The plan here is to list EVERYTHING you could possibly need, or want for a paranormal investigation or ghost hunt, why you need it, and where to get it. Since technology and imagination are constantly moving forward, then so is this project.
Keep in mind, to have a successful hunt you only need to bring yourself and your own instincts. This is by no means a list of things that YOU MUST HAVE for a successful ghost hunt. You may feel comfortable using only a couple of these things, where I may use more, or even less. It’s all personal preference. If it’s all about the enjoyment of it for you, you can go to the location, and hunt all you want and have a great time doing it with very little or no equipment at all.
Unfortunately, when doing a fact based investigation, and dealing with skeptics, your opinion and enjoyment ain’t good enough. You need something a little more substantial. There are tons of gadgets and toys that can be helpful to gain evidence of the beyond.
Gaining Evidence
For some people, no amount of orb pictures or voices on a tape recorder will be good enough to classify as evidence. I’m one of those people. I’m not a disbeliever or a cynic, but I DO need to be convinced. If you’re just out there ghost hunting, and having a good time at it, you shouldn’t care to convince anyone of anything that you find. You will be happy with whatever you have. If this is an investigation, on the other hand… We need to be more skeptical, and we NEED facts! Now I deplore closed mindedness, but at least with skepticism, it’s a black/white issue. True/false, fact/fiction, right/wrong, with skepticism, there is an opportunity to find solid facts. THAT aspect can at least be respected if not agreed upon.
All of these devices and gadgets are here for a purpose, TO OBTAIN SOLID FACTS. Which turns this ‘hobby’ into a ‘science’. If you can come to grips with that fact, then you will know that you have to be as hard on your own ‘evidence’ as a closed minded cynic would be. Then, and ONLY then are you able to sort through the REAL facts, discover the TRUTH, and put the cynical disbelievers in their place… Or allow yourself to admit that you have nothing.
For more detailed information about hunting down those FACTS, you might want to check out our Unearthing Evidence Section!
The Neverending List
I’m going to try to make this list as easy as possible to follow by splitting it up into smaller categories. The top item in each category will be the cheapest and easiest to obtain. The bottom will be things that are harder to get. Simple enough?
Equipment For Beginners
This is a little checklist for you beginner ghost hunters & investigators out there. It ought to start you out on the right track!
Basics & Miscellaneous
This is the bare minimum of things you may want or need that can be bought in many locations. Mostly cheap yet useful stuff.
Audio Equipment
This is an ongoing list of audio equipment needed for ghost hunts and paranormal investigations.
Video Equipment
This is an ongoing list of video equipment needed for ghost hunts and paranormal investigations.
Meters & Detectors
Every meter from EMF meters to thermometers can be found here! Motion detectors & other devices are also included.
Metaphysical Tools
Everything from dowsing rods to Ouija boards for your NON-scientific hunts and investigations!
 The Facts Of The Paranormal Field
The theories of paranormal events effecting the temperature of pockets of air, or electromagnetic fields are just that… THEORIES. These ARE NOT facts.
That statement can TRUTHFULLY be said about ANYTHING we’ve come to know, or believe in this field. THERE ARE NO FACTS. Every piece of equipment mentioned on any of the pages linked above are nothing more than tools which connect to unproven theories. Unproven as they may be, they ARE, however theories in which most investigators seem to have agreed upon… For now.
So, we’re gonna roll with them too.
The Proper Usage Of Equipment: A Final Thought
There is not a single tool, or piece of equipment that is going to tell you that there is a ghost nearby, or any other type of paranormal event taking place.
If your E.M.F. meter is giving you a reading, that does not mean that a paranormal event is taking place.
If you have an interesting noise on your recorder, it is NOT proof of a haunting or something communicating.
Because your infrared thermometer detects a cold spot, this is NOT evidence of a spirit.
An orb, or many orbs on a picture mean nothing.
Your video equipment has recorded an interesting anomaly. This does not mean that you’ve captured a ghost.
Do you understand what I am saying? Alone, none of these things mean ANYTHING.
If you show me a picture with an anomaly, and tell me that you believe that it’s a picture of a spirit, I may say, “So what?, This means nothing. It’s just a goofy picture.”
You need more.
What if you also got an EMF reading, AND your thermometer is showing a drop in temperature in the exact same location of the anomaly?
Your belief in a haunting is slowly becoming more justified… Isn’t it? Not proven, but more justified, assuming that your evidence hasn’t been falsified.
Does this make sense? One piece of evidence WILL NOT prove your case. It won’t even get you taken seriously. On the other hand, if you take the equipment listed in these pages, use them properly, in conjunction with one another, and if all of your readings seem to agree…
You MAY have something special.
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