# What Should I Take With Me On My Ghost Hunt **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792 "2003-08-13T01:32:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/1 "2003-08-13T01:32:28Z")
Hubby and I thought it would be a lot of fun when we saw an ad for a Ghost Hunt. We’ve signed up and are going to be spending the night in a supposedly haunted building. While I don’t really believe in ghosts, it sounds like a blast. I’d like to do it ala MTV’s \* Fear \* with all of the electronic “ghost hunting” equipment, but I’m not sure what kinds are supposedly good for finding ghosts. I remember seeing a documentary which stated that areas which have some sort of disruptions in the magnetic fields are areas in which sightings of paranormal phenomenon (or at least the sensations thereof) are most common. What sort of device would be advisable for detecting them? Is there a way to rent such pieces of equipment? Which would be best: night-vision, or infa-red goggles? Hubby and I have been debating this. In my opinion, the laws of thermodynamics decree that ghosts can not generate heat, and folks who claim to see them report feeling \* cold, \* and infa-red would be useless. Anyone have any other suggestions of things we should consider bringing along? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/2 "2003-08-13T01:36:57Z")
Night vision goggles. And a cat. Cats freak out when ghosts are around, so when he starts to claw at you, whip out those goggles and get hunting! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/3 "2003-08-13T01:48:30Z")
[A jar](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=189147&goto=nextoldest) 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/4 "2003-08-13T03:36:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by roxx222 \* > \*\*Night vision goggles. And a cat. Cats freak out when ghosts are around, so when he starts to claw at you, whip out those goggles and get hunting! \*\* Well . . . two problems. I don’t have a cat, and pets aren’t allowed, else I would bring my dog along with us. Any electronics which would react the same as a cat, minus the claws? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/5 "2003-08-13T03:47:40Z")
Bring a tape recorder. Several, if you have 'em and you’ll be allowed to leave one someplace where the people will not be. Then you can listen to the tapes afterwards and say that anything you can’t immediately identify as “that was me” or “that wast he chick who was with us” is a ghost. ---
**Author:** ![Blonde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Blonde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blonde)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/6 "2003-08-13T04:02:13Z")
Perhaps a Jumanji board and a metal detector? Or a shaky video camcorder… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/7 "2003-08-13T04:04:55Z")
Ouji board? ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/8 "2003-08-13T04:08:29Z")
A thin-bladed saw! Tell the ghosts to wimmle it if they want to communicate, thus creating an eerie sound! ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/9 "2003-08-13T04:22:35Z")
Just get a damfool amorus teenage couple…The male should be a “rebel without a cause” from the “wrong side of the tracks,” and the female should be the daughter of a (preferably widowed) overprotective man of high social standing, like a police chief. If all the movies I’ve ever seen have taught me anything, you should start seeing supernatural activity as soon as the teenagers sneak off to “neck.” (You might want to bring along some goggles, tho’…things might get a little “messy”) ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/10 "2003-08-13T04:24:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AbbySthrnAccent \* > \*\*Ouji board? \*\* Believe it or not, Oijia boards are explicitly banned in the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Phnord\_Prephect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@Phnord\_Prephect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phnord_Prephect)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/11 "2003-08-13T04:46:25Z")
Banned Ouiji boards?? Why? What’s the rationale? Are we gonna get this thread locked just for talking about them? ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/12 "2003-08-13T04:56:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phnord Prephect \* > \*\*Banned Ouiji boards?? Why? What’s the rationale? Are we gonna get this thread locked just for talking about them? \*\* No, no . . . not on the Boards. They’re banned at the Ghost Hunt. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/13 "2003-08-13T12:24:10Z")
At the risk of sounding _ultra_-flaky, I’ve seen Ouija boards do some weird things, and I’m not at all surprised that they’re banned on a Ghost Hunt. I do believe in ghosts, and I’m fairly certain I’ve seen them, been in the same room with them, et cetera. I recommend the night-vision rather than the infrared, for the reasons already mentioned–all I’ve ever noticed is cold. I don’t know how much good night vision goggles will be, but it can’t hurt. And **Ranchoth** is perfectly correct–necking teenagers draw supernatural phenomena like nothing else. If at all possible, be sure you also have at least one person who is going to sneak off and get high, they’re usually ghost-magnets, too. Ghosts are not attracted to lawfully-married couples engaging in hanky-panky, so unfortunately, you _do_ need company. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/14 "2003-08-13T13:14:14Z")
Bring a paperback book. It’ll help pass the time. 'Cause there ain’t no such thing as ghosts. ---
**Author:** ![moejuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@moejuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejuck)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/15 "2003-08-13T13:18:59Z")
You will definitley need one of those ecto-blaster things from Ghostbusters! Make sure you have someone to set the trap before you turn the thing on. And remember, never, never, cross the waves! ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/16 "2003-08-13T13:25:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moejuck \* > \*\*You will definitley need one of those ecto-blaster things from Ghostbusters! Make sure you have someone to set the trap before you turn the thing on. And remember, never, never, cross the waves! \*\* _Streams_! Dr. Egon Spengler: There’s something very important I forgot to tell you. Dr. Peter Venkman: What? Dr. Egon Spengler: Don’t cross the streams. Dr. Peter Venkman: Why? Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad. Dr. Peter Venkman: I’m fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean “bad”? Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. Dr. Raymond Stantz: Total protonic reversal. Dr. Peter Venkman: That’s bad. Okay. Alright, important safety tip, thanks Egon. ---
**Author:** ![Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Olive\_The\_Other\_Reindeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olive_The_Other_Reindeer)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/17 "2003-08-13T13:27:44Z")
Hmmm . . . . All I know about ghost hunting, I learned from the movies: You need at last one bimbo with a video camera. When she disappears (leaving the camera behind), you can rerun the tape and see spooky stuff (The House on Haunted Hill) This also solves the problem of running the risk of seeing spooky stuff first-hand. You have to wear cool jumpsuits with Batman-type utility belts (Ghostbusters) And (this will get me pitted, I’m sure), you need one thin, Black male who can make his eyes pop out whenever something scares him (any Abbott and Costello movie with a supernatural theme). More accurate (and cheaper) than those wireless thermal imaging thingies. ---
**Author:** ![moejuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@moejuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejuck)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/18 "2003-08-13T14:38:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*_Streams_! > > Dr. Egon Spengler: There’s something very important I forgot to tell you. > Dr. Peter Venkman: What? > Dr. Egon Spengler: Don’t cross the streams. > Dr. Peter Venkman: Why? > Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad. > Dr. Peter Venkman: I’m fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean “bad”? > Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light. > Dr. Raymond Stantz: Total protonic reversal. > Dr. Peter Venkman: That’s bad. Okay. Alright, important safety tip, thanks Egon. \*\* Thanks. I knew something didn’t look quite right about that. By the way, those were some great character names. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/19 "2003-08-13T14:39:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*Bring a paperback book. > > It’ll help pass the time. > > 'Cause there ain’t no such thing as ghosts. \*\* I know, I know. I’m hoping my imagination will provide at least a couple “What was \*that?” \* moments. I’ve always enjoyed watching the reactions of the people featured on those ghost hunt TV shows. The sociologist in me wants to see if I can easily fall into group hysteria, and if, with enough prodding, my imagination will supply a ghost. Unfortunately, \*\* moejuck, \*\* I don’t have enough time before the hunt to take Building Your Own Proton Pack 101 at the branch campus. (Sounds like such an interesting class, too.) I was thinking more along the lines of a large butterfly net and a can of hairspray. The plan is to coat the ghost with hairspray until he can’t move, and then grab him. If he’ll fit, I’ll stuff him into a jar, (or empty water bottle–whatever’s convenient) and make a mint. Look for me on the cover of \*National Enquirer. \* ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792/20 "2003-08-13T15:08:55Z")
I think the jumpsuit is a must. A compass has a needle that moves around by itself 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-take-with-me-on-my-ghost-hunt/194792.md?page=2)