Urbex Gear

Gear

• Flashlight: A flashlight will illuminate your path at waist level. Obstacles and uneven ground will be more clear. Bring extra back up batteries. You don’t want to get caught in the dark.
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  Headlamp: Urban exploring often has rugged terrain and a headlamp keeps your hands free.
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  Gloves: A good pair of tough gloves keeps your hands safe from sharp objects and surfaces and for added warmth.
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  Backpack: You need a tough bag for carrying all your gear. A back pack is secure to wear and a waterproof one is even better to keep everything dry.
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  Camera: A good rugged water proof camera just in case you drop it or you’re in a wet place. A good case for your dslr camera to keep it safe in your backpack is good too.
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• Cell phone: Make sure you have it and it’s fully charged. Be sure to tell people where you are going in case you are in a jam and there is no service.
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  Tripod: A lot of abandoned locations are going to be dark. Low light conditions will photograph much better with a steady tripod.
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  First aid kit: A lot of unknowns await your explorations. Don’t get caught without bandaids, wipes, dressings etc.  A few missteps are bound to happen.

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  Water bottle: Stay hydrated during your exploration. Whether it’s hot or not keep water with you.
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  Respirator: Abandoned places could have a lot of toxic air from material like asbestos and mold. Better to protect yourself than to assume it’s ok.
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  Rock climbing gear: Maybe you run into a situation where you want to get down a steep cliff, or up one (if you are experienced in rock climbing.)
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  Drone: Not necessary for your explorations, but it gives an overhead view of what you are getting into. Beautiful sweeping shots are awesome for your videos.

Clothing

• Pants: Wear a pair of durable jeans or cargo pants you don’t mind trashing. You might be doing a lot of crawling and climbing in dirty unfamiliar territory.
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  Rugged shoes: Wear a good pair of tough shoes. Good traction will be essential in unknown terrain.
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  Jacket: A non restrictive jacket will keep you warm and agile on your explorations.

Essential tips

• Always let someone know where you are going. And don’t go alone. If you do, make sure you have your phone and don’t put yourself in a dangerous position.
• Leave the places as you found them. Urban and abandoned explorers are respectful to these awesome locations.
• Be mindful of the laws. Don’t break them.
• If you are operating a drone, be sure you are following the  FAA regulations – fly responsibly. Stay high enough to respect people’s privacy.
• It is alway helpful to do some research of where you plan on going. Check out google satellite images and other explorers advice on a location.

•• CAUTION •• 

My crew checked out the abandoned Joyland Amusement Park in Wichita, Kansas July 2017. I wanted to see what was left, if anything. We climbed up on almost everything including the Log Jam. As I was going up the steep rickety final hill before the soaker plunge, I felt very unsafe. Down below us was a 30 foot drop and a lot of concrete. If a person fell onto that it would be deadly. I was very cautious and probably should have not even gone up there because there was nothing to see. The vegetation was so thick it was just tree tops and no birds eye view. In November of 2017 some young teenagers were exploring Joyland and one young teen fell off the Log Jam platform. She was hurt, but she was lucky to not be severely injured. Abandoned places can be dangerous; this teen found out the hard way. KWCH12