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My husband is from North Carolina, and he grew up looking for emeralds, rubies, and other stones in creeks, along roadsides, and anywhere else he thought there might be something worth finding.
I had no idea this was even a thing until we got married.
We lived in North Carolina for about four years, and whenever family or friends came to visit, there was a pretty good chance they were going to end up riding up into the mountains with us for a day of gem hunting. We had favorite stops near the Blue Ridge Parkway and around western North Carolina, including places like Emerald Village. That is off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Little Switzerland, NC.
And when we moved away, the habit came with us.
Every trip back to visit his family seemed to end with us loading buckets of dirt into the vehicle so my husband could take them home, go through them, and see what he had missed.
Some families bring back T-shirts.
We brought back dirt.
At some point, the obsession spread.
Now I have a daughter who loves rocks too, and gem hunting has become one of those things we actually plan trips around. We still go back to North Carolina, but now we also look for new places to dig, sift, hunt, and see what we can find.
And once you start planning trips around dirt, rocks, creeks, and holes in the ground, you learn pretty quickly that there are a few things worth bringing with you.
Here’s what actually comes with us when we go gem hunting.
Buckets. More Than One.
Buckets are probably the least exciting thing on this list, but they are some of the most useful.
We use them for carrying tools, holding dirt or rocks, transporting finds, and keeping muddy things separated from everything else in the truck.
Depending on where we’re going, I may take several.
I especially like having at least one bucket that stays relatively clean so I’m not tossing food, clean clothes, or other gear into something covered in red clay or mud.
Let me tell you too, buckets do not last forever, especially in the Texas sun. For this trip, I bought six new buckets, and I may go back for two more. Before every trip, make sure your buckets are still in good condition. Plastic gets brittle and can break, especially that little plastic piece on the handle.
Gloves
I always bring gloves.
Even if the digging area doesn’t look particularly rough, you’re dealing with dirt, rocks, roots, sharp edges, and sometimes wet ground.
A good pair of work gloves saves your hands.
I usually prefer something sturdy enough to protect my fingers but still flexible enough that I can actually pick things up and feel what I’m doing.
Remember when I referred to the plastic pieces on the buckets breaking? It’s going to happen, so gloves save your hands on this one.
I always have a good pair of leather work gloves. We buy them in bulk at Sam’s Club, but you can also find them on Amazon. I would recommend something like these gloves.
If you look at these gloves and wonder why on earth I am recommending bright green ones, here is the reason: when you set them down in the dirt, a bright pair is much easier to find than a tan or black pair. Go ahead, ask me how I know.
Knee Pads
This is one of those things I might not have thought much about years ago.
Now?
Absolutely.
If I’m going to be kneeling in dirt for any amount of time, I want knee pads.
You can use a kneeling pad too, but I like having something that stays with me when I move around.
You only have to kneel on one badly placed rock to suddenly understand why knee protection deserves a spot in the truck.
Clothes I Do Not Care About
Gem hunting is not the day for the cute outfit.
I want clothes that can get dirty.
Really dirty.
Mud, dust, clay, wet knees, dirty cuffs — all of it.
Depending on the weather, I’ll usually bring old jeans, a T-shirt, and sometimes a flannel or long-sleeve shirt for another layer of protection.
I also like having a hat.
The goal is simple: I want to be comfortable, protected from the sun, and completely unconcerned about whether something stains.
If you are traveling to go gem hunting, a hotel with a washer and dryer is nice at this point. I just throw the dirty clothes in the washer, then I am not bringing back any more NC dirt than I need to.
Boots and Extra Socks
I am not gem hunting in shoes I care about.
Good boots matter, especially if the ground is uneven, muddy, rocky, or wet.
And I bring extra socks.
Always.
There are few things less pleasant than spending the rest of the day in wet or gritty socks because you stepped somewhere you shouldn’t have.
An extra pair takes almost no room and can completely change your mood.
A Small Digging Tool
What you’re allowed to use depends on the location, so I always check the rules first.
When digging tools are allowed, I prefer something small and manageable rather than bringing half the garage.
A hand trowel, small shovel, or similar tool is usually enough for the kind of digging we do.
This is one of those areas where more equipment does not automatically mean a better day.
I would rather bring one or two tools I know I’ll actually use.
A Sifter or Screen — If the Site Allows It
Some gem-hunting locations involve digging through dirt and screening material to find what you’re looking for.
If the site allows screens or sifters, they can be incredibly helpful.
But this is something I would never assume.
Every location has its own rules about digging, tools, where you can search, and what you can remove.
Check before you go.
Nobody wants to haul a bunch of gear across three states only to find out you cannot use any of it.
Water. More Than You Think You Need.
This may be the most important thing I bring.
You can get hot fast when you’re outside digging, especially when you’re focused on what you’re doing and not paying attention to how long you’ve been out there.
We bring plenty of water.
Not one tiny bottle per person.
Plenty.
If the weather is hot, I would rather come home with water left over than realize halfway through the day that we didn’t bring enough.
Please do not depend on the dig site to have water. If they do sell it, they know they are in the middle of nowhere and may charge a premium, so bring your own.
Snacks
Digging makes you hungry.
And depending on where you are, there may not be a restaurant or convenience store five minutes away.
I like bringing easy snacks that can live in the truck or cooler and don’t require much effort.
Nothing fancy.
Just enough to keep everybody from getting cranky while we’re deciding whether that last bucket of dirt might finally contain something amazing.
I’d probably be telling on hubby if I said there is always a bag of Bojangles involved in NC gem hunting. We stop for breakfast and coffee and always take extras up for snacking later.
But we usually have a cooler full of drinks and good snacks, as well as fruit, chips and anything else we may have in the car.
One more practical note: keep wipes handy before snack time. Your hands are going to be dirty, and you do not want to stick a dirty hand into the snack bag.
Sunscreen and Bug Spray
Not glamorous.
Very necessary.
You can be outside a lot longer than you realize when you’re searching for gems or fossils.
I bring sunscreen and bug spray and actually use them.
That second part is important.
Having sunscreen buried at the bottom of a bag is not the same as putting it on.
Wet Wipes, Towels, and Trash Bags
This category has saved me more than once.
Gem hunting gets messy.
Wet wipes are useful for hands and faces.
Old towels can handle muddy boots, wet gear, seats, or whatever else needs wiping down.
And trash bags are great for dirty clothes, muddy shoes, wet towels, or anything else I do not want touching the clean part of the truck.
I am a big fan of containing the dirt before we start driving home.
A Change of Clothes
Depending on the trip, I may bring an entire change of clothes.
At minimum, I want clean socks and another pair of shoes.
If we are going somewhere afterward or have a long drive ahead of us, clean clothes can be worth the space.
I love gem hunting.
I do not love sitting in a vehicle for four hours wearing mud.
Something to Protect the Finds
Once you actually find something, you need somewhere to put it.
For smaller finds, bags or containers work well.
If something is fragile, I want padding.
I also like having a marker or labels so I remember where something came from, especially if we are visiting multiple locations on one trip.
It is surprisingly easy to get home with a pile of rocks and suddenly think:
“Okay. Which one came from where?”
I have found that Ziploc bags in a few different sizes, plus a Sharpie for labeling them, work really well for this.
The Truck Emergency Stuff
This is not technically gem-hunting gear, but if we’re driving somewhere remote, I want basic road-trip equipment with us too.
That includes a tire inflator, chargers, a basic first-aid kit, and whatever else we would normally bring on a longer drive.
A fun day becomes considerably less fun if you’re sitting on the side of the road with a low tire and no plan.
I would rather carry a few boring emergency items and never use them.
Here is the thing: I have been to a few sites where there is no cell service. I did mention the middle of nowhere. In places like that, those emergency items really are essential.
What I Don’t Bring Anymore
This is probably just as important as the rest of the list.
I do not bring every tool we own.
I do not bring clothes I’m worried about ruining.
I do not pack a giant pile of “just in case” items for scenarios that are probably never going to happen.
And I do not assume that because a tool was useful at one location, it will be useful at another.
I check the site, the weather, the rules, and the type of digging we’re doing.
Then I pack for that trip.
Which, now that I think about it, is exactly how I try to pack for travel in general.
Pack for the Hunt You’re Actually Doing
That is probably my biggest gem-hunting packing rule.
Different locations require different gear.
Diamond hunting in Arkansas is not the same as digging for gems in North Carolina or fossil hunting somewhere else entirely.
So I always start with the destination.
What are we looking for?
What does the site allow?
What is the ground like?
What will the weather be?
How far are we from the truck?
Once I know those answers, packing gets much easier.
I still bring enough to be prepared.
I just no longer believe being prepared means bringing everything I own.
And hopefully, somewhere underneath all those buckets, gloves, muddy boots, and snacks, we come home with something shiny too.