Gold Panning As A Hobby: What You'll Need
Panning for gold is an enjoyable way to spend time in nature while accomplishing a task that may turn out to be rewarding. Like most hobbies, it requires a little investment to get started but unlike most hobbies, the cost of equipment will only be a few hundred dollars. Of course, the first step is finding a stream. Not every body of water is going to produce gold. Your best bet is to go to streams and rivers on public lands that have a history of producing gold. This is the most important part of your gold panning experience so make sure to research. You will likely find something near you. Once you know where to go, you're going to need your own gold prospecting equipment.
A Pan
The most obvious place to begin is getting a pan. You can simply find any shallow lightweight pan in your home, like a pie pan, and line the bottom with tin foil. But for best results, buy a purpose-built prospecting pan made of plastic or lightweight metal.
Sieve
You also might want to pick up a sieve, also called a strainer or classifier. This is plastic device with holes at the bottom, shaped similarly to your gold pan. This can help you filter out bigger rocks to get to the finer particles that will contain gold flakes.
Sniffer Bottle
A sniffer bottle is a small palm-sized plastic bottle with a long sucking tube at the top. The sniffer bottle is designed to be squeezable so you can suck up small amounts of gold flakes in a controlled way by using the sucking tube at the top as a vacuum.
Funnel and Storage Bottle
Instead of a sniffer bottle, some prospectors prefer to use a small palm-sized funnel and bottle. This allows you to gently tip any gold flakes from your pan into the storage bottle in a controlled way without sacrificing any of your hard work.
Digging Tools
You'll need one full-size shovel for scooping dirt into your pan so you can more easily sift it and one small hand spade for scooping smaller amounts.
Gloves
You're going to want gloves. Consider getting a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from the cold and moisture of the water while you pan and also a pair of work gloves to protect your hands as you use your shovel and carry your equipment.
Boots
To protect your feet from the cold mountain streams, you'll probably want to invest in a good pair of rubber boots. Not only will these protect your feet, they'll make your gold panning a little more efficient since you can easily move from the water to dry land without losing time or energy.
Share
