Urbex gear & risks

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Uploaded by hp__blue • 11/24/2025, 1:53:45 PM

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Basic gear. Additional gear. Risks while urban exploring.

## URBEX GEAR

### BASIC GEAR
**✅ Sturdy shoes / work boots**
Durable, non-slip, and protective against nails or broken glass.

**✅ Respirator (P100 / FFP3)**
Abandoned buildings are often dusty, moldy, or contaminated with hazardous substances such as asbestos, lead paint or bird droppings. Therefore, always wear a respirator in indoor lost places that can filter out harmful particles and pollutants to protect your lungs.

*More information on selecting the right respirator can be found here: https://urbexplanet.com/resources/69239437459fefa4e3000a9c*

**✅ Disposable gloves / Durable work gloves**
Disposable gloves to protect your hands against nasty things, liquids, or bacteria (e.g. bird droppings)
Durable work gloves for rusty metal and sharp objects.

**✅ Headlamp / Flashlight**
Many Lostplaces are dark and without electricity. A hands-free headlamp is ideal. A red light function can also help you be less conspicuous at night.

![image](@image:6924c1d1459fefa4e3750ab4)

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### ADDITIONAL GEAR depending on location and hazards

**➡️ Backpack**
To carry along and protect all your gear during urban exploration, a sturdy backpack is essential. Choose a backpack with multiple compartments, padded straps, and durable material to ensure your equipment stays secure and easily accessible.

**➡️ First-aid kit**
Bandages, disinfectant, small supplies. Minor cuts or scrapes happen fast.

**➡️ Protective suit / Disposable coverall**
For heavily moldy buildings, asbestos, lead paint, bacteria-contaminated bird droppings or chemical residues. Protects your clothing and skin from contamination. Remember, asbestos can never be completely washed out of clothing.

*More information about asbestos can be found here: https://urbexplanet.com/resources/692264e2459fefa4e3b93071*

**➡️ Goggles / Safety glasses**
Protects eyes from dust, mold spores, asbestos or shards.

**➡️ Helmet**
A helmet protects you from falling debris, loose ceiling elements, or broken roof beams. Head protection can prevent serious injuries, especially in buildings with visible structural damage.

**➡️ Pepper spray (for self-defense)**
Useful for places where you might encounter aggressive animals, people, or squatters. It is compact, easy to carry, and offers a legal way to protect yourself if a situation becomes unsafe.

**➡️ Knee pads / Elbow pads**
Useful in tight, low spaces or when crawling through rubble.

**➡️ Water bottle**
Longer exploration tours can be physically demanding, and you need to drink enough fluids. A water bottle can help you stay hydrated and keep you energized during your explorations.

**➡️ Power bank**
Indispensable for longer trips to charge your smartphone or flashlight in an emergency, for example.

**➡️ Carbon monoxide detector**
Useful in basements, silos, or buildings where toxic gases or low oxygen levels are suspected. Rooms with too much carbon monoxide can kill you within minutes.

**➡️ Duct tape**
Useful for quick fixes during exploration: sealing protective suits, or marking safe paths. It can also temporarily wrap sharp edges, or help close off contaminated items until they can be safely disposed of.

**➡️ Drone**
To check out places in advance to see if there are any dangers, cameras, neighbors, etc.

**➡️ Walkie-talkie**
Essential if mobile reception is poor.

![image](@image:6926540e459fefa4e3f39902)

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## RISKS OF URBEX

Urban Exploring, also known as Urbex, is an exciting hobby that invites people to explore abandoned places and discover their history. But as fascinating as this activity is, it involves numerous risks that are often underestimated. This article aims to highlight the potential dangers in order to give newbies and experienced urbexers a better understanding of the challenges and dangers of this activity.

### Physical dangers

**⚠️ Danger of collapse:** 
Abandoned buildings are often dilapidated. Rotten wood floors, rusty metal structures, or cracks in walls can suddenly give way, resulting in serious injury or even death.

**⚠️ Sharp objects:**
Broken glass, rusty nails or metal edges can cause cuts. Tetanus infection is a possible consequence.

**⚠️ Danger of falling:**
Confusing areas such as stairs without railings, open shafts or thin roof structures pose the risk of a fall from a great height.

**⚠️ Still water:**
In many Lost Places there is standing water in the form of flooded basements, old wells or open tanks. Still water poses several dangers:
***- Accidents at depth:*** The depth is often difficult to estimate and a fall can be life-threatening.
***- Pathogens:*** Still water is a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites that can cause infections. Some of these parasites also enter your body when they come into contact with mucous membranes, attack your brain, and can kill you within half an hour.
***- Toxins:*** Chemicals or heavy metals can contaminate water and be harmful if they come into contact with skin or are inhaled.

### Health risks

**☣️ Mold / Asbestos / Lead paint:**
Many old buildings contain **asbestos**, which can cause lung diseases such as asbestosis or cancer if the fibers are inhaled. Keep in mind that asbestos also sticks to you and your clothing and cannot be completely washed out of normal clothing. **Mold** can also cause serious respiratory illnesses. Also, be aware if you have a mold allergy, as mold can also lead to an allergic shock. And particles from peeling **lead paint** can cause lead poisoning, which damages many organ systems, including the nervous system, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract.

**☣️ Chemicals:**
Containers left behind with unknown contents may release toxic fumes or cause skin irritation if touched. Therefore, if chemicals are present on site, always wear chemical-resistant protective clothing.

**☣️ Animals and insects:**
Abandoned places are often havens for animals such as rats, snakes or insects (e.g. wasps or ticks), which can transmit diseases.

**☣️ Bird droppings:**
Sometimes lost places can be inhabited by flocks of birds, which can cover entire floors with their droppings. Bird droppings can contain harmful bacteria, parasites, and especially fungi such as Histoplasma, which are released into the air when they dry and are stirred up. Always avoid stepping on or touching areas covered with droppings, and be sure to wear an P100 / FFP3 respirator, disposable gloves, and full body disposable protective clothing in such places.

### Legal risks

**🚨 Trespassing:**
Many lost places are located on private property. Entering without permission is illegal and can result in a fine or imprisonment.

**🚨 Alarm systems, cameras, neighbors:**
Always check lost places in advance to see if they are secured in any way or if there are attentive neighbors living nearby. Always find a way in advance to get in quickly and unseen, and also think about an emergency exit in case you can't go back the same way.

***Stay safe and enjoy exploring :)***

![image](@image:6924c397459fefa4e375d70e)

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Urbex gear & risks