Prospector’s Watch,
Glasses  & First Aid

Prospector’s Watch
Having a good quality and accurate watch these days is a must. This does not necessarily mean that you need to have a super expensive one, but it is necessary to have a good one, not only for every day use but especially when traveling to far out places where the distance is measured less often by miles then by the time it takes to get through them. There are sturdy and heavy duty types of watches that can also accurately determine directions.

Prospector’s glasses
Those who normally wear prescription glasses may want to consider carrying an extra pair of glasses in a protective case. It would also be a good idea to take along a pair of optical sunglasses especially if you are going to be working in the beating sun, snow or in high country.

Adhesive bandages and adhesive tape
It is a very good idea to have some adhesive bandages and some of the small gauze pads as well. Placing a bandage on a foot that might be getting tender because of all the walking that is done in prospecting might just prevent you from getting blisters which will make it very difficult to walk. Bandages should be carried in a sterile place such as a first aid kit which can be kept in the car or in your backpack. Obviously having the normal straight gauze is the best option however the advantage to bandages is that they stick. Some people prefer to use plastic tape as this sometimes attaches better. Another important item to carry is white adhesive tape which is a very necessary item when it comes to prospecting because it is used for marking the ore samples. If you find a vein that you feel may just have gold in it and that you think is worthwhile examining, use the adhesive tape to mark the spot you got it from. You should write the exact location and date you found it on a piece of tape and stick it on each piece of ore you take in from the field so that it can be assayed.