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Explorer Zero
Total Likes: 2026 likes
| | | | Tips for hiding < on 2/5/2020 1:10 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Hiding in plain sight. Or not. I was previously banned from posting in the rookie forum so this may get locked or deleted but to clear up some opportunities I've been asked about: Hiding in plain sight does not just mean you need to wear a hard hat or other costume. It does mean you need to fit in. If you're an infiltrator by permission only skip this thread it don't really apply to you. People, passersby, average day to day pedestrians are usually preoccupied staring into their smart phones, carrying on a conversation with someone, or planning their next move i.e. navigating around the urban landscape. If something (or someone) does not stand out sometimes they don't even see it. 1. Try to look normal. That can be a relative requirement. If your wearing an outfit that looks different than everyone around you, chances are you will be noticed. Its also application specific. If you're wanting to blend in with construction workers by all means wear a hard hat etc. Just know that on a lot of jobs different types of workers wear different hard hats. 2. Infiltrating live locations is my favorite. No peeling paint or lonely chair phot-ops but the adrenaline rush is off the scale. I always study a location first, noting how people dress and when they are active, coming and going to work for example. Scouting trips are a big help here. 3. Motorists. There is so much to be said here not just about "where to park" that's been covered. Typical drivers are pre-occupied too, to some degree. Depending on traffic flow, traffic controls, direction they are having to look. You can plan your access and egress to minimize your exposure. I almost always notice people in odd places when I'm driving. Unless they're stealing something or killing someone I don't take much interest. I do notice them though. But some people, I call them busy-bodies feel compelled to call the police on just about anyone they don't like or that looks out of place. Try not to arouse suspicion. I have been to locations where its impossible to not be seen. Looking like you belong and not slinking around or looking over your shoulder helps. 4. Consider your age. If this offends all you 14 and 15 year old urban explorers sorry. But in a lot of cases you just don't fit in. Not many construction companies hire 14yr olds to work on site. There are a lot of places you do fit in. 5. Hiding in not so plain sight. This could be its own thread. I've walked right into some locations in downtown Dallas simply by waiting for the traffic light to change then slipping around the corner into an unlocked door, All the drivers were thinking about was the light turning green. Sometimes you have a choice of what time to go in. Scouting remember. Or what direction to come from, walking with the traffic, wearing non-descript clothing, acting busy. The various options are too many to list. 6. Cover and concealment. There have been lots of threads on camouflage. That's not always jungle fatigues or Mossy Oak Real Tree hunting camo. I have used this type of camo, once. Out of the hundreds of places I have infiltrated it was just not ever necessary or useful. Sure dark colors by all means those can help but dressing like a punk or hoodlum doesn't help. Fit in, remember. Natural barriers, walls, fences, tree lines, tall weeds, parked vehicles and shadows. Plan your approach to take advantage of these. 7. Be observant not suspicious. Look to see if anyone is looking at you. At ground level and from windows. Sometimes it helps to not look directly at someone. Pretend you don't see them and do something innocuous like pull your phone out and read a text or make a fake call. Wander off in the opposite direction. Focus your attention on something other than your desired objective. Move quick when the time is right, limit your visible exposure but don't run. In some cases running is enough to draw attention or for the cops to stop you. Unless you're a jogger. Sweat suit and headband lets you run around some places walking would draw attention. Improvise, adapt and overcome. The more difficult the target the greater is the reward. These are skills I have learned and adapted from years of practice mostly just common sense. I hope this share thread gives you some ideas. Feel free to add your own tips and techniques.
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| Howie Dunnet
Location: DMV Gender: Male Total Likes: 116 likes
Avoid attention and get lost in plain sight.
| | | Re: Tips for hiding < Reply # 2 on 2/5/2020 3:23 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Great tips so far. I concur with everything posted. Back in the mid to late 90s I did some PI work, so I learned some cool tradecraft that is very useful in URBEX. By the way, women make better operatives than men, because they can carry a host of items in their bags and purses to change their appearance. -Surveillance of a potential site is not like the movies. Better have a piss container. Also, sit in the passenger seat like you are just waiting on the driver. -Use a smartphone as a prop if necessary, act like your talking to someone or act busy texting to look normal. -Casually check every reflective surface to see what's going on behind and around you. Better yet, see if you can arrange any reflective items to aid your ingress and egress. -Observe people, observe traffic patterns, observe entries and exits. If no one is watching try every door you pass, you never know if you might need exit or a quick place to hide. Check fire escape maps in active buildings to get the floor layout. Also, look for cameras everywhere. Fake smoke detector cameras are a thing. My insurance company used one in the common area of our floor to catch a disgruntled employee. -Wear normal clothing without logos. Dark blue or brown on one side and muted on the other. Don't under estimate the power of a ball cap and a knit cap in your bag. Just don't stand out. I am retired military, and I can always pick security and military types of people by the way they look and act. Also, by what they wear. I would fly commercial flights to the Middle East and could always spot them on the plane and in the terminals, because of the Oakleys, 511 tactical bags, and other giveaways. If you feel something is not right, trust your gut and abort. Stay safe!
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| AdventureDan
Location: Texas Gender: Male Total Likes: 369 likes
I'm here to make wavy eyebrows and climb on stuff
| | | | Re: Tips for hiding < Reply # 6 on 2/5/2020 1:55 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Howie Dunnet
-Use a smartphone as a prop if necessary, act like you're talking to someone or act busy texting to look normal.
| I'd say this has gotten me onto more roofs than anything. If you ever walk around any downtown high rise lobby, one of the most normal things you can be, is have your head in your phone, completely oblivious of the world around you. As much as I hate this social norm, it IS the norm. It also gives you an excuse to keep your head down, and an excuse for walking down "dead ends", a usually instant giveaway that you aren't supposed to be there. Although you may appear oblivious, use this cloak of invisibility wisely and try not to fall too deep into character and actually get lost. Simply dressing in business casual, keeping your camera gear in a leather satchel, and looking at your phone will usually allow you to walk completely free rein of a large office building.
| AAAAAAAAAAAADVENTURE TIME!!!! |
| becckeez
Location: 804 Gender: Female Total Likes: 648 likes
trippin.
| | | Re: Tips for hiding < Reply # 7 on 2/5/2020 10:08 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | When the eyeball's open - it means they can see you. LOL. Just joking. Here are some tips from my experiences: 1. Clothing. Darker colors without patterns or images help you blend in and/or less identifiable in a report. 2. Quick. Make it work. Don't think too hard about a good spot when the fuzz is pressing down. If you are found, be respectful and nonchalant, and most importantly - honest. If you're there to just take pictures, and not dubiously hiding in a space that makes it look like you're about to attack someone, you can come off as less of a threat to law enforcement/security. 3. Keep moving. I've found it's best to keep moving when working an abandonment or location for the first time. Even as you are hiding when you move - keep going. Staying in one spot for too long can cause problems. 4. Stay calm. So important. Don't geek out. This can cause rash decisions/movement and freak out anyone who may or may not be looking for you. Also, try not to laugh. I've struggled with keeping quiet under pressure... but if I stay calm, I can keep quiet as a mouse.
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| android_eyez
Location: Ohio Gender: Male Total Likes: 59 likes
| | | Re: Tips for hiding < Reply # 13 on 2/10/2020 7:22 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by becckeez When the eyeball's open - it means they can see you.
| LOL. And if it's a hairy situation remember that you get 2x damage when the eye is closed... I've posted this here before, but the best tip that I figured out on my own (especially when exploring urban areas) is to grab an inexpensive rain slick for your backpack and use it even if it isn't raining. Not only is a camera bag with a tripod attached to the side kind of a giveaway, but it can make you a mugging target. https://tinyurl.com/rrbudyy Just pop this on over your pack and voila, it literally makes you look like you've just got a rucksack/bag of junk.
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| Explorer Zero
Total Likes: 2026 likes
| | | | Re: Tips for hiding < Reply # 17 on 3/8/2020 10:53 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by blackhawk Do not wear blue jeans unless it's for social engineering. Blue is an unusual color in nature and sticks out worse than a sore thumb.
| LOL true. I just started reading some of these replies. Back in the bad old days when I was a bow hunter, I learned a lot about camouflage and the "brighteners" used in many laundry detergents and fabric dyes. These make things look a little brighter in the human visual spectrum but a whole lot brighter in the UV spectrum, the part most humans cannot see. Deer see it. Some sporting camouflage manufacturers proved this back in the 80s when Internet videos barely existed. One camouflage company even made a detergent to eliminate fabric brighteners and scents. Ive seen this through some sort of a special UV camera and it does make a difference. Clever advertising maybe but I bought some. It did make a difference. To deer. Not so much to humans but blackhawk is correct in that blue denim is very unnatural to us color vision creatures. Canines like coyotes for example see in sepia tones or monochromatic vision that's as far as my layman's knowledge goes about the lack of rods or cones in their retinas. I only know I had animals come up much closer before they detected me when I washed my hunting camo in that stuff. And then I killed them. And ate a few of them too. Now a days I truly regret doing that and I have changed. If youre not hiding from coyotes or deer and trying to mix amongst a bunch of humans, jeans will fit in just fine. Remember, dress for success.
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