Top products from r/urbanexploration

Half of the fun of this activity is doing the research and scouting.

There is a really good book I highly recommend called: Access All Areas: A User's Guide to the Art of Urban Exploration. You can probably find a PDF for free somewhere if you can't afford it.
The book has a vast amount of good information to know about all kinds of urban exploration, including exploring construction sites.

That respirator is this model exactly: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Respirator-6300-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B007QY8X2K/ (3M 6000 series half-facepiece respirator)

It comes in 3 sizes (model numbers in parenthesis). Small (6100) /Medium (6200) /Large (6300). Small fits my tiny girlfriend very well. I wear a medium and have an average to largeish head. Small is a pale grey, medum is medium gray, and large is almost black.

This model in particular is made of a TPU plastic which is... not that comfortable, to be honest. Wearing it for a couple hours will leave you with marks on your face (ridge of nose primarily) that take a day or two to go away.

For a few dollars more you can get the 7500 series, which is miles more comfortable because of the silicone face seal: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B008MCUT86/

Then all you need is a pair of replaceable filters, which you should purchase based upon your work or the potential hazards wherever you are exploring.

For most UrbEx type situations i'd imagine a P100 filter will suffice (P means oil and non oil particulate and 100 is the percent it filters out - realistically its 99.97%, but close enough... don't risk your health with anything lower than 100).

These are my favorite particulate filters (high flow and nuisance organic vapor releif): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Advanced-Particulate-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B009POHH94/

For really sketchy stuff you'll want a combo unit which has multi-gas and particulate filters (which you shouldn't do anyway): https://www.amazon.com/3M-Cartridge-60926-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B009POHLRC/

To summarize: So yeah, get yourself a mask that fits well and filters for the specific job/location you're doing/visiting.

You should read a nice soothing novel to calm your nerves, I highly recommend house of leaves.

Leather gloves. Full leather, not cloth. You can get them $10 at tractor supply.

Hat. Sun and cold wind and camo all in one.

Water. usually store-bought plastic bottles so I don't worry about them no matter what happens.

flashlight. palm-size LED.

generally I wear long pants and a long-sleeved button-up cotton shirt. Try Duluth Trading Company's fire-hose pants. Amazing and amazing crotch gusset for mobility.

map. in a pocket book, on my phone, in my head. doesn't matter. know where you are and are going and all avenues of entry and exit indoors and out.

N100 mask.

comfortable shoes in the car for after a long day. If there isn't a convenience store nearby, caffeine should also be in the car.

I have this 3M one and I use these filters on it. Honestly, I've used it only a handful of times in the 8 years I've been exploring. Once in a place full of black mold, another in a place where all the insulation had fallen onto the floor and created a dust cloud as you walked. It's kind of a personal judgement call. If you feel more comfortable wearing one all the time, go ahead. Just don't get a gas mask unless you want to look silly (or like a bioterrorist).

Bring a Maglight flashlight - good for light AND self defense if needed.

Some people carry a pack of cigs to give to the homeless to keep them at bay.

To keep away gang members or drug addicts - good luck. You should be researching places BEFORE you just hop right into them. Chances are someone else has been there and has info about it online. If it's in a drug infested area or is known to have tons of squatters, you're probably going to want to avoid it.

Anyone who likes this (all of you) should check out this book: BOOK!
Some kind man went around the former Soviet Union, as well as Cuba, and photographed nearly every awesome building those crazy communists built. One of my favs: here

These 3M masks are pretty descent, and have several different filters for various safety hazards (e.g. paint, asbestos, etc)

http://i.imgur.com/vleR91x.jpg

Well, since you asked. I wrote this:
The Forbidden Tourist


Currenty $21.87 on Amazon. No Kindle version. Yet.




It's set up like a travelogue of 13 locations outlining my personal experiences inside abandoned buildings along with about 150 photos.

Some pretty cool places: asylums, hospitals, a space rocket in the swamp, a school, factory, theme park and cemeteries.

My one glowing review (and no, I don't know this person)



A WORK OF ART AND A MUST FOR ALL GHOST HUNTERS ...


By Stephanie on January 10, 2014


Format: Paperback Verified Purchase


This is your book if you enjoy the mystery of abandoned places. The

photos are a work of art. It is almost like a virtual visit to these

places. I hope the author publishes more books.

edit: added image

Level of risk will depend on the location and how you conduct yourself. Some places are guarded 24/7, many aren't guarded at all, and some just have a guy that drives around every few hours. Don't run from police, it's a LOT worse for you if you get caught. Don't carry alcohol/drugs, tools, spraypaint. Definitely don't carry any kind of weapon beyond like a utility knife or something. I've never been caught, but based on lots of anecdotal evidence, you can usually get away with a warning if you're polite and compliant. Like I said, depends on the location and how you conduct yourself.

I'm on Long Island so there's kind of a lack of good spots around here, but there's some things in the city and a lot upstate.

Definitely wear a respirator, P100 filters. Nothing fancy necessary, just grab one of these: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-Respiratory-Protection/dp/B001NDN29O/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=p100+respirator&qid=1556879922&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Soon as you get back from an explore, clothes go in the wash and you go in the shower. Wash your hair good as stuff tends to settle in there.

Edit: Oh, and I'm bored. Since we're so close, shoot me a PM if you wanna see about doing something easy.

it's this one - the one you linked doesn't filter out asbestos. I bought the same one for my first trip myself, but this one I've linked definitely works

Innturt Canvas Sling Chest Bag Shoulder Bag Backpack Color Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PN21R5C/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_NTQxxb6XXSYXY

I have one of these, it's pretty good on capacity. Stays pretty close to your body for the most part my big issue is that there wasn't a good spot for my water bottle. Other than that this should be great to hold most urbex tools, bit of an awkward fit, mine is very durable but has a few minor flaws (adding to that awkward fit)

Now, forewarning: don't be those guys who pack around guns and expect no trouble. Learn a martial art to help you out of a bind. I recommend aikido. I noted the part where you say you got parkour shoes, if you know parkour then just bail out at the first sign of trouble.

Like this?
Rapdom Tactical Messenger Bag, Coyote https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00892LZZ0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GxIVzb2PYYPRW

i have a 30 liter day pack that fits a small tripod, extra layers, camera, snack/water, flashlights & batteries. for a tripod i recommend one that has legs that can splay out almost flat and an invertible central column like this one. they're a little pricier, but can be wedged into places where cheaper tripods cant.

Protecting your lungs isn't very expensive.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Facepiece-Respirator-6291-Particulate/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=sr_1_31?crid=2QY5ZTR4GQUPP&keywords=p99+respirator+mask&qid=1554738803&s=gateway&sprefix=p99+res%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-31

I would get one of these if you are exploring highly questionable areas

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Low-Maintenance-Half-Mask-Respirator-Assembly/dp/B00004Z4EB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377105982&sr=8-1&keywords=air+filter+mask

This locomotive in particular had a lot of history. It's on the cover of this book: https://www.amazon.com/Southern-Pacific-Oregon-Division-Jennison/dp/0945434286

And here's a view of the other set of abandoned trains: https://i.imgur.com/025ywOc.jpg

The engine in the front of that pic is BLE 718.

Hey dude, I live not too far away in Northern Ireland. Same as in Scotland, not so much urbex but plenty of rural sites to explore. I've a couple of tips for you, PM me if you fancy a longer chat.

Generally, because of where you are, you might want to think about shooting abandoned cottages and houses instead of looking for factories or whatever.

A tripod is pretty essential, as the other poster said. It will allow you to eliminate the shake in your images. See if your school has one to lend you or you could buy up a cheap one for not too much. If stuck you can pick up one of these for around £30, not perfect but would work well enough.

Get closer. Get inside the buildings if possible. Look for personal details of the lives that once lived/worked in the place you are photographing.

I guess you are shooting on auto so I don't want to blind you with technical stuff, but if you can work out how to use your camera's exposure compensation you should underexpose your shots by 1/3 or 2/3s of a stop when you are shooting in low light indoors. Your camera wants to expose every shot like it was in normal daylight so the underexposure negates that.

Finally, and this is super important, always go with somebody when exploring these places, especially in rural areas with dodgy mobile coverage. You are one broken leg away from serious trouble. These buildings are dangerous and will kill you if you let your guard down. Always tell somebody where you are going and when you will be back, too.