Sea Year Gear List

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nadofr8dog

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Just finished a wonderful Parents Weekend with 2013 DS and discussed with him what additional items he needed from the recommended Sea Year Gear List. It seems there are several items on the list which are unavailable at the KP NEX:

Working Khakis (not specific whether long or short sleeve?)
Steel Toed boots
2 Boiler Suits (they've only been issued one)

Being retired Navy, I've got the capability of picking up Working Khaki's and steel toed boots at the local Naval Base, but what about other parents or even the mids, where are they supposed to get them? Are they really needed??

Inputs appreciated.
 
Glad you had a great visit at Parent Weekend!

Our DS, B split, ordered all his items online through the online NEX and other companies and had them shipped to KP. He ordered his boots early enough so if he had to exchange them he could. The pictures we have seen of his sea partner, shows her in her boiler suit.
 
RE Working Kahki's - the kahki colered "Dikies" brand in the work clothes section at L-Mart are solid/useful and they are (I think) a cheaper way to go than purchasing via the NEX - these versions are fine for use by your DS/DD on either commercial merchant vessels or Military Sea Lift Command vessels.

Personally, I believe a second boiler suit is useful but not essential, though I defer to a current Mid who is an engine cadet to weigh in on that item. Once again another set of Dickies from K-Mart can also suffice here.

I say K-Mart becauuse at least in our area we can no loinger get these sorts of item at our WalMart (where we used to get them) as now it's a WalMart SuperCenter and has moved a little "up market"... go figure ...

Steel Toed Boots are a Must Have Item, ... also make sure they are comfirtable and elsewhere (besides the toe) the boots breathe...at least that's my recommendation...
 
I know my son obtained boiler suits from each of the ships he worked on to supplement his KP suit. As for boots, he had to go online to find steel toe boots in his size (16). If they need extra's they will be able to get it from the ship or from any of the ports they hit.
 
My DS said that KP didn't want him to take his KP boiler suit because it had the USMMA letters on it. I bought 2 boiler suits from an on line automotive store because the suits were fire retardant, which we thought important will all the welding the engineers perform. Also, we bought the boiler suits in a fairly large size to give him plenty of room to move around. He said he spent the first part of his sea year in tight spaces and bending down a lot. The looser fitting boiler suits are also more comfortable in the heat of the engine room - where sometimes it exceeded 115 degrees on a good day.
 
We bought almost everything on the list at a local hole-in-the-wall Armee-Navee store. While it was a locally owned store in a military town, I have seen similar stores elsewhere.
Partially through his sea year, my husband bought DS a warm, waterproof fleece/foul weather jacket at a store specializing in fishing gear and supplies. He said it is perfect for the cold, damp days @ sea (much appreicated for his thin, southern blood :shake:).
 
DS, deckie and sea partner, engineer, both commented they needed to purchase more underwear because they found themselves needing to change their underwear 3 times a day:eek:!! At $20 a pop in Japan, it gets pretty costly, so take extras.:biggrin:
 
nadofr8dog said:
Just finished a wonderful Parents Weekend with 2013 DS and discussed with him what additional items he needed from the recommended Sea Year Gear List. It seems there are several items on the list which are unavailable at the KP NEX:

Working Khakis (not specific whether long or short sleeve?)
Steel Toed boots
2 Boiler Suits (they've only been issued one)

Being retired Navy, I've got the capability of picking up Working Khaki's and steel toed boots at the local Naval Base, but what about other parents or even the mids, where are they supposed to get them? Are they really needed??

Inputs appreciated.
Click to expand...
Picked up the Khakis at Walmart. Something in DS paper work recommends Dickies brand. Picked up Timberland boots and an extra boiler suit at Sears. Also picked up an assortment of Carhartt shirts long and short sleeve. DS liked the Tru-Spec pants. Carhartt and Tru-Spec at Army-Navy store. Hope that helps.

One thing DS keeps running out of is batteries. DS likes the 6 volt flashlight. His ship has AA batteries but not the 3 volt batteries. Each time through Long Beach had to make a trip to Lowe's for the batteries.
 
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heres the official gear list that they posted on the website. doesnt necessarily mean that its perfect, but at least its a good starting point.

SEA YEAR GEAR LIST
General Gear to take:
Documents:

Merchant Mariners Document
Passport
Orders (Including directions to where the ship is berthed)
Medical Papers (Drug Test, Fit for Duty, Medical History, etc.)
STCW Letter
Sea Project
Military I.D.

Also in your backpack:

Computer
Blank CD’s/Flashdrives to save your Sea Project to
Family Email addresses
Camera
Cell phone/phone cards
Calculator
Movies
Battery powered alarm clock

General List of Clothing:

2 Boilersuits
Khakis (Working Khakis are preferred)
Steel-toed boots
5-7 pairs of socks
5-7 pairs of underwear
5-7 undershirts (May take more if you wear them under your boiler suit, judge accordingly)
1 pair of shoes for going ashore-Tennis shoes recommended
2 going ashore outfits-Travel in one of these outfits
Baseball cap
2 pairs of gloves
Flashlight (Non-combustible flashlight if sailing on a tanker)
Multitool or knife
Wristwatch with Indiglo
Sunglasses
Long underwear/Sweatshirts (The weather and voyage can change at any moment)
Shower sandals
Travel kit of toiletries
Sun tan lotion
Bathing suit

List for Deckies:

Sextant
KP100 Book
Navigation Rules of the Road book
American Merchant Seaman’s Manual
Merchant Ship Construction book
Cargo Operations book
Tankers book (If applicable)
Stability and Trim book (2nd Sailing Period)
Humanities project book (2nd Sailing Period)
Pocket notebook and pen (Keep on you AT ALL TIMES)
Dividers/Compass/Triangles
Index Tabs for the Navigation Project
World Atlas (2nd Sailing Period)
Sea Project Folders, Navigation booklets, and Notepads-Always take at least one more than you need
Crummy Jeans and t-shirts for working on deck

***If possible, buy the latest version of the Nautical Almanac for Celestial Navigation***


List for Engineers:

Engineering Books (need for both sailing periods)
• Harrington
• Both Hunt Volumes
• Hubert electrical book
• Tools and Their Uses – not necessary to bring, but if you don’t know your tools, it may come in handy
• PNE (Principles of Naval Engineering) – not necessary to bring, but could be helpful. Will have to purchase in the book store

Naval Architecture Books (2nd sailing period only)
• Merchant Ship Construction
• Ship Construction
• Applied Naval Architecture





Miscellaneous items:
• Channel locks
• Crescent wrench
• Safety Glasses - usually have a couple pairs on ship, but I recommend bringing your own
• Little note pad that you can fit in your pocket so you can take notes while working in the engine room
• Pen or pencil
• Drawing kit
• Crummy jeans and t-shirts

Note to Engineers:

• Get your projects done the first time. The best way to start your sea projects is to draw at least one of the ship’s systems (ex. Lube oil system, jacket water system) each day from the Marine Propulsion and Ship System sea projects. Once those are done, complete the rest of your sea projects as you wish. Make sure to save your work on a jump drive, CD, or external hardrive.


MISC Items:

Movies (There are usually plenty on board, but it’s always good to have some yourself)
Leisure Reading
Starter Money-Usually $200-$300 is a good estimate
Directions


REMEMBER, YOU CAN ONLY PACK UP TO 50 LBS. IN EACH BAG, SO PACK ACCORDINGLY AND SHOW YOUR MILITARY I.D. UPON CHECK-IN AT THE AIRPORT-SOMETIMES THEY LET YOU PACK MORE.
 
Sea Year Gear list - with my recommendations

SEA YEAR GEAR LIST
General Gear to take:
Documents:

Merchant Mariners Document
TWIC
Passport
Orders (Including directions to where the ship is berthed)
Medical Papers (Drug Test, Fit for Duty, Medical History, etc.)
STCW Letter
Sea Project
Military I.D.

Also in your backpack:

Computer
Blank CD’s/Flash drives to save your Sea Project to (many ships have blank CD’s. A 2GB flash drive or two should be all you need.)
Family Email addresses
Camera
Cell phone/phone cards
Calculator (not needed)
Movies (Most ships have plenty; I wouldn’t take up space packing them)
Battery powered alarm clock

General List of Clothing:

2 Boilersuits (I wouldn’t pack more than one. We used to always give the deck cadet a boiler suit or two from the Chief Mate’s ‘gold locker’. The engine department did the same for the engine cadet)
Khakis (Working Khakis are preferred) (pack one set of Khaki Dickies; the rest 3 or 4 pair of good heavy duty Carhartt work pants/shorts and work shirts. Sears carries Carhartt)
Steel-toed boots (both my sons got Red Wing pull on boots, which they loved.. see the link for details > http://www.redwingshoes.com/productdetails.aspx?prodid=1160)
5-7 pairs of socks
5-7 pairs of underwear
5-7 undershirts (May take more if you wear them under your boiler suit, judge accordingly)
1 pair of shoes for going ashore-Tennis shoes recommended
2 going ashore outfits-Travel in one of these outfits
Baseball cap
2 pairs of gloves (take one pair of leather gloves)
Flashlight (Non-combustible flashlight if sailing on a tanker) (you can take one like a Pelican or Mag light, but it’s really not necessary to pack; all ships have adequate flashlights and tankers carry intrinsically safe models. If you want to take one; a small thumb light or key chain light is basically all you need)
Multitool or knife (pack a ‘Leatherman’ type multi-tool for sure)
Wristwatch with Indiglo (deckies, make sure the wristwatch has a stopwatch function to used for taking sights, otherwise bring a separate stopwatch.. I used to prefer having a dedicated stopwatch with a split second hand feature for navigation. A split second hand watch is particularly useful for taking star sights)
Sunglasses
Long underwear/Sweatshirts (The weather and voyage can change at any moment)
Shower sandals
Travel kit of toiletries (pack the bare minimum; then buy the rest in the ships ‘slop chest’ or ashore)
Sun tan lotion (don’t pack; buy in the ships ‘slop chest’ or ashore)
Bathing suit
Foul weather gear (Helly-Hanson is the best around..but whatever KP issues will suffice)

List for Deckies:

Sextant (take your own, most ships have one and they may be willing to let you use it, but it may be a plastic model Davis or the like. Also if you use the ships sextant and damage it, guess who will be paying for it out of their pay off money?)
KP100 Book
Navigation Rules of the Road book (all ships have a hard copy on the bridge. Take the electronic version available here http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=navRulesDownLoad )
American Merchant Seaman’s Manual (Most all ships have this book. if you can find out ahead of time whether the ship you’re assigned to does, don’t pack it.)
Merchant Ship Construction book
Cargo Operations book
Tankers book (If applicable)
Stability and Trim book (2nd Sailing Period)(almost all dry cargo ships have a LaDage Stability and Trim for the Ship's Officer in the Master’s professional library, and if you ask nicely the Captain will probably lend it to you)
Humanities project book (2nd Sailing Period)
Pocket notebook and pen (Keep on you AT ALL TIMES) (get on the ship or ashore in port)
Dividers/Compass/Triangles (I wouldn’t pack these items. Many times navigation plotting equipment is left by the previous cadets, extra plotting equipment is also available on the bridge)
Index Tabs for the Navigation Project
World Atlas (2nd Sailing Period)(download a PDF atlas or use Google Earth instead)
Sea Project Folders, Navigation booklets, and Notepads-Always take at least one more than you need
Crummy Jeans and t-shirts for working on deck (absolutely, then throw them out when you get off. It’s a good way to get rid of your old clothes)

***If possible, buy the latest version of the Nautical Almanac for Celestial Navigation***
(all ships have one or more on the bridge, no need to pack this. You can also download it free here http://www.navsoft.com/downloads.html if you absolutely have to have one)


List for Engineers:

Engineering Books (need for both sailing periods)
  • Harrington
  • Both Hunt Volumes
  • Hubert electrical book
  • Tools and Their Uses – not necessary to bring, but if you don’t know your tools, it may come in handy
  • PNE (Principles of Naval Engineering) – not necessary to bring, but could be helpful. Will have to purchase in the book store

Naval Architecture Books (2nd sailing period only)
  • Merchant Ship Construction
  • Ship Construction
  • Applied Naval Architecture

Miscellaneous items:
  • Channel locks (don’t bring any tools)
  • Crescent wrench (ditto above)
  • Safety Glasses - usually have a couple pairs on ship, but I recommend bringing your own (not necessary and the same goes for hearing protection, all ships carry adequate OSHA approved PPE)
  • Little note pad that you can fit in your pocket so you can take notes while working in the engine room (not necessary to pack)
  • Pen or pencil
  • Drawing kit (bring assorted drawing and lettering templates including a “French curve”)
  • Crummy jeans and t-shirts(as mentioned above, it’s good way to get rid of all your old clothes, after you’re done just throw them away)

Note to Engineers:
  • Get your projects done the first time. The best way to start your sea projects is to draw at least one of the ship’s systems (ex. Lube oil system, jacket water system) each day from the Marine Propulsion and Ship System sea projects. Once those are done, complete the rest of your sea projects as you wish. Make sure to save your work on a jump drive, CD, or external hardrive.

MISC Items:

Movies (There are usually plenty on board, but it’s always good to have some yourself)
Leisure Reading
Starter Money-Usually $200-$300 is a good estimate (at least $300)
Directions


REMEMBER, YOU CAN ONLY PACK UP TO 50 LBS. IN EACH BAG, SO PACK ACCORDINGLY AND SHOW YOUR MILITARY I.D. UPON CHECK-IN AT THE AIRPORT-SOMETIMES THEY LET YOU PACK MORE.

You want to go “Schooner Rig” as we say in the Merchant Marine (as opposed to “Wing and Wing”). In other words you want to travel as light as possible. If you can, get the ‘scoop’ on what you will need from Cadets that have been aboard the ship you’re assigned to. They can help you tailor the above list. You can also try and get the ships email address and contact them directly to ask specific questions about items they have on board. I would send inquiries to the bridge or engine room email addresses and copy your department head (Chief Mate or Chief Engineer) and, of course, the Captain. If there are cadets currently on board you might even consider emailing them with your questions too.
 
Ditto most of Deepdraft1s comments. Extra emphasis on packing light and dont bring any tools. Advice to all Engine Cadets: don`t get caught with channel locks in your pocket. A small plastic caliper frquently comes in handy so you dont have to guess at what wrench size you need and make several trips to the tool shop.

Find an upperclassman who can tell you exactly which books are wortrh taking and which are not. I remember Huberts book being a gold mine for the electrical project and MME Manual helpful, but not much else.

My suggestion for drawings is to leave all that gear at school. Just make sketches on your ship and redo them all nice when you get back.

Most of all, pack light. You need very little clothes beyond work clothes. One or two pairs at most. I was told to lay out everything you thought you needed then put half away and you would still have too much. Turned out to be pretty darn accurate.
 
We got most of our son's stuff at the Tractor Supply Store (We have them in Texas, but I don't know about other states) It turns out he didn't need a lot of the stuff. Have your middie ask an older student who was assigned to the same route/type ship to find out what he REALLY needs. My son never used the rain gear and ended up GIVING it away simply because it took up too much room to keep hauling it from ship to ship.
 
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