What do you take?

[Priority 7]

That gear is way to clean

Why thanks I pride myself on leaving mud where I found it lol

 

[sYnc_below]

A *sensible* answer for the OP is...it depends where you are going, horses for courses and all that.

If you carry a load of junk around and never use it then leave it at home.

A lot of explores all I have is a cellphone and first aid kit....(not even a camera!!), the flipside is if we're doing something technical then we go 'equipped'.

Good boots is a must.....just look on my blog for what happened to a pair of safety boots recently

If i'd been wearing trainers I would have needed a new foot

 

[UrbanX]

And plasters. I sliced myself right open last weekend, bled everywhere, glad I had some plasters in my camera bag.
P3 mask always handy to have in bag too.

It's equally important to have a list of things NOT to take with you (or have a bloody good reason why you have it) I.e lighter, multitool, marker pen etc.

Following another recent incident we're also in the process of ordering some radios & earpieces.

 

[night crawler]

A *sensible* answer for the OP is...it depends where you are going, horses for courses and all that.

If you carry a load of junk around and never use it then leave it at home.

A lot of explores all I have is a cellphone and first aid kit....(not even a camera!!), the flipside is if we're doing something technical then we go 'equipped'.

Good boots is a must.....just look on my blog for what happened to a pair of safety boots recently

If i'd been wearing trainers I would have needed a new foot

Just had a look. That does not look good, think I'd send them back to the makers. Totectors I have for work are made by Caterpillar and are rated 200 Joules impact and compression of 15000 Newtons, They are steel toecap but would not have stopped what happened to you. I have another pair I wear round Fairmile with Steel midsole as I found with the other pair there was no protection from nails, soon got some. In reality you take what precations you feel are appropriate but there are things that you will be unprepaired for and then you have to play it by ear.

 

[sYnc_below]

I have another pair I wear round Fairmile with Steel midsole as I found with the other pair there was no protection from nails, soon got some.

Mine had a Kevlar midsole but it clearly doesn't go all the way to the edge!!

 

[UEP-Wales]

And plasters. I sliced myself right open last weekend, bled everywhere, glad I had some plasters in my camera bag.
P3 mask always handy to have in bag too.

It's equally important to have a list of things NOT to take with you (or have a bloody good reason why you have it) I.e lighter, multitool, marker pen etc.

Following another recent incident we're also in the process of ordering some radios & earpieces.

I can't stress enough on how important it is to carry some sort of first aid kit, even a couple of plasters and wipes - they could save you from a nasty infection!

Radios are fantastic but it's worth remembering that secca could be stood there with a scanner or you could even be using the same FQ if your using licence free radio's. I would be lost without mine, got me out of trouble many times...

Also, I heard you just broke a nail

 

[Dirus_Strictus]

Mine had a Kevlar midsole but it clearly doesn't go all the way to the edge!!

Sadly in my experience you boots performed as one would expect. The sharp shard of metal was deflected away from the 'center area' of your foot arch, but could still penetrate the interior of the boot on the inner edge of the uppers.

Very few of the 'modern' boots with a bonded/glued construction do offer protection right to the edge of the foot bed, but some manufacturers have the protective insole come nearer the inner edge of the uppers than do other makers/brands. A read of the relevant ISO's actual test procedures will reveal what constitutes a 'pass' in the type of incident you experienced - sometimes this will make you realise what a compromise safety can be some times, even will stringent standards such as the ISO series.

If one wants a pair of boots that will offer good protection to the sole of the foot and its perimeter, look for a pair of good quality old fashioned boots constructed with a 'Goodyear' welted sole. In this type of boot construction, the upper is stitched to the sole around the outside of the uppers, you can see the stitching in the protruding welt that is thus produced. Benefits are two fold - a good wide welt offers extra protection and helps keep the upper away from sharp protections on the ground and any anti-penetration insole can fully cover the foot bed of the boot.

 

[Dark Descent]

Whats in your urbex kit?

Just wandering what you guys take with you whilst going for an explore. I tend to take alot, most of which is left in the car.
-Camera
-Backup Camera
-Tripod
-head torch
-small handheld torch
-large handheld torch
-portable floodlight
-s10 respirator with nbc filter
-50m climbing rope
-harness
-other climbing kit such as beelay devices and descenders
-laser pen
-spare batterys
and a few other bits...

 

[Seahorse]

Would you be terribly offended if I said that this question has been done to death? Several times.

 

[freespirits]

wow dude thats a lot of gear ,,,is there many derelict sites on ben nevis

 

[UrbanX]

Threads merged

 

[Drew Peacock]

When I was disturbed at the Cedars in Newquay I had to quickly leave the building unseen, escaping onto the main road with casual clothes meant that I blended in just that little bit more, as opposed to me running down the road in full protective gear, a head torch and respirator. While a respirator is important I don't always agree with fully gearing up with clothing if you're exploring a simple site like a hotel or building in town; I'm still new to this interest though, so as for more complex sites I would have no clue. I took some food, a phone and a torch for my basic 'splore, as well as a camera and some batteries.

 

[UrbanX]

When I was disturbed at the Cedars in Newquay I had to quickly leave the building unseen, escaping onto the main road with casual clothes meant that I blended in just that little bit more, as opposed to me running down the road in full protective gear, a head torch and respirator. While a respirator is important I don't always agree with fully gearing up with clothing if you're exploring a simple site like a hotel or building in town; I'm still new to this interest though, so as for more complex sites I would have no clue. I took some food, a phone and a torch for my basic 'splore, as well as a camera and some batteries.

Exactly this. Thats all you need.

A good point about blending in - I learnt a valuable lesson last week: We done an underground site last week, prior to doing a city centre school. We were spotted going in to the school, and the authorities were called...You try blending back into the general public when covered in mud!

 

[Drew Peacock]

Not to mention that one of the most important items of gear isn't a respirator, or a torch, or even a camera*...It's a friend that you can trust enough to jump into the urban uncharted with you, ready to help you, cover for you, and if the worst happens, run with you.

*you should still take a torch, camera and respirator because if you don't you're a bit simple or forgetful

 

[night crawler]

Exactly this. Thats all you need.

A good point about blending in - I learnt a valuable lesson last week: We done an underground site last week, prior to doing a city centre school. We were spotted going in to the school, and the authorities were called...You try blending back into the general public when covered in mud!

High viz and a Yellow hardhat would have helped a lot there, they would have taken no notice

 

[shatners]

My current Dora the explorer kit, in a Lowpro bag with a cheap but sturdy tripod... tripods get hammered on with Urbex so don't waste money on anything too good, just get something sturdy but cheap and you wont be so sad when you inevitably drop/forget/scratch/bend/snap it whilst climbing through windows.

In the bag:

Canon EOS 7D and BG-E7 Grip
Canon EF 50mm F1.8
Canon FD 35mm F1.4
Sigma EF 10-20mm EX DC HSM
Canon EF 18-55mm IS
Canon EF 70-200mm IS ‘L’ Series F4.0
560 MkII Flash
Wireless Flash Trigger Wireless Shutter Release
CREE 10w torch with focus
Tripod

Always in the boot of the car in case I pass something whilst traveling:

40D body and BG-E2 Grip

Clothes wise, I just tend to keep it dark but casual, thick jeans help. The high vis is a good idea, but our metal thieving friends tend to wear the those too so police and security are rarely deterred from challenging you.

 

[explorer101]

me? loose junk that lurks at the bottom of my bag
camera
torch
food
map
book (I always carry a book normally when exploring i make sure its lightweight)
drink
first aid

Protective wear is normally me sound surprised that i have injured my self again then rummaging for the antiseptic wipes . I just wear normally clothes but semi protective foot wear.

L x

 

[Ramsgatonian]

German surplus flektarn camouflage jacket, thick jeans, and a choice between steel toe capped boots or military worker boots.

I carry a military surplus haversack with my gear inside, consisting of - Camera & Lens (Sadly only one ATM), 4D Maglite, Lenser P7, dust mask, small first aid kit (mostly), spare batteries, and sometimes a map or two. Also a canteen for water.

I highly suggest anyone urban exploring has a look at many of the online military surplus stores - you can't beat military clothing for value for money and quality.

Forgot to add: Spare camera battery, spare SD card, shutter release and lens cleaning stuff.

 

[UrbanX]

German surplus flektarn camouflage jacket, thick jeans, and a choice between steel toe capped boots or military worker boots.

I carry a military surplus haversack with my gear inside, consisting of - Camera & Lens (Sadly only one ATM), 4D Maglite, Lenser P7, dust mask, small first aid kit (mostly), spare batteries, and sometimes a map or two. Also a canteen for water.

I highly suggest anyone urban exploring has a look at many of the online military surplus stores - you can't beat military clothing for value for money and quality.

Spot on also: treat camo as denim:
A jacket is fine, bottoms are fine, but never in the same ensemble!

 

[ricasso]

When I used to do a lot of rural explores I generally used to wear my ballistic trousers (tree surgeon) and tree boots, theres not a thorn or nettle on Gods green earth that could penatrate them!if they could stop a chainsaw then a nettle isnt really an issue..maybe not for everyone but spending every working day in them you get used to them, also if challenged you could say your surveying a tree job..Hence the camera etc.