I started Gold prospecting while assigned to Beale AFB CA in the heart of Gold Rush country. This hobby provided me with some of the most enjoyable times I have had in my life. As much fun as it may be, it takes study to learn what to look for, hard physical labor with pick and shovel and lots and lots of practice using a gold pan.

No matter how sophisticated a device you use to separate the gold from the other materials you dig up you still need to use a pan. Sluce's, dredges, and even rocker boxes will separate the larger material and will allow you to find bigger nuggets but there is a lot more   float gold or gold dust in there then you might think. So a good pan and good panning technique is essential to your success. One of the best sources for learning good panning techniques as well as the rest of the basics you will need is the Gold Prospectors Association of America© (GPAA). Their home page is available from the link below.

Here is what you will need as a minimum:

The most important thing you need is permission to prospect from the owner of the land, unless you are on public property then you need to know if prospecting and small scale mining is permitted. It may also be helpful to find out if others have a claim on the area that you want to prospect on. If you prospect on someone else's claim is just as much "Claim jumping" as it was in 1849 in the California Gold Rush. So make sure where you are and whose property you are on. The GPAA has private claims all over the United States that are open to members where you will not have "claim jumper" problems and these claims DO have Gold on them.

Gold Prospecting is fun. If you think your going to get rich quickly and easily this isn't the hobby for you. It is hard work and you'll earn every grain of gold dust and every nugget you find. Is it worth it? It sure is!

Let me explain why you need the equipment on the list above. First the map and compass. Unless you are intimately familiar with the area you are prospecting it is easy to get turned around in the woods and mountains. If you don't know how to read a topographical map there are books on orienteering that you can borrow from the library or purchase that will help you learn to read both the map and the compass.

Next is a shovel, you will want to select a good sturdy shovel with a long handle for leverage. The long handle makes it easier on your back when you are digging and you will be doing a lot of that.

You will also need a good gold pan. There are several on the market. If you can't find one in your local area. Pick up a copy of the Gold Prospector magazine. You will find advertisements for companies that specialize in prospecting equipment. They can provide you with a catalog with a selection of pans and possibly instructional videos on how to pan for gold. You can also get a pan and instructional video from the GPAA with a membership. The finish pan is a much smaller pan for separating the black sand from the float gold. I found it advisable to use two pans and a finish pan. One was used as a safety pan to catch the gravel as it came out of the first pan so I could pan it again to make sure no gold accidentally left the first pan. I would repeat the process until I was satisfied that I had extracted all of the gold that was to be found in that panfull of gravel. Remember that gold is heavier than the rest of the gravel and will settle to the bottom of the pan but if you get too enthusiastic in your panning the gold may come out of the pan and go back into the stream if you don't use a safety pan.

You are probably asking your self why do I need a plastic squeeze bottle with a long tip. Well I need to modify that a little. What is actually needed is a snuffer bottle. I can't really describe the bottle to you so you'll need to get a catalog and look at them. The purpose of the bottle is to suck up the float gold (or gold dust if you prefer) from your pan because it is just too small to pick up with your fingers. The small plastic bottle to keep nuggets in can be almost any plastic bottle you want as long as the cap screws down or locks tight. I know gold in glass bottles looks really cool,  BUT if you pull it out of your pocket and it drops or it falls from your pocket and hits a rock you'll be looking for your gold all over again because of what I call shatter and scatter. The plastic bottle usually floats (unless you've been very lucky and have a lot of gold in it), although it may crack if it falls and hits a rock, it will not shatter and scatter your gold into the water, rocks and gravel below.

The plastic bucket has several uses. One is to help carry all the things you need to the site. The other is to carry the gravel, sand, or dirt that you dig up because the best place to find gold is not always in the river or stream. It may be in the bed of an ancient river or stream that is no longer there. So you'll have to dig, carry, pan, dig, carry pan. . .

The trowel, hammer and pry bar are to get at those hard to reach places. You know those places your shovel won't fit because it is too big or the rocks you can't move by hand so you need to pry or break them up. These tools may be some added weight but they will be invaluable and worth the extra effort.

Water gets cold very quickly and believe it or not you can get things like trench foot from standing in cold water for relatively short periods of time. Hip waders can make your life a whole lot more pleasant and you can stay in the water for long periods of time without causing problems with your feet.

The campstool is so you have somewhere to sit. If you want you can get a seat that fits on the top of the 5 gallon bucket but something to sit on once in a while is a blessing, especially when panning for prolonged periods of time.

Mosquitoes, Ticks, Fleas, Black Flies and other pests will steer clear of you if you use a DEET based repellent. Some folks have tried strapping flea and tick collars designed for their pets to their legs. DON'T DO THIS These folks have become VERY ill because of the body absorbing the insecticide as well as having significant chemical burns to their legs. Spend the bucks and buy the good stuff, you'll be happier and safer in the long run.

Heavy work gloves go right a long with the shovel, prybar and trowel. They will protect your hands when digging and moving rocks. These are a must have.

Splinter tweezers are nice to have to pick up small nuggets as well as remove the occasional splinter. Sun screen is needed because you will get sunburned before you know it. When you start finding gold the time passes very quickly and before you know it your burnt to a crisp.

You may think that drinking from a mountain stream is safe. After all don't we get spring water bottled an sold to us in stores? That isn't quite the same. There are numerous bacteria, cysts and other microscopic bugs you really don't want to get. One example is giardia. The best way to insure you don't get one of these bugs is to take your water with you, If you don't want the added weight, and water does weigh a lot. Get a good water purification system available at many camping or sporting specialty stores or boil the water for 20 minutes and let it cool before drinking it. No matter what you do, don't drink from the stream you never know what is upstream.

Waterproof matches are a necessity, just incase you need a fire to boil water, start a signal fire if your hurt, build a fire to keep warm if you get lost or any other reason that you can think of. The survival blanket is lightweight, can keep you warm even on the coldest nights and works well to reflect light if your lost to signal others. The first aid kit is obvious and unless your one of the great hunters of old, your going to need to carry your lunch with you. This is hard work so complex carbohydrates, trail mixes, jerky, and the like are a must; or if your close to a military surplus store you can get the military "Meals-Ready-To-Eat" or "MRE" they pack about 2500 calories in one meal. The newer ones have a chemical heater in them so you can have a hot meal without a fire (especially handy in California during the fire season).

Prospecting is fun but you need to be prepared and you need to know where to look. Organizations like the GPAA and the Lost Dutchman Miner's Associations can provide you with a wealth of information as can the public library.

The recommendations I have listed above above a based upon my experience. You may have a different experience or opinion of what you need. The best equipment is just plain common sense and education. Educate yourself before you go out. Talk to other prospectors. Don't go out alone. Most of all have a great time!

If you have any questions please fell free to e-mail me at the address below

chris@chriswilliams.us

Here is a link to the GPAA   http://goldprospectors.org/index.htm

Another good site for great information and plans to build your own rocker boxes, sluces etc is

http://www.tomashworth.com/plans.shtml

More good sites to visit

http://www.klws.com/gold/gold.html

http://www.tomashworth.com/mining/cowboygold/drywasher/index.html

http://home.att.net/~desert-gold-diggers/equip/equip.htm

http://doccopper.tripod.com/gold/links.htm