Make sure you get the right whistle for a hockey official (we have included pictures to make it easier). The two recommended whistles for hockey officials are

• Fox 40 Superforce CMG Referee whistle
  
• Acme Thunderer finger whistle 477/58.5
  

You can use any brand sweater, as long as it is the traditional black-and-white striped sweater, without sewn-on armbands or the black bottom to the arm:

Snaps for adding orange referee arm-bands are a good idea as you may be a referee in the 3-official system in the future.

Make sure the sweater allows enough room for you to skate comfortably while wearing elbow pads without being too big.

Black hockey helmet, with a visor (half-shield). We recommend you do not try and use your player helmet, as switching from a full mask to a visor (and back) is not practical.

Officials need a small visor to protect their eyes, but allow the whistle to be blown. Make sure that you get a clear visor. Some inexpensive visors:

• Tron S30
• Tron S40
  

All officials under 18 years of age MUST wear a neck laceration protector, the same as players under 18.

Please see the Wisconsin Hockey Officials Association web site for more details.

You can use regular player shin guards, but they have to fit under your pants with enough room so that you can skate comfortably. Consider using a pair of shin guards from a prior season that still provide protection for your shins and knees., or a used pair that are not as bulky as new player shin guards.

Lightweight elbow pads that fit under your sweater and allow you the freedom of movement to skate comfortably and make signals are going to work better than typical player elbow pads. You can use elbow pads from another sport, or pads from a previous playing season that are smaller but still provide you with elbow protection. Stores that specialize in hockey official's equipment also carry elbow pads for officials.

Black pants (without logos or stripes) that look neat (not sweat pants), but are loose enough to fit over your shin pads and allow you to skate easily. You do not need to purchase referee pants, you can use black dress pants. They should be long enough to reach to top of the toes of your skate.

There are several online stores that specialize in equipment and supplies for hockey officials. Some online and local hockey stores stock some common items.

You do not have to spend a lot of money on specialized equipment. You can reuse your shin and elbow pads from previous seasons (a little bit smaller than current-sized pads, since you don't need as much protection as an official and you do need to be able to skate easily in pants and an official sweater, rather than player gear).