You've got questions, we've got answers. These are some of the most commonly asked questions we get from the Dream Mat community. If your question isn't answered here, then check out our Facebook Group, or reach out through the Support Request Form.  

1. What Mat should I get?  Mats are listed on our web site under the Mat Guide page. Here you will see some mats can be used for both small & large gold & slow or fast flow & classified & unclassified material. So we will give you the basic uses for each mat to help you narrow your selection.

 2. What is the best angle for a Dream Mat?  7-12 degrees. Why does it vary? Well, it depends on the water flow and the type of material you are running. The key is to closely watch the cells and see if the material is dancing (exchanging) around. Materials should stay in the cells & not blow clear (too much flow), but too little flow will just completely fill your box with too much material because there is not enough flow to process it.

 3. Can you cut your Dream Mat, if so will it hurt performance? Yes it can be cut, the best way is to use a new razor blade (box cutter) and a straight edge. Set the mat on the backside and mark with a sharpie. Set the straight edge on the mat and cut with a box cutter. If you're not feeling confident, and it’s too hard to trim, find a construction friend who frequently uses a razor knife.

 4. What is the best setup for a starter? The set-up for someone just starting out is the Adventure sluice starter kit. It has the Adventure sluice, a pan, scoop, & sucker bottle. If you want to move more material, the next best choice is the 6x24 Trek sluice with Combo Mat or the 8x36 Bigfoot Sluice with a Vortex Dream Mat

Adventure Sluice Starter Kit (prospectorsdream.com)

 5. Why so many different mats? There are so many different soil types in the world. We have developed each mat to work with each soil and situation. For example, a Dredge Mat works best in a dredge or high banker. The Micro Mat works great with black sands and as a clean up mat. To catch the most sneaky gold, prospectors consider their specific conditions to maximize recovery. We listen to prospectors & develop solutions to their problems!

 6. What is the best mat for sandy dirt?  Micro, Combo, Mini & Cape-d mats work great with sands.

 7. Best mat for black beach sand?  Micro Mat & Combo mats work great!

 8. Best mat for clay top type soil? Dredge mat & Vortex mat, but clay should be processed through a trommel, high banker, or screen beforehand to liberate the gold.

 9. Do I need a 36” mat to catch gold?  No you do not, the new 24’’ Bigfoot Mat is our best selling mat for a reason. The reviews call it “Front Row Gold” for a reason. Traditionally the systems had such poor recovery you needed a long runway to catch it. Dream mat changes all this. Nothing else catches it faster and more efficiently. 8X35 Sluice Box (prospectorsdream.com)

 10. Why did you make the Combo mat? So you can have the best of 3 mats in one. You also don’t need high water flow to make this mat work. Prospectors requested this mat daily until we provided it. Customer driven solutions!

 11. What is the best mat for fine gold? They all catch fine gold, The vortex cell size does correlate to the gold size, and every vortex cell catches fine gold. The Micro Mat catches fine gold so efficiently, many consider it to be the most efficient fine gold gravity system on the planet! 

 12. Do you do custom widths or lengths? We make mats for standard sizes. We cannot make a mold for every size, or else we would go broke. Maybe ask why the other companies don't make sluices in standardized sizes.

 13. Do you do custom colors? Upon request, we do custom colors. It is an additional $25 per order & 2 weeks to ship.

 14. How do I properly store my mat? On the railroad tracks, or in the desert sun 24/7 365 days a year. JUST A JOKE. DON’T DO THIS. To properly store your mat, place it on a flat surface indoors. Treat it like you would with anything else you value. 

 15. How long will my mat last? Our mats will last years for prospecting weekend warriors. For commercial use, your mats are good for a few seasons. That’s because a wash plant can run more material in a day than a prospector can run in their lifetime!

 16. What is the Dream Mat made of? Urethane, a very durable product. Superior to silicone or rubber mats. Click this link! (11) Polyurethane vs Rubber: No Contest! - YouTube

17. I am a 1st time customer and I can't find my discount code? In most cases the e-mail will go to your junk mail, check there 1st before you contact us.

18. What mat fits in a Keene- A52 box?  Any of our 10x36 mats work in the A52 we have retrofitted thousands A52's with Dream mats.

19.I am not that good with panning,what is the best way to get my cons down to the minimum? Run you cons over one of our clean up sluices is the fastest way to reduces your cons and make the panning process pretty easy.

Clean-Up Buddy Kit (prospectorsdream.com) 

4X16 Adventure Sluice Clean-up Kit (prospectorsdream.com)

20. I want to support Prospectors Dream what is the best way to do that? Good Question.? We sell our Dream mat products on several different platforms- Amazon, E-bay, Bass Pros, Cabela's, and over 40 different distributors world wide. We want you to shop at your local brick and mortar distributor 1st. See our Distributor map. Then please go to our Prospectors Dream site and purchase your product there that will help us the most. Amazon, E-bay and Bass -Pros are also help too and a great way to spend your gift cards;)

Distributors (prospectorsdream.com)

 21. My sluice came with a white protective film why is that?  We leave the white film on the sluice to help protect it while shipping and handling, you just need to tear it off after you receive it, plus it looks brand new with no fingerprints on it.