I'm trying to figure out what equipment that I need to purchase for my first trip prospecting. I've pretty much settled on heading to Cache Creek when it opens and running a sluice box (I will be dragging my brother along with me). I know the basic equipment required, but I want to get some of the recommended/nice to have items that I might not have thought of yet.

Here is what I got so far:

• Sluice box - Keene A52 or Angus Mackirk Au trap (haven't decided yet)
• 5 gallon buckets (2 or 3)
• #2 shovel
• Smaller feeder shovel like a garden trowel
• 1/2" classifier
• Gold pan
• Snuffer bottle
• Waders - Either Hip or Breast (haven't decided)

For processing the concentrates I was thinking of (I may hold off and purchase this later down the road)

• #12, 20, 30, 50, 70, 100 classifiers
• Blue bowl
• Some sort of auto feeder

Any recommendations on the items I have listed (or don't have listed) would be appreciative (like is a fiberglass handled shovel better than a wood one). Also would getting a pick (like the one Tom uses on Gold Fever), or any of the crevicing tools be of any use on Cache Creek?

Honestly, I think you already have enough to start with. Later on as you get experience you might want to add to it. I don't think it's a good idea to get all sorts of equipment and lots of money invested into this until you decide what methods you prefer, where you prefer working, and honestly, since it appears you're new to this, if you find you don't like it, less money invested to regret losing.

I suggest that if anything, get something to put the concentrates in. It's not on your list.

I live only 12-15 miles from Cache Creek area, so feel free to PM me if you want to meet & want some help.

knowledge of how to save the gold. if you dont know what your doing correctly, youll waste lots of time and money and eventuallt seel your equipment at a loss!bring someone along that knows what to do!

I recommend more buckets, you can never have enough it seems.
Also a 4' X 2' black plastic masonry tub (black) to pan or process sample materials periodically. This tub will heat (solar) water for site work daily and allow for additives such as Jet-Dry or other to further control your site cleanup environment. Ideally, I would focus on collecting concentrates on site and processing them later at home in a well controlled enviro.... but that's just me. When I'm on site I like to collect as much material as possible (in concentrate form).... I can process elsewhere. Site work time is too valuable unless I have nothing better to do in the evening at camp. At the very least you will want to bring material to base camp periodically to see whether or not you're into gold or digging a dead hole. The black masonry tub will work great for this as well as many other things including efficient and controlled sluice mat clean-up.
Also - don't forget a good pair of knee pads or you will shred those waders and beat your knees on the first day. Neoprene gloves (3mm or thicker) are a very nice luxury if you are planning on conducting stream work.
The only classifiers that I typically use on site are 1/2" and 1/4" (occasionally 1/8"). Feeding hand sluices pre-classified material is a huge bonus in my opinion. I have a full set of screens but the rest (smaller) are used elsewhere during the recovery process.
Hope this helps!

one thing I never buy is buckets, I always get them for free from the bakery at places like king soopers, but sometimes they give you a size that a classifier wont fit, like 4 gallons, the 3 and a half size buckets work grate since there not as heavy as the 5 gallon

Coalbunny, thanks for the offer, I'll PM you when I get closer to finalizing the details on my trip up to Cache Creek. I find it's always better to have someone show you the ropes than learn everything the hard way. as for the concentrate storage, I was planning on doing the sluice clean up and concentrates storage in one of the 5 gallon buckets. Is there something else that works better?


Russau, I would love to have someone tag along with me, and show me ropes, and stop me from making all the rookie mistakes. I’ll try and take CoalBunny up on his offer, but if others want company, I’m happy to help/learn. I’m in Northern Colorado though so it’s a bit of a drive for me.



Swizz, I was planning on just saving the concentrates and processing them from the comfort of my house. Thanks for the tip on the buckets, I’ll double the number of buckets. I was planning on building a ½” and maybe a ¼”classifier using the plans on this site and then getting Keene classifiers to process the concentrates. I never thought about bringing a tub to do some test pans while digging, I guess I thought I would always just go to stream and process it, but that could burn precious digging time. What type of knee pads have you found work best? The hard plastic type usually used for skateboarding/rollerblading?


Do you find a particular type of plastic/bucket lasts longer than others? I have heard that the Keene A52 is kind of known for cracking the sidewalls. I will call around and see what is available, if all else fails I was just going to buy some of the home depot buckets and call it a day.

Those should work fine. Any knee pads will do the trick. Mine are made of clear rubber with comfortable gel padding.

The best pair I ever had was a pair of police swat team knee pads that went with their body armor. I've dredged with them for 5 or 6 years now. They cost $18.00 at a police uniform store but I haven't seen any like them lately.

Leonard

Here's a picture of what I have. These are truely heavy duty. I got mine from Public Safety Wharehouse in Aurora Co.



Hopefully this will work.
Leonard

I am also from N. colorado and planning to go out to cache creek this year. If we can get a group of us newbies and some experienced prospecters together would be great!

If you do it around Memorial Day, we might be able to spend some time on the CCC claim on the Arkansas. It's a little ways upstream from the GPAA claims. I have a dredge permit and we can pan and sluice there without any additional permits. We have 1/2 mile of river there. Any time much later than that the water will be too high. 4th of July we will be at Douglas Creek and you are welcome to join us on our claim there.

Leonard

I would also be up for some sort newbie group/experienced prospector get together. I’m a member of GPAA, but the nearest club is Colorado Springs, which is a very long drive.


Does anyone have any recommendations on waders and brands? I’m trying to decide between hip/waist and chest waiters. I’m thinking that chest waiters maybe to high for what I’ll need them for. Also which is better boot foot or stocking foot? I was also wondering if the boot foot would hold up to digging with the shovel or if I would just end up destroying them.

I started out with a regular pair of $50.00 chest waders.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Hodgman-Brown-Ne...-Wader/10726561

I still have them although they leak a little. I even wore them in alaska when we atv'd in the mud. The ones I got didn't have boots, just socking feet built in. Then I wore a pair of fishing wader shoes over them.

These are kind of expensive but you can get the idea.

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsm...07991/cat101547

I still use fishing wader shoes over neoprene socks when I dredge. I like the combination because the shoes have a hard sole and toe so if I roll a rock over my feet, I don't get hurt.

Leonard

If you had to do it over again would you still get chest waiders or would you go with something a little lower like hip waiders?

The chest waders and shoes will last you many years and get you in a lot deeper water that the hip waders. I have both plus a wetsuit and which ever one fits the days application.
Leonard

For a true greenhorn this has been an interesting thread. Looking for a new hobby I have looking for information about where to purchase beginner equipment here in Colorado Springs. I have not had much luck. For now all I want is a couple of pans. Buckets and other pieces I can get most anywhere. Any ideas where I can buy a couple pans? Also headed out to Arkansas Headwaters this weekend for some camping. Any advice on places to pan or restriction in the AHRA? Thanks.

Ive never been there but the mining museum, at the north end of Colorado springs would be my guess, it is on the east side of I-25 as you are going out of town

Since you are headed out that way, The Roc Doc is a good sized store and they have about anything you could need. http://www.therockdoc.net/

How long are planning on camping?
Leonard

Thanks Leonard... will check that out... planning on 2 nights back on Sunday...

I/family too are newbie's to prospecting/CP, and agree this has been a great bit of info, as the whole forum site has a great multitude of knowledge. I have bought a couple gravity pans and such, got buckets from the groc-store's, but can't seem to find the masons tube, any ideas were to find one? I've been down on the platte on a friends place and tryed my luck at panning, long ways to go, but did manage to bring home 2 buckets of concentraits to work/practice on in the back yard,thought about using a wheel barrel to do this in as I can't find the tube yet. I plan on making a trip down south as well just don't know when/where, hope to meet some of you in my/family's new adventure's.

I got two of the mason tub's from Home Depot

Thanks for the info on the tubs I picked up 2 at Lowes today, kids can't wait to try this out in the back yard.

It's been a while since I looked at this thread and just noticed some new posts (swore that I had subscribed to it... oh well) so I thought I would give an update.

I'll be headed to Cache Creek June 4-6, and was planning on spending most of that time down by the old cemetery (unless others have a better recommendation).

In preparation I purchased/procured the following items:

• Angus Mackirk AU Trap Sluice
• 1 large 4'x2' masonry tub
• fiberglass #2 shovel
• 1/2" and 1/4" Classifier
• (5) 5 Gallon buckets
• GPAA green gold pan
• Snuffer Bottle

I still have the following items on my list to purchase:

• Chest waders
• Knee Pads

I'm also still debating if I should be picking up a small pick (like the apex weasel) and some crevassing tools (pry bars, and some of the Keene crevassing tools).

You won't need chest waders for Cache Creek. Go to http://golddredgervideo.com/menu.htm and scroll down to Cache Creek Expedition 2006 and take a look at the videos. You'll see a Estwing pick that I'd reccomend. http://www.estwing.com/product.php?product_id=5200

We should be down on the Arkansas at our High Hopes claim labor day. You are welcome to join us.


Leonard

i can also recommend this pick that Leonard recommends. ive used his pick in the state of washington while dredgeing the Similkimean River .its got good balance and the right length!