Starting out equipment

[DampGambit]

@Psncscyne Yeah those look perfect, nice and rugged and plenty of good grip .

 

[Dempsey]

I presume you'll double bag it and take it with you after.

I remember having a look around somewhere just before the place got demolished, big old industrial site. So me and Squirrel911 were routing through the office block, looking through a load of interesting plans and documents, anyhow as per norm we both went our separate ways on our hunt for interesting shit. Squirrel reappears and I end up routing about where he was.

Top drawer: Lovely building schematics

Second drawer: Empty

Third drawer: A dirty great big squirrell911 shit, which had been neatly placed right in the centre and them pushed back into the cabinet.

 

[UrbanExNorthEast]

I know this has already been answered but I will throw in my 2 cents also.

General starting gear needed to start sploring would by my mind be:
>Gloves (an absolute must)
>Dust mask or even better a workman's respirator
>Suitable clothing for the location, sturdy but inconspicuous.
>Good pair leather boots ( fabric will still get your feet soaked)
>A small reliable torch with an even light (e.g coast G50)
>Powerful head torch for lighting up rooms and allowing hands free movement/shooting
>A good backpack to keep everything in with a few different compartments,so you know what is where.
>A compact spare torch and extra batteries for your camera
>Freshly charged batteries in all devices including torches
>A bottle of water
>Snack
>Common f***ing sense/e.g no deaths by rusty wobbly ladders.

In the case of a camera, the best option is to buy the best DSLR you can within your budget , as you will get lots of enjoyment out of it even outside urbexing. However if you just enjoy the thrill of urbexing and taking a few record snaps, then there is nothing wrong with using a phone to do so.

Do people think there’s a need for a helmet, I was thinking something like this https://www.blue-tomato.com/en-GB/product/PRO+TEC-Prime+Helmet-628080/ ?

 

[Bando Exploration]

I carry all my equipment in a backpack and usually wear walking shoes steel toes gloves and a mask for asbestos and plenty of batteries, torches etc

 

[PostOppo]

All depends where you are going mate.

On the camera side of things, although i would agree you dont necessarily need a big DSLR for taking photos with they do make great 'get out of jail free cards' Cameras are good evidence to present when you're caught that you do intend to take photos. A smart phone lives in your pocket anyway and for that reason im usually never without my camera when trespassing. Also try taking photos in the dark with a camera phone!

Clothing wise you need to blend in as much as possible. This might mean wearing dark clothes but avoid looking like a ninja or wearing loads of camo at all costs too. You look just MORE conspicuous that way. Sometimes it's better to hide in plain sight and wear hi viz / workwear or even dress up like you're on a night out while in the city. Obviously some places require heavy duty clothing such as boots and what not. Some dont.

Sounds like you have lighting covered too. You need a compact bright torch for photo taking / seeing distances and a nice compact head torch for general bumbling about and hands free lighting while you climb in the dark. Sometimes you might need a red light if you need to be stealthy as these are harder for security to spot and will preserve your natural night vision.

Theres nothing else i would say i always take with me but there's plenty of other useful things

It's good to keep a couple of climbing slings for helping to climb whatever small obstacles you might meet. (For longer drops you might want a rope ladder or for really long stuff rope equipment.) Sometimes small 'explorer' dinghies are useful for crossing small stretches of water. Sometimes i find binoculars useful. Particularly for spotting where CCTV is pointing before you're in range! Theres loads you 'might' use but generally the only 'essential' is yourself and the more you have the less likely you will have to turn back.

What do you mean by climbing slings? Do you mean a rope ladder or an actual rock climbing sling 🤔

 

[Speed]

What do you mean by climbing slings? Do you mean a rope ladder or an actual rock climbing sling 🤔

Rock Climbing sling.. Just a loop. Can knot them or join them together to fashion a quick and dirty 'rope ladder'

 

[Eggwizzy]

Toilet roll, you never know when you may need an urshit....

This is essential. There are occasionally glorious moments exploring when you discover a shitter fully stocked with toilet paper but not as common as you'd hope...