Prospecting Safety Gear

How to choose safety gear

• •Wading boots with grip soles are the single best safety buy for creek work: slick rocks injure more prospectors than any tool does.
• •A life vest matters anywhere you wade deep, work fast water, or run a dredge.
• •Eye and hearing protection for digging and hammering; a respirator for dry, dusty ground where silica dust is real.
• •The unglamorous items — sun hat, first aid kit — matter most when you are miles from town. Pack them every trip, not just the long ones.