Hi guys,

Sorry for being inactive first of all.
I haven't had many chances to actually go exploring & therefore haven't visited in a while.

The main reason, I've made the "Subject" of this thread what it is, is because I wasn't sure how to word what I'm going to ask. I'll say right away, that it's not a question asking for any locations.

Mainly my question is (in my opinion a decent question): What type of vehicle do you guys prefer or "recommend" for getting to an urbex location?
I only say recommend, because I'd be going urbexing with a friend who could also drive if needed.

I'm aware this may be an odd or dumb question, but where I currently live, I have a few options as to what I could use to get to an urbex location (if I'm driving). I'm also interested to hear everyone's opinions on this as well.

~ KN1IGHT/ Knight Rider

Not that odd.

I owe the fact I drive a scooter to probably at least half of my finds and visits. It's more maneuverable on the road and can be parked anywhere, less suspiciously than a car. Probably wouldn't work in North America.

Something with four wheel drive, good clearance, and a durable interior. Also never a good idea to get something with an obnoxious paint job, or anything unique or identifiable.

Even if you don't think you'll need 4x4 to reach a site, sometimes it's super handy to have to conceal your ride while you're inside.

Whatever you got.
Feet work surprisingly well once within a few clicks. A bicycle is nice too for longer car to site treks.
Getting stuck in a 4×4 on private property can lead to unwelcomed entanglements...
Geo used dirt bikes a lot.

I use a beat up old Chevy pickup, which has an interesting mixture of pros and cons while exploring.



It's not ideal for off-roading because pickups have a long wheel-base and are easy to high-center (which has happened to me twice while exploring), but having a full length truck bed allows you bring enough firewood and camping gear with you to last multiple nights if you're travelling to distant sites or taking more than 1 day to explore an area. It's certainly not inconspicuous or stealthy, it's loud, very recognizable, and large. But at the same time most of my exploration is rural and a truck like this blends in very well as a farm or work truck, rednecks love old trucks and I get far more smiles rolling into remote communities in this truck than I would in a 2015 Ford Fiesta. Old trucks also happen to be the easiest vehicles to work on and have enough room to carry all of your tools and fluids with you in the box, this is added peace of mind for long distance exploration in areas with no cellular coverage. And being an old beater, I'm never worried about scratching or denting it on overgrown forest service roads, I bent my frame after plunging into an unexpected deactivation trench on the way to an abandoned mine out here several months ago, drove away like nothing had ever happened.

All of that being said, they are absolutely a poor choice for exploring urban areas as they stick out, they require more room for parking, and they're loud and draw attention. I can certainly see how an electric scooter or bicycle would be the best choice for exploring urban centers.

And as for an ideal vehicle for rural/remote exploration, pickups aren't bad, but the best choice would be a small 4x4 with a tight wheel base and enough storage for at least a couple of nights worth of camping gear and dry wood.

If I was made of money I'd use an old Suzuki Samurai or an old Land Cruiser.

I'm actually buying an old ATV off of a friend later this week to replace my truck as my primary means for navigating forest service roads and trails. Ideally it will prolong the life of my truck and save me a ton on gas.

An airplane should do the trick ;)

All the answers definitely make sense.
For myself, it'd probably be a 2002 Ford Explorer, which does have 4x4 if needed.
It's old-ish, but not to old & slowly losing paint in some spots. Only downside might be, is that it's gold in colour, but the upside for me anyways, is that I'd have room for gear in the back & for a few other friends if needed

Note: Just because I've replied, doesn't mean this thread should die. I'm interested to hear some more thoughts & opinions on this, even if you're not in B.C./ Alberta. I think this could make for a good discussion.

~ KN1IGHT/ Knight Rider

I have a 1997 Toyota 4runner thats stock blends in very soccer momish quite easily for urban areas except for a giant dent on the drivers door.

Its quite capable off road, whiz's up quad trails with ease.

Posted by thegerm I have a 1997 Toyota 4runner thats stock blends in very soccer momish quite easily for urban areas except for a giant dent on the drivers door. Its quite capable off road, whiz's up quad trails with ease.

I've been entertaining the idea of switching to an 80s Toyota 4x4 after my current truck dies, they're very capable, simple, and efficient vehicles. There's usually at least 2 or 3 nice ones available in my neck of the woods in the $2000 - $3000 price range.

Over the weekend I started fixing up this old '82 Honda Big Red to use as my main mountain machine. After a few hours of tinkering it was ready to hit the trails, only a few minor things left to fix. One of my favorite types of exploration is searching for remote hunter/trapper cabins in the mountains, there are so many out here in BC, and my truck is nowhere near capable enough to climb the majority of the trails that lead to them. Took it for a quick test drive around Kane Valley near Merritt Sunday afternoon and I was quite impressed with its performance, surprised really, I was expecting it to be much more difficult to balance.

A lot can be said for the utility of a dirt bike or ATV in urban exploration if you're primarily based in the country. It may be expensive to initially acquire it, but once you have it, it grants access to so many new areas.

I use a bike to get everywhere within 20 or so kilometers. They're easy to hide, quiet and less identifiable. The only problems is that its slower than driving but if i'm with some friends going out to a site that's no problem at all

Mid-sized SUV 4x4 (which you don't care about getting scratched up or anything like that) with a bike rack, and a good pair of hiking boots. :]

I'll be transitioning to a dual-sport KLX 250 this summer for exploring, really looking forward to it. Very fun and very cheap to ride long distances. Picture below is Bench FSR in Chilliwack River Valley.

Posted by EPOCH6 I'll be transitioning to a dual-sport KLX 250 this summer for exploring, really looking forward to it. Very fun and very cheap to ride long distances. Picture below is Bench FSR in Chilliwack River Valley. click to view

Very nice! My friend and I have adventure bikes which we take for longer trips exploring in the middle of nowhere. It becomes so much fun because they can squeeze in and go practically anywhere. We just had our first overnight ride last weekend, was planning to hit up a few locations but there was way too much snow still unfortunately. We will be going back in a month or so!

IMO, plain white pickup trucks that are 4x4 and not beat to crap are the best, especially in Alberta. The more it looks like a company truck, the better. Do all the small town, country side and industrial recon that you want and no one will ever suspect anything. The added bonus of 4x4 can also be handy.

Whatever blends in to the locale. In Alberta, a pickup is never out of place. If you have a lambroghini with 1200w of subwoofers..... Youll blend in to nothing but a lambo dealership. There are always tradeoffs to consider, especially if multiple vehicles are available. Capacity, access(factoring vehicle size, clearance, offroad ability, etc), stealth, passenger capacity, equipment capacity. It is usually best to select the vehicle that fits the criteria, and if it doesn't all work (say, not enough seats in 4x4s if you will have to go offroad) consider is walking enough to close the gap? If not consider changing the sites being visited on the trip to a fit workable vehicle arrangement.

click to view

My lambroghini
ok boyz lets hit that abandoned factory in the poorest part of town, I got lil Waynes greatest hits queued up and this mother bitch can make a toonie float! I'm getting a 3 foot tall spoiler next week!

BTW if you ever need a bus to explore a site, lemme know. I got that covered