OCS Packing List

[JDawg2332]

Packing

Ok so we are less than 4 weeks away from the start of OCS. Time to get everything and begin to think about packing and what you are going to bring. my question is: WHAT DO I BRING?? i know not to bring a lot, but i do not want to be that guy with nothing, or EVERYTHING. I know what we are supposed to show up in and we have to bring out own toiletries for a few days or the first week. I am also planning on bringing a pair of broken in boots and 1 set of go-fasters. I have heard to bring 2. but what do y'all recommend/what are you bringing?

 

[E5B]

Good luck, and if you want to keep us posted there is a coffee house in Q-town with internet access. I'd like to hear your progress.

I only brought one pair of tennies and was fine. I know at Sr's we only used them 2, maybe 3 times, it was mainly boots and Uts.

 

[rahall79]

JDawg--
Going to the combined this summer, but someone who went to Jrs. last summer took two, because it rained almost everyday. But as previously stated at Srs. and the 10 week most PT is in Boots and Utes. I was told to bring extra red and black pens if you find you loose pens alot, because you will need them for peer evals and essays. THen, if you have special stuff in your broken in boots (arch supports, etc.) bring an extra set for the new boots. I was told a hygine kit and travel size toiletries was a good thing to speed up hygine time. There is a couple more things, that you dont "have" to bring, but I was told are very helpful. I won't list them here, but if you want, message or email me. See you this summer on the bridge.

 

[BigWorm]

Add a laundry pen to your list. The marker that you will buy in the issue package will bleed in the wash. It'll save some time if you don't have to restencil your name on the shirt.

 

[Crowbar]

Yeah, and for check in, wear clothes that really aren't that near and dear to your heart. They may survive until you get issued uniforms, they may not.

Concur on the laundry pen. Last year we were allowed to have electric razors (if that's your thing). Plenty of 1/2" white tape. Too many more to list.

 

[BigWorm]

And some Vaseline for your balls - it sucks when they chaff

 

[E5B]

Remington makes an electric called Micro 2 for like 10 bucks. I bought one for TBS and it worked great. The PX carried it, if you can find one, it's a heck of a deal, very small, it's the smallest electric I've seen.

 

[Taxman2A]

I'm a little bit rusty on exactly what it was I used there, but I can tell you one thing for certain- go to a military surplus store and buy a sea bag to out everything in. Don't be that fool who shows up with a suitcase, as you will pay the price doing the "OCS Shuffle" across the parade deck the first 3 or 4 days until you move into the house for good.

Also, pack everything in the Sea Bag in gallon sized plastic bags, this makes dumping all your trash out alot easier and more organized.

 

[rahall79]

Told if you can do it, bring an extra pair of civies. The ones you show up in, as said above, will be sweaty and trashed.

 

[farkle84]

yeah man, dont be that candidate that has a yard sale in the middle of the parade deck. have your stuff organized in zip lock bags and all your footpowder and whatever else taped together. the sea bag is a must. the sgt instructors seemed to like to pick on the dumb guys who brought the huge suitcases. electric razors were not authorized in my platoon, so you can bring one, but you might have to give it up. my advice is to take a cell phone. even though you will have to give it to your instructors the first take you are in your platoon. you wont have to stand in line for the pay phones when you and if you get liberty. i would think about buying baby wipes for when you are out in the field. bug spray. if i were you i would buy some nice charcoal or black slacks for libo, that way you wont look like the other ten hundred candidates in khakis. no matter what you will be spotted as a candidate from a mile away. last but not least, work hard, and have fun. even though its not suppose to be, get a good experience out of it. oh yeah, if you used tobacco products, better quit now. dont drink on libo. you will be the one puking on PT that monday morning. good luck

 

[KBayDog]

Add a laundry pen to your list. The marker that you will buy in the issue package will bleed in the wash. It'll save some time if you don't have to restencil your name on the shirt.

You might want to consider marking your shirts/utilities with boot polish, rather than ink. The polish won't last quite as long as the ink, but it also won't bleed through to the back of the utilities. In other words, your utilities are more likely to be serviceable after OCS, as they won't have your name all over the back of them.

 

[KBayDog]

A handful of erasable pens will save your okole!

 

[Killer2]

You might want to consider marking your shirts/utilities with boot polish, rather than ink. The polish won't last quite as long as the ink, but it also won't bleed through to the back of the utilities.

Ok I could agree with using boot polish on the utes but for the green shirts and shorts use the laundry pen. That will save you tons of time. Don't lose that stencil either. 1gal. zip lock bags are a must. buy the box and bring it with you. plus a smaller sanwich bag to wrap your writing gear in case you get freak rain the whole time like i did, plus helps when you go out to the field.It helps if you arrange everything, like all your extra sox together, ect. ect. makes it easier to find. Also if you can get some shirts/shorts before you go then do so. Wow those things must have legs because they always got up and left in the middle of the night.

 

[squeeze]

It might have been said already, but LABEL EVERYTHING YOU TAKE. Your squadbay can get tossed multiple times and it's no fun if you can't tell whats yours. The day before I left, my g/f and I labeled every piece of clothing I had with sharpies. That stuff doesnt wash out like the marker they give you.

Like they said, if you pack everythign in ziploc bags, when you dump them on the grinder, its very easy to stuff 10 bags back into a seabag vice cramming loose clothes and whatnot. And packs lots and lots of white 1" athletic tape....you'll go through that faster than you can imagine.

have fun.

 

[FLMarine]

Zip lock bags are a must, don't take a bunch of extra crap. Pack so there is extra room in the bag because when you dump it out on the parade deck you won't be able to neatly pack it in there. If you want to know if you have enough room take your nicely packed bag dump it on the floor add in a couple of extra shirts and socks and try to repack it within ten seconds. If you can't zip it up it's going to be a pain in the ass. I second the vaseline for your balls on the humps. My OSO told me about that and I tried it, everyone in my platoon laughed at me when I put it on for the first hump. The second hump about half of them came to me to ask for some vaseline. Oh, and get yourself one of those large sharpie permanent markers (use the name brand one). I used a good permanent marker and my names are still on the back of my green shirts 3-4 years later and survived OCS, College, TBS, Flight school, and hundreds of washes. Shoe polish will be messy to put on, ie you'll get it over your hands and on the floor which means you'll just have to clean it up with neverdull. Bring one of those nifty red LED lights that you can stay switched without having to hold it down. Much easier to use than the bulky flashlights when writing letters or essays, and the batteries last longer.