Lighten the load

I'm not getting this.

It seems like a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, as well as a solution that would take more time and effort.

For one, a detecting digging trowel should be used, and the other stuff you mentioned isn't a weight burden. I still cringe when I see or hear about people taking a shovel into a city park.

So now, you're constantly taking your gear on and off, taking time to write stuff down for each target, have to get down and up an additional time for each target, and make it more inconvenient to recheck each hole with the detector?

Went to a Florida park last night. About 95 degrees but shady. I parked the car right at the part i wanted to detect. Very small area, maybe 75'x75'.

Grabbed the headphones and the detector along with 6 little flags. I was never more than seconds away from the car. Marked 3 spots that rang up at 90 and one a bit lower. No bending at all during this phase.

At the car i grabbed the hand digger and pinpointer and in seconds was at the first flag, sans detector and headphones.

Your mileage may vary but this was so easy in the heat. No putting on and taking off headphones in itself is a big plus on a hot day.

Not a great hunt though. I could see that three of the flags followed a straight line.
In the first hole the digger hit something hard right off the bat. Those three holes, those nice 90 signals, were some shallow water department fixtures. 4th hole was a small piece of copper, tubelike but with finished ends.

My knees are making it very hard to get up and down these days. Once i am kneeling i need to push down on something to get back up. So i use a tool tray with a handle i can push down on.

That tray holds the digger, pointer and a tiny drop cloth and any finds i come across.

When i started detecting i used a belt and pouch and had little trouble getting up and down. But not any more.

John Madill said:

<snip> My knees are making it very hard to get up and down these days. Once I am kneeling i need to push down on something to get back up. So I use a tool tray with a handle i can push down on.

That tray holds the digger, pointer and a tiny drop cloth and any finds i come across.

When i started detecting i used a belt and pouch and had little trouble getting up and down. But not any more.

Click to expand...

Like you I have difficulties getting back up once I am on my knees. I am curious what the "tool tray with a handle" looks like. I usually carry a collapsible walking stick, but it doesn't work in all situations.

Hi Clint

I originally posted a photo of that tray under metal detecting accessories a couple of years ago. I am away from my computer for a few weeks so i cannot load the photo again but i just replied to that original post so you can go to the accessories forum and find it near the top.

Sounds like an interesting idea John. When I first started to read, I thought you were gonna use them to mark the corners of your search area.

Would be great when testing two detectors. I just can't ever remember to buy any and if I did I wouldn't remember where I put them.

My only problem with it is I'm not sure I'm capably of walking away from a spot once found. I just gotta know what's there.

Kinda like people that take all those pictures of finds before they get them out of the plug. Soon as I see it it's in my grubby hands and then I think - oh, shoulda taken a picture.

I have thought of doing that in nice yards so I can use small instruments to locate the find without disturbing the soil. But I just don't hunt them.


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