"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.

To fossil hunt at Abbey Wood, assuming that you are going with an organised group, you will need a 0.5mm mesh sieve, a large container, large bags for taking back samples and a bucket for collecting material. A small pair of tweezers will also come in handy. Fossils should be placed into containers. Any important finds, please hand to the geological society responsible for the trip and they will pass these on to the museum.

Endecotts Sieves: Fossils can be collected from either wet sieving onsite or by taking back samples for sieving at home (either dry or wet). Endecott Sieves are the best test sieves in the world and will last you years.

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

Field Lenses: The fossils at Abbey Wood can require a magnifying lenses to see the fine detail. It is not always possible to tell the identify of the fossil from normal sight. The most common type is the 10x.

Specimen Boxes: Keep your small finds safe in these clear, cost effective specimen boxes. Perfect to build your fossil collection.

Microfossil Slide Boxes: These high quality stackable display trays are ideal for microfossil storage (small fossils). You can hold up to 80 fossils in one tray, the tray slides freely out of its case, holding your collection. Capsules can be purchased to air-tight fossils and protecting them. They have a 2mm inner depth. Different trays will all stack together with as many as you like.

Microfossil Slide: These Microscope slides are specially designed for the smallest finds. They come with a glass cover which slides over the top of a 3-layer cardboard insert (circles or grids). The circles or grids are indented with a 1mm depth so that your specimens are held secure into place, and secured into place by a black plastic sleeve.

Geo Field Ruler: This Geo Ruler is ideal for field use and for photographing specimens. The Rular is colour graduated in CM with 10cm Blocks, made of hard thick plastic and is waterproof.

Waterproof Notepads and Waterproof Pens: These field notepads and field pens work in the rain, they are perfect for taking notes. The pens work in any condition, including underwater! Taking notes about where fossils were found is an essential part of any collection.

Microscope: Once you bring your finds home, a Stereoscope Microscope is ideal for viewing your finds, identifying them and cleaning them.

Spade and Trowels: When taking samples from Abbey Wood, you will need a spade or trowel to dig out the sections.

Footwear: Hiking Boots are recommended for Abbey Wood.

Safety Equipment: Please ensure you take safety equipment. Hard Hats for all locations where there is a cliff or in a quarry, and goggles when using striking tools.