When disaster strikes your city and you are away from home, one of the best things you can do to survive is to become what is called the gray man.
No, being a gray man doesn’t mean wearing gray clothing. It primarily means three things: blend in with the crowd, steer clear of confrontation, and avoid being detected by dangerous people.
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So, how do you become a gray man? Here are ten tips:
1. Wear Neutral Colors
First, stick with neutral colors for your clothing This means avoiding both bright colors (yellow, red, orange, pink, etc.) and tactical colors (black, camouflage, etc). Bright colors will make it insanely difficult for you to hide, whereas tactical colors will also stand out and make people think you’re a threat.
Examples of neutral colors include dark blue, dark green, gray, or brown. A simple dark-colored T-shirt and pair of jeans is an excellent example of clothing that will blend in nicely with any crowd.
2. Don’t Wear a Hat
You may believe that wearing a hat is wise because you’ll be keeping your face partially covered (especially if you look down). However, if you look around you, you’ll also see that the majority of people do not wear hats.
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Furthermore, the authorities will be on a close lookout for suspects after a disaster or catastrophe has taken place, and they’ll zero in on anybody who’s wearing a hat because they know that could mean you’re trying to keep your face covered.
3. Avoid Eye Contact
Don’t make eye contact with anyone while you’re on the move. This only increases the chances of them confronting you, and even if they don’t, at the very least they will remember you, but being a gray man means that you can slip in and out of a public location without anyone even realizing you were there.
4. Don’t Walk Too Fast
You don’t want to walk too slowly, but you don’t want to walk too fast either. This will especially make you an obvious target for authorities such as law enforcement units; for example, if a bomb has recently gone off in town and they see you running away from it, that will immediately arouse suspicion and they will give chase.
5. Keep Your Valuables Hidden
If you have any valuable items on you such as jewelry, electronics, money, and so forth, keep those items hidden at all costs. Not doing so makes you a prime target for looters or robbers in a disaster scenario who will take advantage of the situation to rob innocent people.
Granted, this can be more complicated if you have a backpack or a messenger bag of some kind over your shoulders (this signals to people that you could have a computer or even weapons with you), so be sure to have the straps firmly around your shoulder and one hand on the pack at all times.
6. Don’t Take Pictures or Record Video
It can certainly be tempting to take pictures or record video during a disaster. You could submit the footage to major news stations or upload it on YouTube and potentially get thousands if not millions of views.
Nonetheless, taking pictures or videos of a disaster is not something a gray man would do as it automatically makes you stand out. Remember, if you have any electronic devices on you, keep them hidden.
7. Stick To Areas Of Cover
The gray man always travels by sticking close to areas of shadow or cover where they can hide at a moment’s notice. Don’t walk out in the open where you are clearly visible to anyone and everyone. Rather, stick close to buildings or natural foliage, but do it in a way that looks natural. Don’t skulk around, quickly moving from way hedge to another. That will just make you stand out even more.
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8. Avoid Choke Points
Choke points are any location in a city that will become highly congested with people and traffic during a disaster. They will be the most dangerous and chaotic places thanks to a possible combination of law enforcement units, angry mobs and looters, and swarms of desperate people.
Examples of choke points in a disaster scenario include bridges, tunnels, intersections, stadiums, public parks, grocery stores, sporting goods stores, restaurants, gasoline stations, police stations, hotels, train stations, airports, and even churches.
9. Analyze a Street Before Continuing
The gray man never directly walks down a new street without first inspecting it. Closely observe a new street or block with extreme caution before continuing down it. Again, don’t walk too fast or else you’ll stand out to any law enforcement or dangerous people that are present.
10. Don’t Let Your Guard Down
Finally, just don’t let your guard down. You must be on high alert for potential threats and practice situational awareness. Examples of situational awareness skills include reading the people around you (without staring at them), always identifying at least one exit route before entering a new building or area, and being prepared defend yourself in the event that someone confronts you.
As you can see, anyone can be a gray man and it’s really easier than you think. Becoming a gray man is all about blending in with your surrounding environment, and you can do that if you know what to wear, how to act, and where to travel.
By successfully applying these tips in a disaster scenario, your chances of avoiding detection from the authorities and gangs alike will go down significantly.
I think what you wrote was true until 20 years ago … today most cities in the world are networked with smart cameras, identify faces at a geometric level (even if you grew a beard, hair color, etc.) The systems measure the relationship between the facial organs and compare to databases. Even if you act like you wrote…
I agree and disagree with number 4. You state one should not run away from an area if a bomb goes off because it will draw attention to yourself. I agree you don’t want to draw attention to yourself. However, if everyone else is running away and you’re the only one walking, that will draw unwanted attention, which is what you’re trying to avoid. My suggestion is to do what the crowd is doing, if they are running, then you run. If they are walking, then you walk.
That’s a really good point. I agree, to blend in with a crowd, you have to behave like other people in the crowd.
Don’t use backpacks that have open topped pouches for water bottles. Instead use packs with covered
pouches or carry the water inside the pack. Don’t advertise your water supply. This can cause confiscation, unwanted requests for barter, assault or theft by those who have failed to prepare properly.
Particularly, adults with needy children.
Water can be fairly easy to replace. Food or weapons and other supplies may not be so easily replaced. If hey want my water, it’s there’s. Just leave my weapons, food, first aid and other supplies alone. They’re not as easily replaced as my water.
People will remember the “weirdo” who was mumbling to himself. It’s hard to get it right and too often we let “perfect” be the enemy of “good enough”. We are most often the Grey Man when we are not thinking about it….unless you are by habit an obnoxious dresser.
RE: taking pictures/video–this not only makes you stand out, it marks you as a likely sitting duck as your situational awareness plummets when staring at a screen, as pickpockets in heavily touristed areas well know.
Dressing like the poor/homeless can be another technique. In urban areas especially the homeless are all but invisible, most people try to “unsee” them. And note that some homeless people are quite street smart, in a real emergency situation many people will wish they had their skills for scrounging, staying warm outside, etc.
That has validity, but homelessness is very visible to cops.
I like the idea of the grey man. Another thing, mumble to yourself if someone gets near you. And the closer they get, the more crazy you act. People as a rule don’t want to interact with a mental person due to unpredictability.
Pretty sure I’d be fine on this one! I talk to myself constantly! Lol
This is me naturally as I’m about half crazy and enjoy uninterrupted conversations with myself and I feel like I’m talking with someone with good sense AND we’re usually in total agreement, plus I have a hand grenade with the pin pulled and holding between my teeth like John Wayne ,who, by the way, I am…it’s great to be famous!!!
I live like this every day. It isn’t even a thought process anymore. It simply comes naturally. I do not wear clothes with any sort of logo or writing whatsoever. I DO wear a hat, but that is an advantage for me. I shave my head. So if they are looking for someone with a hat, I can just toss it, and strap on a wig (Yes. A wig is part of my preps. Haha). I also carry a battery powered hair trimmer. I can duck into someplace and quickly (and dramatically) change my looks by buzzing off my facial hair. Are these actions I take extreme ways to further the “gray man” concept? Maybe. But anything that will help me run counter surveillance is worth it in my eyes.
Loose lips sink ships.