Rockhounding Tools You Will Need for Your Next Trip

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The rockhounding tools you need to bring on your next trip:

  • Crack Hammers and Pick Hammers
  • Chisels and flat head screw drivers
  • Safety glasses
  • Shovels
  • Pans and screens
  • Brushes
  • Gloves
  • Containers
  • Rockhounding backpack
  • Water and snacks
  • First Aid Kit

Planning that rockhounding trip can be a bit daunting if you are a beginner at the hobby.   One might not know what tools or items they need to bring on for rock hunting adventure.

When going rockhounding you do want to be prepared with all the right equipment.  There is nothing worse for a rockhounder than to not be able to get at that rock, mineral, gem, or fossil because they forgot to bring the right tool. 

Rockhounding with Crack Hammers and Pick Hammers

Taking a regular nail hammer on a rockhounding trip is not a bad idea.  However, there are other hammers that you will want in your tool arsenal.

Crack hammers are a must if you are having to break away at some larger rock.  You need something a little heavy to break through that rock to expose possible collectibles inside the rock.  Crack hammers are a one handed deal that can be wielded a little easier, around 3 to 6 pounds.  A crack hammer is a must have for my rockhounding tools.

A two handed sledge hammer is for that rockhounder that really would like a strong tool to break through that rock.  Mind you, the more rock you break open the more those treasures lying within the rock might go flying off in any direction.

Sledgehammers, due to their weight, are a tiring tool to use.  Not only from swing that hammer around but for lugging up to the spots you wish to search for rocks.  So keep that in mind if you might have to do some hiking to get to that place you are planning to go.

Pick hammers are a good choice for any rockhounder.  The pick part of the tool is excellent for focusing the power of your swing into a sing point on the rock.  This helps enormously when trying to break away bits of rock.

A lot of pick hammers that are used have a flat side on the other end of the hammer.  This acts a little like a regular hammer giving the tool more functionality.  I would advise any rockhounder to have a pick hammer in their rockhounding tools.

Chisels and Flat Head Screwdrivers

As you may note banging on rocks can really let those pieces of rocks go flying around.  A chisel can help when you are looking to do a little more delicate banging on those rocks.  Typically, you may have that specimen exposed and you want to carefully bang around it to knock it loose.

A chisel is really only useful when you have a hammer to go with it.  You place that chisel on that spot you wish to loosen up and band on the back of it to start digging into the rock.  How hard you bang on that chisel will determine the effects of getting your specimen out of the rock.  You bang to hard, you may break the specimen.  Sometimes it is good to go soft and slowly.

Then again, if you are trying to wedge and break of chunks of rock, you might put your chisel into a crack in the rock and slam as hard as you can on the back of it to separate the rock.  Either way, the chisel is a very important tool and should also be in everyone’s rockhounding tool set.

Flat head screwdrivers are useful as well.  These are used in similar to a chisel but at a much lighter use.  They are good for prodding into crevices and prying open smaller pieces of rock.  Having a couple of these on hand is a good idea.

Crowbars are used at times for breaking into rock.  This tool should be used sparingly as it can be a bit cumbersome.  If you don’t have a long distance to travel to get to your location for rockhounding, then you may consider bring one of these.

Safety Glasses

With all my talk about hammers and chisels and banging on rocks, you can rest assured there will be pieces of those rocks flying around.

It is a good idea to protect your eyes from these flying pieces of rock.  I would strongly recommend having a coupe pairs of safety glasses with you if you think you will be in this rockhounding scenario.

Shovels

Those larger garden shovels are not a bad idea when looking for rocks that require digging.  Once again though, you need to consider what you can carry to your rockhounding site.  Those larger shovels can get fairly heavy after some hiking, but in the long run they are typically very useful when you have them.

As a contrast, you can find the smaller shovels are very portable.  They can fit nicely into a backpack and still give you some sort of shoveling ability.  The smaller shovels are great if you are digging for some reason and need to be on your knees.  You would need to be on your knees if you are trying to look more closely into the hole you are digging.

I would like to say that a shovel needs to be one of the tools you always have with you, but in fact, they are not.  They are a tool used for the obvious need of digging, and not all rockhounding requires digging.  In my experience you will eventually need a shovel, so you might as well add it to your rockhounding tools anyway.

Pans and screens

You might have thought that pans and screens were only used while looking for gold.  When you have been banging on rocks all day, you might want to consider those tailing left on the ground.  They could contain some of the rocks that you are looking for.

As an example, while Topaz hunting, you might want to sift through all those tailings that are littering the ground from your vigorous rock smashing efforts.  You might be surprised at what you would have missed if you did not sift through the smaller stuff piling up on the ground.

One great use for a screen is sifting through dirt that might contain sapphires, if you knew a location to find sapphires that is.  Sapphires act a little bit like gold in that they are heavier than the dirt they are in.  Once you sift through them, carefully, you find the sapphires at the bottom of the screen.

A screen is a great addition to your tool set for rockhounding, though this particular tool might not get used very often or at all depending on the locations you go rockhounding.

Brushes

Brushes are one of those tools that fewer rockhounder’s possess.  Not everyone is doing delicate rockhounding retrieval.  However, if you are retrieving fossils, this tool might be more needed in your rockhounding tool set.

Brushing dust way to clearly see what you need to do to further extract your specimen might be a good addition for you.  Though I might not be speaking for everyone, but blowing on rocks to remove dust might be a good option as well.  Just remember to close your eyes as you do so.

Gloves

You will need a good pair of gloves.  All that moving dirt, banging on rocks, and sifting through tailings can really cause some damage to your hands.

I remember one time sifting through some tailings with my bare fingers.  After an hour or so of doing this my fingers hurt and my fingerprints were being worn off.

It is good to get a pair of lighter gloves.  If you are like me you like the freedom of using your bare hands, anything to get close to that freedom is a good thing.  Heavier gloves can work as well, and in fact do a great job of protecting your hands and reducing the possibility of blisters.

Containers

Once you have your specimens you need to keep track of them.  After all you found them, and you don’t want to lose them.  You want to easily bring them home.

For larger rocks, I recommend some sort of duffle back or back pack.  In addition to having this you may want to consider bring some sort of additional cloth or padding of sorts to prevent your specimens from banging into each other as they are moved.  As an example, you would use this padding like packing fragile items in a moving box.

Vials or smaller containers are good for smaller rocks and keeping them contained and from being lost.  These are typical for gems rockhounding.  As you find a nice specimen you can put it into a smaller container and keep from losing it.  Not to mention you can pull out a glass vial and show off your finds to others pretty easily.

Having containers is a must.  Although, you may be one of those people that like to fill their pockets and call it good.

Rockhounding backpack

There is no getting around this one.  You need a backpack.  I could say any sort of bag, but a backpack can be put on your back and hiked in fairly easy to your rockhounding locations.  This backpack would carry all your tools and items for rockhounding.

It is important to carry only what you need when you go rockhounding.  Lugging all your tools around can get heavy.  A nice way to carry it can make all the difference.

I would choose a backpack, or something to carry your tools in, that had a good number of compartments and or pockets.  Having things separated and organized is a very good idea.  When you are done and packing up for the day, being organized might let you know if you forgot a tool somewhere that does not seem to be in its place in your backpack.

Water and Snacks

You are now carrying a bunch of heavy tools to get to your rockhounding location, let’s add some water to it.  Yes, water will definitely be something very, very important on your rockhounding trip.  With all the physical activity you WILL need to replenish your water.

So please, don’t forget it.

Snacks are good as well, maybe you can hike in a cooler full of food and have lunch at your rockhounding site, but it might be easier to pack a few snacks, and go back to the car to eat your lunch.

First Aid Kit

You will need a first aid kit.  Plan on banging, scratching, and hurting yourself, hopefully as little as possible, while rockhounding.  We all make mistakes and can accidentally hurt ourselves so make sure you have some sort of a first aid kit with you.

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