"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.

There are two different rock types that fossils can be collected from, the dark shale and hard limestone. For that reason, it is best to take a range of tools and most essentially a field lens and preserving liquid.

Geological Hammes : It is best to take a Standard Geological Hammer, this will be most useful for the limestone's, Crack hammers are not advised because they create too much vibration and the fossils here are very delicate.

Chisels: Because the rock are extremely hard, most normal chisels will blunt quickly. It is therefore highly recommended that Special Chrome Vanadium Steel Chisels are used. These are made from the highest quality steel and are coated for extra protection. Because they are sharper, they will create less vibration, the fossils here are very sensitive. As for the type of chisel, standard 1" or less are best, it is also ideal to take a small chisel around 1/2" for any delicate work.

Picks: A pick is handy for the shale's, and for softer Cockle Beds, but it is not advised to use a pick directly to get fossils out of shale, you should use a trowel or knife for this. Picks are handy for taking pack large samples for home sieving.

Trowels: The best tool if collecting rom the Shale and especially if taking back samples. The benefit of using a trowel is that you can keep the fragile fossils in situ and preserve/clean at home.

Knives: You can use a knife for the smaller fossils, teeth etc in the shale. Knives are handy for most clay/shale locations.

Endecotts Sieves: You will find more fossils if you wet sieve at home or on site, Endecott Sieves are the best test sieves in the world and will last you years. You should use a mesh size NO GREATER than 0.5mm, (500 Microns), many smaller mammal remains will slip through anything larger than this.

Field Lenses: Durlston mostly yields small mammal remains, including teeth 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.

Specimen Bags: These are ideal for collecting samples of the Mammal Bed, and for harder limestone fossils, but not advised for fragile fossils from the shale. These 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.

Footwear: Hiking Boots are recommended fine for Durlston because the shore can be very rocky and slippery.