Starting week two on the yard in Galesburg, I’m trying to figure out what stays in my vest vs the bag — radio, switch key, small flashlight, maybe a brake stick? I’m aiming to pass GCOR and RWP next month, so any advice on must-have tools (and models that survive rain at 0300) would help a lot…
I clip a right-angle light to my vest — Streamlight ProTac 90 rides high, keeps both hands free, and shrugs off a soaking at 0300; if you hate CR123s, it’ll take AA in a pinch: https://www.streamlight.com/products/detail/protac-90. Want a headlamp rec too?
“what stays in my vest vs the bag” — keep your switch key on a retractable tether clipped high; after fishing one out of the ballast at 0300, I never went back. If snagging worries you, route the cord under the flap or tuck the key in the chest pocket between moves. You okay with a tether, or do you prefer a lanyard?
I keep my brake stick in the bag and put a spare radio battery and a tiny Rite in the Rain notepad in the vest — 0300 rain ruins notes faster than gear: Rite in the Rain Official Site | Shop All Weather Products. Zip a sandwich bag over the radio/phone and add a short lanyard on the light so it doesn’t vanish into ballast; the key stays clipped, but the battery backup has saved my shift more than once. Does Galesburg want fusees on your person or fine in the grip?