Had an opportunity to participate in a local parade this weekend and have a few pics and comments to share.
First, the pics:
Second; the comments.
Well, it was 79 degrees with humidity pushing 65%-75%...yeah, a big storm pushed thru the night before and had things good and sticky...and this was only 10am in the morning.
I had two waredrobe malfunctions;
1) Both of my weapon-cover-thingies over my wrists came off. There is a bolt fastened to the red gauntlet, and the weapon covers seem to just be hot glued to the bolt head. One came off while suiting up and I didn't think much of it...just used my wonder glue and put it back on. The left hand however, 2 minutes prior to parade start (my helper had already left me at this point) and I felt something not right on my left hand. I looked down, and the cover had spun 180 degrees and was about ready to fall off. I pulled it off so I wouldn't loose it and tossed it in my chest armor (yeah that is a good pocket area to carry stuff LOL). I will redo both of these items to prevent this occuring again.
2) Probably due to the heat, I had a shoe come apart towards the end of the 1.2 mile walk. The fiberglass toe and heel shells are connected with a decorated strap. The toe end has a bolt going thru it for the hinge-action, whereas the heel portion is just glued.....ummm, yea....one side came undone and clanked around on me. I think the strongest method here might be to fiberglass the straps to the shell instead of glue.
NOW the biggest news of all....I ditched my 10-year-old spandex suit at the last minute. This guy at my office runs everyday. He wears compression fabric that is supposed to keep you cooler and draw the sweat away from your body. I have no real clue what the stuff is, or how it works, but I spent $15 on a black, longsleeve compression shirt and $20 on the black compression pants with elastic waistband. If anyone here knows what I'm talking about- holy crap this stuff is freaking amazing. I was in full suit for just about an hour and I barely sweat...we took the mask off and my face was dry, hair was dry...hell, even my armpits were dry. I had a little wetness in the tummy and thigh areas, but they are completely sealed by the suit and is expected.
The shirt came from Walmart. Tag on it says 2XL Starter Dri-Star. Fits me like a glove.
The pants came from MC Sports. tag says DC Performance 2XL Style # P6085
I just cannot believe how this stuff worked for me.
Lastly, I did remove all my eye electronics the day prior to the event. Until I can make them bright enough to see in direct sunlight, I'm not going to bother. I needed maximum visibility for the parade anyways...it was just the right thing to do.
