I was (un)lucky enough to receive and invite to join some friends on a bit of a different excursion this evening. See there’s this house, it’s abandoned and during some recent renovations some things started happening. Strange things. Unexplained things. The kind of things that go bump in the night and are picked up on EVPs and leave trails of ectoplasm. OK maybe not so much with the ectoplasm but you get the idea – weird things are going on, people are creeped out so we’re going ghost hunting.

Having never been on a real ghost hunt I’m of course doing double duty to make sure I have the right supplies and equipment. Both to experience what is going on, and make sure whatever is going on there doesn’t follow me home. So this is inventory for the evening:

Ghost hunting gear

  • Flashlight(s) – While I don’t want to scare the ghosts away with blinding lights, I also don’t want to trip or walk into walls. These torches should help ensure that even in the darkest night I can see the light. Specifically I’m bringing a Surefire E2D, Surefire L4, Streamlight MicroStream, and a generic LED UV light, a small red light and a laser pointer.
  • Compass(es) – I found this article which claims a basic compass is better at measuring EMF changes than some fairly expensive electronic equipment. That works for me, so I’m bringing two. One attached to a carabiner and a smaller one on a zipper pull.
  • Camera(s) – For recording anything that goes down of course. I’m bringing my Kodak Zi6 HD flip cam for video, my Cannon TX1 for high res stills and back up video if needed, and my iPhone for random low res stills and I’m bringing an ultrapod in case I need to leave a camera set up somewhere. Tara has a PowerShot she’ll probably bring as well. I’ve been brushing up on my ghost photography skills too.
  • Pen + Paper – For notes and observations. I’m opting for a reporter style lined Moleskine and a space pen (in case I need to write something after being slimmed).
  • Water – You know, to wet my whistle. Being the eco-conscious dude that I am I’ll be transporting that liquidy goodness in a SIGG bottle with a carabiner on the lid for easy transport
  • Whistle – Speaking of whistles, I’m bringing one of those too. Not that I think I’ll particularly need it, but if I get lost or separated from the group and scared it might come in handy. Plus I just picked up this super loud Fox40 and want an excuse to show it off.
  • Snacks – We’ll be eating dinner before hand, but I don’t know what kind of energy ghost hunting takes out of you. Plus, the last thing I need is to get shot with a Ghostbusters photon pack because someone mistook my stomach grumbling for some kind of paranormal threat. A Pro-bar or two should do the trick. Also bringing a 5 hour energy shot just in case the ghosts turn out to be boring as all get out.

Not pictured but obviously included are comfortable shoes and a sweatshirt I can put on or take off depending on the temperature and a bag to carry all this in. I’ll be twittering all this as well, so stay tuned later tonight for a role call of my cohorts.