Treasure & Pirate Gear — The Gear Shelf
The detector kits get you hunting. This is everything else — the shelf next to the kits. Lights for checking glass and hunting after dark, binoculars for scouting the shoreline, a chest to stash the finds, a little jewelry that says what we're about, and a book worth reading before your next hunt. Every piece here earns its spot. The treasure is our adventure!
Lights for the hunt
A UV flashlight is the treasure hunter's secret weapon — it makes uranium glass glow, shows up fluorescent minerals, and spots things your eyes miss in daylight. Quick version: 365nm light makes uranium glass glow brighter and cleaner than 395nm, which throws more purple glare — so if glass is your thing, go 365nm.
LUMENSHOOTER S3 365nm UV Flashlight — about $31
Three LEDs behind a filtered 365nm lens, which is the wavelength that makes uranium glass light up best. It runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a USB charger in the box, so there's nothing extra to buy. This is the one I'd grab first for checking glass at an estate sale.
DARKBEAM UV 365nm Flashlight, 2-Pack — about $24
Two of them for less than the price of one S3 — keep one in the truck and one in the finds bag. Both are rechargeable 365nm lights, so you get the clean glow without the purple wash. A solid starter pair if you're just getting into UV checking.
LUMENSHOOTER S3U Rechargeable UV Flashlight — about $70
The step-up: a USB-C rechargeable 365nm light with more power for serious glass and mineral checking. If the S3 is the everyday carry, this is the one for the deep dive at a big sale or a rockhounding trip.
Streamlight MicroStream USB — about $29
Not UV — this is the white-light flashlight for the hunt itself. 250 lumens in a 3.5-inch aluminum body that clips to a pocket, USB rechargeable, and Streamlight is a brand that shows up in working pockets for a reason. Early-morning sale, dark barn, glove box — this one lives there.
PeakPlus LFX1000 LED Tactical Flashlight — about $18
The budget pick with a big following — 4.6 stars from over 15,000 ratings on Amazon. A bright LED tactical light for under twenty bucks, good enough to toss in the truck and not worry about. If the Streamlight is the keeper, this is the one you don't mind lending out.
See it from farther away
Half the fun of a hunt is the looking — and sometimes the best finds are the ones you spot before you ever get out of the car. I bring binoculars to Pillar Point to watch the waves roll in, and they're just as good for birding on a slow stretch between sales. Quick version: 8x42 gives you a wider, steadier view that's easier to hold, while 10x42 pulls things closer but shakes a bit more in your hands — most folks start with 8x.
Celestron Nature DX 8x42 — about $144
The birding pick. Fully multi-coated BaK-4 prisms, waterproof and fogproof, a wide 388-foot field of view at 1,000 yards, and it focuses down to 6.5 feet — close enough to read a sign across a field or check a bird on a fence post. The best glass on this page, if you can stretch to it.
Vortex Triumph HD 10x42 — about $100
The closer look. Ten-power magnification pulls distant detail in — waves breaking at the point, a hawk on a far ridge — and it comes with a bino harness so it rides on your chest instead of bouncing around your neck, backed by the Vortex warranty. A lot of glass for around a hundred bucks.
Occer 12x25 Compact Binoculars — about $36
The pocket pair. These fold down small enough to live in a glove box or a jacket pocket, and 12x magnification is plenty for a quick scan. Waterproof, with a big eyepiece that's easy to find in a hurry. Keep a pair in the truck and you'll use them more than you expect.
Stash your treasure
A find isn't a find until it has a home. This is where the good stuff lives — the coins, the buttons, the little things with stories — instead of rattling around in a drawer.
Nautical Cove Keepsake Chest, Medium — about $27
Hand-crafted from teak and mango wood with iron buckle closures and a water-resistant finish, 6.5 by 4.5 by 4.5 inches — big enough for a season's worth of small finds, small enough for a shelf. Hinged lid, rustic look, and it makes a great gift for the hunter in your life.
Wear the hunt
The skeleton key on our BATH badge isn't decoration — it's the whole idea. Keys open things: old trunks, locked doors, the past. So it only makes sense to wear one.
JIALEEY Vintage Skeleton Key Charms, 30-Pack — about $7
Thirty antique-bronze skeleton keys in three styles, about 2.25 inches each, lead- and nickel-free alloy. Make your own necklace, a bracelet, a keychain, or pin one to your finds bag. Seven bucks for thirty keys — that's a craft night and a few gifts in one little bag.
Read up
The Metal Detecting Bible by Brandon Neice — about $15
The beginner's guide I'd hand to anyone starting out. 128 pages covering where to search, how to swing, how to read your machine, and how to clean and preserve what you dig up — written by a detectorist (Brandon Neice, of the DrTones24k YouTube channel) who actually does this. 4.6 stars from about 1,700 reviews on Amazon, and it pays to read it before your first hunt instead of after your first season of mistakes.
How buying works
The gear on this page links out to Amazon, where you buy direct. As an Amazon Associate, Bay Area Treasure Hunters earns from qualifying purchases — buying through these links supports us at no extra cost to you, and it helps us keep the hunts coming. Prices shown here were checked November 12, 2026 and can change, so the Amazon listing always has the final price.
Happy hunting — the treasure is our adventure!