
It is always helpful in knowing what you
should take with you on an urban exploration trip. We've listed a few things
below that you may consider taking with you if you decide to go on an adventure.
There are links for each item listed that can take you to a place where you can
purchase it online. Some of these things will be cheaper if you go out to a
store to buy them. We've linked to items that are of good quality and at a
reasonable price. The items below are in no particular order. To see the
equipment we use, click here. Visit the
OES Gear Shop where you may purchase nine
essential items for urban exploration and paranormal investigation.
| BACKPACK |
|
You'll need a bag or backpack to carry all your
gear in. A wide
variety of backpacks |
| FLASHLIGHT |
|
This one is pretty obvious. You will need to see
in those dark places some how! We prefer using
Mag-Lite |
| SPOTLIGHT |
|
This is an optional item. We usually carry a
spotlight that is at least 500,000 candle power with us on all
missions. You can usually light up a whole room or drain with one of
these puppies. The spotlight |
| MASK |
|
You may be wondering, why do I need a mask?! Have you
ever heard of a nasty little thing called Asbestos? Well if you haven't, it's a
VERY lethal substance that will eventually kill you. Check out our
Safety Section
for details. You will need either
a respirator or dust mask, but remember, only a respirator with the correct
filter rated for asbestos is guaranteed to protect you. The
respirator |
| GLOVES |
|
Gloves |
| WATER BOTTLE |
| You may get thirsty at times during your adventures. Be certain to pick up a bottle of water, Gatorade, or SoBe before you leave. Try to refrain from drinking sodas that do not provide hydration at all. |
| POCKET KNIFE |
|
A pocket knife |
| FIRST-AID KIT |
|
This is an optional item, but we highly
recommend that you take one along. There's a wide variety of
injuries that could occur while exploring. We suggest you take along
a first aid kit |
| CAMERA |
|
You'll probably want to take a camera with you since there's all
kinds of neat things laying around abandoned buildings, cemeteries,
or drains. Taking pictures and showing all your friends and family
what you found during your adventure is half the fun. The links
provided will take you to three basic kinds of cameras. The one time use |
| RADIOS |
|
If you go to a rather large area and decide to break up into groups,
or if you have a look out person stationed, radios are a great way
in keeping in contact. FRS/GMR radios are the best you can get
without a license, although some GMR radios do require licensing.
Under the right conditions, these radios can reach two or more miles
away. It works fine in most places you will explore. We strongly
recommend The Uniden GMR885-2CK |
| MASKING TAPE |
|
Take a roll of masking tape |
| EXTRA BATTERIES |
|
Carry at least one set of extra batteries of the
various sizes that your equipment requires. Make sure that you have
extra batteries for your flashlight especially. If you decide to
take more optional equipment with you, it will never hurt to take
extra for them too. They range in price from $3.00 to $20.00 at this link |
|
The items below are optional items. They are cool to have, but nowhere near necessary for just urban exploring. |
| NIGHT VISION |
|
This is a really cool item to have. As long as
you have one of these with plenty of batteries, who needs a
flashlight?! You can see through the dark without any light at all.
Plus, night vision is a great way to pick up things you can't see,
like ghosts. Night vision |
| GPS UNIT |
|
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a nifty
item. Using numerous satellites in outer space, the GPS unit can
determine your exact location anywhere on Earth. You'll never get
lost with one of these. There are a couple types of GPS units you
can get. A stand-alone GPS |
| CAMCORDER |
| What a better way to remember your adventure than to have a video! And as a plus, it will double as a way to capture paranormal evidence if you're into ghost hunting. Make sure to buy a brand that included the night vision feature so you won't need ample lighting in dark places. This Hi8 Sony camcorder costs $227.14 and the better quality MiniDV Sony camcorder is $299.40. Both include the NightShot Plus night vision system. Don't forget tapes! Get 8mm tapes at $1.69/ea, Hi8 tapes at $2.99/ea, or MiniDV tapes at $2.59/ea. |
| MICROCASSETTE / DIGITAL RECORDER |
|
If you're the type who likes to ghost hunt while
you're exploring, this and the next item are for you. Using a microcassette recorder |
| EMF DETECTOR |
|
The other piece of equipment that you may want
to take for ghost hunting is an Electro-Magnetic Field (EMF)
Detector. These instruments detect slight changes in the EMF field
that may be associated with the presence of ghosts. This
cheaper model
costs only $37.95 at the link we've provided, but it detects electrical
equipment (such as television or microwave oven). A
digital EMF meter |
| THERMOCOUPLE THERMOMETER |
|
A
thermocouple thermometer |