Speaking of gloves, both summer and winter I wear those cloth ones for like $4 at home improvement stores that the front side of the hand and fingers have been dipped in latex, yet the backs are still open cloth. They work great for keeping your hands dry and warm or from getting them dirty due to the latex on the front, and yet in the hot summer the back sides of the hand and fingers not being covered with latex means they breath well so my hands don't get sweaty. Come to think of it, not sure if the back of the fingers are bare of latex, but at least I know the back of the hand is, so it works well either way for all the above things. They have good dexterity too so I can adjust knobs or pluck stuff out of holes well, since they hug your fingers unlike some gloves that make things clumsy. One thing I love about them is pulling them off to eat lunch or drive home or something and finding my hands are clean, or especially when digging in muddy areas not getting wet hands in the cold weather.
On the subject of gearing up, this pic below is how I carry my Pro Pointer, digger, probe, and ID chart. I've since cut the bottoms of the pockets for the probe (screwdriver) and Pro Pointer to poke through so they sit down further and more snug so they aren't top heavy and fall out on me, and also since removed the dog chain latch and the pocket flap that would fold down over the Pro Pointer. No need for those. The Pro Pointer pocket is elastic so it really snugs it up without worries of falling through or falling out. The digger has it's own big pocket and there is a big pocket behind that were I keep my ID chart. The little pocket in the front between the Pro Pointer's and where my screwdriver probe goes is where I keep an extra nylon bolt, nut, and washers for my coil should I need spares by losing something when swapping coils or something...
[attachment 257838 CARRY.jpg]
Wearing it on my left hip, it makes for easy access during a hunt and makes it more effortless, no longer carrying the digger in my cheap Home Depot cloth apron that would poke me in the stomach or fall out all the time. If you haven't got a tool harness like this get one, their cheap and make hunts so much more hassle free. A good cheap cloth apron from a home improvement store with two pockets is a must have too. One pocket for trash and the other for keepers.
Home Depot has this tool harness for $9. I just picked another up as a birthday gift for a friend so I know they still carry them. Also picked him up the quick release belt we use for it for like $4, and the Home Depot two pocket apron is $1. Can't beat that. I prefer these aprons over canvas ones. Very comfortable, easy to just throw in the washer to wash here and there, and at $1 you can have a pile of backups in your car for newbies and such to hand out to.
Also picked up my friend another item that I found I can't live without these days- A pair of knee pads. I never used any before but last year a friend gave me one to try out and said I could keep it if I liked it. Wow! I only kneel on my left knee when digging as I find that the most comfortable for me, and man that helps in hard ground or say to keep my knee from getting wet. I got my friend a pair because I noticed he likes to get down on both knees when digging. Ended up picking those up at Harbor Tool as they had better prices on those. Got him the same type I have- Padded insides but the outside has a plastic shell so it won't suck up water when kneeling and keeps you dry.
PS- That tool harness thing- When I first picked it up for myself a friend saw how fast I could gear up when we arrived at a site and decided he had to have one for that and the convience while hunting factors as well. While he was stuffing this here and that there in his pockets or such, I'd just snap on that belt and am ready for action. Plus, even though I'm right handed, I often will pull out, use, and put back the Pro Pointer all with my left hand while holding the digger in my right hand when I don't feel like putting it down. Such less hassle with this simple too harness in both gearing up and fast use of things in the field. Can't tell you how many times I've lost my digger when I used to stuff it in my apron and would have to back track in the woods for a long time to find the thing. Can't believe how many years I hunted without a harness like this.
Oh, hey....Also...Most hassle free way I've found to super tune the Pro Pointer all one handed. Much better than using a coin, a washer on a string, or so on. Also don't know why I hadn't thought of doing this eons ago with the thing, to precision tune it fast with my thumb all one handed, and it can also be used to de-tune it as well. This video pictorial shows how it works and is easy to "make", and also shows the depth increase you get with super tuning via a ruler in the background for precise measurements to judge, with a bit of discussion on other Pro Pointer tips as well (like how to fix falsing in bad ground that happens on rare occasion...)
http://youtu.be/3ozNtD-dKh8
Way I see it, guys will buy the most expensive machines, have tons of coils, research sites heavily, and yet many of them seem to overlook the convienence and "fast" factors of little things that can make a hunt so much more enjoyable and hassle free. That tool harness and the super tuning deal with the Pro Pointer have done wonders for my peace of mind when hunting, as that's the very purpose of why I hunt more than anything else- Just to get away from it all and shut the world's problems out of my head for a few hours.
A spare 9V for the Pro Pointer and a backup lipo for my GT are also kept in my truck, along with some plastic bags I can cover the meter and box with in a slight drizzle when I don't want to quit. I've found the best way to cover the control box on the shaft is just to take a plastic shopping bag and flip it upside down and slide the back of the shaft/box/arm cup down inside it. Then I just poke a hole through the bag to fit my arm into the arm cup and away I go. Works great, though I don't even think I'll risk that with the GT anymore.
Just too worried about it going south on me and having a hard or expensive time picking up another control box. She's going to see dry days as much as possible these days, as even with the half boot military switch covers I don't feel safe with her in the rain anymore. I really should cover that speaker hole as well with some tape or something to keep dirt or moisture out of that too, since I never use the built in speaker except for maybe filming some stuff.