Gear guide
Metal detecting digging tools
A field kit has four parts: a digger, a scoop for the beach, a pinpointer and a pouch for finds and trash. Check the park's tool rule first. In the posted detecting areas of Washington state parks, digging tools are limited to ice picks, screwdrivers and probes up to 2 in wide. Sand scoops are allowed only on sand.
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The picks
Three diggers, two scoops and two bags. Each frame shows what the listing title names.
1. Kemaier metal detector shovel
A heavy-duty hand digger for lawns and fields, per its listing title.
2. LRLXE double-serrated shovel
Teeth on both edges, for cutting a plug through sod and roots.
3. 39-inch V-shaped serrated shovel
Long-handled, for plowed fields, or private land where the owner agrees to larger holes.
4. ASR Outdoor 12.5-inch plastic scoop
Made of plastic, which gives no signal, so you can pass the scoop under the coil.
5. WodGod sand scoop kit with pinpointer
A bundle: the listing names a long-handled scoop, a pinpointer, a shovel, a carry bag and gloves.
6. CKG finds pouch
Worn at the waist, it holds finds and the trash you dig up, so neither goes back in the hole.
7. Drop-leg detecting bag
A waist bag with a drop-leg strap, so the load sits on the thigh.
The frames show the facts each Amazon listing names, checked Oct. 17, 2026. We have no maker spec sheet on file for these products.
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A kit in four parts
The digger opens the ground. A serrated hand digger cuts a flap of turf that folds back into place. A long shovel moves more soil, faster, but leaves a larger hole.
On the beach, a scoop does the same job. You lift a load, shake it out and keep what stays behind. A pinpointer then finds the target in the hole or the scoop. Our pinpointer guide compares them.
The pouch is the last part. Carry out the bottle caps and foil as well as the finds. Four of the seven listings had a third-party seller in the Buy Box when we checked on Oct. 16, 2026.
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Tool rules in state parks
Where a park allows detecting, its rule may limit the tools. In Washington state parks, holes may be no deeper than 6 in and are refilled at once, with the surface restored. Long Island state parks allow detecting by permit only, in designated areas. There, no digging tool may be larger than 1.5 in wide by 6 in long.
Most picks on this page exceed those limits, so keep them for private land and for parks whose rules allow them. Finds have rules too. In Washington state parks, anything that is or looks historical or archaeological stays where it was found. It must be reported to park staff, and the area is then closed. Ohio state parks require that any disturbed ground be returned at once to a condition as close to undisturbed as possible.
| Land | Rule | Text |
|---|---|---|
| Washington state parks Allowed with limits | In the posted detecting areas, digging tools are limited to ice picks, screwdrivers and probes no wider than 2 in. Sand scoops may be no larger than 6 in wide by 8 in long, with perforations at least 1/2 in wide, and only on sand. Holes may be no deeper than 6 in and are refilled at once, with the surface restored. | WAC 352-32-235(6)(c) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on app.leg.wa.gov |
| Washington state parks Removing historic finds prohibited | Anything that is or appears to be of historical or archaeological significance stays where it was found. It must be reported to park staff at once, and the area of the find is then closed. | WAC 352-32-235(6)(b) (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on app.leg.wa.gov |
| New York, Long Island state parks Permit required | Metal detecting is allowed by permit only, in designated areas of listed parks. Jones Beach, Sunken Meadow, Hither Hills, Montauk Point, Napeague, Orient Beach, Valley Stream and Wildwood are among them. | NYS Parks, Long Island Region Metal Detecting Permit Guide (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ny.gov |
| New York, Long Island state parks Permit required | In designated areas, by permit only, no digging tool may be larger than 1.5 in wide by 6 in long. Dug ground must be restored at once. | NYS Parks, Long Island Region Metal Detecting Permit Guide (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on parks.ny.gov |
| Ohio state parks Ground must be restored | Any disturbed ground must be returned at once to a condition as close to undisturbed as possible. | OAC 1501:46-7-08 (opens in a new tab)Read Oct. 16, 2026 on law.cornell.edu |
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Care in three steps
Clean the blade
Scrape off wet soil before you pack the digger. A clean edge cuts the next plug more neatly.
Rinse the scoop
Salt water and sand wear a scoop's joints. Rinse it in fresh water after a beach day.
Empty the pouch
Sort finds from trash at home, then bin the trash. A full pouch hides a small find.
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Questions
Answered from the texts and listings on this page, checked Oct. 17, 2026.
A digger or a scoop to recover the target, a pinpointer to find it in the hole, and a pouch for finds and trash. If you hunt one park, check its tool rule before you buy.
It depends on the park. Washington state parks limit digging tools to ice picks, screwdrivers and probes up to 2 in wide, in the posted detecting areas. Long Island state parks require a permit and cap digging tools at 1.5 in wide by 6 in long.
The texts on this page set rules for old objects. In Washington state parks, anything that is or looks historical or archaeological stays where it was found and must be reported to park staff.
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