I personally, don't know much about sleeks (only a few common locations) but I have enough knowledge of easily gatherable, limited ABS to keep up protections most of the time.

You should make an exploration character sometime. Goodie conjie or util/def (or water if you are so inclined to explore under the oceans) shifter. You'd be surprised how quickly that you can find ABS or at least locations if you scour a few out of the way places. If you can find a hidden container that is empty it's pretty likely that it contains an Aura/barrier/shield wand. Throw in detect artifact and you can find things much more quickly. You can even try trading knowledge with other mages once you have a few locations. Most people are willing to do a 1 for 1 trade in game, particularly if they are allies.