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OCS Packing List

mmx1

Woof!
pilot
Contributor
First of all, nix as much crap as you can. Bring what you think you'll need for the first three weeks; then you can go shopping on libbo. The less stuff you have during pickup, the happier you'll be. So nix the big bottle of hand sanitizer. You won't run out in three weeks.

I'd take 2 pair khakis; one clean to look respectable for liberity inspection, and a beat up pair for in-processing. You'll be on your feet for hours at a time hauling lots of crap and they'll end up nasty. I don't think I've worn that pair since in-processing.

More socks (both types) are useful to cut down on laundry frequency. Shirts and shorts aren't really necessary, you'll purchase enough. Shorts seem to dissapear, though (bit obvious if you take someone elses's shirt; less so with shorts), so extra shorts aren't a bad idea. If you have black socks (like mine), Sharpie makes a metallic permanent marker.

Nix the sunscreen; it's in your required initial purchase.

Liquid soap (for the shower) is a great idea. [cue the drop the soap jokes]

Bring a pair of blunt scissors (like the kind they give little kids) for the moleskin, the J&J blister band-aids are pretty good, too. I only used wet-wipes for removing camo; don't know what else you'd use them for. Take that OR the camo-off. Some folks say nix the moleskin because the corpsman has some, but I wouldn't count on it. We ran out sometimes; the PX runs out too. Always have your own stash.

I never used red pens; don't know where that came from. You'll need a pencil for the exams but they make you buy two (and a sharpener) so that's covered.

Nix the flashlight; they make you buy one and it's pretty crummy. A headlamp (with red lens) is pretty useful for working in the squadbay with lights out.

Get the camo compact (dry camo; comes in a case with a mirror like women's blush or rouge). Smaller and easier to carry and apply than the tubes of goo you get.

Do bring your cell phone; it makes libbo a lot easier.

What's the dark colored towel for? Your towels'll end up nasty anyway.

Bring one pair fairly new sneakers, probably trail shoes if you can since that's where you do 90% of your running. If the soles are too old, the medical staff will make you buy a new pair.
 

Carno

Insane
Well, here's what I brought:

- Clothes on my body (khaki's and polo shirt)
- My wallet and cell phone
- Hygiene gear (toothbrush, razors, toothpaste, deodorant)
- Another polo shirt
- 8 hangers (which I never used and ended up throwing away)
- Notebook and a pen
- moleskin (which I never used)
- Extra pairs of underwear
- running shoes

Where the hell did you get the idea to bring all this other stuff like Q-Tips, towels, etc? They give you most of that stuff.
 

mmx1

Woof!
pilot
Contributor
Dense flannel cloth with an adhesive backing. Used to cover up hotspots and blisters to prevent further abrasion and blistering.
 

Raptor2216

Registered User
Moleskin is the candidate's best friend. You can never have enough and it will always seem as if there is a limited supply of it in quantico. Bring some with you if you can and you'll be a happy camper.

As for the original post, here is what I brought:

-3 collared shirts
-3 pairs of pants(including the one I wore on my way there)
-underwear and plenty of socks
-bar of soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, shaving cream and razor
-a small fanny pack type bag to keep all my hygene gear together
-cell phone, $300 as required
-couple of pens
-my boots that were issues to me by my OSO
-shoe polish and brush(back when I was young...bla bla bla...) This is something you no longer have to worry about.
-a good pair of running shoes

Here is what I wish I had brought:
-chapstick
-sharpie marker thing

Don't forget the most important thing, bring all that common sense along with you and don't do anything stupid. I learned a lot of hard lessons during Jr's but I made sure not to make the same mistakes during Sr's and I can tell you from personal experience, it made life much better.
 

openbah

I'm not lazy, I'm disabled.
Since it looks like you want advice on your packing list, I'll go ahead and make some comments:

Clothing: Definitely bring the silkies. If you don't bring them, you'll just have to buy more as soon as you get the chance, you do not get issued enough. Don't bring the PT shirts, I didn't need any more. Bring the boots if you have them already, if not don't go out and buy a pair.

Hygiene: You won't need the hand sanitizer, you get one right away, and you probably won't run out of it. I brought the liquid soap but ended up using the issued bar soap. Call me crazy, but I felt like the bar soap was getting me cleaner. Don't bring any Q-tips, they will issue you enough.

Misc.: Bring more than 4 erasable pens, bring like 8. They will be your best friggin friends on essays. You probably won't need the red pens. You're supposed to use them for peer evaluations, but nobody did, and the staff didn't care. I never used the erasure I brought. Bring a red lens headlamp, it is a must in my opinion. If you don't bring one, you'll buy it on your first or second liberty. You are issued boot bands, and you can buy more later, but feel free to bring some extra. Don't bother bring a voided check, we couldn't get on direct deposit.

Good luck!
 

Texan

Why enemy pilots dont sleep well
OK, I just got home after being dropped (grrr...) from 191 and this is what I'm bringing with me when I go back in October:

1 REALLY large bag for pickup
2 sets civvies
1 set (top & bottom) of cold under armour
1 warm weather under armour shirt
1 pr sealskin gloves (maybe)
2 premade plastic stencils with my full name and 2" from edge to name
1 1/2" name stamp with an inkpad and indellible ink
3 rolls of white tape
1 roll of white tape premarked in 6" sections with my name centered in each
4 inspection skivie shirts / shorts
1 inspection belt
premade envelope labels for return address and common addresses (parents, gf, etc.)
hand lotion
sealed vitamins (C, multi, Calcium)
1 chapstick
1 or 2 small brass rifle brushes
1 large white shower towel
1 red LED headlamp
3 pr good bootsocks and black sock covers (old dress socks with the bottoms cut off)
1 small cup for squad bay gatorade
10 sturdy hangars
2-4 rub-a-dub markers
1 pen pouch for binder
1 mini lighter for IP's
1 Cell phone
wallet and cash
toiletries in a wet-bag:
toothbrush / toothpaste
tooth-scrubs (the finger covers you 'clean' your teeth with - for bivouacs)
razor and cream
mini shaving cream tube for bivouac

It seems like a lot, but if you pack it into a small bag and have the big bag for pickup it's not so bad. The big bag is one of those giant camping duffels that's like 30" diameter and about 5 feet long. had it by sheer luck and LOVED it for pickup cause I fit 90% of my stuff into it in like 20 seconds

-Texan
 

cpkook02

Registered User
You get most of the stuff that you need from bag issue. I agree that the less stuff you bring the easier in processing and pick up will be. After all you have to carry all the **** you bring around for the first 3 days in addition to your bag issue. And if you can pack your stuff in a backpack or other bag that you can wear like a backpack.
 

mmx1

Woof!
pilot
Contributor
I punched probably close to $150 at the px on various little things that add up - belt for inspection, emblem refinisher, more socks, more shorts, etc.

It will depend how you spend your liberty. If you stay on base and eat at the chow hall, $0. Hotel rooms, cabs, and pizza can add up, though. Figure $250 a weekend if you hotel it, $100 if you cab out and back for dinner.
 
Not to hijack my own thread, but speaking of liberty...what is everyone's (priors) opinion on taking a cab, getting a hotel room, etc. vs. staying on base during liberty? I will be PLC-C, so having my own car is out of the question. Thanks for any insight.
 

muc1

Registered User
I would bring a cheap pair of shower shoes. You get them when you purchase your trash, but you may be there a day or two before you get them. Shower floors can be pretty nasty.

Someone brought (or found) a bottle of bleach. I would just bring a small bottle of bleach to sanitize your canteens. The canteens I got smelled like swamp... Leave the bleach in the lockers with the rest of the cleaning products so you don't have to lug it around. Dilute 1 part bleach to about 10 parts water. Cap canteen and shake. Up end canteen and unscrew to wet threads. Let sit 10 minutes. Rinse several times until the smell of bleach is gone...
 

Carno

Insane
I stayed off base for libo the first couple of times, probably the first four or five times, but after that I just stayed in the squad bay. There is only one staff member who stays in the squad bay during libo, so there is nobody to screw with you. It all depends on what you want to do. Those first couple of libos I wanted to be as far away from Brown Field as I could be, but later in the ten weeks I didn't give a **** and wanted to save my money. There's stuff to do on base such as bowling, movies, the Rally Point, PX, etc that is enough to occupy your time.

If you are PLC combined, you are allowed to have a car. Only junior six weekers are not allowed to bring vehicles.
 
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