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Gold Pans

The most basic tool for any gold mining operation or excursion is the gold pan. It's normally the first tool that one acquires after getting interested in prospecting for gold and it's even the last stage tool of large gold mining operations. The gold pan is a basic tool which uses gravity and water as a way to separate gold from the other alluvial materials present in a stream bed. Choosing a pan and learning to use it is an essential skill for any gold prospector, regardless of the type of placering they are doing.

The first pans were made from wood, cowhorn, steel or copper. For example, the Batea was a conical shaped wood pan used by the Mayan civilization. Today, modern methods of manufacture have produced high impact plastic pans with riffle systems built in. There are several different gold pans on the market.

Garrett Gold Pans

The most popular and readily available gold pans on the market are made by Garrett. They make the 15" Supersluice, the 14" Prospector and the 10" Backpacker.

The 15" Supersluice is a large production pan with two large riffles. It has a nice, large, flat bottom which is good for stratifying and cleanup. The riffles themselves are deep and if the material is stratified properly it is difficult to lose gold from this pan. Some people find it heavy but it is the one pan that can handle the largest amount of material the fastest and is a favorite of serious panners, especially in areas which the gold pan is the only tool permitted. The wide bottom makes cleanup easy. One thing the Supersluice does not have is a hole punched into the edge like many other pans so it makes it difficult to tie it to the outside of a pack.

The 14" Prospector is a standard sized gold pan with 3 riffles. It's a good general purpose pan and most people either start with or try at one time. It does have a hole punched in the rear edge of the lip and so it's convenient to carry, tied onto a pack for nugget hunters.

The 10" Backpacker is a small finish pan. It's got four riffles and a very small bottom. It's small size does not lend itself to moving much material but it is the perfect size for a child to learn on and can be tied to a small pack so it works great as a sample pan for nugget hunters.

Keene Gold Pans

A variety of pans can be purchased through Keene Engineering. The make the Super 3 stage gold pans in 14" and 12" which work very similar to the Garrett's but have no tie hole in the lip. Also available are 10 1/2", 14" and 17" standard pans in black high impact plastic. Thin strips of raised plastic and a dropped bottom serve as riffles in these economy pans. Most people tend to move towards the deeper riffled green pans as they tend to trap gold better although the black pans are lighter. Keene also offers a variety of steel pans for the purist. 6", 8", 10", 12" 14" and 16" steel gold pans are available as well as a ribbed steel model in 10", 12", 14" and 16" sizes.

Trinity Bowl Gold Pans

Progoldprospecting offers a series of pans developed by seasoned prospector Travis Brown. They offer the Trinity Bowl and the Hex Pan. Both the Trinity Bowl and the Hex pan are non-standard pans that differ greatly from the classic pan that most people are used to. They have both been described as innovative in the glowing reviews to downright gimmiky. You decide.

The Trinity Bowl is a uniquely designed circular pan which has several stages of riffles designed to trap gold and keep it in your pan. The Trinity Bowl comes in 11" and 14" sizes and has a series of riffles 3 small and 4 large. The bottom is concave from the center and tends to force gold toward the edge of the pan bottom. Once the stratification is done, the material is then moved to what would be the back of a normal pan to fall into a deeper pocket with many small riffles. There is a small sluice in the back of the pan with another series of riffles which is used to do final cleanup on your panning material. Note that the technique for the Trinity Bowl is different than that of a standard pan and may take some re education for the seasoned panner. Some have complained that the Trinity traps gold to well or is slow but I have seen the inventor clean up a pan of unclassified material in a short amount of time and nothing but gold was left in the pan.

The Hex Pan is Travis Brown's newest invention. Like it's namesake, it's a hex shaped pan that measures 11" x 13". 4 of it's 6 sides have riffles, a set of larger riffles side by side and a set of smaller riffles set to either side of the larger set.

Both the Trinity and the Hex come in a variety of colors depending on your preference - Blue, Maroon, the standard green and even Pink for the ladies although that is in a limited edition.

Proline Gold Pans

Proline makes a classic gold pan in 14" and 17" sizes. It's a favorite among those who like a classic pan shape because it has more riffles than the Garret or the Keene, is lightweight and handles a lot of material at once. The 14" pan sports 6 riffles and the 17" pan has a total of eight riffles. They come in black, blue and green. Many prospectors prefer the blue color which tends to make the individual colors jump out and also contrasts with the black sand.