Ghost Hunting Equipment List— The Ultimate Guide

Last Updated on May 31, 2021

If you want to begin your ghost hunting adventures, you have come to the right place!

This article is going to cover everything you should bring while ghost hunting.

You don’t want to begin your adventure only to realize you forgot some of the most important things.

With this list, you will learn about the essentials for ghost hunting and what purpose they serve, as well as where to buy them.

Each item will have a link to buy online, but feel free to buy any other option. Many of the pieces of equipment can be bought from several different websites, and some of them can be purchased from stores like Walmart.

Keep reading to find out what you should bring with you next time you go ghost hunting!

General Ghost Hunting Equipment – The Basics

General equipment includes items that aren’t really related to ghost hunting but are still important. For example, a flashlight isn’t really only associated with ghost hunting, but it is still nice to have so you can see in dark places.

These are everyday items that aren’t very hard to get. Chances are, you can go to a store near you and find them all. Read below to find out the five things that are essential for ghost hunting.

Flashlight

 LED Flashlight from Amazon

Price: $19.99

You probably had an idea of what was going to be on this list before you started, but were you thinking about flashlights too?

This is probably the most essential item on this entire list! Don’t overlook bringing a flashlight just because you were only thinking about the most important pieces of specialized equipment.

If you are ghost hunting, obviously you need to see what you are doing. Sure, you want a totally dark room when trying to communicate with spirits, but a little bit of light will help you work with your equipment too.

Imagine trying to figure out how to work a Spirit Box when you can’t see any of the buttons. You can honestly just pick up any old flashlight to help you see what you are doing, but it’s better to get one that will hold up to possibly being dropped.

Walkie Talkie

Two Way Radios with Earpieces from Amazon

Price: $25.99

If your ghost hunting adventures involve more than just yourself, walkie talkies are definitely a necessity! Imagine you and your partner have split up and are in different rooms.

You hear a loud thud and think it could be ghost activity. Just to be sure, you radio to your partner and it turns out they tripped.

If you didn’t have a walkie talkie, you would have just gone on assuming it was a ghost, possibly ruining the entire validity of your adventures.

Walkie talkies make it easier to debunk (or verify) what is going on. When searching for walkie talkies, make sure to look at long-range ones as well!

Some of your adventures may lead you to locations that cover a lot of ground. You definitely don’t want to find something amazing and not be able to alert anyone because your walkie talkies are out of range.

Pen and Paper

Waterproof Notebook from Amazon

Price: $6.55

It’s great to have all the specialized ghost hunting equipment and tools, but sometimes, you just need to write stuff down.

If you detect an EVP, you definitely need a way to remember it. Some devices have built-in records to keep track of EVPs, but if you don’t have anything like that, it’s just as easy to write it down.

You can use any notebook, but my personal favorite is the Rite in the Rain waterproof journal. This is helpful for those outdoor adventures that have a bit of surprise rain.

Pick up this journal or visit a store to get a plain notebook and pens that are dedicated to writing down information while ghost hunting.

Phone

Chances are, you already have a smartphone, so we don’t need to know where to buy one. There’s even a chance you’re reading this article from your phone right now.

Even though your phone goes everywhere you do, it can be especially useful for ghost hunting.

The obvious reason is to be able to call others. If you experience any difficulties and have to call someone, you can use your phone.

It also doubles as a flashlight, a pen, and paper, and can be used to take pictures/record what’s going on. It’s great to have more than one camera to document what is happening.

If only one camera picks up an apparition, then there is a chance it may have been a glare or something the camera caused. If both cameras capture the apparition, then you have a much more solid case for capturing a ghost on camera.

Camera/recorder

Camcorder Digital Camera with Night Vision from Amazon

Price: $67.99

It goes without saying that a camera is one of the most important things to bring on your adventures. If you want to playback anything that has happened, you need to record it.

Similarly, if you see something that looks out of place, you can take a picture of it.

Cameras don’t just allow you to recall things later, but they can also capture things that are invisible to the human eye.

There has been plenty of ghost hunting shows where the crew takes pictures, and then later realizes there is some sort of anomaly or apparition in the corner.

Remember to invest in a camera with night vision though! You want to be able to see what you are recording, so check out cameras like the one above that can record and take pictures with night vision.

Specialized Equipment

Specialized equipment consists of the tools you need that are specific to ghost hunting and are essential.

You can use a digital audio recorder for other things besides ghost hunting, but your ghost hunting trip wouldn’t be the same without a piece of equipment to detect EVPs. That would defeat the purpose of your adventures!

Below are five pieces of specialized equipment that will give you the best ghost hunting experience.

Digital Audio Recorder

Olympus Voice Recorder from Amazon

Price: $47.95

EVP stands for electronic voice phenomenon and is most commonly associated with voices from ghosts or other supernatural entities. It’s incredibly important that you capture any EVPs because they help you understand a location or certain individual.

Using a recorder is the best way to pick up any EVPs. During your adventures, you can keep it on to record any that is happening or conduct a session of asking questions to see if you get any answers.

It’s important to know that you might not be able to hear an EVP at first. You may ask a series of questions and not hear any responses, but that’s totally okay! Check the recorder afterward and you are more likely to pick up on any EVPs.

EMF Detector

EMF Meter from Amazon

Price: $30.97

EMF stands for electric and magnetic fields. These are basically areas of energy that can be picked up with a special meter. EMFs can come from several different things, including lightning, x-rays, cell phones, and microwaves.

Many people believe that ghosts can manipulate these fields, so it is important to track them. When you are ghost hunting, you should always track these waves.

If your audio equipment doesn’t pick up any voices, there is still a chance that a ghost is there (they are just being a bit quiet!).

EMF meters are very simple to use as well. If the number is higher, there is more ’energy’ present. Nearby ghosts can either raise these numbers or cause them to fluctuate, not giving a clear reading.

Thermal Camera

Thermal Camera from Ghost Stop

Price: $379.99

Ghosts often cannot be seen just by looking around, but they give off a different temperature than their surroundings. This is where a thermal camera comes in handy.

With a thermal camera, you can scan an area looking for any temperature anomalies and begin to investigate further.

These special cameras are quite amazing. A typical heat-detecting device needs contact with whatever it is you want to measure, but thermal cameras can detect temperatures from a distance.

When you use this camera, be sure to know what is surrounding you already. You don’t want to think you’ve found a ghost, only to later realize part of your crew was standing in the distance.

Kinect Camera

Kinect SLS Camera from Ghost Hunter’s Equipment

Price: $399

The Kinect Camera was originally an accessory for the Xbox but was eventually discontinued because people weren’t really buying it. The concept of the camera was still put to use in other products though.

This camera basically tracks motion in the shape of a stick figure. For example, if you were recorded on one, it would detect your basic shape; arms legs, torso, and head. This means it also would track any anthropomorphic ghosts or spirits that are around you.

I know, at first, I thought this wasn’t going to be accurate, but I watched it in action once in an episode of Ghost Adventures. The crew set up one in Tuolumne Hospital pointed at a hospital bed. The camera picked up what appeared to be someone performing a surgery.

Spirit Box

Spirit Box SB7 from Ghost Stop

Price: $69.90

This is definitely an important piece of equipment for your ghost hunting adventures. This is another device that allows you to capture EVPs, but it doesn’t work like a typical audio recorder.

The Spirit box sweeps through AM/FM channels at a rate you can set yourself. The idea is ghosts would be able to manipulate and speak through these channels. The purpose of sweeping is to eliminate the possibility of interference from any nearby radios.

If an authentic EVP is picked up, it should cover more than one station, ruling out interference. These ghosts can speak over several channels, and they are trying to communicate with you.

Bonus Equipment

Below is the Ovilus Ghost Box and the Paranormal Music Box. They aren’t really necessary for normal ghost hunting but are still pretty cool. Both can be seen in action in Ghost Adventures, so if you want to feel like a pro, check them out!

Ovilus Ghost Box

Ovilus Ghost Box from Ghost Stop

Price: $1,000

I totally understand that this is $1,000, which is a lot. If you have the opportunity to buy this, you should though. It’s not really a necessity, but it’s pretty epic.

The Ovilus Ghost Box is an additional way to communicate with ghosts, but it doesn’t work like a spirit box or an audio recorder. Instead of having a ghost speak directly through the box, they have the ability to manipulate different phonemes to form words.

This is super helpful because sometimes it’s difficult to understand what an EVP is saying. With this, you’ll be able to understand what the word is, and it even pops up on the screen.

Paranormal Music Box

Paranormal Music Box from Ghost Hunter’s Equipment

Price: $399

If you want additional equipment to supplement your adventures, look into buying a Paranormal Music Box. This piece of equipment as a motion sensor that sets off a music box when something is nearby.

Although normal motion sensors work just fine, this is great for ‘curious’ ghosts or even locations that have children.

If you are just beginning your ghost hunting this may be a bit impractical, but it will definitely make an awesome addition to your collection.