Everything a geologist needs to be successful in the field.
a pocket knife as well as a penny for testing the hardness of minerals. If you can, a small glass plate and a small ceramic plate are also useful for testing the hardness and checking for the streak of a mineral. See my article on Mineral Identification for more on the tests for identifying minerals in the field.
With all of this stuff a geologists needs, it's important to carry something along just to carry your tools. A good backpack, preferably one with lots of pockets is recommended. This will let you carry not only your notebooks, pens, and other tools, but also gives you a place to carry any samples you collect in the field. That brings up the need for sample bags. It's important to bring along some kind of small bag or sack that you can write on and use to hold the samples you collect. Sample bags help keep your samples from being damaged, and keep them from getting mixed up, especially if you are collecting from different outcrops. You can use either cloth bags that have tags on them for recording information, but these can be hard to find. I prefer going to the supermarket and buying Ziploc baggies. These are great since they can be marked on with a permanent marker, are sealable, and are inexpensive to buy.
There are a couple more items a geologist must carry whenever he or she goes into the field, and these are safety items and appropriate clothes. A geologist should wear the right clothes for the right time of year. A good pair of sturdy hiking or work boots is a must, they protect your feet from falling rocks and stubbed toes, and help support you ankles when climbing outcrops. A hat to help keep the sun off you. Wear sunscreen or a longsleeve shirt as further sun protection. A good canteen or water bottle is a must, even if you are going across town. It's important to drink lots of water when in the field, even on partially cloudy days, to avoid heat exhaustion. A small first aid kit is useful, especially for taking care of scrapes and cuts. The last thing is to take either a cellular phone, or if you don't have one, to make sure you let somebody know where you are going and when you plan to return.
We've covered most of the items a
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