"Whilst any good ironmonger can supply cold chisels and strong knives or trowels, he is very unlikely to have safe and suitable hammers in stock. The steel of ordinary domestic and many trade hammers is far too soft for use on most rocks. It will splinter and flying fragments of steel can cause nasty wounds, particularly to the eyes, not only of the hammerer but also of his companions." Fossils in Colour - 1967 - J.F. Kirkaldy, D.Sc. Formally Head of the Department of Geology, Queen Mary College London.

Apart from good eyes and a high tide or scour, a pick is the best tool to take along with a knife and spade to dig any bones out of the cliff or foreshore. Bones are fragile and should be cleaned and treated as soon as possible.

Picks: A pick is very handy at Pakefield, it can be used for easily removing fossils from the clay and forest bed exposed on the foreshore and cliff.

Chisels: Standard cold chisels are ideal for Pakefield for any fossils in hard nodules or rocks from the boulder clay, It is best to take a wide splitting chisel, a standard 1" and a smaller chisel for finer work. These will be fine for splitting the rocks.

Knives: Knives can pick smaller fossils of of the clay exposed on the foreshore. Fossils from the Clay can be very fragile and it is best to preserve them as quickly as possible.

Specimen Bags: These are ideal for collecting from Pakefield. Sealable Clear Specimen Bags can hold your finds. These can be purchased from UKGE for low prices and can easily be re-used.

Geological Bags: Strong, Waterproof and durable geological bags that last years are ideal for any keen fossil hunter. These quality bags from Estwing are ideal for bringing back those larger finds or sample bags.

Knee Pads: For all locations which are mostly based on foreshore beach combing, knee pads are ideal, they will protect your knees and also prevent you from getting so wet. Sharp rocks or beach litter will always cause a risk of injury when searching for fossils on your hands and knees.

Field Lenses: Pakefield can yield tiny fossils including small mammal remains which sometimes will require a magnifying lenses. It is not always possible to tell very small objects with normal eyesight. The most common type is the 10x.

Footwear: Wellington Boots are highly recommended for Pakefield as the boulder clay can be very sticky.