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
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