The right accessories can turn a good metal detector into a great one. Small upgrades like better headphones, a spare coil, or a solid digging tool can improve your comfort in the field, raise your find rate, and help your gear last for years instead of months. Most detectorists learn this the hard way, after a cracked coil or a missed signal caused by wind noise.
But with this guide from our team at Garrett, we’ll cover the essential metal detector accessories every hobbyist should have, starting with audio gear and ending with recovery tools. Whether you are a beach hunter chasing jewelry in the wet sand, a relic hunter working old home sites, a gold prospector in the hills, or a coin shooter in the park, these accessories apply to your hobby. Use this as a checklist to find the gaps in your own kit.
Key Takeaways
- Headphones are one of the most overlooked upgrades in the hobby, often boosting find rates simply by cutting out wind and background noise.
- The right search coil for your terrain, whether small, large, or waterproof, can improve your results more than buying a whole new detector.
- A simple coil cover protects one of your priciest components from cracks and moisture that lead to false signals.
- Going wireless frees you from tangled cords and lets you sync pinpointer and detector audio through one headset.
- A dedicated detecting bag with separate compartments keeps your finds, tools, and trash from turning into one disorganized pile.
- Keeping spare stems, bolts, and cushions on hand prevents small wear and tear from turning into a ruined hunting day.
1. Headphones: Hear Every Signal Clearly
Headphones are one of the most overlooked upgrades in this hobby, yet they matter as much as the detector itself. Good headphones block out wind, waves, and nearby traffic so you can catch the faint, broken tones that often mark deep or small targets. Many detectorists say they found more coins in their first week with headphones than in months of hunting without them.
What to Look For
When shopping for headphones, think about how and where you hunt. Wired models like the Garrett ClearSound Easy Stow Headphones are portable and affordable, with an in-line volume control that lets you fine tune faint signals on the fly.
If you want to cut the cord entirely, our Garrett MS-3 Z-Lynk Wireless Headphones offer premium sound quality and comfortable full-ear cushions, which matter a lot on a long day of hunting.
2. Search Coils: Match the Coil to the Hunt
The search coil is the part of your detector that actually senses the metal in the ground, so its size and shape directly affect your depth, sensitivity, and ability to tell targets apart in trashy soil. Choosing the right coil for your hunting site is one of the fastest ways to improve your results without buying a new machine.
Coil Types and Use Cases
The table below breaks down the three most common coil categories and shows where each one performs best. Every Garrett detector ships with a coil already attached, but understanding these three categories helps you decide when it makes sense to add a second coil to your kit.
| Coil Type | Best For | Main Advantage |
| Small coil | Trashy sites, urban parks, tight spaces | Better target separation, avoids junk |
| Large coil | Open fields, farmland, large search areas | Greater depth and wider coverage |
| All-terrain or waterproof coil | Beaches, rivers, underwater hunting | Handles wet sand, saltwater, and submersion |
Why Detectorists Own More Than One Coil
Most experienced hunters keep at least two coils on hand and swap them based on the site. A small coil might come out for a crowded old home foundation, while a large coil goes on for a wide open field hunt the next weekend. Owning more than one coil is not about buying more gear for its own sake, it is about matching the tool to the job so you dig fewer nails and more real targets.
3. Coil Covers: Protect Your Investment
A quality search coil can sometimes cost as much as an entry-level metal detector, yet it is also the part of your machine that drags through dirt, rocks, and sand on every single hunt. Scratches and small cracks in the coil housing are not just cosmetic, they can let in moisture and cause false signals or reduced sensitivity over time. A coil cover like the Garrett Coil Cover, 8.5″ x 11″ DD is a cheap way to protect an expensive part of your setup.
Benefits
Coil covers extend the life of your coil by taking the wear that would otherwise scratch or crack the housing itself. They also reduce the chatter and false signals that can come from scrapes and nicks in unprotected plastic. Our coil covers at Garrett are easy to install, snapping on securely in seconds.
4. Z-Lynk Wireless Technology: Ditch the Cables
Z-Lynk is a wireless audio system built by our engineers at Garrett that sends your detector signal straight to compatible wireless headphones without any cord. The Garrett Z-Lynk Wireless System, 1/4″ Headphone Kit works with any detector that has a standard 1/4 inch headphone jack, letting you plug the transmitter into your detector and the receiver into your headphones for instant wireless sound. For anyone who has stepped on a headphone cord mid swing, the appeal is obvious.
Advantages Over Wired Headphones
Going wireless means no tangled cords to manage while you dig or kneel to recover a target, and it gives you full freedom of movement as you swing the coil and move around obstacles. The system extends beyond headphones too.
The Garrett PRO-Pointer AT Z-Lynk syncs your pinpointer to a Z-Lynk enabled detector so you hear both the detector tone and the pinpointer alarm through the same headphones, and it is submersible to 20 feet for wet sites. For many detectorists, cutting the cord is one of the simplest quality of life upgrades available.
5. Bags and Backpacks: Carry Your Gear the Right Way
A generic backpack can hold your gear, but it was never designed for the specific mix of tools a detectorist carries. Dedicated detecting bags are built with the hobby in mind, offering pouches sized for pinpointers, digging tools, and small finds instead of one large open space where everything gets tangled together.
The Garrett All Terrain Dig Pouch is built for both water and land hunting, while the Garrett Deluxe Soft Travel Carry Case keeps your whole detector and its parts protected between trips.
Key Features to Look For
Look for a bag with separate compartments for finds, tools, and trash so you are not digging through one pile to find your digger. Durable, weather resistant material matters too, since these bags get set down on wet grass, sand, and dirt on every outing. Comfortable, padded straps are worth paying extra for if you plan to wear the bag during long, all day hunts.
6. Stems, Covers, and Replacement Parts: Keep Your Detector Running
Every metal detector has moving parts that wear down with regular use, and the stem or shaft is one of the first places that shows it. Our stems, cover-ups, and replacement parts lineup covers this wear directly.
Common Replacement Needs
The most common parts detectorists replace are stem bolts, clamps, and stem assemblies, since these hold the coil in place and take stress with every swing. Armrest cushions, straps, and control box covers round out the list, and keeping a few of these small parts on hand means a worn bolt or cracked cushion does not turn into a missed hunting day.
7. Recovery Tools and Kits: Dig Smarter, Not Harder
Finding a target is only half the job, and the way you recover it matters just as much. A sloppy dig can damage a fragile relic or widen a hole more than needed. Our lineup of recovery tools and our line PRO-Pointers cover this, from locating the target to lifting it cleanly.
Essential Recovery Gear
A well rounded recovery kit covers digging, pinpointing, and cleanup in one set of tools.
- The Garrett Edge Digger, a durable all purpose digging tool built for everyday use in turf or sand
- The Garrett PRO-Pointer AT, an industry-leading pinpointer, submersible to 20 feet with a built-in LED flashlight and fast retune feature
- The Garrett All Terrain Dig Pouch for carrying your digger, trash, and finds while you work a site
- The Garrett Keeper Cleaner Brush for removing dirt and grime from relic and coin finds right in the field
How to Choose the Right Accessories for Your Detecting Style
Not every detectorist needs every accessory on this list right away, so it helps to think about your own habits before you shop.
By Environment
Beach hunters should prioritize waterproof coils, weatherproof headphones, and a durable, sand resistant bag, while woods and relic hunters may lean more on smaller coils and rugged coil covers for rocky or root filled ground. Urban park hunters often benefit most from a small coil for tighter target separation, and gold prospectors in the hills usually want a coil built for mineralized soil along with sturdy stem hardware for rough terrain.
By Experience Level
Beginners are usually best served by a simple starter kit that covers headphones, one all purpose coil, a basic digging tool, and a pinpointer, since this covers most common hunting situations without overwhelming a new hobbyist.
Experienced detectorists tend to expand from there, adding a second coil for different terrain, wireless audio for comfort, and specialty tools suited to their favorite type of hunting.
By Budget
The table below can help you sort accessories into what you need now versus what can wait, along with an example product for each tier.
| Priority Level | Accessories | Why It Matters |
| Must-have | Headphones, one quality coil, pinpointer, digging tool | These cover the basic job of hearing a signal, sensing a target, and recovering it cleanly. Without one of these four, a hunt gets noticeably harder |
| Nice-to-have | Second coil, wireless audio system, dedicated detecting bag, spare parts kit | These improve comfort and convenience once the basics are covered, but a hunt can still succeed without them |
Your Metal Detecting Accessory Checklist
Building a well-rounded kit means understanding what each accessory does and why it earns a spot in your bag. Use the checklist below to see where your setup stands and spot your next shopping priority.
| ✔ | Category | Common Options | Key Benefit |
| ☐ | Headphones | Wired or wireless models | Blocks wind and background noise so you catch faint or broken tones on deep and small targets |
| ☐ | Search Coils | Small, large, or all-terrain/waterproof | Matches your detector to the terrain for better depth, separation, or wet-site performance |
| ☐ | Coil Covers | Variable sizes | Protects the coil housing from scratches and cracks that cause moisture intrusion and false signals |
| ☐ | Wireless Audio Systems | Transmitter/receiver kits for 1/4″ jacks | Removes tripping hazards and lets you sync pinpointer and detector audio through one headset |
| ☐ | Bags & Backpacks | Dig pouches or padded carry cases | Keeps finds, tools, and trash organized in dedicated, weather-resistant compartments |
| ☐ | Stems & Replacement Parts | Bolts, clamps, spare parts | Prevents a worn bolt or other necessities from turning into a missed hunting day |
| ☐ | Recovery Tools & Kits | Diggers, pinpointers, cleaning brushes | Lets you pinpoint, dig, and clean finds without damaging fragile targets |
Run through this list against your own gear bag and you’ll quickly spot where your kit needs reinforcement. Even one or two additions, like a coil cover or a proper digging tool, can noticeably improve your comfort and find rate in the field. Start with the must-haves, then build out from there as your hunting style demands it.
Final Thoughts: Building Your Complete Metal Detecting Accessory Kit
The right accessories do more than add convenience. They improve your comfort during long hunts, protect your equipment from everyday wear, and directly boost how many good targets you recover instead of walking past. From headphones and coils to recovery tools and spare parts, each part on this list plays a specific role in a well rounded kit.
Take a look at your own gear bag and compare it against the categories above. If you notice a gap, whether it is a missing pinpointer or a coil that is not suited to your usual hunting ground, that is a good place to start investing. Browse our full accessories lineup at Garrett and build your complete kit one part at a time.