Your Spy-Tech equipment won't do you any good if you don't have what you need when you need it.  The Spy-Tech Vest makes it possible to carry all your Spy-Tech gear with you whenever you're on a mission.

The Spy-Tech Vest is fully adjustable.  Use the three-position shoulder snaps to adjust it to the length you want, then use the side belts to achieve the desired fit.

If you're on a undercover mission you may want to wear a loose-fitting shirt or windbreaker over your Spy-Tech Vest.

There are three main reasons why a spy might want to disguise himself.

• He might wish to blend in with the people around him while on a mission.
• He might wish to alter his appearance in the middle of an operation so the opposition will not realize that he is the same person they may have spotted before.
• He might not want to be recognized by someone who knows him.

Being able to blend into the background is important to a spy.  To do so, you must dress and behave in such a way that you do not stand out from the people around you.  For example, if you were conducting an operation on the beach during the summer you wouldn't blend in if you were wearing a jacket and tie.  If you're in a cheering crowd at a ballgame you'd stand out if you weren't cheering also.  Take your cues from the people around you and act accordingly.

Attitude is also important when you're trying to blend in.  People don't tend to pay much attention to others unless they have some reason to.  A person who is nervous or furtive often attracts attention, while one who is calm and confident is more likely to remain unnoticed.

When you are tailing someone, it may be necessary to alter your appearance occasionally so that your target doesn't notice that the same person has been walking behind him for some time.  Your target will probably not have a firm "fix" on you, but may remember you as "the guy in the brown jacket and hat".  You can carry a few props that will help you make quick changes in your appearance.

Some examples:

• Wear a reversible jacket that you can turn inside-out.
• Hats can dramatically alter your appearance.  Carry several.  A baseball hat worn high on the head will give your head a different shape.  A wool cap can be used to cover your hair, so the color and style are not visible.
• Wear a bright t-shirt under a plain outer shirt, and take the outer shirt off at some point.
• Change the way you look by putting on and taking off sunglasses.  Sunglasses are useful in surveillance because they prevent people from knowing where you're looking.  Don't wear them indoors or in dim light, though, as they will attract attention.

• Wear a backpack that can hold items of clothing.  Keep a shopping bag inside the backpack and carry the backpack inside of it when you make a clothing switch.

One simple way to change your appearance is to make yourself look heavier with the method illustrated.  To complete the effect, stick cotton balls or wadded tissue paper between your teeth and your cheeks to give your face a fuller look.

To look heavier, tie a pillow around your waist and put a folded towel over your shoulders.  Then put on your vest adjusted to the largest size.

From a distance, we often identify people by their physical habits - their posture, gestures, or the way they walk.  Spies have to be careful to alter these traits when they are in disguise.  Be aware of any nervous habits you have, such as scratching your head or tapping your feet - you will have to try to control them.  Your walk is one of the most recognizable things about you.  If you take long steps, try shuffling instead.  Some spies put wadded tissue in the heel of their shoes to force themselves to walk more on their toes.  Others have even put a small stone in one shoe to give themselves a limp.

One of the ways we identify people is by putting them into categories, or "typecasting".  If you see someone wearing a football jersey and basketball sneakers, you may peg him as an athlete.  If you see someone with a wild haircut and a t-shirt with the name of a band on it, you might assume he's a rock fan.  One of the best ways to disguise yourself is by making a dramatic change in the way you dress.  If you dress like one of the two types above, try wearing a neat shirt and pants, combing your hair differently, and carrying schoolbooks.  You may find that, from a distance, your own friends wouldn't recognize you.

There are many times when a spy will not be in disguise but will need to hide his face from someone who might recognize him.  Here are a few ways to do this.

• In the winter, scarves and hoods can be used to conceal your face.  You can also turn up your collar and pull a hat down low - people will just think your're avoiding the cold.
• On rainy days you can hid your face beneath an umbrella or a hat.
• On bright sunny days you can wear sunglasses and a hat.
• When conducting a stakeout you can pretend to read a newspaper while secretly looking over the top or through a small hold cut in the middle.
• If your target looks toward you, bend over to tie your shoe.  If you carry a shopping bag or briefcase, you can lean over and pretend to look for something in it.

A spy in disguise must play his role perfectly.  Spy lore is full of tales of that "one little slip" that gave the agent away.  During World War II, many German spies landed in England.  Their clothing was manufactured to look exactly like the styles and materials that an Englishman would wear.  The agent would be given a wallet with false identification, including the sorts of papers an Englishman might carry - a clipping from an English newspaper, letters from "friends" to his false address, a receipt from a local store.  The spy would have been taught to speak English perfectly, of course.  For one German agent, newly arrived in England, all his preparation came to nothing when someone tapped him on the shoulder.  "Ja," he answered, instinctively, in German!

• Deep Cover - A very thorough false identity.  Agents establish deep cover by living and working in enemy territory for years before beginning their espionage activities.
• "Gray Man" - Former CIA Director William Colby's description of the perfect agent, one "so inconspicuous that he can never catch the waiter's eye in a restaurant".
• Pocket Litter - Odds and ends carried in an agent's pocket that support the false identity he has taken on.
• Safe House - A place unknown to the enemy where spies can safely meet or hide.
• Surface - To come out from deep cover.