The Specialized Clothing Issue Always Seems To Crop Up.

[gtae07]

I have no “operator” experience other than a few years on the fire department. I try not to wear “tactical” stuff anywhere, even to the range. Yet a lot of people still ask me if I’m military—I don’t know if it’s the haircut, or just being in reasonable shape and mid-30s in an area with lots of military around.

My normal “uniform” is Lee cargo shorts, a solid color golf shirt, and walking or running shoes; I guess I look like a bit of a dweeb . AIWB conceals well with this. In the winter I might wear jeans, and if I go ahead and shave my head (it’s slowly disappearing anyway) I’ll probably wear a generic hat or something non-gun-related. Maybe one from my alma mater.

[fwrun]

While not clothing specifically, I find this experience highly relevant:

My pickup truck was vandalized at a Mexican restaurant recently. A place I've been to dozens of times, but never in uniform, and typically in my sedan reather than the pickup. Anyways, someone carved "F*ck Pigs" down the side.

I had a thin blue line front plate on the truck that I put on there my rookie year and honestly forgot about. That was the only tell, as I really don't dress like a cop. At all.

The plate has since been removed and the artwork was *mostly* removed via fine steel wool and some polish and wax.

Moral of the story, people notice shit like this. Most may not, or may not care, but it only takes one with a beef.

[lwt16]

During the hotter Alabama months I will wear the Lee cargo shorts and a 100 percent cotton polo in a light color. My local Cabelas usually has these Red Head brand shirts marked at 9.99 in several sizes and colors. Regular price is 12.97.

I can dress these up for church (casual service) if need be. I've bought about six of these and so far, they are holding up well.

https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/prod...ref=prd3018706

[Cypher]

I don't know if I'm just a shit magnet or what but I seem to have phenomenally bad luck when it comes to drawing unwanted attention to myself. People seem drawn to comment on any logo I might happen to display. I even had some random drunk try to start a fight with me because he didn't care for a bumper sticker on my car that said "Cabela's Field Tester" I mean that's about as innocuous as you can get.

The older I get the less I try to stand out from the crowd. I don't wear bright colors. I avoid logos of all kinds except on my hats and only there because it's almost impossible to find plain hats. I don't make big changes in my appearance or give people a reason to notice me.

One thing that I have noticed is that uniforms make people anonymous. As I said earlier there's something that seems to draw people to comment on my clothing choices. I've had a couple of coworkers who made an issue of it until I started wearing plain blue Dickies to work. Since I've been doing security I've noticed that client employees notice the uniform, not me. I've run into client employees away from work and have had them either not recognize me at all or watched them try to figure out where they'd seen me before.

I've said this before but about two years ago I got rid of a bunch of my clothes and bought five pairs of Wrangler cargo pants (3 tan and 2 OD) and 6 Camp Shirts (3 green and 3 blue) and that's what I wear. It's a very common style of dress in Colorado right now and I fade right into the background.

If I don't draw your eye to begin with it's much less likely that you'll have reason to check me over for a gun.

[Rex G]

A vest-with-multiple-pockets works quite well, when one has an obvious camera, on a strap.

One can complete the image, with a Tilley hat. Grandpa, perhaps a tourist, who wants to take pictures of things.

I wear the Tilley hat far more often than the vest.

I almost live in Vertx trousers, tan in color. I believe most of mine are the Fusion model.

My footwear is quite variable. At the moment, I am wearing something Merrell, bought on clearance, that look like a cross between a lightweight running shoe, and a water shoe.

I reckon I look more REI-ish than tactical, though I have been avoiding REI, since the Vista Outdoors thing. Even so, a certain element of society picks up on the cop vibe, when I “observe” them. I do try to be observant. One does not want to be a “civilized Indian,” to borrow a couple of words from Chief Dan George, spoken during “ The Outlaw Josey Wales.”

[blues]

A vest-with-multiple-pockets works quite well, when one has an obvious camera, on a strap.

One can complete the image, with a Tilley hat. Grandpa, perhaps a tourist, who wants to take pictures of things.

I wear the Tilley hat far more often than the vest.

I almost live in Vertx trousers, tan in color. I believe most of mine are the Fusion model.

My footwear is quite variable. At the moment, I am wearing something Merrell, bought on clearance, that look like a cross between a lightweight running shoe, and a water shoe.

I reckon I look more REI-ish than tactical, though I have been avoiding REI, since the Vista Outdoors thing. Even so, a certain element of society picks up on the cop vibe, when I “observe” them. I do try to be observant. One does not want to be a “civilized Indian,” to borrow a couple of words from Chief Dan George, spoken during “ The Outlaw Josey Wales.”

"Betcha you don't have any clue just how many guns I have hidden on me...do ya now?"

[Yung]

plain...Dickies to work

This and not taking off my side shields after leaving work is probably what I'm going to wear for the rest of my life.

[Totem Polar]

I've said this before but about two years ago I got rid of a bunch of my clothes and bought five pairs of Wrangler cargo pants (3 tan and 2 OD)

This is so scandalously, torridly off- topic, but: WTF is with Kuhl’s color skews? I swear to God that I’ve tried to buy different colors, but they all end up... more or less OD Glock color. "Dark Khaki?" OD... "Forged Iron?" OD... "Espresso?" Effing OD... two of those colors are so close that even my wife thinks they’re the same side-by-side. Who in the hell has ever seen a shot of espresso that’s goose shit green? Total bunk. Aside from "Sandstone" and "pirate black" it’s all OD. Everyone thinks I wear the same army pants at work all week. Thanks a lot Kuhl.

[Cypher]

This is so scandalously, torridly off- topic, but: WTF is with Kuhl’s color skews? I swear to God that I’ve tried to buy different colors, but they all end up... more or less OD Glock color. "Dark Khaki?" OD... "Forged Iron?" OD... "Espresso?" Effing OD... two of those colors are so close that even my wife thinks they’re the same side-by-side. Who in the hell has ever seen a shot of espresso that’s goose shit green? Total bunk. Aside from "Sandstone" and "pirate black" it’s all OD. Everyone thinks I wear the same army pants at work all week. Thanks a lot Kuhl.

That's why I go to Walmart and buy my pants off the shelf

ETA 80 bucks for a pair of pants? You sir, have lost your mind.

[Cypher]

This and not taking off my side shields after leaving work is probably what I'm going to wear for the rest of my life.

The company I worked for bought me new prescription safety glasses every year. I left them in my Roll Away and wore my regular glasses home