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Prospecting belt and equipment.. started with a bigger pick.

karelian

Member
I've started to focus more on prospecting, since I live in the state of Victoria in Australia, the Golden Triangle is just over an hours drive from home. First hunted for nuggets as a 17 year old swinging my fathers Garrett A2B Groundhog, machine in the one hand and a pick slung over my shoulder. No headphones, no water, no gear just the machine and digging tool. The A2B and my father are long gone, I remember both fondly.. Have a 'closet Queen' A2B on my wall as a memorial.. another story. Today I use a Whites Tdi Pro and MXT when I go searching for gold.
My sling bag was adequate for the task when it came to carrying gear but the upgrade to a larger pick forced me to upgrade.
Simply the ground can be very hard to dig and when it comes to picks, size does matter..

My old pick gave way to a much larger and effective tool, but it was too big to hang off my old bag and very distracting when over my shoulder.
I ended up buying a heavy duty leather belt and a leather pick holder. The ability to 'holster ' the pick enhanced my ability to focus on detecting and in my view makes me more effective. A big pick over the shoulder is very distracting.. the pick holder is great.

Heavy leather belt and heavy leather pick holder were a fantastic combination but since I wanted to carry water, GPS, two way radio, mobile phone, first aid kit etc I needed to expand the concept. I included a molle battle belt to hold all the above and a H harness to help add some stability and balance to the rig. They just fit over the leather belt. I know people who use a small backpack but personally I find this to be more comfortable with the larger pick.
The images show the very basic old sling bag rig next to the Tdi and the new hanging harness setup to which I can add a couple of old army canteens to increase the amount of water carried in hot and dry conditions if necessary.
Because the gear sits back I can easily bend and dig etc everything feels balanced and secure. This rig allows me to just mark my cars position on my GPS and then wander off in search of gold. Because I don't need to return to the car I'm autonomous for the day which means more detecting time on site and my range from the vehicle is extended.

At first I though it was overkill, but after a few outings and a couple of modifications this rig is working out well. I have spent a lot of time and money on headphones and coils etc, the focus on this area has in my opinion been well worthwhile. The ability to operate autonomously for the day equates to more time away from my vehicle with the coil to the ground hopefully increases my odds of finding gold... that new big pick makes easier work out of some very hard ground.

All the best,
Karelian
 
Just forgot to mention that the prospecting belt offers not only a degree of convenience but adds a lot to safety, the GPS virtually ensures you will find your way back to your car, water is an essential not an option. Snake bite kit offers peace of mind and buys enough time to hopefully get to safety.
The gold prospecting areas can be in thick scrub, easy to loose sight of the vehicle. The bush in summer is often dry and your car is the only 'oasis' within easy reach. If you are not carrying it when you need it, you could pay a heavy price, no good if it is in the car.. out of reach. My days of wandering into the scrub with only a detector and digging tool are long over.
 
I would say you have it figured out. I would run, not walk away from snakes. but where did you find a snake bite kit that large, mine will fit in my pocket, never opened it but I think it only has an extra bullet for my gun in case it is too far to walk back to my vehicle.
 
Latest and greatest snake bite kit, contains compression bandages designed for snake bites. It has instructions and everything needed to treat a snake bite. The bandages are large long and bulky, again using information learned over the years from medical experts. The focus is on immobilizing the limb with the bite and the correct pressure from the bandage. Click on the images and you can better read the information on the bandages. These bandages have indicators when the bandage is stretched the indicator forms a perfect square to indicate the correct amount of pressure. Bulky yes because the bandages are large. The kit contains two smaller bandages and I bought a few larger ones, same design just larger as spares. With Australian snakes you may be unlucky and be bitten more than once so I carry the basic kit with one large extra bandage on the belt and a couple more of the large ones in the car along with a much larger comprehensive first aid kits which covers everything from large trauma, broken limbs, burns, band aids etc..

It is a big country and when you venture outside the urban areas you have to be prepared to cover your own ass since it can be a long wait for help. I keep my first aid training up to date and do refresher courses regularly. Cheap insurance for myself, family and others in need.

Never been bitten but I've had close encounters.

All the best,
Karelian
 
Part of the fun in being outdoors is the preparation and you have done an excellent job.

I switch hands while detecting and carrying a pick in one hand never worked--always used a holder--yours is great.
 
Wow! Aren't you the pro! I'm surprised that you use an MXT tho. Do you believe in carrying a handgun as well? I would! Stay safe.
 
I use two picks, the wood handle one is a Walco and the one with heat shrink rubber is a locally made no name brand. Wood is summer and rubber coated in winter. Both solid, heavy hitters. No need for guns in Australia when prospecting, most of our critters can be more effectively killed with a stick, if the need arises. Snakes are protected here and killing them is illegal. The holster on the belt is only for the Pistol Probe. There are better prospecting machines than the MXT, but I mainly use the TDI PRO, where the MXT does well is that with a small DD Shooter coil attached I get good performance in hot ground, for a VLF. Higher frequency machines run noisy in Australia, Gmt with 48khz can be a bit noisy. I prefer to run at lower frequency and enjoy the benefits of a quieter machine, yes with a loss of small gold performance. I need my machines to multi task, the Tdi and MXT do it well, dedicated gold hunters are better served by Minelab, no argument.
 
2019 updated rig. Just better quality belt and harness. A water bladder and option of additional water bottles, for total 4 litres carried in summer. Upgraded first aid pouch and gear moved further 'back' to assist with digging etc. New battle belt allows leather belt to thread in and out between molle panels allowing leather holster for pick to be better positioned. Very versatile and easily customized for different times of year and locations etc. Even more time away from camp or car and increasing safety and convenience. Still loving it. Karelian
 
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