Haunt Weekly - Episode 446 - 13 Things Every Haunter Should Have

[0:22] Hello everyone, I'm Jonathan. I'm Crystal. And this is Haunt Weekly, a weekly podcast for the haunted attraction and entertainment community. Whether you're an actor, owner, or just plain aficionado, we aim to be a podcast for you. And we return this week, I think, sick. Yeah. I think something is traveling through the house. Crystal and I are both really tired. We're sleeping like hot garbage. A lot of things are wrong. So if we sound a little bit out of it, a little bit loopy you know why yeah we're just not a hundred percent we actually debated doing this recording tomorrow but there's zero guarantee we're gonna feel better than so while we have enough energy and consciousness we are going to do the recording and hopefully get this out to you on time, but on that note please do check out all the places we exist we're at hauntweekly.com haunt weekly on twitter or x or whatever haunt weekly on facebook and youtube.com slash haunt weekly Is the YouTube channel an easy way to get caught up on all the past episodes and find them there? Easy to look through.

[1:27] All right. This weekend was Father's Day weekend. Yes. And it was also your dad's birthday weekend. Yes. Very nice of your dad to do that, by the way. I know. Make sure that he was born close to Father's Day. Exactly. It was nice planning. It was good planning. So you went up and spent some significant time with your family. Yes. I stayed behind to work on work projects. and then had no internet access to speak of for most of the day. That fucking sucked. I should have just gone with you. Yeah, all of that to say, we didn't do much work on the haunt. No. Because I was gone, and he was working. No. It was not a good weekend. Also, it was unbelievably hot, which is another problem. But anyways, so that's what we did there. It was a big work weekend for both of us, and the big family visit.

[2:15] Um, moving on to the next item on the agenda. Every week we ask a question of the week. Last week's question was, what is it, your secret that you don't tell your customers?

[2:26] Reggie Wood said, that random smell in the barn, is it from the fog juice? It's, it's boo, boo goo. It's, it's boo juice. Yeah. Um, Cole Aguilera said, and I never can say that name right. I am sorry, Cole. Auger. Auger. We spent thousands, if not tens of thousands or more, of our hard-earned money to entertain you. Yeah, we never get into how much we spend either. No. That's a valid point. Yeah. I have heard, though, that it is wise to do that. It is. Yeah, especially if you're a charity or a homeowner, to put it out by your donation box. This many hours, this much money, you know, this is what you get kind of thing. Anyway, Brian Page, it wasn't at all nice like this last week before we opened. Last week, like last hour. Yeah. I mean, yeah. We've talked about it in the past. There were a couple of years we were distributing flyers with a completely empty garage. So like beginning of October, we're doing the flyer runs and our garage is totally empty. All the panels are out of corner. Young us, we're not good at this. I'm not saying old us are any better, though. But anyways, Chris Gay, the whole haunted trail is only 10 to 15 feet into the woods from the parking lot. It's just so dark out, it feels remote.

[3:54] That blows my goddamn mind. Yeah, that's really interesting. Like, how do you not get lights from the parking lot? I guess you probably have a screen or something around it. I don't know. I mean, it might be just dense woods. Yeah, that doesn't let the lights through. Yeah. That is wild. That is a hell of a secret. Yeah. But also completely believable. And I guess that's kind of a good thing, too, because if there's ever an emergency or something, you're never really far from help. You know what I mean? Yeah. That's probably a very good thing. Right. And finally, Japes Palace says, I rarely wear pants while planning. Now, those of us on that post had to jump in and inform Japes that a secret cannot be something we already assumed to be true. Yeah, that would be like saying we're usually drinking while we're planning. Yeah, and everybody knows that. Everyone expects that. What are we not talking about Haunt Weekly or Argonaut House without some kind of beverage in hand? Yeah. That's the best time to do it, too. You know, the Greek, I think it was the Greeks, used to debate every topic twice, once drunk and once sober. And if the idea still seemed like a good idea after both debates, it was something else. And I think that's not the worst way to go about it. It's not, but we have never done the second half of that. Yeah, I didn't say we were doing it. It was a good idea. Yeah. All right.

[5:19] Anyways, we do, it is an even number of episodes, so we are going through and doing conference reminders and we have some updates. After we do this week's

[5:27] question of the week. Oh, goddammit. Yep. I always forget that, don't I? I know. It's like three weeks in a row. I know. So this week's question is... What is something you always have while haunting? Yeah, I was trying to think of what that would be for me that's not in this list already. Mm-hmm. I think one thing I always have with me while I'm haunting... Excuse me. Since I'm front of house, I always have the counter on me or near me.

[5:55] Other than that, though, I think the things I consider essentials I put in this list. So we'll get through them in a minute. Anything that you always have to have? I know you have your bug out box. Yeah, we've talked about my bug out box before. Yeah, just the essential tools for any emergency repairs. Yeah. It's duct tape. Yeah. And a really good flashlight. Really? Yeah. Yeah, and we're going to get back to that actually in a second, too. I know. So, yeah, I think we covered it in the list. But what do you have while haunting that maybe we didn't put on this list? Yeah, or that maybe you found really helpful but you don't see other people doing? Yeah, let us know. We would love to hear that. Hauntweekly.com, Hauntweek on Twitter, Hauntweek on Facebook, and YouTube.com slash Hauntweekly. Leave a comment.

[6:40] Leave a comment. Leave a post. Send us an email. We get info from all the sources. Now, how can we do content? I can ask conference reminders? Sure, go ahead and kick it off. I can ask conference reminders. Okay. Coming up June 21st through the 23rd in Munith, Michigan, it is Michigan Haunt Fest at the Oaks Campground. The demos make and take a Sunday raffle, as well as costuming and makeup classes. It is michiganhauntfest.weebly.com for more information. July 13th and 14th, it's the Texas Haunters Convention in Mesquite, Texas at the Mesquite Convention Center featuring a trade show floor haunt tour with Dark Hour, Game night and you can find out more at Texas Haunters Convention comm all right then July, 26 said through the 20th and Long Beach, California to the Midsummer Scream in, It's at the Long Beach Convention Center featuring the Hall of Shadows, which we had an update on recently here. Slew of celebrity guests. Lots of great stuff going on.

[7:47] Midsummerscream.org for more information. I love that one when that one comes around for your little eek.

[7:55] Hotmare Expo. I don't think I've seen this one before. This is a new one to us. Yes. August 17th and 18th. It will be in Fresno, California. California getting all the good shit. Yeah, I know. California Antec. Well, I mean, I guess Michigan, too. Not us, basically, is what I'm saying. Not us. We're fucked. New Orleans, get bent. All right. Sorry. Fresno Fairgrounds featuring five indoor haunted houses, three escape rooms, and a rage room. Various special guests and horror panels.

[8:24] HauntMareExpo.com. Yeah, it's doing the double letter thing that always fucks with me whenever I'm trying to say it. or, yeah, Haunt Mare Expo. Haunt Mare is one word, so technically it's only two words. They just want to make sure it's as difficult to convey in a podcast format as possible.

[8:43] I'm sure that's exactly how they chose everything. How can we fuck with them? Specifically, Haunt Weekly, because we know they do conference reminders. How do we fuck up their convention? It actually sounds like a lot of fun. I'm just messing around.

[8:58] Okay, so, yeah, lots of stuff coming up. But we are going to be getting into the dead season for Haunted Attraction Conventions. Obviously, we don't get a lot in September and October for reasons I can't fathom. Yeah, no idea. No idea what else you guys would be doing during actual haunt season than go to haunt the conventions. No.

[9:18] All right. But on that note, this week's topic, well, previously, you know, we were talking about the secrets of the haunt industry, things we don't tell the customer. And I got to thinking what is some of the things I wish I knew to have around when I was haunting when I was a young pup you know so I got thinking about it and yeah because haunting is hard it is a very physically demanding job it demands a lot of mental creativity a lot of quick thinking and even the most basic positions are going to leave you tired and sore at the end of a long Night of Haunting. However, the thing is, being unprepared makes it so much worse. So anyways, I've got a list here. We have a list, because you did contribute.

[10:07] This is another episode I took the lead on. Yeah. To be clear. But yeah, so these are 13 things that should, hopefully, make haunting a little bit easier for you in the long run. And first one. All right. A good water bottle. Oh, my God. Okay. This is a, yes. Yeah, no, this is a no shit moment. Yeah, but it needs to be sturdy, so if it gets dropped or banged around, you don't have to worry about it. Yep. Needs to hold a lot of water. You want a chonky boy. You don't want a little stuff, you know what I mean? Yeah. Little small boys. You want a chonky boy here. Yeah, you have to have a, you want it to have a straw that'll let you drink through your mask or your makeup without messing up your makeup. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, because I live, day to day, I live that Contigo life. Yeah. With the lid you have to open in the back. I love my Contigos. I cannot drink that for shit in my mask. Right. It just goes into the mask and basically waters me from the outside. That's all it does. You're a little plant. I'm a little plant. Now, I'm absorbing the water through the skin. It's going.

[11:21] That's about all I'm getting when I try that one. So the little flippy straw is what I was thinking. Yeah, and we actually had an actor last year who brought one of the camelback packs of water with the straw that he ran up into his mouth, and that was really smart. That's really smart. It might also be a bit above what most people need practically, but no, that was brilliant when he did it. I mean, the camelbacks are more expensive, but hey, if it can fit under your costume.

[11:48] Well, and if you put cold water in there, it can help keep you cool too. I mean, because it's funny because when I was really into running before recent health issues, when I was really into running, I actually tried running with a camelback and I could not get it to work.

[12:08] Because when you're running, you're bouncing up and down and the camelback was constantly moving and it was just not comfortable. It wasn't good. And I could never get the ability to drink while moving. And I couldn't get that down, so I ended up ditching it. But a haunt, yeah, that could work. And as you noted, if you fill it with cold water or ice water even, it could help keep you cool if it's really hot out. So, yeah, that may be the ideal solution. But at the very, very least, a good, sensible water bottle will go a long way to making sure you're comfortable. Something you can tuck and hide away in your scene something you can easily drink through your mask over your makeup without smearing anything oh it's so great and one thing i have done with each of these items is i have gone to amazon or other relevant sites and found an estimated cost yes this isn't to say it'll be the exact cost of the one you choose but like one i would consider passable in this i was able to find it for ten dollars and that is a ten dollar investment that will do you justice in the long run man I'm not a kidding the 10 water bottle was like the easiest one to put on this list.

[13:22] Okay, so the second most easy thing to put on the list was sensible, cheap shoes. We actually talked about this in the Preventing Haunt Injuries one. Yes. The footwear you choose for when you haunt, especially since you probably don't have dedicated shoes for your costume, this is like the thing you can do to make sure that you don't fall down, make sure that you are comfortable, you don't hurt your back. You know you're not aching horribly at the end of the day sensible cheap shoes they should be comfortable heavy heavy focus on comfort here yeah because you if they like leave blisters or shit it doesn't fucking matter you know how how well they fit your feet if they're blistering you you're going to be so miserable yeah and even if and if you get blisters the first night you're not going to want to wear them the second night. Yeah. You need some comfortable shoes, but they should be closed-toed. Yes.

[14:25] Just look, no open-toed shoes when you're going through a haunt or working at a haunt ever. I'm sorry. No sandals, no flippity-floppies. No. None of that bullshit. I'm sorry. You need closed-toed shoes, for the love of God. Yes, because you might get your toes stepped on by running customers. Yeah. You might accidentally kick something. You know, like, you know, stubby toe type thing. So, yeah, closed toe shoes, and they need to be cheap. Assume that on the last day of the haunt season, you're going to take those shoes and drop them in the nearest trash can. Because they're probably going to be pretty frugal.

[15:05] Yeah, I remember one season where I put on, because I used to wear boots every day. I can't wear boots now, but I used to wear boots every day. And I accidentally put on new boots for haunt work and then was so pissed at the end of the night because although they were broken in, they were all scuffed up and no longer new looking. Yeah.

[15:30] So don't do that either. And a lot of the movements you're going to be doing as a haunter is going to put strain on shoes that they're not really designed for. Yeah. So, yeah. One thing I have found that actually works pretty well is surf shoes. They're very high grip. They're very inexpensive. They're waterproof. And they're closed toe. Yeah. That actually can meet all the requirements. But, yeah, basically just assume that these shoes are not going to survive to see the end of November. Yeah. And buy sensible, comfortable shoes that you can haunt in and then not worry about damaging, scuffing, breaking, or whatever. You're going to get your money's worth out of it. You can find a lot of actually fairly decent brands on Amazon right now for about $20. I'm an eight and a half shoe size, so I looked at my shoe size. I was able to find shoes that would fit the bill for me for about $20. So that's not bad. And I'm not going to sit there and cry if I throw away a $20 pair of shoes at the end of haunt season. No. That's not going to make me feel terrible. Next item. All right. And this one's a weird one. For me, it's weird. Okay. Go ahead. A hand towel. Yeah.

[16:46] I put this one in because I think Hitchhiker's Guide had something. A towel of your own. So you're not relying on the haunt to provide you towels, to wipe away your makeup, to wipe away the sweat.

[17:00] Basically have something where you can towel off your own disgusting body after you're done haunting can be a big help. But also if you soak it in water and put it on the back of your neck, it can help you from overheating. It is a handy thing to have for multiple reasons. And you don't want to rely on the haunt to have towels for you that are clean and not utterly disgusting. Yeah, that's probably true. So I get a four-pack of hand towels and bring one when you haunt. I know every night when I take my mask off after haunting for four hours or whatever, working for four or five hours on it, I am covered in sweat and spill. It's like it dumps out like a disgusting rain shower. And as we discussed last week or the week before when I shot the movie scene, I was only in that mask for like 20 to 30 minutes tops. And when I took it off because of the heat I was still done and I was like towel wipe this shit off me it's disgusting so that's what I was thinking it's just a towel that you know is clean to your standards to fit whatever function you need while you're at a haunt I think also in this I'm going to throw in hand wipes.

[18:21] That's a good alternative because if your water bottle falls over in the dirt or something you want to wipe it off because you don't want to not use it yeah exactly so yeah some handy either a towel or some handy wipes yeah something like that you need something to deep.

[18:40] Yourself yourself at the end of it, all right and estimated price there uh for hand towels fifteen dollars for a four pack that should get you through a season pretty well so i think that's perfectly reasonable okay this is one i see, almost no one bringing even when they really really should be and that's ppe your personal protection equipment and specifically here i'm focusing on elbow pads and knee pads Some of the most common injuries and haunting are basically straining your elbows and knees, hitting them, bonking them, whatever.

[19:18] Elbows and knee pads that can rest underneath your costume and give those joints some protection will go a long way. You only have two knees for your entire life, unless you're my grandmother and you get an artificial knee later, which that sucks because that never works as good. You know your your natural knees once they're gone they're gone so protect them and I think a lot of there are a lot of people out there that these very active haunt roles and don't wear elbow pads and knee pads or don't you know protect themselves so yeah if you're going to be jumping around bouncing off walls leaping out and startling people possibly falling down knee pads especially, but elbow pads too, I think can really go a long way to prevent an injury. And you don't want to trust the haunt to have PPE that will fit you and serve you well. Yeah, also if you know that you are prone to rolling your ankle, some little.

[20:23] I just had the word that went on ankle brace yes ankle braces thank you braces yeah you want ankle braces yeah yeah i i my dad used to use those when he worked on yeah and they fit inside of his boots, so he was um double protected ankles honestly that is i think such a simple thing, i now like the science on like weight belts and all that is a bit weird and out there so i'll leave it to people I never use the weight belt I've done I've used elbow pads and knee pads before when I've been in situations where I can I don't want to scrape my knees or I don't want to bang my knees in particular I've always been very careful about my knees my ankles are fucked my ankles yeah fuck I was fucked on the ankles from genetics so I have I don't have the stable like you were talking about your dad rolling his ankles I don't have those stabilization tendons that supposedly connect your ankle to like the rest of your leg yeah so i i will roll it at the drop of a hat um literally just walking down the street my name i'm fucking yeah it will it will happen so yeah basically but get ppe if you're doing something with sparks like a spark like an electric sparker get some safety glasses please and there are lots of masks that um work with glasses so you can wear them inside exactly the mask and likewise if you're doing something in a noisy area hearing protection earplugs.

[21:52] Are invaluable you once again you're hearing once you damage your hearing it's gone it's not coming back you don't heal from that don't take don't around with your hearing don't around with your body in general yeah that's like the one thing i wish i could like 45 year old 44 year old me could go back in time until 20 something year old me same don't don't fuck around with this shit yeah i i really wish i protected that stuff a little bit more yeah you know in in your young age you think you're invincible and that it's just part of getting older but there are things you can do to keep those longer like admittedly the worst of my back damage happened in a car accident, which that's not fair because that can happen to anyone at any time. I just, my luck was out that day. Yeah. I met the wrong stupid person on the road who didn't know what a fuck a blinking red meant.

[22:52] Anyway, but yeah, I still wish I had done more to protect my back. I wish I had been more careful about it. Because I'm also sure that I didn't help matters by doing other dumb things, both before and after that. So, yeah, if I could go back to 20-something-year-old me, this would be one of the first things I would throw at him is all the protective equipment I could. Like I said, I've historically been pretty careful with my knees because I saw what happened to my grandmother and how miserable she was having to get knee surgery. But that was about it. I mean, I was always a dipshit. I was the weirdo who would ride a bike with knee pads but not anything else. No helmet, no elbow pads. My knees are going to be fine. The rest of me is going to get lobbed right off. Oh, no. No, I mean, you, as you've told me before, when your parents saw you grab a helmet, they knew you were about to do something really dumb. Where are you going? Yeah, they preferred me not to have the helmet, ultimately. All right, number five. Breath mints and, well, we didn't go over the estimated cost. Oh, estimated cost, sorry. $15 for the pads. I found a good elbow knee pad set for $15. $5 for a fuck ton of noise reduction earplugs And $1 safety glasses From Harbor Freight And those do work by the way If they are ANSI safety glasses It does not matter how little they cost They will work.

[24:17] Okay, so now number five, breath mints, hard candy. Yes. Also, sometimes cough drops will actually work and help you save your voice. Yeah. But they keep your throat feeling good and help prevent bad breath. Yeah. The cough drops actually add a little bit for the breath if you use those. And customers and coworkers will thank you for it. Yeah. And you'll feel better after the night's done. Yeah. Yeah, really, this is a win-win situation. Bringing some hard candy, whether it's hard peppermints or, like you said, cough drops or something like that, will help produce more saliva, will help your throat feel better. Because even though, once again, you should focus on how you're screaming and how you're projecting. Right. Because that is the best thing to prevent throat injuries. But these, a little lubrication don't hurt either. Right. And so, yeah, if you bring your hard candies, you bring your cough drops, you'll, A, feel better than a night, and, B, you probably won't have the haunting halitosis.

[25:27] Number six. Estimated cost for that is a dollar. Oh, estimated cost is a buck. Yeah. Really, I almost skipped that estimated cost completely because it's at the fucking impulse purchase buy at every rack at every grocery store. So, just whatever. Also, bubble gum, some kind of chewing gum would work for that, too. Yeah, if you're just trying to produce more saliva and more spit. Chewing gum can become a distraction. Yes, it can, and you don't want to be chewing whenever you've got customers, unless it's part of your character. Exactly. If it's part of your character, go crazy. If not, hard candy or something that you can swallow is probably better. All right, next up, and dear God, I shouldn't have to say this one. Deodorant slash body spray. God, you know... Basically, I want to make it clear, this is not a replacement for showering.

[26:22] I mean, okay, you know who I'm talking about. I'm probably not talking to you. You're a classy individual that wouldn't dare dreaming of using Right Guard as a way to get out of showering after you haunt. No, you still need to fucking shower. But sometimes, either while you're haunting or immediately after, you have to go somewhere or do something while you could potentially be rather stinky. Yeah, while you've been haunting. While you've been haunting, you've been sweating, you've been working out. So deodorant can help make that Waffle House trip after the haunt closes a little less, I will say, floral in nature. Yes, you'll be able to smell the food, not each other.

[27:07] In Waffle House's case, that might be equally disgusting. I don't know why I'm dunking on Waffle House. I actually like Waffle House. The new slogan for Golden Corral.

[27:20] But yes, some deodorant or body spray will make your life much less smelly and make everyone around you much happier, both customers and your colleagues alike. I don't feel like I should have to say this one, but I know I do. So there you go. All right. Number seven. Yeah, under five bucks. Yeah, under five, yeah. Yeah, and that's the other thing. it's fucking cheap yeah Jesus Christ number seven a locking bag this is to put your stuff in while you're hunting it reduces theft it keeps all your stuff together in one place if you make it like you could decorate it so you know it's yours and you can grab it quickly like you do that get an airport mm-hmm you know yeah and this is even if you have a locker yeah, Because here's the thing. I don't think haunters are more theft-prone. No. But if you are working at a large haunt, there's likely going to be hundreds of people there. You get a large enough group of any type of people together, you're going to have a thief or two. Well, it's not only that, but it could just be accidental. I accidentally grabbed the bag that I thought was mine because it looked like all the other bags. Or I accidentally grabbed the phone that I thought was mine because it was in the same kind of case. Yeah. And oops, I didn't find out. Or I grabbed someone's keys thinking they were the hotkeys or the bar keys. Yeah. Like that poor son of a bitch that grabbed the bar keys at Crown and Anchor, thinking they were his keys and probably was very confused when he got home and they didn't unlock anything.

[28:47] And then I had to go in the next morning and pick all the locks in the bar. Yep. Hey, at least that talent comes useful for something. Mm-hmm. But, yeah. Yeah, so yeah, I mean, accidental theft, accidental, you know, taking theft, misplacement, whatever. Having your stuff in one locked bag will go a long way to preventing those issues. Stuff disappears a lot less when it's done, stored like that, for all the reasons.

[29:14] And also, if you do have a locker there, if they do have lockers for you to use, bring your own lock for it. Do not trust the haunt lock just because you don't know who has the key to that bring your own lock it will make life so much easier, um yeah but this is just great for storing your jewelry phone watch tablet laptop whatever you happen to have on your person that might be valuable it's a great thing to do yeah and, saving you know one step further would be just lock that stuff in your car or leave it at home yeah or leave it leave it at home is the ideal but but everyone brings their phones their phones everybody brings their phone and you might not remember to leave your jewelry behind you might You know what I mean? Yeah, I know. And who knows? If you have to come straight from work, for example, from your day job. I used to do that. Who knows what shit you're going to have on your person? So basically, you know, a locking bag so that way any valuables you want to insure stay your valuables. Yeah. This is a great tool to prevent it.

[30:23] Found several. basically they're like a lot they have a lot of like the banker style deposit bags on amazon for around 15 it's a simple combination lock in most cases but you can get them with a key so 15 20 bucks is what you're looking at for a halfway decent locking bag to keep your shit together and relatively secure and some of them also have the little uh cable tie for latching it to something in the hod so you can latch

[30:50] it to you know a table or something like that so that it can't just be carried off either. Something out of the scene, but in your area. Exactly. You know, something big and permanent, as permanent as possible. That's what you should be latching it to. Yeah. All right. Number eight. Oh, evens are mine. I knew that. I was seeing if you knew that.

[31:15] An air tag or another tracker. This doesn't have as much to do with anything like theft. It has to do with just shit tends to disappear in haunts and so once again with that aforementioned locking bag throw an air tag in it throw a tile into it throw something into it that you can track with your phone yeah we recently i don't know how much they are but we recently saw an ad for wallets with trackers built into it so you don't have to use the um any of those yeah the The AirTags are the tiles. Yeah, these trackers have come down so far in price. Yeah. And are so effective. Right, and that's one of those things, like a wallet, I always have an AirTag in my wallet. Because it may fall out of my clothing, it may get caked around, you know, you don't know what's going to happen to it. Right, or the classic, I'll come home drunk from the bar and leave it in my pants. Yeah. I've done that a time or 20. But no, it's one of those things where this is about, like, if your water bottle, the aforementioned really good water bottle you should definitely have, gets knocked over and then rolls somewhere.

[32:26] Well, how the fuck are you going to find it? Right? No. Basically, the goal here is to be able to track your stuff and find it if it just gets misplaced. Misplaced because that's one of the rules in haunting is everything gets misplaced we're still looking for that goddamn reciprocating saw yeah i don't know how that that that is the chunkiest tool we regularly use and somehow it disappeared on us yeah i have no idea where it is so if you have found a makita a makita reciprocating so please let us know at hauntmeekly.com. Oh my God. You may be eligible for a reward. No, actually. No. But yeah, no. I mean, if they made like little stickers that I could put on all of the tools so that, where did you put so-and-so? Here, let me make it. They do make air tag like loops that you can attach to things. Yeah. So there are ways you're going to fix an air tag or a tile or something to a tool. And that's kind of the idea here is they also make them for water bottles too. Yeah.

[33:33] But anyways, the cost in general, no matter which system you go with, it's about $25 per tracker. You probably only need one or two, realistically. So, yeah, I think this is an easy thing. I don't know why more people don't have these kinds of trackers on their things. These short-distance Bluetooth trackers are just very useful. Yeah. I mean, I mentioned recently when we were talking about them about just putting one in your trunk. so if your car's ever stolen you can find it if if someone pings it i did you know yeah, But, yeah, these days car thefts aren't so much about taking the car and chopping it up or anything. It's just kids doing stupid shit a lot of the times. At least in New Orleans. At least in our area, it is. Yeah. You'll find your car, it'll just be really badly fucked up by the end of it. Yeah. All right. All right. Number nine, a headlamp.

[34:29] Oh, man, I love this one. Okay. Go ahead, now. Well, no, I love this one because I am a complete convert to headlamp life.

[34:40] Because when you're doing work in a dark space, the ability to have light looking exactly where you are while both your hands are free is incredibly handy. That's all there is to it. Like, everyone's like, hey, I've got a flashlight on my phone, or I've got this. Well, if you're trying to do an emergency repair in a haunt or you're trying to find something in your water bottle that you forgot to put a tracker on, you know, a headlamp is damn near perfect. Yeah. It does not go very well with a lot of costumes. Yes. That's why you don't wear it all the time. You just have it available. Right. So when you need it, you've got it. Exactly. Just like if you had a handheld one. But this is hands-free. Well, and the other thing is, if you do want to use it as a handheld flashlight, you can. Yeah. You just hold it in your hand like a light. It's wild. And so, yeah, this basically makes it so that you can go hands-free, but you don't have to. And like I said, this is some stuff in your pocket. Keep it handy. That way you've got a light when you need it, and you have the ability to go hands-free with it. Headlamps are really cheap. I found one at Harbor Freight that was like $3. Yeah. But I figured if you're going to invest, probably go for the actual one with a Lumen rating. And that was 14. So that's what I chose.

[36:00] Number 10, a snack bar of some kind. Don't haunt hangry. It's a bad idea. I know if I don't get food at a certain regular interval, I get weak, I get cranky, I get impossible, and I also get impossible to feed.

[36:20] I will just literally ravage, like Stitch from Little and Stitch.

[36:25] I'll just go totally ravage the refrigerator leave nothing behind and wonder why my stomach hurts the next morning because i eat like 20 pounds of food or you wait too late and then you're not able to eat yeah exactly so having something that you can eat quickly and will have an impact on you and help control your blood sugar and prevent you from getting angry and help you wait until you have your next actual meal incredibly powerful so yeah a snack bar of some type uh whether it's a candy bar a granola bar whatever fits your dietary desires and needs um have it handy um and yeah this is a dollar again yeah also it's nice to keep on hand the little um sugar tabs for you know people with sugar fluctuations not not diabetic but um just because sometimes if you get low blood sugar that can help bring you back yeah until you can get food exactly i find um packets of nuts are also very good yeah basically something a snack that will keep you vertical yeah whatever it is and don't trust the haunt to have the snacks you need handy yeah i mean they should be providing some kind of food or sustenance yeah but it may not last the entire time it may And it may not be what you need. Yeah.

[37:51] Yeah, you might need protein or carbs. You might need some sugar. You might need some protein. You might need some carbs. Whatever. You know your body better than we do. So whatever snack keeps you vertical, bring that. Bring a goddamn snack.

[38:04] Ideally, one that's self-contained, something you can shove in your pocket, and something you can eat quickly between customers. That's all. All right. Number 11. Business cards with your info. If you're new and working at a large haunt, you're going to meet a lot of people. Having a card with your name, phone, social media, and email can help. Bonus points for QR code. Yeah. I don't know. I think everybody should do this, like, all the time. Instead of just taking in... Yeah.

[38:37] And swapping phone numbers right there because that takes time and has to be done right there. Yeah. I think having a business card with that information on it can really help get you into the list. I mean, because like I said, you meet people. Hey, let's swap phone numbers. Let's do this. Well, here, just enter this and text me and then text me your name and then we can add it that way. It's much faster than trying to look over someone's shoulder going, 504, blah, blah, blah, you know? And that's Jimmy with a Y, you know? It's so much faster than this. And business cards are surprisingly cheap to print. You can get them for $18 for $100 on a Vista print. You don't need anything fancy. A QR code would probably be helpful for quick scanning.

[39:29] But man i basically i think like i don't think this should be a haunt thing i think this should be just like an all the time thing you just have these on you yeah personal business cards yeah well as as people who you know have not always been great at meeting friends and talking to people we used to have these um once upon a time yes once upon a time and they did work They were tiny cards, and we would just hand them out to people we thought were interesting. Yeah. And you know what? It's an idea. Is it weird? Yes. But this is a way to build your network and your brand, because that is one of the things you are doing at a haunt, is you are networking. You are meeting people. And whether your networking is for business purposes or purely social purposes, either way, a quick way to give people your information is a good thing.

[40:25] Number 12, this one's for fun, admittedly, but I do think a workout tracker is worth having. I mean, because like I said, it's mostly for fun, but basically something that tracks your movement, your heart rate, and all that stuff can be a lot of fun and really motivating when you're haunting.

[40:45] That's one of the things about, like, we have the Apple Watches. I've found about it is it does motivate me to move more. It does motivate me to keep going because I can see the progress I am making with the little rings on it and so forth. Yeah. But, yeah, get a hard lesson on how active you are. Yeah. I remember one day we wore pedometers. This was, like, a long time ago. It was almost 20 years ago. But we were at Mardi Gras. And we wore pedometers. And I think we wore, like, McDonald's pedometers. It was. Because it was the free McDonald's ones. I was just thinking that. I think they were McDonald's ones, like literally. And we just wore them the entire Mardi Gras day. And when we were done, we learned we had walked over four miles. Yeah.

[41:32] It was more than that it was it was a lot of it it might have been six it was like 20 000 steps yeah it was an insane amount of distance basically we had traveled but we had walked you know all this distance and we just went wow and yeah you can get that and haunting too especially if you have a very physically demanding role and a large haunt and a large haunt get a workout tracker track those steps see how much you walk see how much exercise you're getting you might learn that you may need to eat more calories while you're haunting. Yeah. Because you might not realize how many you are actively burning. That is one of the things I learned from running when I was running with workout trackers was just how many calories I'm burning. I realized as long as I'm doing this exercise and not trying to lose weight, I need to eat more to supplement what the hell I'm doing on the road. Yeah. So, yeah, it can help you make good health decisions. But, yeah, it's fun. And here's the thing. You can get a cheap one for about $20. A Fitbit, which I think would be like a good entry brand for a serious one, is about $80. Yeah. But you can get a very, very basic one. I mean, apparently you can get a pedometer for free at McDonald's. At least you could at one point. Yeah, I don't think they do that anymore. No. That was like that five-minute period that McDonald's was like, we're healthy. We have two salads and two salads.

[42:53] Yeah. And pedometers. Everybody gets a pedometer. Yeah. And they were surprisingly accurate, if I remember correctly. They were. Because they were the ones you clip to your belt or your waist. I think we put it on our shoe. Yeah. And I think we did it that way, even though that wasn't how they were designed. It still worked. Yeah.

[43:12] So, yeah. Anyways, but a workout tracker, if nothing else, just to understand how much work you're actually doing at the haunt. Mm-hmm.

[43:20] And our final one for this week. Yeah. Number 13 hand warmer or hand cooler.

[43:30] No one ever haunts at a comfortable temperature. That's just true. It's just the truth. And even if it is comfortable when you get there, it's not after you've been moving. Nope. But a hand warmer and cooler, I actually have one that's USB powered that can do both. Yeah. And it's just little. Thank you, Shannon Robles, for telling me about it because I had a very cold office and I used it there. and I also have used it in haunting. Yeah and they are, ones that can do both are about $25. Yeah. You can also, if you're worried about staying cool, they also have neck things that have fans and cold plates built into it that are in that same price range. So basically expect to spend $25 in this space. But yeah, having something that can help you regulate your body temperature independently of your environment. Yeah and definitely don't count on the haunt to provide individual fans or anything like that if you're in a warm area or individual heaters in a cold area yeah because the thing about it is this is even if the haunt is climate control it's climate controlled for the customers not you well and the other thing is is that.

[44:46] With that many people. Because if your haunt's climate controlled, I'm assuming that you're probably a little bit bigger of a haunt. And you've probably got a couple hundred people working inside of there. Not to mention the customers going through. Yeah. And people generate heat. Yeah. That is one of the things. Humans are hella good heaters. Yeah. I mean, there's a reason why the treatment for hypothermia is to get two people with the victim in the sleeping bag and use the body heat of the two other people to warm them up. There's a reason that's an actual treatment for hypothermia. Completely naked. Yeah, as naked as you can. As bare as you dare, baby. Yep. There's a reason that's a treatment. It's because humans are excellent heaters. And, I mean, that was kind of the whole point of The Matrix. Tricks even though that is ridiculously inefficient yes because you still have to feed the humans.

[45:46] So you're wasting energy it's it's it's but anyways nonetheless you know humans are great heaters so yeah even if it is the right temperature once you get too many warm bodies in a place it can heat up really really fast and ac systems aren't really built to direct to address that particular issue. Outside of places like, you know, arenas and so forth, where they always expect to have hundreds and thousands of people. You have to get to a venue like that. Hot ACs aren't going to be ready for that. No. Well, anyways, if you added up the cost of everything, it's about $185.

[46:26] So not cheap, but not hopelessly expensive. And that's for middle of the road. Yeah, and honestly, a lot of the stuff you probably already have, but maybe you aren't bringing when you haunt and you should. Just remember to grab it is the moral of the story.

[46:43] But on that note, everyone, I think that's all we have this week. Any final thoughts, anything? Well, if you have all of that stuff and you've got one of those bags, you can just put it together. That way you can just grab that bag every night you need to go haunting. And it can be your haunting bug out bag, and you can be like Crystal. As we all should aspire to do. Oh, I was thinking the exact opposite. You don't want to be like me. Oh, that's so humble of you to say. On that bombshell, everyone, thank you very much for joining us this past week. Hope you enjoyed it. Hope you learned something. Please check out more Haunt Weekly at hauntweekly.com, hauntweekly on X slash Twitter, hauntweekly on Facebook, and youtube.com slash hauntweekly. Also available wherever you get your podcasts from. Until next time, I'm Jonathan. I'm Crystal. And we will see you all next week.