You can take an ordinary ball cap or construction helmet for use in the costume.
Get a can of black spray paint. Use a breathing protection mask while you apply it, and let it dry for a few hours before proceeding with further use.
Cut off a piece of black cloth long enough to stretch from ear to ear along the bottom of the helmet and your chin. Tape to both ends of the strip to the bottom of the helmet from approximately the point just ahead of where your ears would go. Adjust the length if it’s too loose or too tight.
Get black frame-style sunglasses at home or from a shop rather than making them on your own. Avoid prescription or designer brands.
Take care to avoid getting paint or marker on the lenses or you risk making them unusable. Try cover them with masking tape while you do the painting on the non-black surfaces.
If you don’t own goggles or a visor then you may be able to borrow them from someone handy with tools. You can ask something such as, “I’d like to borrow your welding visor for a Halloween costume, but I will return it the next day. ” Make sure you return any borrowed equipment in the same condition you received it. Goggles and visors are also relatively inexpensive in local shops or online. Don’t paint these over especially if you intend to wear them at any point.
If the glasses, goggles, or visor don’t already come with some kind of fastener you can tape some string to their ear pieces. Cut a piece of strong yarn or preferably nylon string long enough to stretch between the back of the earpieces of your chosen eye wear. It must be long enough to wrap around the back of your head and hat/helmet. Make sure there is enough excess string so you can tie both ends to the earpieces and leave enough slack to freely move the eye wear up and down. Ideally, you should be able to rest the eye wear on your hat/helmet and move your head freely without the eye wear slipping down. If the eye wear slips then you might need to use a shorter length of string on the eye wear. If it is too hard to move up and down then you need a longer piece of string.
A pair of thin-style headphones or earbuds that are black can work under your hat or helmet. Coil some black string or black wire from the ear piece to the back of your vest you’ll set up in a later step. Twist the string or wire around so it looks like a cork screw or spiral. Use black electrical tape to bind both ends of the wire between the back of the vest and the plastic backing of the ear piece respectively.
This coloring can simulate glare protection. You can get the eye black at a sporting goods store. Apply it using your fingers in streaks just below both eyes.
Mix green and black around your face for camouflage. You might look at a sporting goods store or department store for this paint. Ask the seller for suggestions if you are unsure how the paint will work with your skin complexion. Apply the paint generously around your cheeks, forehead, and chin using a makeup applicator or your hands.
This can be a short-sleeve or long-sleeve shirt. The shirt should be cotton or a cotton-polyester blend. Try to pick something you will be comfortable sweating into for a long period.
Wear this shirt under any other gear on your torso. You want a shirt color that will either blend with the vest or let the vest stand out. You don’t want the undershirt to be what draws attention. Do not pick a shirt with a logo.
Select a vest made of polypropylene and polyester. This will ensure it’s sturdy and comfortable. Pick a vest with plenty of pockets for accessories.
The vest hooks should snap or slide into place and loop around your back for a comfortably snug fit. This back strap should be adjustable. Maneuver the strap so the vest is not shifting around loosely, but is also not digging into your skin. This is when you should also see about taping the other end of the ear piece from the earlier section onto the top-back portion of the vest with black electrical tape. You can fasten it to an area on the shoulder or similar portion that will be out of sight—leaving only the ear bud and coiled black cord visible.
None of these coverings are a must, but they do add to the image of the costume. For your elbows and knees you may want hardened plastic or rubber pads. You can improvise these out of black bicycle or skateboard pads as long as they are uniform in color. #* If they’re not all black pads then you can go over different colored areas in black marker or black electrical tape. Make sure the knee pads are easily adjustable for comfort by testing their straps.
These should be uniformly black as with the rest of your gear. Make sure you can flex your wrists and walk easily with these coverings on.
You can try standard or fingerless types of gloves. Biker gloves are an option if you can find them without logos and all black. You can cover any non-black areas in black electrical tape, but this may restrict movement too much in the case of gloves.
Compare the pants color to the vest to be sure you are wearing the same shade of black top and bottom. Select a pair with a decent number of pockets. While your vest should already have many pockets you can benefit from additional ones. Pick pants with heavy duty stitching. Stronger stitching will be more comfortable and help your pants hold extra accessories.
Pick a leather belt with a color that fits the theme. Select a brown or black colored belt. Use a belt with a metal buckle, but without other logos. Plastic buckles may break, and you don’t want another logo to intrude on the theme.
You can opt for combat-style boots instead of shoes, but these can be more costly and less comfortable. Standard black sneakers are a more inexpensive way to handle this part of the costume comfortably. #* Make sure whatever choice you make is entirely black with no logos on them. You can use black tape over logos temporarily if necessary.
You want socks that are well-cushioned for a lot of walking, but not so thick that your feet sweat excessively. Make sure the socks ride high enough to tuck into the legs of your pants.
If you don’t already have these toys around then a toy store, department store, or costume shop may have these individually sold for relatively low cost. Make sure you buy toy versions of all of these items and never bring the real thing to a costume party. Costume guns, like the toy AK-47 for example, are designated as such by the bright orange tip on the barrel.
You can copy the SWAT logo onto a stencil such as construction paper or cardboard. Draw it on with a pen or black marker that makes it easy to see for cutting later. Cut out the marked logo from the paper or cardboard. Make sure only the letters are cut out. Use masking tape to tape the stencil onto the area you want to put the logo. This should be the front right pocket of the vest for a smaller stencil, and across the top-back of the vest for a larger one. Use white marker or spray paint to fill in the stencil and apply the logo to the target area. Some costume shops may sell decal logos you can stick on, or sell pre-made stencils.
You’ll need some pockets for your regular items like wallet, identification, keys, and so forth. You can use the other pockets for accessories like a flashlight, toy radio, notepad, pen, toy knife, and so on. Don’t overload any one pocket when you can make use of many others.
