The Truth Behind Ghost Hunter Equipment Design

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When you’re deep in the belly of a haunted asylum, the last thing on your mind is the aesthetics of what’s in your ghost hunter’s toolbox. Most contemporary equipment is pretty basic. They are scientific tools, after all, and who needs an EMF meter that’s more than just a black plastic shell protecting internal gadgets and gizmos? While we understand the sentiment, we’d argue that design is a very overlooked aspect of ghost hunting.

Building your ghost hunter’s kit is about more than focusing on the core function of each device. Sure, the standard trifield EMF meter can get the job done, but is there maybe a better version of the same or similar tech that takes into consideration that spirits aren’t always just a repetitive vision imprinted on a location? Some spirits are reactive to their environment, and if something familiar is brought into their space, they may be more inclined to respond.

Intelligent Haunts Drive Equipment Design

Virtually every tool in Ghost Daddy’s arsenal was built with two things in mind: purpose and design. The purpose is pretty self-explanatory, so long as you know why a laser grid or EMF pump would benefit a ghost hunter. Landing on the perfect design is a bit more of a dynamic process. Many of these tools existed before, just in a rather standard format.

Take our Sinister Speaker, for instance. Spirit box radios are a common device, offering spirits a direct channel for communication through a constant scan of AM/FM/SW frequencies. Typically, they’re a palm-sized, rectangular device with an antenna and an LED display. Our vision for a spirit box radio was something old-timey and familiar.

If you’re investigating a location known for its 19th-century spirits, which device would an intelligent haunt, or one that is conscious to the world around it, be more likely to interact with? The design of the traditional spirit box is unfamiliar to them, whereas the antique radio facade of the Sinister Speaker looks like something they may have had in their home. They will be drawn to it, increasing the chances of bagging a crystal clear EVP or a photo of a vaporous mist.

Similarly, our Ghost Hunt Lantern, the Hade’s Eye, and even our Ghost Tourches have an old-timey appearance that helps set an ambiance that may encourage a less contemporary apparition to engage. Though the lantern may not be a traditional model fueled by oil, it still has the shape and appearance of old-school lanterns.

Tailoring to a Specific Location or Event

The Brickhouse Inn – Copyright Brickhouse Inn

While the Sinister Speaker is more of a generational design with no hyper-specific origin, some ghost hunter tools are crafted with a location or haunt in mind. One of our most infamous examples of this is the Brickhouse Inn Call Bell. Legend has it that Gettysburg’s Brickhouse Inn features a shining red call bell that rings on its own, as if something from the beyond is trying to communicate.

While the Brickhouse Inn Call Bell is a functioning bell, we added an EMF detector to further improve its efficacy during a ghost hunt. However, we hid the mechanics, ensuring the spirit only sees the vintage bell. Much like the Sinister Speaker or Ghost Hunt Lantern, the design was chosen to encourage interaction, but also to highlight the history of Gettysburg’s most haunted inn.

You’ll also find that some of our merchandise is designed as a tribute to some of history’s infamous haunted locations. The Lizzie Borden House and Villisca Axe Murder House inspire much of our merchandise, with items like foam hatchets and the Lily Host a Ghost doll crafted to drum up spirit activity in the same way the Brickhouse Bell would.

Keeping Things Practical

When we’re not designing to cater to a time period or location’s history, the core focus is practicality. Ghost hunters can travel with a lot of equipment, and we don’t want to bog down their kits with oversized gadgets when a sleek, handheld alternative is more than sufficient.

Our standard EMF Pump is no bigger than a power bank, fitting perfectly in a pocket or a backpack’s side storage. Medusa’s Net laser grid and accompanying flexible tripod are also compact devices that leave room for larger gadgets like video and SLS cameras. Even our Deluxe Dowsing Rods are built to retract so they’re easy to travel with.

Practical, functional, and compact. Those are three key design elements for the standard devices in a ghost hunter’s toolkit, and we’ve done our best to adhere to these principles to develop a toolbox sure to deliver results.