Budget ghost hunting kit for winter investigations - what actually works?

Right, I'm on a tight budget (max £200) and want to set up a proper kit for winter ghost hunting. I see people spending thousands on fancy equipment but I reckon most of it's overpriced nonsense. Here's what I'm thinking:

Current setup:
- Secondhand digital thermometer (£8)
- Basic recording device (old Dictaphone, cost me £0)
- Torch (got a Maglite already)
- Notebook and pen

Want to add:
- Some kind of EMF detector (seen them for £20-100)
- Maybe a thermal imaging camera? (the cheap phone attachments are about £50)
- Better audio recording setup

What's actually worth buying vs. what's snake oil? Anyone used the cheap thermal cameras - are they rubbish or do they genuinely work? And what's a decent budget EMF detector that won't give false positives from my mobile?

The cheap thermal phone cameras are surprisingly decent - I use a FLIR One (about £200 new but you can find them secondhand for £80) and it's genuinely useful. Shows temperature variations that naked eye misses. Avoid the absolute cheapest ones under £30 - they're basically toys.

For EMF, get a Trifield meter (£80-90) rather than the £20 knockoffs. Trifield is the standard used by actual paranormal investigators. The cheap ones trigger on every mobile phone within 30 feet and give you zero useful data. Better to have one good tool than five useless ones.

Better audio recording setup

Honestly your Dictaphone is fine for EVP work if it records at decent quality. Just get a cheap external microphone (£15 on Amazon) and a windscreen foam for winter outdoors - wind noise is your enemy in autumn/winter. Better than spending £100+ on specialist equipment.

None of this stuff actually detects ghosts. You're just buying fancy thermometers and radios that will confirm whatever you want to believe. Save your money, invest in critical thinking instead.

Honestly stick with thermometer, audio recorder, notebook. That's what worked for decades before we had gadgets. Most "paranormal activity" is picked up through observation and interview anyway, not equipment readouts. Kit is useful for documentation but it's not what detects anything real.