Reddit mentions: The best coach & referee accessories

The core material EDC, to me would be knife, light and cellphone. But cool keychain gidgets are really nice too.

So I'd say if you have a knife, a good flashlight would be next, then a backup knife and light (one is none, two is one). I like a multi-tool or SAK for my backup knife, and a keychain light for my backup torch.

(In case you're curious, after that I start considering footwear, gloves, hats and other clothing.)

(Sorry, I'm feeling a bit lazy, so you'll have to live with bare links.)

This one is pretty popular for keychain use: www.amazon.com/iTP-A3-EOS-Flashlight--Upgrade/dp/B006K5C2EG/

Fenix has single AA and 123 powered lights that are well regarded and compact:
AA: http://www.amazon.com/Fenix-E11-Compact-Lumen-Flashlight/dp/B005GW8UC2
CR123: www.amazon.com/Fenix-Compact-140-Lumen-Flashlight/dp/B005CWRB44

There are a lot of other brands worthy of consideration too, of course (Fourseven's mini, Jetbeam, Klarus, Zebra, just to name a few).

There are also a lot of much larger but more capable flashlights out there.

Keychain stuff is always nice:
I use these sliver grippers way more than I thought I would. The convenience of always having them around is unparalleled: http://www.amazon.com/UNCLE-BILLS-SLIVER-GRIPPER-TWEEZER/dp/B001KMSUA4
I've been thinking of getting this, I'm a little leery about that much stuff for so little cost though: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A5E5IK
I love this style of keyring, but it's way cheaper on eBay: http://www.amazon.com/Vigilant-Gear-Aircraft-Cable-Ring/dp/B006ZSP1PA
Little one-piece keychain tools have become really popular, and I really like having a little prying and screwing tool always present.
The Gerber Shard is cheap but probably at least worth what you pay for it: http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-01769-Shard-Keychain-Tool/dp/B002ZK45IQ
This one has a bit more functionality, and is made of the magically delicious titanium: http://www.amazon.com/Schrade-Chain-Tool-Seatbelt-Cutter/dp/B004PQJ1QO

Keychain multi-tools can be good.
Here's one from Gerber: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006M9NIDO
Supposedly the build quality isn't as good as Leatherman's though: http://www.amazon.com/Leatherman-64010101K-Micra-Multi-tool/dp/B000JCN0FG

I'd also recommend looking for a glow in the dark lanyard.

A pen you can EDC is another "you're surprised how often you use it" item. I have an Inka and it's definitely alright, though a bit fiddly: http://www.amazon.com/Nite-Ize-Inc-Inka-Pen/dp/B001E6R6EM/
The biggest competitor is the classic Fisher Bullet Space Pen: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Space-Pen-Bullet-400B/dp/B000WGD13U

Something to write on is nice. I'm a real child of the digital age, but I still like having an analog recording medium on me. I prefer Pentalic's pocket size books to Moleskine's. They're a little thicker, but they have a flexible cover, and are usually cheaper. Here's one: http://www.amazon.com/Pentalic-Travelers-Sketch-3-Inch-4-Inch/dp/B0025TZ35Q but I don't know if it's ruled or grid or what. I also prefer a bright color cover to make it easy to spot.

Continuing on the writing stuff matter, a sharpie and/or a metallic (ink) sharpie are nice to have. You can get sharpies with stainless steel cases too, which feel nicer to hold, and you're a little less likely to forget somewhere.
Black (dozen): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006IFEP
Stainless Steel: http://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Stainless-Permanent-Marker-1747388/dp/B001V9LQLG
Metallic: http://www.amazon.com/Sanford-39108PP-Metallic-Sharpie-Permanent/dp/B00119QWCO

I think everybody should carry some sort of bandanna. I carry an off-brand buff (tubular bandanna) and an olive drab shemagh.

I like to carry a small baggie of what I call MacGuyver goods. Paracord (bound up in a hanayawa right now), some gorilla tape and electrical tape wrapped around a card, super glue, a sewing kit, zip ties, twist ties, rubber bands, safety pins, binder clips, and a few 1 quart ziplock freezer bags. (Like hell I'm finding links for all of those.)

Yet another "surprising how useful it turns out to be" item is a small mirror: http://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-Featherweight-Mirror/dp/B0047QV44O/

Whistles are useful for warning people of fire or danger, or calling for help, so I like to carry one: http://www.amazon.com/Fox-40-Whistle-Breakaway-Lanyard/dp/B00544UJC6

A monocular is fun to have on your person. This particular model is really great because of its super low minimum focusing distance, which lets you use it as a sort of loupe. In regular mode it's good for looking for house numbers or your car in a parking lot, that sort of thing: http://www.amazon.com/Brunton-Echo-7x18-Pocket-Scope/dp/B000FKMTBS

I think that's all I could come up with off the top of my head.

>Do yours have the lumeon for lighting up the inflated jacket?

Yep. And flexible-stem light on the outside of the bladder for seeing stuff.

>Are you using personal ais in each life jacket as well?

Well this is only a personal lifejacket, I don't own or run a boat (yet), but in my lifejacket yes, I have an AIS MOB1 from Oceansignal.

In case you're interested, based on a sea survival course lecture I was a given a while ago, I bought the best lifejacket I could find, and decided to research, purchase and fit the very best whistle (all lifejackets come with a an ISO standard whistle, but it's awful, so I wanted another better one), emergency knife, emergency signalling light, and emergency line (for tethering people together in the water or tethering to safer places like liferafts or floats), I possibly could. I came up with:

• Fox 40 Sonik Blast CMG Whistle
  
• Aqualung Small Squeeze Dive Knife (blunt tip, will be kept on the webbing belt of my lifejacket)
  
• This thread about lights... (I'll probably end with an LED strobe beacon and your recommended Cyalume SOS lights, they look great!)
  
• Red/orange Dyneema hollow braid line (don't worry, I know that having random long pieces of line floating around in the water can actually be dangerous. I' going to do some experiments, and hopefully find a way of coiling the line, then tying the coil to my lifejacket (probably inside) with a quick release hitch and making the end easily reached, so that I can easily deploy the whole lot when and if I need to).
  
• Possibly some small floats (like these) to keep each piece of equipment floating and easier to find.
  
• Probably also some retroflective tape for marking things.
  
  > If you want to tie it on, you could open one end of the foil, tie it up, then tape the top closed.
  
  I like this idea. I imagine I could do some experiments and come up with a good 'weak enough link' to tap the top that I could pull the foil off relatively easily when I needed to. But it seems like your rabbit hole comment has solved the problem for me, because a more robust version of that of that is exactly what Cyalume offer!

I grew up in Louisiana and always had these at the ready in case another Katrina came by. Barebones and lightweight in case you need to get up and move.


Multitool - Something that's sturdy, offers plenty of options, but also is lightweight. If I got washed out, this would be one of the top things I'd want coming with me.

First Aid Kit - You just never know. Water can hide a lot of nasty stuff like sharp metal edges, broken glass, etc. The kit I've linked to also comes with a multitool.
Water Filtration System - Dehydration will get you before anything else. Southern heat combined with physical exertion takes a lot out of anyone and tiny filtration systems like this will take care of you without adding bulk.

Meal Replacement Bars - You'll ideally want a few days emergency food. I recommend meal replacement bars that are high in protein and fiber and no less than 500 calories. They'll provide decent nutrition and should make you feel satiated for at least 2-4 hours. I don't have a recommendation on this one because there are so many brands and flavors.
Hand Crank Lantern - A reliable source of light that you can crank on your own. Generally, I avoid using generators and the like. I'm paranoid about electricity after flooding occurs.

Whistle - Great for alerting people without tearing up your vocal chords. It's also very, very, very good to have in case animals that shouldn't come by are nearby.
Dust Mask - If your city floods, there's going to be a lot of crud that comes up from the sewers and a lot of things accumulating inside buildings. Save your lungs and your noses.
Portable Battery - I love this age of technology we're in. Charge this a few days before the storm hits and you'll be able to keep your phone charged for days if the power goes out.
Insect Repellant - The ample amount of still water after a hurricane is prime bug nesting. A little repellant goes a long way.
Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman - Or any book really to help pass the time. This is a fantastic read though. :)

I made a response else where in the thread as well...

Honestly I haven't been doing it long. My first book was

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000BYS95/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491107659&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=oversized+scorebook&dpPl=1&dpID=510iwU7eP4L&ref=plSrch

It was large and had a lot of room for learning (or relearning) what you want to do. Also a nice guide at the front. Lots of substitution spots which are nice for NL games. It has markers and space for basically everything you could want. You'll quickly figure out what you do and don't want to keep track of.

For example in that one above, there are tick mark boxes to keep track of balls and strikes for every hitter. That was something that I honestly would slip up on, it was too tedious especially if I was with a group of friends. The halfliner doesn't​ have those boxes.

The book I just got was this one http://eephusleague.com/product/the-halfliner/

This is going to be one of the most recommended books you'll hear about on reddit. It was a kickstarter project that got fully funded and delivered. First impressions on it are really good. It's much more compact, which means things are a bit more cramped, but it has pretty much everything I need, scores 81 games and looks great! It's quite a bit pricier though.

http://www.bcscorebook.com

I've heard good things about this book, but you're not going to get much, if any, guidance.

I don't have pictures of my last score book ATM but I'll dig some up later!

Also if you have any questions about my notation just holler!

I had I believe a Wilson or Rawlings scorebook once that I really didn't like. (Think it was Wilson's). It was super minimalist with small squares for the overall book size.

Just a thought, but have you ever seen a pro game where the referee was using a Spintso watch? No? That's bc there have never been one. Most pro referees have 2 simple watches one running, and one stop start, and sometimes a goal line tech watch. I personally use the SF Ref app on my apple watch. It was developed by one of the referees in my region that i have worked with in numerous occasions. Check it out if you use an Apple Watch. If i'm doing my DA games or an ECNL, I will generally use a more complex setup. I will generally use a Garmin as a running clock and as a reference against the fitness data I get from my tracker. On the other wrist, I will wear a Robic or apple watch.

​

BONUS: Trackers are amazing for tracking distance and speed, heart rate, and most importantly, which parts of the field you are running on the most and what parts you are not covering, and it's fifa approved! The stat sports app gives you concentration zones that show where on the field you are covering and where you aren't. It's great for developing better coverage of where you need to be, and can expose zone where you should be, but aren't. I'll link everything below.

​

SFRef for apple watch: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sfref-soccer-referee-watch/id1163321127

Garmin: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/641121/pn/010-02156-06

Robic: https://www.amazon.com/Robic-591-48319-SC-591-Referees-Regular/dp/B079V8WDJT/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=referee+watch&psc=1&qid=1572913887&sr=8-4

Tracker: https://shop.statsports.com/collections/apex-athlete/products/apex-athlete-series-us-soccer-edition?variant=13023306776633

ATTN: If you are planning to attend Trump's next rally in Minneapolis, please bring your whistles! You can purchase a pack of 24 whistles for only $10 on Amazon here. Also please keep your ears safe! You can purchase 50 pairs of earplugs on Amazon for only $10 here.

If you have any extra whistles or earplugs while at any rally or protest, please hand them to fellow friends. Soon the American People will all be able to blow the whistle on Donald Trump.

edit: Thank you for the gold you beautiful anonymous mystery person! <3 ! DON'T FORGET YOUR WHISTLES!

Here is my current go-to scoreboard & it's pretty huge for carrying around. Something as durable/visible but more compact/portable would be awesome! It's nice to have it be tall when set up, for ease of visibility by players on opposite sidelines, so perhaps some sort of telescoping legs.

I am going to be a lifeguard over this summer. This whistle is loud, comfortable, and looks good. A whistle is essential for the job, and a comfortable whistle is just a bonus.

Takin' care of business!

Take a look at the EDC from The Urban Prepper. You probably don't want it all but he's got a lot of really good items. Also grab the PDF list of items in the video description.

Here are a few of my favorite items:

1. Leatherman Knifeless Fuse
   
2. Maratac AA Flashlight
   
3. Fox 40 Whistle
   
4. Frontier Water Filtration Straw

Loud whistle - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FOJRF64/

Heavy duty velcro - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O6T2ZS

Sugru throttle nub - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BFE0KNQ/

I liked the recent post with the bicycle bell mod, really anything to enhance safety, especially in NYC, where jaywalkers cross roads diagonally with their heads buried in their phones and then proceed to do the "evade me" shimmy when they finally see you coming.

I use it sparingly, 120 dB is on the human pain threshold for hearing, so it's quite jarring. A quick toot toot tends to resolve most antsy situations, but a nice sustained hard whistle can even help you be heard from inside yellow cabs.

How would one get into a side split on the rings? Do you do a pullup, slip your feet in, and then slide your hands onto the straps? I was thinking maybe one could do [skandasana] (https://i.pinimg.com/736x/53/b5/44/53b544407c281cfb71c2c4c60dacd0e0--ayurveda-yoga-daily-yoga.jpg) with one foot in the ring, but that's not a side split. I'll play around with my set up tonight. My rings are suspended from a doorway pullup bar, so I'd have to face sideways to the doorway for a side split.

I've just thought of a better way to rest the front foot for a true gymnastic ring: attach a [nylon loop] (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-18mm-Nylon-Runner/dp/B019NUM0QY/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1503586219&sr=1-3&keywords=nylon+sling) to the ring and rest the ankle in that.

No promises on the pictures. I'm very shy. ;)

Spare hiking socks

• in Ziploc bag
  
  Spare underwear
  
  
• in Ziploc bag
  
  Pants/shorts
  
  web belt (2)
  
  Jacket/rain jacket
  
  Pullover sweater
  
  Bandana/shemagh
  
  OR sunbucket hat
  
  Tyvek tarp (w/grommets)
  
  50' hanks para cord (2)
  
  
• with a couple of Figure 9 tighteners
  
  50' orange 3/8" rope
  
  Titanium tent pegs (6)
  
  Mylar emergency blanket
  
  GPS & spare batteries
  
  Digital FM radio & spare batteries (with headphones)
  
  SPF 30 sunscreen
  
  Lip Balm
  
  Headlamp & spare batteries (with red light)
  
  LED flashlight & spare batteries\
  
  Small IFAK
  
  
• mole skin
  
  
• Neosporin
  
  
• lavender oil
  
  
• Band-Aids (various sizes)
  
  
• gauze pads
  
  
• Clear tape
  
  
• cloth athletic tape
  
  
• antibacterial wipes
  
  
• latex gloves
  
  
• foldable scissors
  
  
• plastic tweezers
  
  
• Advil Liqui-gels (200 mg)
  
  Fire bundle
  
  
• Old man's beard, birch bark, etc
  
  Ferro rod, Bic lighter, etc
  
  Mora knife & sharpener
  
  Pocket knife
  
  Multi-tool
  
  50" roll, duct tape
  
  Pen/Notebook
  
  USB stick with scans of important docs along with other files, like a list of Internet bookmarks, etc
  
  Tupperware container (vital records)
  
  
• Birth certificate
  
  
• Passport
  
  
• Social Insurance card
  
  
• Family photos
  
  
• Insurance policies
  
  
• Mortgage/deed
  
  
• Vehicle titles
  
  
• Vaccination record
  
  
• Cash
  
  
• Bank info
  
  
• address book
  
  Food*
  
  KFS
  
  GSI cup
  
  Aluminum water bottles (2)
  
  Sawyer Mini kit
  
  Toilet Paper!
  
  
• in Ziploc bag
  
  Hygiene kit
  
  
• toothbrush/toothpaste
  
  
• soap
  
  
• baby wipes
  
  
• dental floss
  
  
• wooden toothpicks
  
  
• Black garbage bags
  
  
• Ziploc zipper freezer bags
  
  
• Hand Sanitizer
  
  Whistle
  
  Signal Mirror
  
  6" chemlights (4)
  
  Mechanix gloves
  
  Dust masks
  
  Permanent marker
  
  Sillcock key
  
  FuBar
  
  ------------------
  Food
  
  Cereal bars
  
  Dried soup mix
  
  Trail mix
  
  Mountain House meal
  
  ------------------
  Winter
  
  Synthetic long underwear
  
  Wool toque
  
  Gloves

I've got a manual clicker counter, but honestly I prefer to have an empty hand so I count most of the time. It gets more automatic over time. I mostly focus on my music 'til I get to my starting point.

I think that a lot of my surprise was that playing as long as I did, I saw a lot of scrub looking refs that were still great refs. Still do in my mens leagues. When I was playing AHA in college that was a different story, but I am not reffing AHA, I am reffing youth hockey.

I already got a new helmet specifically for reffing as well as a visor for the same.

Thanks for the whistle comment! I live in a very remote part of the country and ordered this whistle followed by this whistle before I broke down and paid the insane shipping to get it from officials wearhouse. According to the August 2013 Officials manual there is no requirement on what kind of whistle to purchase other than " Whistles should be finger type that provide a deep, loud blast. White tape should be placed on the mouthpiece and finger clasps to protect you from the sharp and hard edges." so I was going with the resources I had in front of me.

Agree with the ROI on doing a few games. Am now planning on putting aside all of my reffing income and using that to buy new skates when I work enough games to cover the investment.

Get yourself a good old ‘merican Referee shirt. Tons of styles available

Crown Sporting Goods Men's Official Black & White Stripe Referee / Umpire Jersey - Pro-style Ref Uniform, Great for Basketball, Football, & Soccer (XL) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3LAG0M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_XEbhDbXY4R2JB

I know you probably already bought the USSF starter kit, but when the time comes to get different color jerseys I HIGHLY suggest getting the "knock off" brand shirts. These knockoffs are the pro style for half the price, and the shirts are 100% identical minus the OSI badge, and literally nobody will ever notice. I have a complete set and love them.

It looks like this

You press the button and it counts. It makes a satisfying click so that your submissive can hear that they just earning another :)

I like mine and have it mounted on my wall. I can also detach it easily if I'm doing a set somewhere else.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E6BWSS/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm totally getting this jersey if the sixers win tonight.

A Champion Sports Dual Timer. It serves its purpose of helping me time workouts and various other things. The design is slightly flawed in that the timer actually has a hard time standing upright, but otherwise it's pretty cool...for a timer.

Couldn’t find anything for referee shirts on WWE shop, but they sell tons of ref shirts on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CF7TXGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6ZSwDbAA2SKY8

I feel like it wouldn’t be all that hard to sew a WWE patch onto it

Disclaimer, I only patrol about a dozen shifts a month.

 


Pen-style cuff key in left shirt pocket, next to my Fisher Space Pen.
Rite-in-the-Rain notepad in the same pocket.
Whistle on a chain in right shirt pocket.
Good folding knife with seat belt cutter and window breaker.
Phone Charger.
Backup pocket-carry CREE LED flashlight.

They have something like this inside (but way more sophisticated) that keeps track and then the information is downloaded when they are picked up.

I did find these on amazon. I’m going to give them a whirl. Looks almost the same

Manual Scorekeeper with Adjustable Stand

I guess 1" is 18mm.

From Amazon

A Pitch counter is a lot cheaper, if this is just for your own personal use and not display.

STEELMASTER Tally Counter, 2.75 x 1.5 x 2.75 Inches, Silver (200100492) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0089KJSFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_fdYtDb1B1SMCG

Fox 40 Sonik Blast whistle

Cheap and effective way to make a statement and drown him out. This would make history. Brilliant idea!

24 pack on Amazon for $11. Petutu Coaches Whistle with Lanyard 24 Pack, Soccer Referee Whistle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077JX8CP4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_QjHMDbZ36PPRJ

Don’t forget bulk earpligs. I don’t want to know how much it would hurt to be surrounded by people blowing these.

60 pack for $11. Mpow Foam Earplugs 60 Pairs with Aluminum Carry Case, 34dB SNR Ear Plugs, Soft Earplugs Noise Reduction for Hearing Protection, Hunting Season, Sleeping, Working, Shooting, Travel-Green https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FY4H16F/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_VmHMDb1PDX8F1

I use a Robic watch that has a referee mode. It counts down from 45 minutes (or whatever I set the half length to). And a second button counts up stoppage time. When the countdown timer reaches 0 it starts counting up again. So I can look down and see that, say, I have 2:45 of extra time and 5 minutes left in the countdown.

But until you get to competitive levels or older players you don’t need to worry about extra time, really.