Gotta say I am impressed with the design consideration that was given to every inch of the Whippet Drywasher and it's accessories.
I had been looking for a way to do testing in various parts of our claim. There has been many a time when hiking that I thought "man this looks like a good spot, I really need to test this material". Thus began my quest to find a testing machine.
I started with a Keene 140S and the VacPac and had this amazing combo for about a year. This impressive little drywasher can run some serious material and is truly a little work horse. I used it all of 4 times in that year because we already have a Keene 150 that did the brunt of our dry processing. Took it out to hike once and that was one time to many. The 140s is just plain heavy. All the improvements they made makes it heavier than the original 140 and I ever only used it on three other occasions close to my car. Sold this off to a young team with stronger backs and less concern for heat stroke. Cost of this setup new ran me $1,100.00. Took a loss of $400.00 when I sold it in like new condition.
During this time I realized that a puffer might be exactly what I need for testing. My search for a well reviewed bellows is what actually led me to this site. All the smaller metal versions are still on the heavy side. All the little wood versions looked a little iffy with all the staples, glue and screws. Most of the wood versions where manual only (no electric) and knowing myself, I knew that a pull rope would get old very fast. I know both of these machines work, just would not work for me.
So my Whippet arrives and since it's an all in one setup, I throw it in my car (carefully place it in my car and tie it down) and hit the road on a business trip that's out towards our claim. After my meeting, I swing by the claim on the way home and test a spot that's been on the back of my mind. This spot was worked by someone prior us staking the claim and I've been meaning to test some material. I ran about three 3-gallon buckets of material from the wall, dump the cons into the bag and head home.
I doubt I will ever hike our claim again without this guy on my back. Looking forward to truly mapping out our area to try and get a better understanding of the land.
On a side note: the accessories are also well thought out and executed. The larger battery pocket has a bottom board to keep it rigid when loaded. The shovel is much more heavy duty than I expected. It's about double the thickness in material than my little Lifeline alum shovel.
Just wanted to share my overall experience and give some user feedback.
Happy hunting!
