I will speak on the water side, if your going to be hunting wetsand and water next to your detector your most important tool is a good scoop, and they are not cheap..... If your good with your hands and can weld you can make your own, if not then dont waste your money on a cheap scoop, you will regrett it.
Nothing worse than breaking the handle on your scoop while digging and your a mile from your vehicle, and 20 to 120 miles from home... I know, I am speaking from experience. My first scoop was about $80, i figured, $80, thats a lot of money it has to be good right, wrong broke it in less than a month.....
Digging in wet sand puts a lot of stress on your scoop. Digging in the water you want to be able to recover that target as quick as possible before the next wave hits you. It is extremely hard to stay on target in the water with any kind of wave action.... You want as wide a scoop as you can handle.... I personally use the Beach Brute II, 8.5 inches wide 12 inches long, 6 inch high, has a stainelss lip riveted on.... $200..... I bet I would have no problem selling it for $125-$150 if I wanted to, but no desire to sell.... I have a backup scoop to that I loan out or in case of emergency....
There are lots of good scoops out there, not trying to push mine, if I get another one it will be the largest sunspot I can find..... A good scoop holds its value, a good used one holds almost all its value.... I bought my first scoop the original Beach Brute for $125 used, sold it 2 years later for $100.... Cost me all of $25 to use it for 2 years and that doesnt count the gold, and silver it brought up or the watches, and so on...
You need a good finds bag, if your not going in the water than a simple nail apron will do or you can get a good apron that has secret compartments to hide the gold you find from prying eyes.... In the water get a good apron, or you will lose what you spent hours finding....
I dont go anywhere with out my Metal detecting tool box. I have everything I need in it to make any repair on any of my detectors on the road, including sodering iron, soder, waterproof liquid tape, waterprood spray tape, epoxy, tie wraps, spare washers and nuts for all my detectors, spare knobs, stainless steel set screws, allen wrenches, needle nose plyers, regular plyers, hammer, silcone lube, electrical tape, duct tape, heat shrink lots of AA and AAA and 9 volt batteries, I am sure I am forgetting at least a dozen otehr things in it. Every time I find something I wish I had, i buy it next time i'm at the store and put it in the box....
I carry at least 2 of everything when I go, 2 detectors, 2 scoops, 2 camel water with harnesses I wear to hook my detector shaft to and water is in the camel, each harness has a tube of SPF 90 sunscreen attached to it as well as d links to attached anything I want to it...... I also carry at least one knife on me at all times and have at least 2 more in my carry bag, it is used for sharks, both in the water and on land....
My carry bag has changing of clothes, spare battery pods, spare knives, spare sunguard shirts, chargers both AC and DC spare sunscreen dew rags, and I also put my 3/4 wetsuit bottoms on top of carry pag in case I need it for man of war or jellyfish and my wetshoes....
It may seem like I carry a lot, but everything stays loaded ready to go, toolbox stays in detector vehicle as do my scoops, carry bag is loaded and ready beside my bedroom dressor, just have to put the wetsuit on top and head to the vehicle....When I go all I have to do is load my 2 or 3 detecotrs, 2 excals and Sov GT all with custom coils, my carry bag, camelpak and my cooler for drinks. I can be loaded and out the door in less than 10 mins.............
