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Pencils & Pens
You have to be prepared to write stuff down and take notes. You may
need to document a sound you heard, or information about a site. It may
also be a good idea to bring a few permanent markers. The small
"Sharpie" markers would be your best bet. You never know when you'll
need to mark something. Pencils and Pens can be bought at any
store everywhere for between 10 cents and a few bucks. Sharpie markers
are sold at any drugstore or supermarket for 3 dollars or less. |
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Paper
What you gonna write on? PAPER! Regular notebooks, and possibly some
graph paper or a sketch pad would do you well. The notebook paper would
be just for writing things down. The graph paper and/or sketchbook is
for mapping out your location. That way you know where everything is.
Also, waiting for activity to happen can be rather boring for some
people. With the sketchpad, you can draw a picture or play Hangman or
Tic-Tac-Toe or something. You can get paper for less than 2 dollars
everywhere. |
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Tape (Masking, Duct, Electrical, Whatever)
Using tape is a good way to mark a location or item without doing
permanent damage. Say if you're investigating a ball moving on its own,
put a piece of tape on the floor, put the ball on the tape, and leave
the room. If when you return, and the ball is no longer on the tape,
you know that you have some work to do. Sometimes you need to
label things. Get a pen or marker, write on the tape and stick it to
whatever you need to. Can be bought wherever you get the pens and paper
for less than a few bucks. |
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Dry Erase Markers
What if you ain't got no tape? Dry erase markers are another way of
marking things without doing any permanent damage. You have to be
careful though. When using them, ONLY write on smooth, flat surfaces,
and make sure you have a cloth or something to wipe it off. So why not
just use tape? If 'something'
touches tape, tape doesn't wear off. If 'something' touches markings from a
dry erase marker, the evidence is easy to see. Think about the
possibilities. Less than 5 dollars where pens and paper are sold. |
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Baggies
"Somebody blows their nose, and you wanna keep it?"
That's pretty much what you would use ziplock baggies for
in the field.
No, not for somebodies nose goblins, but for actual PHYSICAL evidence
that you may find on an investigation. It doesn't happen often. As a
matter of fact, it's almost never, but when it DOES happen, you'll be
glad that you have some baggies. Go to any grocery store, and get some
for 2 bucks or less.
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Things That Tell Time
Telling time is
important. You need a clock, stopwatch, wristwatch, or something else
that tells time accurately. Some paranormal events only happen at
certain times of the day, and without a clock, how are you gonna be
ready? Look at the sun? What if something happens, and you have to take
notes. You gotta write down what time things happen. This is a no
brainer. You can go the cheap route and get a watch at a dollar store
for a buck, or you can show some self respect for a change, and use a
Rolex. |
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Cell Phone
This one is primarily for emergency purposes. What if something
happens, and you need to get in touch with someone, or somebody gets
hurt, and you have to call 911 or something? What if you need to order
pizza? There are a ton of cell phones and companies, and I'm not even
going to attempt to go into phone prices and rates. Good thing you
probably already have one of these. If you don't, then you're stupid
like me, 'cause neither do I. |
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Level
Okay, so you're at an
investigation, something falls off the shelf, and everybody gets
freaked out. You pull out your trusty level with the kryptonite-green
bubble, and you put it on the shelf. You find out that the shelf is NOT
level and it was gravity that pushed the item off the shelf. What if a
toy car, or even that ball with the tape under it rolls across the
room? What if it rolled uphill?. This
is a way of checking.
You can get a cheap one at a dollar store for a few bucks. Don't go
expensive with this item. |
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Flashlights
Flashlights are completely necessary to conduct a safe and productive
investigation. You need to be able to see where your going, and what
you're doing, or bad accidents can happen. There are many different
kinds of flashlights to consider, and they vary in price. You may want
one with a red tint to reduce glare. How about one of those new LED
ones that don't even need batteries? Do you want one that will attach
to your head? It's all personal preference. They range anywhere from 5
to 20 bucks, and are sold almost everywhere. |
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Windchimes
A wind chime is a cheap
motion detector of sorts. It can't detect movement per-se, but it
can detect air flow if the current is strong enough. I'm sure you've
heard stories that people have felt entities 'go through' them. Its not
very scientific, but when indoors, they can help alert you to that type
of presence. They can be bought in most dollar stores for a couple
bucks. Or you can steal one from your grandma!
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Cotton Balls
For their size, cotton
balls are extremely lightweight, which makes them very useful. They're
easy to spot, and easy to be moved. You can line them up at the
base of the door, and when someone (or something) opens the door,
they'll all be moved. Use your imagination, they have lots of
uses. You can get a big bag of them in any drug store for a buck or a
little over. |
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Talcum Powder
Try to get the unscented
kind, otherwise throughout the investigation, you'll smell like a
baby's butt, or worse you'll smell like an elderly man's butt. This
stuff can be useful if you're trying to document movement on a flat
surface. Lightly dust the area with the powder and photograph it. At
the end of the hunt, photograph it again and see if anything had
disturbed it. You can get it at a drug store for less than a few bucks.
(Make sure you have a way to clean it up when you're done.) |
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Dark Clothing
Wearing darker clothing
is important to reduce the risk of lights and flashes reflecting off of
you while other investigators are filming or taking pictures. That's
the bottom line. Wearing darker clothing will make your investigation
go smoother with more reliable results. Go to Wal-Mart and buy some. |
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Black Sheets or Curtains
This works on the same
principle as the dark clothing, but its portable, and the thicker the
cloth, the better. Say, you're in a room taking flash photography, or
using an infrared camera. If there are mirrors, or other reflective
surfaces in the room, it's going to play hell with your results. So,
you cover the reflective surfaces up with the black cloth, and your
results will be a lot better. If you have trouble finding black cloth,
you can dye regular bedsheets. Rit Dye can be
bought in most craft stores, and even drugstores for less than 5 bucks. |
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Ties
These can come in handy.
I prefer 'zip ties' like the picture, but a piece of string or a twist
tie from a loaf of bread will do. It's an easy way to secure your
microphones or cameras to a surface, and make sure that they're not
going to move. They're also good for keeping wires together. You can
get a 100 count package at Home Depot or a hardware store for between 5
and 10 bucks. |
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Knife
Its always a good thing
to have a small knife available on your investigation, particularly at
the end. I mentioned buying zip ties to secure your equipment. Those
things can be a pain to remove. Hell, even cops use them as handcuffs
now. That's why a knife can be useful. Instead of fighting with them to
get them off, all you have to do is cut them and be on your way.
A pocket knife will do fine or even a razor. Get one for free in your
kitchen. |
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First Aid Kit
Say you're on an investigation, and a member of your team is taking a
temperature reading on a cold spot. Things get out of hand. The next
thing you know, he's laying there, and his arm has been ripped off by a
monkey. So he's bleeding to death while the monkey sits there pointing,
laughing, and jumping around like an idiot. If you brought a first aid
kit, your friend MIGHT have survived. Now all you got is an evil
monkey, and a dead guy with a bloody stump. The American Red Cross has
a good
page on what to include in your kit.
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Cameras 
Cameras are in the 'Basics' list because they are ABSOLUTELY necessary
for a hunt or investigation. They can however
be
expensive, depending on what you want. In our photos section of the
site, I've written a little guide to help you decide what type of
camera you want to use. For now, I'll just tell you that you can go
anywhere, and buy one of those cheap disposable cameras for 5 bucks,
and It'll work just fine. Its the developing that gets expensive.
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Walkie Talkies
Walkie talkies are good because they're easy to use, and its a lot more
professional than screaming at your team from the other side of the
site. The pricing on these things are a little bit tricky. They're sold
individually or you can also find them in a 2 pack. Individually, I've
seen them run from 20 to 200 dollars. You can get a nice 2 pack for
anywhere between 50 to 100 dollars at Radio
Shack. (NOTE: You will find that Radio Shack is your best friend
for buying gadgets!) |
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Batteries
Have at least 3 sets of
each type of
battery you use. If you're using 9 Double A's, then you should have
27of them available to use. There is a theory that spirits need energy,
and feed off of the batteries. Whatever the reason, when your on an
investigation or hunt, your batteries can go from completely full to
DEAD with only a second of use! Your best bet is to buy a
buttload of all different types of RECHARGEABLES and a charger, usually
around 25 bucks to start. |
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Computer
In this century, a
computer is necessary for almost every job that there is. Ghost
hunting is no different. Most importantly, you ant visit this
site without one. Seriously though, if you plan on being serious
about investigating, you're going to want to document everything
and keep records. There's no better way of doing that than a computer.
You can also use it for audio and video as well, but we'll get into
that later. Laptop models are effective. Now-days, you can get them
anywhere from between 400 bucks and up. |
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Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator
Don't cross the streams. It would be bad.
Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously, and
every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
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