Essentials in Gold Panning Equipment

There are some gold panning tools that you must have to be a successful prospector, and there are some supplies that will make your gold panning efforts so much easier, more fun, and more profitable. Here's a list of basic supplies that will get you started.

• Gold Pan
The gold pan is the most important tool in your search for gold. This is what the 49'ers used in the 1800's to recover millions of dollars worth of gold in the wild west. There's lots of different models and sizes on the market, but the hands who are holding the pan are more important than the pan itself. 

• Classifier
By classifying your dirt before you drop it into your pan you don't have to sort out the rocks by hand. This will save a lot of time and you will be able to recover more gold in a shorter amount of time. 

• Snuffer Bottle
Prospectors use this bottle to suck up the gold from their pan and then they either transfer it to a vial or let it stay in the bottle until they get home. A good snuffer bottle is made of sturdy plastic and is constructed so that the gold can get in but not get out. 

• Bucket
Depending on the location of your gold-bearing pay-dirt, you might have to move it to a nearby water source for panning. That's where a good, sturdy bucket comes in handy. It's also great for storing and carrying your other gold panning tools when you're not panning. 

• Shovel
Don't leave home without a sturdy shovel. Using your gold pan as a shovel is not an option, so invest in a quality shovel. A lot of people prefer mini shovels for their weight and mobility, but if you're going to run a serious operation a bigger shovel will come in handy. 

• Vial
This is for storing your gold flakes. They're made up of either glass or plastic and comes in a variety of sizes. You fill it up with water and then just drop the gold in there. A gold filled vial is a perfect gift for children, I promise that will spark an interest in them.

These 6 essentials is really all you need to get a good start. When you get more experience and become more serious with your gold recovery efforts you might want to invest in a sluice box or a dredge, but that's a whole other chapter. The first item you should get your hands on is of course a pan. Here's a guide for you who are looking to buy a gold pan

I'm Daniel Westman and I write about gold panning and prospecting over at http://www.operationgold.com/.

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