Dream Mat

[Lefty2u]

I have not seen any posts about the prospector's Dream mat.
Is anyone using it in a sluice box. If so could you give a review
of how it works? Good or bad.

Thanks
Lefty2u

[KevinInColorado]

There are fans of it here in Colorado. Not my thing because it requires classifying (yuck!)...

[Reed Lukens]

Dream Mat questions?

[RTR]

Stuff looks pretty pricey > https://prospectorsdream.com/collect...rtex-dream-mat

[Cave_Dweller]

I use dream mat and it's very popular over here in the UK because you don't have to classify with it. The smaller mini mat yes you do, down to 1/4 inch max or #8 mesh preferably. I'm not just saying this because I'm friendly with the guy who makes it in both Aus and America, but it really is great matting. Whenever I've used it I've had 100% catch rate, or so I'm guessing. It was set up as a river sluice with a catch bucket for the tailings. After 20 25l buckets there wasn't even a spec of gold in the tailings bucket. What set it apart from the rest of the mats out there is the amount of cons you have to work with afterwards, you are literally left with a handful of material to go through at the end of the day.

I've ripped the riffles and keene matting out of my 52inch folding sluice and replaced them all with normal cell sized dream mat, 10x36 inches. They are bringing out new designs too as we speak, even sizes to fit in big wash plants. My post about it can probably be found in the wrong section here somewhere lol

I haven't personally used it much, but have many friends here that do. If you want more info let me know. Another friend of mine has just got the go ahead to start making it over here in Europe, so that's all over the world that can have easy access to it.

Truth be told, a lot of people are finding it hard to accept it because of its design, but when it works so well you can't really complain.

[Goldwasher]

There is no way I could feed it unclassified due to the type of gravels I have.

It wouldn't exchange properly.

On a banker or wash plant and large sluice area I could see it working well on the undersize material. But not if your working in an area with a lot of flat rock like slate.

[Cave_Dweller]

There is no way I could feed it unclassified due to the type of gravels I have.

It wouldn't exchange properly.

On a banker or wash plant and large sluice area I could see it working well on the undersize material. But not if your working in an area with a lot of flat rock like slate.

I suppose it depends on the type of ground you work on and how you work it. Because of our ban on powered equipment over here I just use a 2.5" hand pump to get my pay dirt and the depth we have to go to in the rivers means using a shovel is pointless, it all gets washed off by the time you bring it to the surface lol. I normall set my dream mat up right beside where I'm digging a hole, then just pump straight into it, but the 2.5" pump doesn't let much big stuff in.

[DizzyDigger]

IIRC, wasn't there a fellow selling a sluice with that same swirly design?

Can't recall the name of it, but that looks like a rubber version of that
spendy sluice. And at $88 for a 8"x36" piece it's equally as expensive.

Stuff had better be good at that price.

[KevinInColorado]

IIRC, wasn't there a fellow selling a sluice with that same swirly design?

Can't recall the name of it, but that looks like a rubber version of that
spendy sluice. And at $88 for a 8"x36" piece it's equally as expensive.

Stuff had better be good at that price.

You are thinking of the Goldwell sluice maybe? That’s out of production.

[Terry Soloman]

Dream Mat questions?

Reed, did you ever use shag carpet like me back in the day?

[winners58]

I was looking at these, that are a copy of the goldwell slice but plastic/rubber https://www.devingoldexploration.com/
not sure I would rely on one capture area, or type of mat's I like having at least three zones,
if one section missed some, it would catch in another, goldhog, dream mat, goldwell all in one high-banker?

[Reed Lukens]

Reed, did you ever use shag carpet like me back in the day?

Yup, green shag and AstroTurf later for years Terry

[Goldwasher]

I suppose it depends on the type of ground you work on and how you work it. Because of our ban on powered equipment over here I just use a 2.5" hand pump to get my pay dirt and the depth we have to go to in the rivers means using a shovel is pointless, it all gets washed off by the time you bring it to the surface lol. I normall set my dream mat up right beside where I'm digging a hole, then just pump straight into it, but the 2.5" pump doesn't let much big stuff in.

you guys aren't allowed to dig out of the water?

[X4FRNT]

I love my dream mats, I have 2 6”x18” mats and a 6”x18” vortex mat that I use for cleanups. I love them, and as advertised the gold rarely makes it past the third or fourth set of cells. You can get the 6” wide mats for around $40

[Stretchmo]

I work the rivers, streams and brooks of western MA and absolutely LOVE my Gold Rat 888 Backpacker Sluice:



With a proper set-up (8.5 - 9 degrees), the 8" x 24" mini cell Dream Mat captures ~95% of the gold I put through it. The catch pan at the end grabs the rest - mostly flat flakes that get caught up in the flow.