Complete Equipment Guide For Rockhounding The Great Lakes
Whether it’s the abandoned tailings piles of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the beaches of our Great Lakes, or the various limestone quarries around our beautiful Mitten State, this equipment guide is our answer for all of your rockhounding equipment needs. From scoops to hammers, chisels and buckets, this guide will help steer you towards the best and most economical options on the market.
JUMP TO SECTIONS IN THIS GUIDE:
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Best For Beach Combing
- • Rock Scoops
- • UV Flashlights
- • Additional Gear
- • Goggles & Gloves
- • Geology Hammers
- • Hand Sledges & Chisels
- • Metal Detectors
- • Jewellers Loupes
- • Backpacks & Cases
- • Other Tools
- • Books & Guides
Quarries & Rugged Rockhounding
▪ Introduction
KNOW THE RULES.
View more concerning the rules and laws that may apply while rockhounding in Michigan
▪ Best For Beaches
Rock scoops, the beach comber’s personal pal through a journey of treasures and back-saving moments that may have had you bending over for what looked like an agate, but was actually chert with some algae on it. They come in too many configurations to count, can easily be created from scrap in your garage, and can be purchased in nearly every tourist shop near a beach. It wasn’t until recently that we were able to use and test out most rock scoops available on the consumer market, but after doing so, we managed to round our list down to two options.
First, our economic option is one many see quite often on the beaches, the Sand Dipper. Variations of this are all around but most, if not all Sand Dippers these days, are adjustable and relatively cheap. We’ve listed a popular pick among hounds at the bottom, however, it is is not without it’s flaws, being the economic choice that it is. The wire mesh that forms the scoop is anything but durable as it will fray and fall apart of regular use. This alone has led us to find and recommend a much more reliable model, one that endures all forms of beating and battering against the rocks and waves…
The Treasure Scoop. Although more pricey than the Sand Dipper, you would 100% be getting what you’re paying for with the Treasure Scoop. Available on Kingsley North, and ONLY through Kingsley North, the Treasure Scoop is fully cast in rust proof aluminum that is guaranteed to pay for itself in sheer durability.
We personally know of hounds who have inherited the Treasure Scoop from retiring rockhounds, adding onto their scoop’s use time by decades more with no loss in performance. The Treasure Scoop is our top recommendation here as it will more than outlast it’s price point, paying for itself in near-infinite usage.
Just don’t lose it at the beach!
EXPERT TIP
Got any pill bottles lying around?
Possibly the most contested topic amongst rockhounds around the Great Lakes is what the best UV flashlight is for hunting Fluorescent Sodalite (most commonly known as Yooperlite). Many-a fight has broken out over who would be king of the 365nm UV flashlights with the most notable amongst these being the Convoy C8, a flashlight whose reputation would have you believing there to be no other option when hunting the beaches for a glowing stone of your very own.
Looking to up your beach combing game a bit? Check out these great tools we’ve had the chance to test ourselves! The portable stool is one we have recommended over and over for folks who often find themselves needing to take the edge off with a bit of rest when nothing but a sandy shore is available to them.
The Handtec Bucket Grip fits on most bucket handles and comes highly recommended as it reduces the heavy load of your bucket-o-treasures and basically allows you to carry just a bit more for longer.
The pressure sprayer has a limited, but niche use for hounds that wander the beaches as it allows for continual sprays of water through the storage of manually pressurized air in the 50oz tank. We have, and continue to use ours for washing the filth from our stones but we recognize a hand-pumped pressure washer like this may find its usable amongst hopeful beach combers looking for their very own petoskey stones.
▪ Quarries & Rugged Hounding
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