Garrett Gold Panning Kit - Complete 7-Piece Prospecting Set

The Garrett Gold Panning Kit's 90° riffles work best with a swirl-and-tilt technique that keeps gold trapped in the riffle grooves while lighter material washes over the pan's edge. Start by classifying your material through the 14-inch sifter to remove rocks, then add the classified material to the 14-inch prospector pan with enough water to cover the contents. Swirl the pan in a circular motion to stratify the gold to the bottom, then tilt the pan forward and let water carry the lighter gravel over the riffles. The 90° riffle geometry catches and holds gold as the waste material flows out. Repeat the swirl-and-tilt cycle until only black sand and gold remain, then use the Gold Guzzler suction bottle to recover fine particles.

The Garrett Gold Panning Kit works for dry panning in desert washes because the 90° riffles trap gold during the shake-and-tilt process even without water. Classify your material through the 14-inch sifter first to remove rocks, then add the fines to the 14-inch prospector pan. Shake the pan in a circular motion to stratify the gold, then tilt and tap the pan's edge to let lighter material slide over the riffles. The riffle design holds gold in place as dust and sand flow out. Dry panning is slower than wet panning and works best with material that has low clay content. For additional guidance on desert prospecting locations and techniques, check our gold panning guide.

The Gold Guzzler suction bottle recovers fine gold by creating a vacuum when you squeeze and release the bulb while the tip is submerged near gold particles. After you've panned down to black sand and visible gold in the 14-inch prospector pan, add a small amount of water to create a thin slurry. Squeeze the Gold Guzzler bulb, place the tip next to a gold flake or fine particle, and release the bulb to suck the gold into the bottle. The suction pulls gold and a small amount of water into the bottle's chamber. Transfer the recovered gold to one of the included storage vials by squeezing the bulb over the vial opening. The Gold Guzzler works for gold particles too small to pick up with tweezers and is especially useful for flour gold in black sand concentrates.

The 14-inch classifier in the Garrett Gold Panning Kit removes rocks larger than the mesh openings, separating out gravel and cobbles that would slow down the panning process. Garrett's product page does not specify the exact mesh size, but classifiers in prospecting kits typically use 1/4-inch or 1/2-inch mesh. To use the classifier, nest it on top of the 14-inch prospector pan, add your raw material to the classifier, and shake or agitate it to let fines fall through while rocks stay on top. Discard the rocks (after checking for visible nuggets) and pan the classified material that fell into the prospector pan. Classification speeds up panning by reducing the volume you process and prevents large rocks from disrupting the stratification process.

The Garrett Gold Panning Kit includes two storage vials for keeping recovered gold secure, but Garrett's product page does not specify the vial capacity. Standard prospecting vials hold between 1 and 5 grams of gold depending on vial size and how tightly the gold is packed. The two-vial setup lets you separate coarse gold (flakes and small nuggets) from fine gold (flour gold and dust), or keep finds from different locations separated for record-keeping. Store the vials in a secure location and avoid opening them in windy conditions, as fine gold can blow away. For prospectors working multiple claims or tracking seasonal yields, consider labeling the vials with location and date information.

The 10-inch Backpacker Pan in the Garrett Gold Panning Kit is large enough for finish work, sampling, and remote prospecting trips, but the 14-inch prospector pan handles bulk material more efficiently. Use the 10-inch pan when you're hiking to remote locations and want to minimize pack weight, or when you're sampling multiple spots along a creek to identify high-yield areas before committing to bulk processing. The smaller diameter means each pan cycle processes less material, so recovery takes longer compared to the 14-inch pan. The 10-inch pan nests inside the larger pans for compact storage and works well as a backup pan or for teaching kids the panning technique. Serious prospectors typically use the 14-inch pan for production work and reserve the 10-inch pan for travel and sampling.

The "How to Find Gold" field guide by Charles Garrett and Roy Lagal covers general gold prospecting principles, techniques, and the types of geological features where gold concentrates, but it does not provide state-by-state location lists. The guide teaches you to recognize productive areas such as creek bends, bedrock crevices, black sand deposits, and downstream concentration zones behind large rocks. These principles apply across gold-bearing regions, but you'll need to research your state's known gold districts and public land access rules separately. Many western states have active prospecting communities and online resources that map historical gold finds and current claims. Explore more quality gear from Garrett metal detectors - authorized US dealer for metal detectors that pair with panning.

You can expand the Garrett Gold Panning Kit by adding larger pans, finer classifiers, or specialized recovery tools from Serious Detecting's prospecting catalog. Garrett manufactures additional pan sizes, the Super Sluice pan for high-volume processing, and the Deluxe Gold Pan Kit with more recovery accessories. Adding a second classifier with finer mesh (such as 1/8-inch or 1/16-inch) lets you classify material into multiple size fractions and concentrate gold more efficiently. A larger gold pan (16 or 17 inches) speeds up bulk processing when you're working a rich pay streak. Browse our full gold pans & panning kits selection for compatible accessories.