All you REALLY need to get out hunting is your main rig!....You dont NEED a handheld Pinpointer...You dont NEED anything else either...You can easily hunt totters and excavate finds with the side of your foot, you can hunt dry sand without a scoop and sort of kick/sweep/sift with your fingers...You dont NEED kneepads or a digger or a finds pouch or a vest....
Theres people here that dont have a handheld Pinpointer for many reasons, Sandgroper alluded to this....first, consider the extraneous cost...that initial outlay is quite a few quarters, and a claddy can stab them all up easily and faster without a handheld pinpointer with nothing but a screwdriver...so theres no need for a pinpointer there...It wont make him faster or better, in fact it will just slow him down and one more thing to worry about....
I will say, its nice to learn how to operate with the LEAST amount of gear possible..Just In Case you have to someday...you cant be shut down from going on a hunt on account of the lack or loss of a pinpointer or a scoop or a digger for any reason!. As long as you got your main rig, you are good to go! Everything else are accessories..even shoes! Each day brings along different challenges and opportunities! Learn how to Improvise and adjust to the conditions with your main stick first!!
Learn how to hunt as minimalistic as you can for starters...Then advance with gear and gadgets as you see fit that applies to your style and territory and productivity expectations...
So NO! For a New Guy, The Pinpointer is NOT useful! It teaches bad habits and doesnt develop the critical strengths!...Unless you want to carry around a pacifyer like a little baby all your adult Life!!
