New member. Many questions.

[Brassbody12]

Hello. I'm a new member here.
And I have quite few questions to ask. For the most part I started a semi-competant "op" in my small town.
The issue is I combined it with the experiences of my background (geocaching, lockpicking/lock manipulation, night exploration/late night driving, etc) and I just arrived back home to write about my experiences.

So for the most part I went out to look for a nearby cache and found it after a few minutes. I was dressed in my streetwear
( thin grey sweater, blue jeans, mexican style leather boots, black cap and a blue corded pack that I carry around my normal and "night" EDC). It was a dark parking lot, since the cache was a LPC. Found the Cache and did what is normal with those things
Soon after a biker from a casino across the street of my location, literally drove over to my side of the area and parked a few feet from me. I did look a bit sketchy do to the time and area. So I couldn't return the cache without casuing more suspicion.
I decided to wander off in the opposite direction of the cache sight and had to detour a plaza in a local market only to round back to my original spot, this took around 10 or 15 minutes before I hear the biker start up his bike and drive towards the area I just walked around for the last couple minutes.

Maybe he was looking for me or was curious about me. Who knows. But I had to hide in the shadow of a large container that you see in ship yards and had to watch him drive around a bend back onto the highway heading into town.
From there, I made my way back to the original cache spot, returned the item and made my way back to my vehicle. Where the second part of this story begins.

I drove to a nearby park that is barren during the night. I recon the spot a bit before I head in and the main objective here was to pick a lock that I could find and once that was done returned it to normal operations and head home to reassess.

Found a master lock #1 and I theorized it was a 4 pin lock. So once I got my tensioner and short hook to start SPP. I had some resistance with the lock probably being old and/or rusty from the inside.
The park was well lit but again no soul in sight. So my paranoia that I was being watched or recorded and the fact that the damn lock would not open up I decided to call it a night until I got a better plan instead of this half cooked mess.

The bottom line is my questions for doing a proper night op.

1. Should I wear a mask or some form of identity obscuring to keep my face from cameras or being seen???
2. Clothing and shoes, what should I look for to better make me look inconspicuous but also normal to the average person I come across??
3. My pack is bright colored, should I get a dark colored one, is there some tape or paint or fabric to camouflage the color to a dark or mute tone. ( I know that clear skate tape can reflect light off certain camera)
4. What gear should I have to better succeed in my ventures.
5. Should I even carry lockpicking tools, for anyone that has picks or use bypassing items (covert companion, bump keys shim tools, etc) what do you recommend.

I can't think of what else at the time to ask, but if I have anymore questions to tell I'll be back.

My experience in this venture shows that I had a limited success rate being the first time and not well-prepped.

Really any advice, tips, stories or so on would be appreciated.

Wish to make more ops later in the near future and hope to record them as a video lessons to process good and bad habits.

I've watched stealth technique on YouTube a while back and have just rewatched some of his videos. Where I came across the night op site and after seeing his videos and using some research I tried some of his techniques and hope to study more on the subject.

[Psychlonic]

I'm here to help.

1. Absolutely do not ever wear a mask. Masks not only obstruct your breathing but rouse suspicion amongst the civilians.
2. Hollister brand is a timeless classic for blending in with a younger crowd, but just keep it casual. Subdued tones with a few bright highlights to break it up, you don't want to look like a goth in the corner being too dark!
3. I was actually thinking reflective tape might be a great option for you, it's extremely high vis so while you're walking alongside the road at night, traffic can see you and won't accidentally hit you.
4. It's amazing what they can mold out of silicone these days.
5. Best lockpicking tool is at the end of your leg. Just boot those bitches open don't take shit from some inanimate object ass lock.

[Brassbody12]

Sounds good. But is there a way to do the ops without leaving traces or causing issues for the people whose property I'm scouting.

I want to work on my stealth just as recommended by stealth technique and shadow work.

I want to use these experiences and skills to try some ops in mexico this upcoming February. I know many things I can do here are not gonna fly in mexico. But there are some things that can be done under the radar and make the experience that much sweeter.

If anybody else has stories or info. They are welcomed.

Thanks to psychlonic for his info on how to make the 2nd ops more professional.