Modern World Exploration — Beginner | modernworldexploration.com
Match the respirator class and headlamp output to the session, then run the pre-entry checks in order.
Urban exploration — visiting derelict or disused structures — adds two pieces of equipment that geocaching never demands: respiratory protection and serious lighting. Both choices are made with numbers, not guesswork.
Respirator classes differ sharply. FFP2 filters at least 94% of particles and is the baseline for a dry, dusty interior. N95 blocks 95% of 0.3 µm particles, a comparable level. P3 filters 99.95% and is the class for heavy, fine dust. None of these are gas masks: where air may be stale or oxygen-poor, the correct procedure is to leave.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Headlamp planning is runtime planning. A 500-lumen lamp on high runs roughly 2-3 hours from a 3,400 mAh 18650 cell, so a session longer than two hours needs a spare cell or a second light. On the walk in, 200-300 lumens is enough for a marked trail — save the high mode for interiors.
Before entry, run the checks in order: confirm you have permission to be on the site; tell a contact your location and return time; fit-check the respirator seal; test the headlamp and spare; pack water at 0.5 L per hour. The named failures — trespass, no check-in, leaking mask, dead lamp — are exactly the ones this list exists to prevent.
Navigation changes indoors: a GPS fix of 3-5 m under open sky degrades or disappears under concrete, so carry the route in your head and on paper. The Map and GPS Basics page covers the outdoor half of the journey, and the Geocaching for Beginners page covers the hobby that often shares the same car park.
Further reading