What I bring depends COMPLETELY on where I'm going. Every location will typically have it's own challenges and require different gear. There are some things that I will bring everywhere no matter what though.

As far as clothing goes a good pair of hiking boots and gloves go a long way. It's also always a good idea to keep a spare change of clothes in your car just in case.

I also always carry a very basic first aid kit on me. I've never actually used the contents on myself but I have patched up a few explorer friends with it. Considering all the horrible things you may come in contact with, it's good to disinfect and cover wounds right away.

I also always carry at least 2 light sources on me, 3 if I know I'll be dependent on them for a significant period of time. A headlamp is a good thing to have. You might feel kinda dorky wearing it but it's very convenient. Along with that you should make sure you always have enough spare batteries for your lights. It's also a really good idea to have lights with multiple settings. That way if you're trying to be stealthy you've got a low light setting and if you want to light up a pitch black room to minimize safety risks you can do so without switching your primary source.

I also always carry a knife on me for safety and as a tool. And a respirator.

That's all I can really think of as far as the bare minimum goes, but I'm sure you'll find more stuff to add to your pack, I know there's more than just that in mine.

My advice would be: just don't ever take any unnecessary risks. That room at the other end of the building on the fifth floor probably isn't worth walking over all those water damaged soft floor boards and that building that looks like it's probably in pretty good shape on the inside could have black mold. Exploring in general is a risk, but it can be done fairly safely. Good luck!

Bring only personal protective equipment and a camera. If you bring any appliance or tool to aid in exploring it could be perceived as breaking and entering tools.

Even a pocket knife could be enough to bump a misdemeanor into a felony.

Some things that I have found especially useful are:


toilet paper
a whistle
gorilla pod
extra cell phone battery (charged)
cold weather sleeping bag (these are awesome!)
2 way radios (actually, I don't have one yet)
a tough blanket (for draping over a fence)
fiberglass or zoom ladders (fiberglass is silent, zooms are compact)
car charger for everything needed
google maps
printed maps
water/ snacks
rain sleeve
high output/ high CRI flashlight with an optional diffuser
different lights
lens pen
more SD cards than you know what to do with
more camera batteries than you know what to do with
chocolate
beer
chalk
cargo pants (imperative)
similar shirt to cargo pants
shoes that don't suck.

Posted by General Zod ... toilet paper ... 2 way radios (actually, I don't have one yet) a tough blanket (for draping over a fence) ...

Toilet paper is a good one, never know when nature will call. I have so many rolls floating around in plastic bags. One in my car, one in a backpack, one with camping "poop" kit, invaluable.

As far as two ways go, I would go straight to a VHF/UHF that has GRMS & FRS frequencies accessible. The GRMS and FRS freqs are the ones that you typically find as "channels" on two way (aka "bubble pack") radios. A VHF/UHF, like a Baofeng UV5R, costs about the same as a typical 2 way from a big box store and is a million times more useful. Every single Amateur Radio operator I know has a few cheap dual bands laying around for every day carry. Although you can use a hhdb on just the GRMS/FRS freqs w/o license, I would encourage anyone to take even the basic "technician" class test to operate on the repeaters and on more freqs.

I have found a rectangular cut of old carpet (roughly 60x100cm), rolled over a quick release buckle and held in a roll by a piece of bungee, to be a convenient and easy-to-deploy solution for barbed wire. Razor/concertina wire is a whole nother story though.

So here is the carpet thing. Since I don't really do much fence jumping these days, I have recreated my original design using a bathmat. The mat is about the same size as the carpet would be. Instead of an adjustable clip-type belt, I am using a standard piece of tube webbing tied using knots to allow the user to tighten it while wearing.

1. You will need a cut of carpet, webbing or belt (about 150cm?), and some sort of bungee cord.


2. Tie the webbing so you can adjust it once worn. Make sure to include the bungee inside the loop of the webbing/belt


3. Place one half of the loop inside the carpet's short end and roll


4. Position the bungee to it holds the rolled carpet in place


5. Sling it over you back and tighten the shoulder belt to comfort

The idea is to be able to easily deploy the carpet and place it over barbed wire. To go really fast, I suggest the clip style belt but this works only a few seconds slower. You are relying on the substraight of the carpet to protect you from the barbs so it is wise to choose a thick piece of carpet. I place the fuzzy side down (onto the barbs) to ensure it does not slip when deployed.

Been actively going to places over the past few years, just not very vocal about it. My preferences depend on where I go and how I get there

Rural and taking a detour for stealth
- Pants/t-shirt
- Phone and small LED flashlight separately as a staple (can't use camera when phone flashlight is on)
- Snacks/Water
- Binos to scout ahead if needed
- Backpack

Urban is new to me because I just recently moved to York Ontario but I would still take the above with the exception of the backpack, binos and snacks (Need clothes apparently...)