Posted by mrpoke Don't wear all black like you would expect, you would seem more suspicious and malicious

Back when I was a new member on this site, a friend and I decided we were going to get into a local integrated circuit factory that hadn't been explored yet. The property was covered in spotlights and surrounded by a fence, so we dressed in all black.

Anyway, 3-4 hours inside the place, and we didn't realize it had been snowing the entire time we were in there- so exiting into a bright white parking lot dressed in only black definitely made us a bit more obvious than we had hoped.

Posted by bandi Back when I was a new member on this site, a friend and I decided we were going to get into a local integrated circuit factory that hadn't been explored yet. The property was covered in spotlights and surrounded by a fence, so we dressed in all black. Anyway, 3-4 hours inside the place, and we didn't realize it had been snowing the entire time we were in there- so exiting into a bright white parking lot dressed in only black definitely made us a bit more obvious than we had hoped.

LOL! Now that is a funny story. I would have never thought of that. Walking out into fresh snow, trying to look all inconspicuous...except you are dressed in all black.

Abby Normal

If caught, just claim you are a bunch of goths.

Oh yeah, just remembered something else I sometimes wear, which I had on me on my last explore. I picked this style up from Japan's skinhead scene (which probably got it from European football hooligans): a small, scarf-shaped towel, which you can wear around your neck and use to periodically wipe sweat off your face.

You can see a couple people wearing said towels in this photo:



Incredibly useful. Douglas Adams was right.

Posted by Steed I picked this style up from Japan's skinhead scene (which probably got it from European football hooligans).

...Skinhead means something different in South Korea than it does in the US, right?

Posted by Aran ...Skinhead means something different in South Korea than it does in the US, right?

No, same thing. It's just neo-nazis haven't hijacked it over here.

In winter I have one outfit that is my urbex fit. Black crewneck and grey cargo pants. Initially it was so I could be stealthy, but looking at it now it definitely makes me look like a criminal. But at this point it's the only clothes I fell comfortable wearing in winter. During the summer I just wear whatever sports shorts and dirty tshirt is on hand. For shoes I always wear a 5 year old pair of adidas skate shoes that are more shoe goo than shoe. TLDR I just wear anything I don't care about getting dirty.

I never wear total black or total dark outfit. I dont want to look suspicious. As a woman I choose clothes that make me "not worth" to be taken advantage of and for high risk places clothes that are difficult to remove, but these are usually uncomfortable clothes.

Posted by Samurai i think as a coda to this thread is that you need to dress for the location... especially if it's recently closed. Be mindful of what is around you (and can get on you). Some shit, even if its been there for a while can still fuck you up). and you can track it back into your car or house... just some experience to pass along after spending twenty years in various industrial jobs.

Yep. That’s one of my biggest concerns about certain locations. I just wanna be as careful as possible, especially regarding air quality and things I might carry back. Though I haven’t experienced any of this so far, but I don’t get the chance to explore often.

Posted by Steed If caught, just claim you are a bunch of goths.

At a certain point my dignity might matter a little more to me haha. Jokes aside, I wonder how far you can stretch some of these fake identities or stories when caught, and what’s the most effective? Who knows. I guess the old hard hat and high-vis vest will be the best option.

When I head underground, it's all about practicality for me. Solid shoes with good grip, usually high top. Long pants and long sleeves because the rocks are sharp and the wooden beams have huge splinters. I often wear a light jacket because I get cold easy. Always gloves. Always. Are helmets considered clothing? 😃

I have migrated to as small of a backpack as I can get away with. I'm likely to load it full of stuff I don't need if I have the space. A larger backpack also gets caught on everything. It's not unusual for us to crawl through squeezes where we have to push the pack ahead of us, or leave it behind and grab it on the way back out. Oh yeah, I'm also dragging along food, water, backup batteries and headlamps. Can't forget the video camera and lights.

Anytime we go vertical, we usually drag along a few hundred feet of rope and wear our rappelling/ascending gear. If we are dropping down through a small opening, one of us will go down first, then the person on top lowers the ropes and backpacks, then heads down. Same thing with going up, but it's more important since rope climbing is strenuous and we don't want to be weighed down with packs and coils of rope.

Great fun!

Abby Normal

Posted by Doug And they still let you in the pub/bar after you've finished?

Yeah I guess so except for the fact that I don't drink HA HA.