NEWBIE'S ESSENTIALS

[idstitch]

  I see many different items from varied locals. Being from an area where I'm not on top of the food chain, I'll be packing something loud and reliable. Thankyou Mr. Colt.

[JOE S (INDY)]

Loose your snuffer bottle?  Improvise and pan down to very-little-left concentrates and save that in the Baggies or 3 gallon (11 Liter) bucket.  You might consider using the sucker bottle while panning from a quiet pool of water or, better yet, the larger gold pan as a safety pan.

Always put the glass Gold Vial inside one of the empty plastic medicine bottles in case you drop it.  Always carry them in a buttoned pocket.

Don't forget 2 or 3 large, heavier, plastic trash bags (raingear) and a small candle for an emergency fire starter. 

Carry the Bic lighter in the baggie with the Pooh Paper.

Joe

[TK0043]

Great list and just what I was looking for as a newbie! Thanks!

[mygrain]

CHEST WADERS AND RUBBER GLOVES UP TOO YOUR ELBOWS WITH COTTON INSERTS,PLUS A RAINCOAT,AS YOU CAN SEE I HATE TOO GET WET  MYGRAIN

[Guest]

Just thought I would throw out a list of things I like to take out when going out for a month or so, there are probably a few things missing, but this is basically what I pack along in the Den, like to be prepared.........Guest

Equipment needed to Prospect or Hand Mine

1.   Gold pans 2-3 testing, and finishing.
2.   Snuffer Bottles.
3.   Tweezers.
4.   1-2-5 oz display bottles for gold.
5.   Pill bottles for potential gold nuggets.
6.   Magnet for Blacksands.
7.   Plastic canisters for concentrates.- 5-10 plastic tobacco or coffee cans depending on length of time in field.
8.   Plastic 20 litre oil pails, clean washed ones for packing gravels to the highbanker or stream sluice, it pays to have anywhere from 4 to 20 depending on room in vehicle.
9.   2 to 3 round mouth shovels, as handles break fairly easily.
10. 3 picks, one normal pick, one mattock, and one fire axe just for bush.
11. 1 heavy duty pry bar, 4-6 ft long, for moving boulders.
12. 1 short pry bar for bedrock.
13. 2 heavy duty hand trowels.
14. 1 whisk broom for cleaning bedrock.
15. Set of tools, wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, Visegrips, and so forth, for fixing truck, pump and what have you, there are no garages out in the bush.
16. Hammer, handsaw, small crosscut saw, small chain saw, for building things and trees across roads and trails.
17. Rope 200ft ¼ inch, 200 ft3/4 inch you will never know when it will get you out of a pinch.
18. 1-2 come-along winches, gets you unstuck, and moving boulders and blown down trees.
19. 2 Axes for cutting firewood and shaping trees into whatever you need.
20. Stream sluice for testing, optional.
21. Highbanker sluice for prospecting and or hand mining, small 8 inch for prospecting or 12 inch for hand mining.
22. Small 50-80 gpm gasoline powered pump.
23. 100 to 400 ft of 1 ½ inch firehose for pump.
24. 2 sets of screens, 20 mesh and 80 mesh for classifying concentrates.
25. Large 10 gal tub for finishing concentrates back at camp after working all day.
26. Large backpack for packing everything into site.
27. Small knapsack for packing things back and forth every day.
28. Large Bear Spray for every day trips.
29. Defender 12 Gauge if you can get one is advisable.
30. 12 inch Bowie Knife comes in real handy just about any time
31. First Aid kits large one for camp, small knapsack one for field.
32, Rubber water proof boots, and patching kit or hip waders.
33. Wheelbarrow rubber tired heavy duty.
34. 1 set of heavy duty cross bar tire chains; these will really help in mud and such!!

This doesn’t cover you grub or clothing.



               Supplies for a Month of Hand Mining or Prospecting.

 The thing that people should take into consideration when batching out in the bush is the wildlife, so if you don’t want to be overrun by unwelcome critters I recommend taking dry goods and canned goods as your staples for your diet, for produce without secured refrigeration is just going to go bad and smell to high heaven which wildlife with their very attuned noses can smell for miles, just what you want a grizzly or black bear tearing up your camp, better yet a wolverine friendly little critter that will be your worst nightmare!!

List of recommended groceries for a month per person prospecting/placer mining.

1.  10 lbs flour mixed with Baking Powder Recipe or Biscuit Pancake and Biscuit mix.
2.  5 lbs sugar
3.  1 can pepper
4.  2 lbs salt
5.  1 can seasoned salt
6.  4 lbs coffee
7.  1-2 lbs tea
8.  2-3 lbs coffee whitener
9.  20-30 lbs processed canned meats
10. 15 lbs canned stew
11. 15 lbs canned chilli
12. 15-30 canned tomatoes
13. 10 lbs dry pasta
14. 5 lbs rice
15. 30 packages of dry soups
16. 30 canned soups
17. 3 lbs dried egg mix
18. 10 lbs dried potatoes
19. 10 lbs dried fruit
20. 5 lbs crackers
21. 10 lbs cookies
22. 2 lbs jams
23. 2 lbs peanut butter
24. 5 lbs margarine if you have some way to keep submerged and cool in a creek
25. 5-10 lbs dried jerky kept in an airtight container.

This should keep you well fed and can be supplemented with fish or small game animals easily enough, as you can see there is some variety afforded but not a lot.







                           Camping Equipment Requirements

The equipment required for rough camping varies from individual to size of group that is camping; this is what I would recommend for the individual or up to four person expeditions. This is assuming that you can drive into where you will be setting up your base camp.

1.   Industrial sized Level 1 First Aid Kit
2.   Knapsack sized First Aid Kit
3.   Communication device, be it Truck to Truck radio or GPS Locater
4.   Heavy Canvas tent to meet the requirements of the group size
5.   Cots or Air mattresses for number of persons involved
6.   Coleman type gas lanterns, can be used for light and heat
7.   Coleman type stove, the older style will work just as well on regular Gasoline or mixed
8.   Folding canvas chairs are good to have along
9.   Axes for firewood
10. Chainsaw
11. Extra tarp and ropes
12. Cooking utensils
13. Large frying pan
14. Several pots and pans
15. Grill large enough to place over fire pit
16. Garbage Bags
17. Tupperware type containers several
18. Bug Dope
19. Flashlights couple
20. Dish pans and soaps and dishtowels
21. Extra matches and Lighters
22. Toilet Paper, 1-2 rolls per person per week
23. Buckets for water
24. Bear Spray one per person
25. 1-2 rifles or defender shotguns if possible
26. Heavy Duty sleeping bags
27. Mosquito netted boony hats highly recommended
28. Deck of cards and selection of reading materials for entertainment

[juu907]

  old saying EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK. oh maybe i will  read the list again. i may have missed it. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE   jerry

[GPEX admin]

Re: Eric’s List

Thought you might want to add a few things, Eric

- A notepad and pencil, for sketching your new equipment creations you come up with.
- A jug or two of gas/diesel – in case you run out or rupture a tank
- A small supply of nails, even a few 4” spirals
- An extras fan belt, (alternator if you have a spare) & extra motor oil
- Empty gallon jug for radiator water if needed
- An extras fan belt & a litre of trany fluid
- A torch for your small bottled propane, for heating things, starting fires, etc.
- Side cutters and a couple of flat-head 1" to 1 ¼” nails and a jug of brake fluid
  (If a brake line goes, trim nail to head + ¼” length, uncouple bad line at master cylinder, insert nail [head outward], & replace line - - will stop off the bad line and give brakes on the other.)
- If camped in bear country, a small tape player with good volume & a tape of barking dogs.
- Lots of extra batteries for everything, plus a spare for the vehicle.

- Oh yeah – a bit of diesel fuel, and some turpentine (Diesel for a thin spread around the campsite perimeter and for boot bottoms when hiking through the woods, Turpentine - will kill the nose capability of any animal tracking you.)
- Air horn for the critters, preferably one you recharge with compressed air (& small pump)
- Vinegar is also a good bug repellent for mosquitos, so is creolin with a base like lard/butter or similar
- Flare bullets - red lazer key-chain penlight (if lost or injured, great to shine at airplanes)
- In the first aid kit, small vial of Lavender (apply to open wound for overnight healing)
- Also in the first aid kit, Tylenol/Aspirn, (even a pain med if you have it. A pinch of Cloves for possible cavity toothaches).
- An oak, ash or hickory walking stick 1¼” thick and one foot longer than yourself. (a most excellent [and could be lethal] combatant tool when manipulated with both hands – such packs on heck of a blow and instantaneously ready again for more).
- ¼” adhesive tape and marker pen, for labeling samples, plus Notebook for registry
- Small solar panel if you have it – offers lighting, and if satellite internet, you’ve got it made in the shade (yak with the good old boys and girls, and great for emergencies).


While there remains likely more, ssssh about this list to the women-folk, else the microwave and kitchen sink will also have to come.

Say what?  Now needing a trailer?

[juu907]

  taint natural saw no mention of wife or girlfriend. a must for those long stays.    jerry

[Detectorman]

Excellent lists for newbie and veteran alike.

Thanks Folks.

[Eyethforce]

Thank you!