There are some basic gold panning equipment you simply 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 the full list of must-have and nice-to-have tools:
Must-Haves
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Gold Pan
Without a gold pan, no gold panning. If you only get one tool on this list, this is the one. There are many different shapes, sizes and options when it comes to choosing a gold pan, and some pans are better than others. To make the choice easier for you, here’s a guide on choosing a gold pan. -
Classifier
A Classifier can save you a lot of work in your gold panning operation. Instead of having to remove stones by hand, the classifier takes care of the dirty work for you, which makes it possible to process far more material in a day. You can get a good classifier for a couple of bucks, like this one from Garret. -
Snuffer Bottle
Also called a sucker bottle, for sucking your new found gold out of your gold pan. They’re made of plastic so they won’t break if you drop them on the rocks, and most importantly, they float. Good snuffer bottles are constructed so the gold can get in, but it can’t get out. A snuffer bottle is included in all serious gold panning kits, otherwise you can buy a snuffer bottle here. You can also use a tweezer to pick out the gold from your pan, or if none of those are available, wet your finger with saliva, make the gold flakes stick to your finger, and move them to a container or glass vial. -
Shovel
Having a sturdy yet light shovel is invaluable when you go gold panning. You need something to shovel all that gold bearing dirt and a good shovel will make it a whole lot easier for you. Take a look at this handy mini shovel.
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Bucket
A bucket comes in handy when you need to carry your gold bearing material a distance to your panning spot. It’s also nice to have something to carry your prospecting gear in. Any larger bucket should do it.
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Glass vial
For showing off and storing your gold! The vials comes in larger and smaller sizes.
Nice-To-Haves
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Gold Magnet
To remove black sand from your gold pan, which makes for easy gold panning. The “Top Hat” Gold Magnet from Jobe is a good choice, you can see it in action here.
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Jeweler’s Loupe
It’s not always that you find large nuggets when you’re out panning. That’s why it is nice to have a loupe when you want to take a closer look at that tiny gold flake you just found. Here’s a budget choice that will work just fine, you don’t need anything fancier out in the field.
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Gold Panning Concentrates
If you buy all the gold panning supplies above, it still can’t guarantee your success in finding gold. You need to know where the gold is too, unless you get your hands on some gold bearing material of course. You’d think you have to go out in the field to practice gold panning, but you can actually buy real gold panning concentrates and practice panning in your own backyard. I’ve found a good source of “pure Oregon paydirt” as the seller describes it. It has some good reviews, so check it out here.
Taking gold panning to the next level
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Gold Sluice
Using a sluice is an effective way to recover more gold in a day. Compared to a gold pan you’ll be able to process far more material in a day, and thereby recover much more gold. A sluice is a great addition to your gold panning tools and is a logical step up from using a pan. You just have to find one good spot for your sluice and you can make up for the cost in less than a day. You can get started with a beginners sluice box from Tee Dee for less than $50 or buy a high quality sluice box from Proline for a hundred bucks. -
Gold Dredge
A dredge is like a sluice on steroids. It’s basically a sluice with a large suction hose attached to it that you use for sucking up the river bed. The material you suck up is then automatically classified and dropped onto the sluice which catches all the gold
Related Links
Learn How To Pan For Gold – Gold Panning Instructions
Choosing Which Gold Pan to Buy
Gold Panning Vacations – State by State Guide
Top 5 Gold Panning Videos
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hey-in 1972 we lived on the Black Canyon River above Pheonix and sluiced and panned in 100 acres of claims—it s all gone now===try it in the 120 degree sun===im thinking of going to sc to dig to add to my ss check===it can be fun
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