The Specialized Clothing Issue Always Seems To Crop Up.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by orionz06

Personally I don't wanna stand out to anyone. Looking like some random dude is the goal.

---

This.

Staying under-the-radar has huge benefits, especially when carrying. I don't want to be selected, I don't want to be noticed. If someone takes a look at me, I want to look like some 60-something year old guy on his way to the grocery store. I don't want to look "old and fragile" but I don't want to look like "ready for a fight" either. I watch people but generally avoid eye contact. If eye contact is made, I smile and nod (like most harmless old guys do) or just shift my head up and to the side like I'm trying to look past the person to something in back of them.

IMO, it's a fine line - almost an art - to not be noticed but if noticed, have "something about me" that would make me unappealing to be interviewed.

In terms of clothing, I wear the same thing I always wear, which is usually the same thing most others are wearing - and never anything that could be construed as gun-guy wear. When armed in public, I remain casually aware of my concealment and perhaps unconsciously notch-up my SA just a bit higher than normal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by orionz06

This weekend I was there and was able to observe both a uniformed municipal cop and a plain clothes cop follow a few people briefly. One was racially motivated and the other was based on attire. Some dudes "gun guy" shirt with all kinda of 2A stuff on it got the uniformed LEO to follow behind by a store and a half. Is that a big deal, being noticed by a random cop at the mall? Nope. Still don't want it to happen though.

---

I wonder if the "gun guy" was followed because of the outfit or if he was followed because he was keeping an eye on his surrounding and sometimes that looks suspicious?
Criminals will also look around and keep an eye on everyone around them much like someone keeping an eye out for danger.

My last Duty station in the Army was Evans Army Community Hospital on Fort Carson. I worked 3rd Shift. Morning formation was right in the middle of our busiest time so I never went and I lived off post so I never went to the barracks for anything.

The unit had a rule that if you lived off post they never put you on the CQ roster. One day they made a mistake and put me on the CQ roster so I showed up for CQ. The first time I went to the barracks in probaly a year. That day was the first day I ever met our new first sergeant who had apparently been in the position for about 6 months.

Long story short he's sitting in the CQ office talking to me and in the middle of the conversation he looks at me and he says "Specialist, who in the hell are you and how long have you been in my unit?" As far as I'm concerned it was the crowning moment of my military career.

I said all that to say this I try to be the guy that nobody even remembers was there. I don't wear anything "gun" period. I wear cargo pants but as I mentioned 3 out of 5 people at my church wear the same pants and I mean literally the same pants. I have 4 pairs of Wrangler cargo pants they're all in neutral colors.

I have 5 shirts two kind of OD green and 3 blue. I pretty much switch off between two brown and one green hat and in general pretty much always look the same I pretty much fade right into the background.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by camsdaddy

I wonder if the "gun guy" was followed because of the outfit or if he was followed because he was keeping an eye on his surrounding and sometimes that looks suspicious?
Criminals will also look around and keep an eye on everyone around them much like someone keeping an eye out for danger.

---

Nah, he wasn't that kinda gun guy. He was the typical gun owner type who ain't need no trainin' cuz he grew up with guns in the house. Or at least that's how he looked. He wasn't projecting anything worth a damn.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SkippySanchez

This brings up the topic of observation.

---

Some people just have the look. That would be me! I can't begin to count the number of times I have been "assumed" to be LE. Must be the way I carry myself. Plenty of cops have thought I was one of them. It started when I was in college and 30+ years later it still happens. I have never been able to associate it with clothing worn. It's happened in workout wear to business suits.

Once I was on a street corner in a city using a pay phone 25+ years ago. A guy walks up and says "excuse me I need to talk to you". Now I was well aware of this phenomenon by this time and came back with a smart response. "Sorry I'm not what you think I am" the guy actually said, "I understand you can't say and complemented me on my undercover disguise". I was wearing sweatpants and maybe a t-shirt?

Most recent one was of all places at my gun club. I was instructing my son. There was a guy on the firing line in his late 20's I'd say. He was shooting 20' down the line from us. After he finishes he comes over and asks me what department I'm with. It turned out his is a cop in my town.

I still have it.

I think "we" are more tuned in to the untucked plaid shirt/cargo pants uniform than most people.

Every time I go to Costco there is always 1 or 2 bearded guys with full arm sleeve tattoos, going for the forty-pounds-overweight "operator" look. They stand out more than the grey man crowd.

Nearly 41 years on the job and I've never seen "Skippy" wear 5.11. I look for the "shitbag" look as they usually can't hide that. Not necessarily what they wear, but how they carry themselves and the body language. That being said after all this time on the job, Skippy will more than likely notice me. Cops have shitbag radar and shitbags have cop radar... I usually only wear 5.11 to matches or for range training etc. Then again in Florida I can practically live in cargo shorts, T shirts or Polo Shirts year round.

This is about as tacticool as I get. Minus the facial hair and propeller... and I'm a bit less round... and rarely wear socks... or suspenders.

Attachment 26834

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by RoyGBiv

This is about as tacticool as I get. Minus the facial hair and propeller... and I'm a bit less round... and rarely wear socks... or suspenders.

Attachment 26834

---

More than one tooth right?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cypher

More than one tooth right?

---

When they're not in the glass.