rigs are probably a bit bigger... ? 

[F350Platinum]

23 minutes ago, dogodog said:

GB, We use the same tick and mosquito spray Ha Ha. Today it did little good, I think it was more of an attractant. I got murdered by the blood suckers but still came out on top!!!!  I'm amazed what I endure for this hobby.

I keep Repel 100, Skintastic (picardin) and Cutter 15% DEET in the golf cart. Despite all this, I've plucked at least 10 ticks and nymphs off me so far this year. We used to joke in the army that Cutter was an attractant. Now the ticks are all grown up, so I haven't seen any in the past few days. My big problem is that the deer flies are nearing their demise, so they are ravenous. I was out this morning and they were like F-16s. Chiggers and mosquitoes make up the rest of the summer. ?

[dogodog]

CHIGGERS-CHIGGERS-CHIGGERS, OH Man those things are the worst!!!!! I had a trip to Kentucky and suffered for a month after my return. If I hunted in the south a lot I would bring Napalm in large quantity's. Deer fly's also killed me there also, Damn I hate F'ing bugs.

[GB_Amateur]

15 minutes ago, F350Platinum said:

I'm jealous of your TRX, been reading about that pinpointer, shame they're about as hard to get as a Coiltek 10x5. I see you take really good care of your digger, bet your Sampson is clean too.

I have another TRX which I'm overdo getting serviced (button wore out).  Another personal preference and although I love mine and didn't mind paying $150 each, I wouldn't pay the exhorbitant prices they are bringing now (up to $400??).  Those should come down -- there's always a time window when no-longer available but still desirable items get their prices run up, sometimes to ridiculous levels.  I think we're in it.  And maybe (fingers crossed) Garrett will both have the ability and the motivation to recreate them.  White's had some really good products over the years and the TRX was one of them that still AFAIK hasn't been surpassed for its unique qualties (but not for everyone, I understand).

I try to find a happy medium between using my equipment but also keeping them maintained in good condition.  The Lesche handheld is so resilient (including resistant to rusting, bending, other damage) that IMO you'd have to intentionally try to trash it to do so.  I've used the hell out of mine (including in difficult packed crushed stone) -- "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' ".  I've broken multiple plastic recovery scoops and worn out 2 sets of kneepads as well as my 1980 vintage Dexter hiking boots -- now there's a company from New England that made high quality products but went the way of dodo thanks to cheap-ass consumers buying crap products....  (OK, time to get off the soapbox.)  Oh, my wife is in charge of the Sampson since I got it 'for her' to use in the garden.  I did have a friend reweld it to meet Simon/Phrunt's exacting standards.

[F350Platinum]

22 minutes ago, GB_Amateur said:

I have another TRX which I'm overdo getting serviced (button wore out).  Another personal preference and although I love mine and didn't mind paying $150 each, I wouldn't pay the exhorbitant prices they are bringing now (up to $400??).  Those should come down -- there's always a time window when no-longer available but still desirable items get their prices run up, sometimes to ridiculous levels.  I think we're in it.  And maybe (fingers crossed) Garrett will both have the ability and the motivation to recreate them.  White's had some really good products over the years and the TRX was one of them that still AFAIK hasn't been surpassed for its unique qualties (but not for everyone, I understand).

I try to find a happy medium between using my equipment but also keeping them maintained in good condition.  The Lesche handheld is so resilient (including resistant to rusting, bending, other damage) that IMO you'd have to intentionally try to trash it to do so.  I've used the hell out of mine (including in difficult packed crushed stone) -- "takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' ".  I've broken multiple plastic recovery scoops and worn out 2 sets of kneepads as well as my 1980 vintage Dexter hiking boots -- now there's a company from New England that made high quality products but went the way of dodo thanks to cheap-ass consumers buying crap products....  (OK, time to get off the soapbox.)  Oh, my wife is in charge of the Sampson since I got it 'for her' to use in the garden.  I did have a friend reweld it to meet Simon/Phrunt's exacting standards.

Here's a photo of my 'cuda next to that 25 year old spade that has been to Helenback with me. I've been using the Barracuda since my wife bought it for my birthday. My Grandfather was a serious gardener, he had the most beautiful yard I have ever seen, and his tools were immaculate. I think it skips a generation. ?

I remember Dexters, they made boots for the Army too. These days I wear Merrells. Wish they made them here. ??

There was a used TRX on eBay from England at a decent price recently, but the shipping made it unobtanium. ? I have my fingers crossed for Garrett too...

[CPT_GhostLight]

7 hours ago, GB_Amateur said:

Here's my park/school gear.  (I was feeling guilty for it not being minimalist but then I saw CPT_Ghostlight's post.  ?)

LOL, I tried going with just a screw driver for a day, but after running back to the car every few minutes for another tool, I decided that wasn't going to cut it. Then I went full assault pack, but that got me some funny looks, so I got the smallest pack I could find (6"x5") and crammed eveything into that. No weird looks since then. I just look like the eccentric old guy in the park with the weird waterbottle holder and funny looking walking stick! ?

[GB_Amateur]

One unexpected but positive result of this thread:  when I went out the my vehicle Monday morning to grab my gear for photographing I noticed my White's Bullseye TRX pinpointer wasn't there.  I had last detected Saturday mid-afternoon....  Uh-oh.  I drove to that location (only 10-15 minutes, fortunately) and noticed the grass had been cut since I was there.  Another strike against my chances of finding it (in one piece).  Why do they always mow right after I detect?!?!?!

I parked in a private business lot (but they were closed for the holiday) and quickly walked over to where I had last dug.  Sigh of relief #1 -- I could see the TRX down in the grass.  Was it damaged?  Sigh #2.  No visible signs of trauma and it turned on and off as normal.  It was pushed down to the ground's surface so apparently the mower's wheel had run over it, possibly saving it from the blades.  Another loss averted, and this one more/less irreplaceable.

This isn't the first time I've left items in the field but typically it's things I don't normally carry/wear (e.g. raincoat).  (Oh, once I started to drive off with my detector leaning against the vehicle, but heard the 'smack' as it hit the ground.)  I must get in the habit of looking through all my gear when I load it back in the car.  That would prevent the issue I experienced this weekend.  Hot, tired, sore, disappointed with finds -- all distractions that make it easier to forget something.

[F350Platinum]

Happy that you found it GB! 

The thing I lose the most is cleaning brushes. I found USA made brushes on Amazon for $5 a pack, typically I use the nylon and brass brushes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EUZSM6A

These are great, and 3 fit well in a Glock 9mm double stack mag pouch for those that wear MOLLE or wide belts.

[mh9162013]

1 hour ago, GB_Amateur said:

Hot, tired, sore, disappointed with finds -- all distractions that make it easier to forget something.

I can relate to that.

I usually tether my pinpointer when hunting away from my home. The one exception: when I hunt tot lots. I have so few pieces of gear, it's easy to account for everything I need to bring home.

Glad to hear you didn't lose your TRX. That's like losing $250...