Most beginners need three things: a riffled pan of about 14 inches, a classifier to screen out rocks, and a bottle or tweezers to collect the fine gold. A kit is worth it when it covers all three without parts you will not use. If you already own a pan, a single specialist pan can be the better buy.
This list is desk research from maker product pages and a BLM and Forest Service panning booklet, checked October 5, 2026. Nobody at Backyard Prospectors has panned with these products, and no recovery claims are made.
Quick picks
| Pick | Best for | Pan size(s) (maker) | Riffles or surface (maker) | Also included (maker) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sluice Fox Prospectors Starter Kit | Three sizes in one set | 15, 11 and 9 in | Large riffles one side, vanishing riffles other | Prospector scoop |
| Garrett Gold Pan Kit 1651310 (Amazon search) | Complete starter kit | 14 in Gold Trap, 10 in Backpacker | 90-degree riffles | 14 in classifier, Gold Guzzler, 2 vials |
| Keene SP14 (Amazon search) | Black sand cleanup | 14 in | Coarse riffles, textured area, smooth area | Pan only |
| Garrett 15" SuperSluice (Amazon search) | Bigger loads | 15 in | Twin 1/2 in riffles, deep throat funnel | Pan only |
| Gold Cube Banjo Pan (Amazon search) | Pan-sluice hybrid | Not published | Removable vortex collection mat | Directions on the pan |
Sluice Fox Prospectors Starter Kit: best set of pan sizes
Sluice Fox’s four-piece kit has three dual-riffle pans in 15-, 11- and 9-inch sizes plus a heavy-duty prospector scoop. The maker says the large riffles on one side are for rough panning and its patented vanishing riffles on the other side are for finish panning. Three sizes let you rough out a load in the big pan and finish in a smaller one.
Trade-offs: There is no classifier or recovery bottle in this set, so add a screen and a snuffer bottle. Sluice Fox sells it in green and black; the Amazon link is the black version.
Garrett Gold Pan Kit 1651310: best complete starter kit
Garrett’s kit, part 1651310, includes a 14-inch Gold Trap pan, a 14-inch Sifter/Classifier, a 10-inch Backpacker pan, a Gold Guzzler bottle and two gold vials, and the maker’s page describes a “How to Find Gold” field guide with it. Garrett says its pans use a 90-degree riffled design to keep gold from sloshing out, and that the Gold Trap’s floor is 33% larger than conventional 14-inch pans. The classifier has 7/16-inch square holes and fits over a 5-gallon bucket.
Trade-offs: The classifier is a single coarse screen. Garrett’s Deluxe kit, part 1651410, adds a 15-inch SuperSluice pan and tweezers with a magnifier; check which part number a listing is selling. Our Garrett Gold Pan Kit review covers the components in more detail.
Search Amazon for Garrett Gold Pan Kit 1651310 or search Amazon for Garrett Deluxe Gold Pan Kit 1651410
Keene SP14 Super 3-Stage Pan: best single pan for black sand
Keene’s 14-inch Super 3-Stage pan has three surfaces with separate jobs: a coarse riffled area to “rough out” most of the material, a textured area for any remaining black sand, and a smooth surface used “until only the gold remains.” Keene makes it green “for good visual contrast” and gives it a lifetime guarantee.
Trade-offs: It is a pan only. Pair it with a classifier and a bottle if this is your first purchase.
Garrett 15" SuperSluice Pan: best for bigger loads
Garrett’s SuperSluice, part 1650400, is a larger 15-inch pan with twin 1/2-inch riffles, a deep throat funnel and the same 90-degree riffled design. Garrett says it “traps fine gold and even nuggets over 1 ounce.”
Trade-offs: A bigger pan holds more material and weighs more when full, so many panners finish in a smaller pan. It comes with no accessories.
Gold Cube Banjo Pan: best pan-and-sluice hybrid
Gold Cube says the Banjo Pan “combines a sluice and a gold pan for continuous production with a removable vortex collection mat,” and that it works wet, dry or underwater. You scoop in material and dip it with a rocking motion so material flows over the mat; the maker says the pan sets the mat’s angle for you. At the end you remove the mat and clean it out into the pan, and the directions are printed on the back.
Trade-offs: Gold Cube does not publish a diameter on the product page, and this is a different motion from classic panning. Treat it as an addition to a standard pan, not a replacement for one.
How to choose a gold pan or kit
- Start at 14 inches. The BLM and Forest Service panning booklet for the Kenai Peninsula lists a gold pan “(plastic with riffles or metal); 14-inch size is best.” The Garrett kit and the Keene SP14 are both 14-inch pans.
- Look for two kinds of surface. Rough riffles move material fast; a finer textured or smooth surface helps at the end. The Sluice Fox and Keene pans split these jobs on purpose.
- Plan to classify. The same booklet suggests a “grizzly pan with 1/2-inch holes in bottom” to separate coarse gravel. Garrett’s kit includes a classifier with 7/16-inch holes; with a pan-only pick, add one.
- Add the small tools. The booklet’s list also includes a magnifying lens of at least 10X, tweezers, a small magnet for magnetic black sands and small glass vials. The lens helps when you need to tell gold from pyrite and mica .
- Learn the motion. The step-by-step guide to panning for gold covers classifying, settling and finishing a pan.
- Set expectations. The booklet calls panning “a relatively slow method for recovering gold” and says experienced panners can process about 10 large pans per hour. To move more gravel, a sluice box is the next step.
- Check the land first. Hand panning is casual use on BLM land under 43 CFR 3809.5, and 36 CFR 228.4 lists gold panning among activities that need no notice of intent on National Forest land. Individual forests and states still set their own rules; New Hampshire’s White Mountain National Forest, for example, requires a free gold panning permit. On a mining claim, BLM’s 2026 claims packet says “you must have permission from the current claimant” to prospect. See the public land access checks before you go.
FAQ
What size gold pan should a beginner buy?
The BLM and Forest Service gold panning booklet for the Kenai Peninsula says a 14-inch pan is best. Smaller pans are handy for finishing; larger ones hold more material per load.
Is a plastic or metal gold pan better?
Modern pans are plastic with built-in riffles, as the BLM and Forest Service booklet notes. New metal pans generally come with a grease coating that has to be cleaned off before use.
Do I need a permit to pan for gold?
It depends on who manages the land. Hand panning counts as casual use on BLM land and needs no notice of intent on National Forest land, but some forests require a free permit, and you need the claimant’s permission to pan on a mining claim.
Sources
- Sluice Fox, Prospectors Starter Kit with 3 Pans (pan sizes, riffle design, scoop, colors)
- Garrett, Gold Pan Kit 1651310 (kit contents, field guide, 90-degree riffles)
- Garrett, Deluxe Gold Pan Kit 1651410 (Deluxe kit contents)
- Garrett, 14" Gold Trap Pan (33% larger floor)
- Garrett, Sifter/Classifier (7/16-inch holes, 5-gallon bucket fit)
- Garrett, 15" SuperSluice Pan (size, riffles, funnel, maker claim on nuggets)
- Keene Engineering, 14 Inch Super 3-Stage Gold Pan (three surfaces, color, guarantee)
- Gold Cube, Banjo Pan (pan-sluice design, removable mat, use)
- BLM and USDA Forest Service, Gold Panning: Guide to Recreational Gold Panning on the Kenai Peninsula (2018 revision) (14-inch pan, grizzly, suggested equipment, pace of panning, metal pans)
- eCFR, 43 CFR 3809.5 (hand panning as casual use)
- eCFR, 36 CFR 228.4 (gold panning without notice of intent)
- White Mountain National Forest, other recreation opportunities (free gold panning permit)
- BLM Montana-Dakotas, Mining Claims Packet (March 12, 2026) (claimant permission)