I was inspired last week after Bernie Sanders was caught on camera wearing his inauguration best. Someone, later, made a “Steal the Look” meme, highlighting his clothing. I thought I would do the same thing…
Why? Because I love sharing what works for me in the hopes your life will improve. Maybe you pickup a new idea, a tip, or a new hat? Here we go…
This photo was from January 28th, 2021, and resembles what I typically wear to work as the Director of Operations – on the street, in a school, out and about, making it happen!
1. My safety vest! Gotta be bright outside – and I don’t want to get run over by vehicles on campus. Actually, makes a tremendous difference in being seen in the early morning hours, or down a hallway.
2. Hat – I always wear a hat with a brim if I can to keep the sun out of my eyes. This one happens to be a Nike golf hat from a vendor of ours.
3. Hoo-rag to keep warm and to limit how far my breath travels. Sometimes I’ll double layer it, or layer it on top of a 3-layer mask. When it’s not up on my face, it keeps me warm around the neck. Critical to success.
4. Adidas blue hoodie with Rocket logo, and my name on the back. Super comfortable, easy-to-layer with during the cold months, or by itself. Has pockets on the front for gear if I need it.
5. Radios – I keep in touch with multiple teams during the day. The one clipped on my jacket reaches all the school buses, while the one in my hand reaches the whole State of Ohio if needed. Two different systems altogether, but crucial in my ability to do my job well, and to get the message to the right people on time.
6. Gloves by 5.11 – keeps me warm during winter. Normally I wear some Mechanix brand gloves to aid in gripping stuff, holding on to a school bus steering wheel, loading boxes, crates of milk, etc.
7. Rough-weather parka / hardshell – waterproof, seam-sealed, and ready to go with the Napoleon-style pockets for my phone (left chest pocket). It’s big enough to add multiple layers underneath, but not so bulky that makes me immobile. And, it has the right amount, and well-placed, pockets.
8. Alaskan Hardgear pants that are a mix of cotton and nylon that shed water, keeps me pretty warm, and has an excellent waistband that helps in carrying the extra weight.
9. Danner FullBore boots – I have two pair – these are the waterproof ones. Excellent, excellent choice of shoes. I’ve been wearing this model for the last 2 years, and they keep meeting my needs in all temperatures, all the time. The other ones are non-waterproof (Coyote color) but same deal. Just marvelous!
10. Casio Pathfinder watch that is solar charging, and atomic time keeping. What does that mean? I never need to take it off, and I’m always on time to the second! Worn this for about 8 years now. It (almost) never leaves my wrist, with the exceptional cleaning.
11. EDC knife (in front right hand, or rear right pocket). The current one is a Kershaw Barricade, since my ColdSteel Voyager clip broke after 15 years of use. Waiting on a replacement clip…
12 – Backup cold weather hat from Mountain Hardwear. I think it’s called the Dome, and I’ve had it for years. Windproof, and all around excellent.
What You Don’t See
- Belt from Ares Gear – super stiff, three-layer scuba nylon makes for one of the best belts I have.
- T-Shirt my spouse got me, with a large Slytherin logo / snake on the front, in pale green.
- Happy socks from a friend. I wear them for good luck, and happiness, of course!
- CAT Tourniquet in the front right pocket of the safety vest.
- Streamlight ProTac HL-X 1,000 lumen flashlight in the right front pocket of my parka (or whatever jacket I’m wearing).
- The Magpul DAKA wallet, with driver license, credit card.
- A few belt clips holding various sets of keys.
That’s it. Wanna steal the look? Now you can…