Best Way To Carry A Pick

[Jin]

After 10 years swinging a detector I still can't find a comfortable way to carry my pick.

For the last few years, I've been carrying it between the straps of the Minelab harness but when I wear loose clothing it gets caught up as I'm trying to slot it into position. I've tried the DD pick holder but don't like the pick hanging at a 45% angle as it catches on bushes when turning around.

I've tried hammer holders but they're mostly metal and the clunking and rattling are annoying. 

I've just purchased a Molle tactical vest instead of the Minelab harness and I have noticed a few hang their pick using the grab strap on the back. I like this idea the best but I don't want dirt and crap from the pick on my vest as my area is often wet with clay. Someone was making a 3d printed holder that holds the pick on your back, not sure if they're any good.

The only option that I think my work is a small leather hammer holder. There won't be any clunking and it should enable the pick to hang towards the ground.

Unless someone has a method that works well for them.

[phrunt]

This is what you need, 20 smackers at Bunnings.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/toughbuilt-modular-hammer-loop_p5820995

Clips onto your belt, or best of all onto the back of your harness so you can hang your pick on your back, which is ideal when using the GPZ and bigger coils keeping the pick away from the coil, belt works fine for the 6000 as it just doesn't have the detection distance.  It is plastic and metal but on your back its good, I don't get clunking.   You could always rubber paint the metal part.

[DSMITH]

I been looking for something that I could use to cover up the Bunks hermit pick so i could carry it on my back but no way would I carry the hermit pick on my back without that head covered because if you fell and that spike was in the wrong direction it would end up being one bad day for you

[Valens Legacy]

I have a holder that hooks to a harness on my back, and it is really easy to get to when needed.

[Jin]

2 hours ago, phrunt said:

This is what you need, 20 smackers at Bunnings.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/toughbuilt-modular-hammer-loop_p5820995

Clips onto your belt, or best of all onto the back of your harness so you can hang your pick on your back, which is ideal when using the GPZ and bigger coils keeping the pick away from the coil, belt works fine for the 6000 as it just doesn't have the detection distance.  It is plastic and metal but on your back its good, I don't get clunking.   You could always rubber paint the metal part.

Thanks, ill have a look next time I'm in there. Maybe that retention strap might help somehow in keeping the pick a little more secure than the one I have atm. 

[strick]

https://www.apexpicks.com/store-grid

Their pick packer is well made has an angle so as to keep the pick handle out away from your legs..don’t know how hard it is to get in oz..ever since the 6000 came out I just carry my pick in my left hand....

strick

[Steve Herschbach]

98% of the time my pick is hanging in my hand at my side or over my shoulder. My pick handles are generally too long for hanging from a belt and in fact often double as a walking stick in rough terrain. I do have a nylon belt loop where a short handle pick might end up on occasion but out of habit I usually forget it is there. Detector in one hand, pick in the other, that’s the way I roll. The only time I normally stow a pick would be for a long hike, and then it’s probably going on my back.

https://highplainsprospectors.com/products/high-plains-nylon-belt-tool-pick-holder-or-holster

[RONS DETECTORS MINELAB]

I once broke my one belt mounted holder due to carrying 34” handles. The pick would push upwards off the ground when hiking steep hills and trip me up constantly, so I decided to follow JP’s method with it up higher, especially when using larger coils so I do not hear the pick. But this method was mostly for patch hunting with very few targets to dig, so the pick ends up in the holster for longer periods of time.

When on a patch and digging consistent targets I then have it in my hand with small coils and over my shoulder with large coils.

I also have been custom making picks for a couple years now and like a really thick plow disk for the pick head to slow down tip wear when breaking bedrock and a thinner disk steel for the scraper  end. This gives the pick a well balanced fell. I also like avoiding more oval shaped handles due to twisting of the tool when hitting hard surfaces, so now I also use axe handle that are about two to one in widths where the hand is.

[dig4gold]

3 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

98% of the time my pick is hanging in my hand at my side or over my shoulder.

I'm absolutely with you there Steve. Hardly ever use a pick holder. 

If swinging the Zed I have used the minelab harness & just tuck the pick off my hip through the harness waist belt. It holds the pick up fairly high & it isn't dangling around my legs which at times has caused me to trip on it getting in-between my legs.

D4G 

[Jin]

4 hours ago, Steve Herschbach said:

Detector in one hand, pick in the other, that’s the way I roll.

Unfortunately, both of my hands are full. One hand holds the zed and the other the swing arm. Oddly, swinging the Exinox with one arm tires me out yet the zed/swingarm/hipstick combo doesn't. I need that swingarm to help guide the coil under bushes and to control the coil.

2 hours ago, RONS DETECTORS MINELAB said:

I once broke my one belt mounted holder due to carrying 34” handles

I'm starting to see the benefit of using my small pick a lot more now. For small gold most holes are shallow. Why lug around something that is overkill 90% of the time? I even cut the handle down on my small pick to make it shorter and easier to use. Where I detect the car is often not far away to retrieve a larger pick/crowbar if needed. On my 1km - 10km hikes I'll take a larger pick.

56 minutes ago, dig4gold said:

If swinging the Zed I have used the minelab harness & just tuck the pick off my hip through the harness waist belt.

Have been doing the same for years but I've changed over to a new style of harness that doesn't allow that anymore. Not sure if it will be better or worse but I wanted something more organized to hold my gear.