I understand your point but I really think it depends on what you plan on doing. You can absolutely go walk around with nothing but your hands and bag to put things in but when it comes to digging in dirt or rock, searching for pockets, splitting stones, fine mineral extraction, and hiking in to do those things it does get more gear and tool heavy. I do think you missed a few things here. The point of a real rocks hammer is two fold, the pointed end is intended for prying, and the blunt end is intended for striking a rock or chisel that in made for masonry work. A standard claw hammer and cold chisel like you would find at the hardware store are intended for hitting nails, wood, and in the case of the cold chisel cutting soft metal such as sheet metal. Using these tools for rocks will damage them since they are heat treated differently. You seem to be mostly picking up rocks off the ground which are loose, at which point I think packing around tools is very unnecessary but in the situation of extracting decent sized agate from solid basalt and you have no tools with you, then you will be going home empty handed. Recently we took a trip that was about 1600 miles round trip of driving where we found ourselves in the desert and I end up using pretty much every single tool I brought with me which was a lot. Just cause we rockhound in different places and go for different material doesn't make one person right or wrong. As far as your last comment in the video about things looking new, well they should look new ish forever if you take care of the tools you bought. There's no pride to be found in letting things rust out, get dull, and leaving the beat up mushroomed heads on your chisels.
This was an awesome rebuttal to my video. Thank you. I like your videos, by the way. I am tempted to take my video down, but maybe I will leave it up as a testimony to my ignorance. I was a little bored one rainy afternoon and that video was the result. I was reacting (overreacting?) to some people I have met lately who think that they have to go out and get a lot of gear in order to enjoy this hobby. I try to tell people, who I believe to be impulsive, to start out slow and don't rush out and buy a bunch of tools and a saw and a rock polisher, etc. Thanks for watching my video, and for responding in such a polite and thoughtful way.
@@timtalksaboutrocks....most6644 Thank you. I look at my channel and videos as a documentation of where I have been with this hobby over time, I suggest you keep it up. You can always pin a comment on it if you ever feel like it or change your mind on a subject. Personally I try hard to convey that what we do is on the extreme end of the hobby and we really have dialed it up to 11 in many ways but you really don't need to in order to have fun. Learning about rocks and minerals is a ultra marathon and not a sprint. Out of all the money we have spent on rockhounding the amount on tools is nothing compared to the amount spent on gas and books! :)
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I subscribed to your channel today, and yes you are dialed way up there with your channel. Maybe, someday, if I ever retire, I might be more than a minimalist and dabbler. :-)
New sub. I like your approach. I live in TN but I want to visit Michigan to fish and look for rocks. Thanks for saying the names of the spots you visit - not everyone does that!
I understand your point but I really think it depends on what you plan on doing. You can absolutely go walk around with nothing but your hands and bag to put things in but when it comes to digging in dirt or rock, searching for pockets, splitting stones, fine mineral extraction, and hiking in to do those things it does get more gear and tool heavy.
I do think you missed a few things here. The point of a real rocks hammer is two fold, the pointed end is intended for prying, and the blunt end is intended for striking a rock or chisel that in made for masonry work. A standard claw hammer and cold chisel like you would find at the hardware store are intended for hitting nails, wood, and in the case of the cold chisel cutting soft metal such as sheet metal. Using these tools for rocks will damage them since they are heat treated differently.
You seem to be mostly picking up rocks off the ground which are loose, at which point I think packing around tools is very unnecessary but in the situation of extracting decent sized agate from solid basalt and you have no tools with you, then you will be going home empty handed.
Recently we took a trip that was about 1600 miles round trip of driving where we found ourselves in the desert and I end up using pretty much every single tool I brought with me which was a lot. Just cause we rockhound in different places and go for different material doesn't make one person right or wrong.
As far as your last comment in the video about things looking new, well they should look new ish forever if you take care of the tools you bought. There's no pride to be found in letting things rust out, get dull, and leaving the beat up mushroomed heads on your chisels.
This was an awesome rebuttal to my video. Thank you. I like your videos, by the way. I am tempted to take my video down, but maybe I will leave it up as a testimony to my ignorance. I was a little bored one rainy afternoon and that video was the result.
I was reacting (overreacting?) to some people I have met lately who think that they have to go out and get a lot of gear in order to enjoy this hobby. I try to tell people, who I believe to be impulsive, to start out slow and don't rush out and buy a bunch of tools and a saw and a rock polisher, etc.
Thanks for watching my video, and for responding in such a polite and thoughtful way.
@@timtalksaboutrocks....most6644 Thank you.
I look at my channel and videos as a documentation of where I have been with this hobby over time, I suggest you keep it up. You can always pin a comment on it if you ever feel like it or change your mind on a subject.
Personally I try hard to convey that what we do is on the extreme end of the hobby and we really have dialed it up to 11 in many ways but you really don't need to in order to have fun.
Learning about rocks and minerals is a ultra marathon and not a sprint.
Out of all the money we have spent on rockhounding the amount on tools is nothing compared to the amount spent on gas and books! :)
@@CurrentlyRockhounding I subscribed to your channel today, and yes you are dialed way up there with your channel. Maybe, someday, if I ever retire, I might be more than a minimalist and dabbler. :-)
A roll of T.P in a zip lock bag. priceless!!!
Truth! We outdoor types learn to be prepared.😊
New sub. I like your approach. I live in TN but I want to visit Michigan to fish and look for rocks. Thanks for saying the names of the spots you visit - not everyone does that!