How To Ghost Hunt Without Equipment

When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

Can you go ghost hunting without equipment? Is it even possible? The simple answer to this question is yes! It is definitely doable and some paranormal investigators even prefer it.

A collective array of tools can be helpful, but it is not always required. You do not need a collection of intricate digital gadgets to participate in the hobby.

So let’s say you are a total beginner looking to experiment in a nearby area you see signs of paranormal activity. Maybe you are skeptical of the idea that ghost hunting is even a real thing but still, you were curious.

The best approach to anything would be to try it before you buy it so the same rules apply here. This article will demonstrate inexpensive ways you can step into the hobby without investing right away!

How To Ghost Hunt Without Equipment

Ghost Hunting With Household Items

There are a few very basic and low tech tools that can help any ghost hunter, without getting in the way.

Once your senses have been polished and you feel confident in their abilities, you may proceed. The tools listed below will all be able to be used as a way to enhance and record important data.

Remember that the goal is to stay away from anything that will interfere with your natural instinct.

1. Pen & Paper

A journal is a simple tool that will come in handy when out in the field without equipment.

Taking proper notes of all your findings during a ghost hunt is always extremely important.

It is the only way to have some sort of proof of all that happened during the time there.

Make sure to keep notes of all strange occurrences and bizarre feelings. Write down the time, location, and detailed description of what happened.

2. A Box Of Chalk

Although it might seem like an odd thing to bring along, this item can be extremely helpful.

Use the chalk to draw thick lines on the floor by doors or entrances. This is a creative method to see if any beings are present.

Spirits can leave imprints in the chalk when they pass through the area.

Always make sure to keep other team members and pets away from the marked areas. They can unintentionally contaminate the evidence.

3. Bells or Chimes

Jingle bells were actually popular tools for ghost hunters back in the day. Before all the crazy technological advances hunters had to get resourceful.

These noisy objects can be hung around a sealed room, where ghosts are thought to be present.

Questions can then be asked and the spirit will ring the bell/chimes to provide an answer.

This idea works best for “yes or no” type questions. Make sure to clarify out loud that one ring means yes, and two means no.

4. A Compass

A simple compass is nothing more than a magnetized needle attached in such a way that it can move freely. When left alone, the needle will spin until one end points north and the other south.

This is able to capture changes in the magnetic field. If a ghost is close by, it will cause the compass needle to move very strangely. 

Unseen energy changes, caused by any paranormal being can alter the field, which will cause the compass needle to either point in the wrong direction or even spin out of control.

Ghost Hunting Without Equipment

Every enthusiast in the field should go on a ghost hunt without equipment at least once. It is the only way to truly become familiar with the environment.

Just like with everything else, we have become extremely dependent on technology to do the work for us. In order to be the best investigator possible, we must learn to develop the qualities that will get us there.

Bringing along a load of gadgets will not allow us to do us. They should not be a necessity, but merely a supplementary component to our skills.

A deep reliance on so much equipment has driven a majority of ghost hunters to be out of touch with their own instincts and senses. I have personally experienced many investigations that have failed miserably due to the researcher being in a state of autopilot.

They are so busy juggling all these fancy tools, that end up completely missing crucial signs.

Ghost Hunting Equipment

Going Back to Ghost Hunting Basics

No amount of equipment could ever beat a well-developed sense of instinct. Our natural senses will always be the best tool available out there.

The human body is an incredible machine that can do wonders when trained properly. There is nothing will make your sight more acute and refined than actually sitting in the dark and carefully watching.

Nothing that will sharpen your hearing more than actually having to listen. Tools will easily become a distraction and a handicap when it becomes the only thing used.

When it comes to ghost hunting, learning how to pay attention to subtle sensations is exceptionally important. There are certain things that a machine will never be able to “feel”.

The body alone will give remarkable signals that make the best ghost hunting tools.

Using Your Senses to Catch Ghosts

Using Your Senses to Catch Ghosts

The most important tool for any ghost hunter is their five senses, and possibly even their sixth one. Nothing is more necessary than personal observation.

A person’s faculties of smell, sight, hearing, touch, and taste can help gather an abundance of information about the spiritual world. It is up to the hunter him/herself to pay close attention in order to identify them.

Below are a variety of senses most of us possess and ways they can be used to detect paranormal beings:

1. Sense Of Smell

It is well known within the ghost hunting community that some entities have the ability to manipulate the smell around them. Others believe that the fragrance itself can help determine what type of entity is lurking around.

A lost loved one or relative might choose to communicate through a familiar scent. It might be something like the perfume they wore all the time or even their favorite flower.

On the other hand, a dark presence might make themselves heard through a putrid smell, like that of burnt flesh.

2. Sense Of Sight

Although ghosts won’t always manifest themselves in physical form, there are other ways that they will allow to be seen. They might move small meaningful objects around the house to get someone’s attention.

This seems to be a common occurrence among those that have had several paranormal encounters. Another common sign that there might be a spirit around is strange and unexplained stains.

Marks are often found around walls, floors, clothing, and even furniture. These will usually be pretty noticeable and easy to see.

Sense Of Hearing

3. Sense Of Hearing

The sense of hearing is usually one of the first ones to be triggered when a being is present. One of the most common ways that spirits choose to communicate is through the use of sounds.

It is believed that making sounds does not require much energy and therefore allows them to do it more often. This is especially true during the middle of the night when everything seems to be at its quietest. 

Some examples of strange sounds ghost make could be unexplained thumping, footsteps, crying, or even the occasional whispers.

4. Sense Of Touch

Another tool that can be used to identify paranormal activity is the sense of touch. It is incredibly common to feel a soft caress or something brush against your cheek when a ghost is trying to make contact.

The feelings can be very subtle and faint in nature. For this reason, it will be important to stay concentrated and pay close attention in order to notice the signs.

If dealing with a demonic being, it is also possible to experience something more pronounced. Some individuals have reported feeling a hand firmly gripping their arm or pulling their hair when there’s no one else around.

Others have felt sudden drops in temperature or cold chills running down their back. Check out this post for more ways a ghost can bring harm to you.

5. Sense Of Taste

Last but not least, we have a sense of taste. This is also a common manifestation that is used by spiritual beings.

Many experts have claimed to experience strange tastes in their mouth during a haunting. The tastes are often described as being metallic or bitter in nature.

It is something that will suddenly happen and completely disappear once the ghost is no longer near.

6. The Sixth Sense

The sixth sense is an intuitive ability that gives awareness to inexplicable things in terms of normal perception. It is not something that everyone has or can even develop.

This is the sense most widely known for making the hairs on your neck stand up. Most of the time, the person who has this ability cannot fully understand or explain the feeling.

They do not know exactly what is causing it, but can automatically tell that something is going on. A lot of paranormal experts have opened up about having this gift.

Some of them even claim that it is the main reason they got into ghost hunting in the first place.

Recognizing Important Sensations

Recognizing Important Sensations

It is not always easy to recognize important and meaningful sensations related to the paranormal.

The feelings will come, but won’t always be acknowledged. The use of intricate devices has desensitized us to the most important clues of the spiritual world.

A ghost hunter will have to train their senses to pick up subtle changes around them, in order to avoid missing them altogether.

For some investigators it will be a good idea to pick a location they have already previously investigated using their equipment. Once the place is chosen, the should go there with absolutely nothing but themselves.

Leave all the ghost hunting gear at home and be ready to feel. Pick a location that has been previously proven to be safe since this will be a long solitary experience.

It will take some time for a person to be able to properly train or redevelop their instincts. Therefore, plan to spend a couple of hours at the place with absolutely nothing or anyone.

Make sure to remain present at all times and pay attention to every feeling and detail. Once back home, go back to the previous data that was collected and compare.

Do the feelings match specific areas where ghosts were present in? How did both investigations correlate with each other?

Most Common Sensations

There isn’t one specific feeling that determines whether or not a paranormal activity is taking place.

There are, however, a few common sensations that most experienced investigators continuously report. Depending on the type of entity that is encountered and their energy is the feelings that a person will get.

Spirits that are made up of low frequency and energy will feel drastically different than those of high frequency and light.

Dark & Low-frequency sensations:

  • Nausea
  • Chills
  • Goosebumps
  • Lack of balance
  • Lightheadedness
  • Headache
  • Unexplained sudden anxiety/stress
  • A feeling of doom/fear
  • Scalp tingling
  • Air feels thick and heavy
  • Rotten or unpleasant odor
  • Suddenly feeling tired

Light & High-frequency Sensations:

  • A sudden feeling of calmness and peace
  • Air feels light and easy to breath
  • A tingly sensation on the back of the neck
  • Pleasant smell
  • A warm/ gentle breeze
  • Feeling relaxed and stress-free
  • Unexplained feeling of happiness
  • Comforting feeling
  • Burst of energy

In Summary

You should now be ready to go ghost hunt without equipment. Whether this is your first time hunting in general, or you are now ditching all the gadgets should not matter.

Everyone should approach this new experience as if they were an amateur in the field. This is a good way to remain extra vigilant and make sure that no signs are missed.

If you are having any doubts, remember that you can’t always prove any evidence you collect during your ghost hunt is in fact scientifically valid. So don’t always put so much stress or having to bring along tons of elaborate tools to every investigation.

Loosen up a little bit, and learn to enjoy the hunt. I feel that what’s most exciting about the research is not capturing evidence, but experiencing it.

Have you ever tried ditching all the fancy equipment and going old school? How was your experience different? Were you still able to witness any paranormal activity?

Related Articles