R Day / Beast "Supplies"??

...oh bring a few pairs of good lycra type compression shorts - type go almost to knee to cut irritation. There is a shot they will not be allowed depending who vets your kit but usually they allow you to keep it.
 
GMRobertson said:
Bring a good knife, good insect repellent, miners type of headband flashlight with red and white lense, tooth brush, shaving kit, pen, some envelopes pre-addressed for mom (but they will understand if they hear little from you) and duct tape for your feet.
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Do not duct tape your feet. It causes as many problems as it solves, if not more.
 
GMRobertson said:
...oh bring a few pairs of good lycra type compression shorts - type go almost to knee to cut irritation. There is a shot they will not be allowed depending who vets your kit but usually they allow you to keep it.
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If you got the long type of compression shorts I imagine they would go down below the PT shorts which are rather short. I think I might forgo bringing stuff that isn't listed on the letter other than a couple bics and a leatherman. Wearing the issue underwear for 6 weeks ain't the end of the world.
 
BeatNavy said:
If you got the long type of compression shorts I imagine they would go down below the PT shorts which are rather short. I think I might forgo bringing stuff that isn't listed on the letter other than a couple bics and a leatherman. Wearing the issue underwear for 6 weeks ain't the end of the world.
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ive heard unfortunate rumors that their tightey whiteys haha i hope thats not true
 
Son strongly requested "normal underwear" be brought on Aday!
 
My Rday bag is packed and ready to go:
Ziplock 1: underwear and sports bras
Ziplock 2: crew socks and thin black socks
Ziplock 3: toothbrush, deodorant, moleskin, duct tape, tide2go, razor, pocket knife, lighter
Outside of a bag: brush, mini flashlight, running shoes, boots (yeah, being small rocks- my boots fit IN my bag!)
Folder with paper work
 
vampsoul said:
My Rday bag is packed and ready to go:
Ziplock 1: underwear and sports bras
Ziplock 2: crew socks and thin black socks
Ziplock 3: toothbrush, deodorant, moleskin, duct tape, tide2go, razor, pocket knife, lighter
Outside of a bag: brush, mini flashlight, running shoes, boots (yeah, being small rocks- my boots fit IN my bag!)
Folder with paper work
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Remember, a 45 lb ruck is the same weight no matter how big you are! :wink:
 
True that. In the field if your pack is not heavy enough - they will make it heavy enough. :wink:

Vampsoul - looks good. Lots of underwear? Bring a "regular" bra too - one you can wear under your white unform shirt when you wear your white over grays.
How about hair ties/hair clips?

Females - bring some of your own personal brand of "female protection". Even if you got the depo shot and you are "promised" no periods. Be prepared for anything.
You will have access to the "C" store and can purchase some personal items there but they run out of stuff sometimes in the summer.


Males and females - if you are taking prescription medication of any kind, bring it. Put it in a ziploc bag so you can find it. Do not bring tylenol, advil etc. If you hurt they want to know about it. No self-medicating during beast.
 
Just_A_Mom said:
Males and females - if you are taking prescription medication of any kind, bring it. Put it in a ziploc bag so you can find it. Do not bring tylenol, advil etc. If you hurt they want to know about it. No self-medicating during beast.
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And if your feet start growing green and black fungal spots, TELL YOUR SQUAD LEADER.

Yes, there is a back story to that.
 
Duct tape

scout pilot - have a son entering firstie year swears by duct tape. he found out about it by noting that this is what rangers deploy. is that correct? have son two entering this r-day and has used duct tape as he broke in his boots..... seems bandaids and dr schol type of product works for an hour or so but then gives out

i am sure what we can agree on is immediately tend to your feet as soon as you feel slightest irritation and have dry socks to change into.
 
Compression shorts

Dont know if you can use compression shorts on PT and yes, they would show.

But if you can get them by the intitial kit check, and seems 50/50 whether or not they are allowed depending which upperclass checks your kit, you will be very happy to have compression shorts as your inside thighs develop callous. Without them that can be rather painful.

Another item is "runners lube" which long distance runners use for areas of the body that chafe.
 
scoutpilot said:
And if your feet start growing green and black fungal spots, TELL YOUR SQUAD LEADER.

Yes, there is a back story to that.
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GREEN AND BLACK SPOTS???

This sounds good. Scoutpilot,you can't leave us hanging - please tell . And the more these "invincible" 18 year olds hear about actually needing to address minor health problems while they're still minor, the better.
 
mmb5 said:
GREEN AND BLACK SPOTS???

This sounds good. Scoutpilot,you can't leave us hanging - please tell . And the more these "invincible" 18 year olds hear about actually needing to address minor health problems while they're still minor, the better.
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Well, years ago when I was a Beast SL there was a kid in my platoon who, for reasons unknown to me, started growing this awful dermal infection/fungal thing on the soles of his feet. God as my witness, the bottom of his feet looked like leopard skin. Yellow and green with blackish spots. He finally complained when the smell and pain alarmed him too much. The medic was aghast and sent him straight to the TMC. I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it and smelled it. It was truly foul.

Again, if something is wrong TELL SOMEONE. More than one kid has been sent home from Beast to retry the next year after a crippling injury. You're not bulletproof.
 
GMRobertson said:
scout pilot - have a son entering firstie year swears by duct tape. he found out about it by noting that this is what rangers deploy. is that correct? have son two entering this r-day and has used duct tape as he broke in his boots..... seems bandaids and dr schol type of product works for an hour or so but then gives out

i am sure what we can agree on is immediately tend to your feet as soon as you feel slightest irritation and have dry socks to change into.
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A lot of crazy **** is credited to the Rangers. Often, the Rangers have no part in it whatsoever. It's one of those mythic words that lends credence to any remotely plausible idea people come up with. I can make anything sound like it's a high-speed idea by adding Ranger to it.

Have people in Ranger batts done that? Yes. They get in fights at Wet Willy's too. Not everything someone with a tab does is a good idea.

I'm simply saying that there are far better products. Duct tape doesn't breathe. I'm sure kp2001 can tell you what putting a non-breathable membrane on your skin and then introducing a few hours of moisture, heat, friction. Seeing your guys pull a few layers of waterlogged skin off with the tape is no fun. Moleskin exists for a reason. Barring that, breathable athletic tape is good too.

My $.02

Your mileage may vary
 
Last year, my son brought 3-4 pairs of black compression shorts -- he was allowed to wear them -- I think he made sure they didn't stick out from his pt shorts -- but w/o them he would have been pretty badly chafed -- if your cadre let you have them, then bring them -- worst case, they get left in your bag -- best case, you'll be glad to have them.

Also, my son did bring moleskin and was very happy to have it -- he had no real foot problems until marchback, when it rained ALL night and his feet were soaking wet before they even started...
 
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I've seen many different kinds of those shorts. I've seen some that are really short and no one sees them, even with the girls' short shorts :)shake:). I myself have a long pair that reaches my knees that I use for track, since I hate wearing track shorts (They're the really short ones from the 80s :shake:).

Actually, my friend had a pair down to his ankles.
 
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Just_A_Mom said:
Males and females - if you are taking prescription medication of any kind, bring it. Put it in a ziploc bag so you can find it. Do not bring tylenol, advil etc. If you hurt they want to know about it. No self-medicating during beast.
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I am rejuvenating this thread to follow up on Just_A_Mom and scoutpilot comments about use of medications during Beast and beyond. Understood that prescription drugs can and should be brought. And OTC drugs like Advil, Tylnol are not allowed.

But what about OTC drugs that a cadet has been directed to take by his/her doctor? Many drugs that were once prescription are now OTC (example, many antacids) and if a doctor has guided a candidate to use on a daily basis, how is that handled? Should the candidate ask his/her doctor for a prescription-equivalent to the OTC that they are taking? Or is there some way to get approval?

Thanks for any insights.
 
Stuff to pack

From a guy who went through BEAST this summer: I am going to simply comment on certain items from your list. I hope that this helps.

Compression shorts: Avoid any visible brands on these. They are strict about this.
Electric razor

Alarm clock - Battery operated for sure if you bring one, though I would not recommend it... Usually the cadre will not let cadets use these, as new cadets are required to wake up when told to wake up, not when they feel like it. ^_^
Mini Mag Light & extra batteries: Not as useful as a simple red-filtered flashlight
Headlamp w/red light option if possible: YES! This is really good, and the red light feature is key.

Postage stamps These would be really great to have
Sharpie Issued.
Disposable lighter Very, very useful
Chapstick Also very useful
Small roll of sand color duct tape Normal silver kind works too
Lengths of 550 parachute cord Very useful
Band aids, blister pads, moleskin, anti-friction gel
Gold Bond foot powder Not necessary; this is issued.
Fine grade sand paper I can't think of a use for this
Extra all-white crew socks Yep

Extra boot socks (military) Issued
Black socks for low quarters Issued
Thin, wicking sock liners for wear under dress socks and/or boot socks Unnecessary but could be useful
Running shoes Make sure that these get brought


Contacts: Bring these, though you won't be able to wear them
Pencils/Pens Extra pencils are a must... I was only issued one.

Travel receipts YES! You need these for a travel refund if you took a plane

Cash - less than $100 Bring $80 or so... You'll want money to buy random things you forgot at the cadet store
Credit Card Could be useful like cash
Above packed in 1 or 2 gallon ziploc bags - with the exception of boots/shoes Just bring a box of bags.
Pre-paid phone card Definitely not necessary. Cadre will let you call home with their room phone or cell phone. No pay phones used.
Cell phone???- bring on Acceptance Day???? Bring it along, and have it left with your civilian stuff. That way you can get at it the moment they let you.
 
TheDukeOfEarl said:
I am rejuvenating this thread to follow up on Just_A_Mom and scoutpilot comments about use of medications during Beast and beyond. Understood that prescription drugs can and should be brought. And OTC drugs like Advil, Tylnol are not allowed.

But what about OTC drugs that a cadet has been directed to take by his/her doctor? Many drugs that were once prescription are now OTC (example, many antacids) and if a doctor has guided a candidate to use on a daily basis, how is that handled? Should the candidate ask his/her doctor for a prescription-equivalent to the OTC that they are taking? Or is there some way to get approval?

Thanks for any insights.
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To be safe, I would ask for your doctor to get the prescription-equivalent if possible. The reason that they don't allow OTC's is they don't want new cadets self-medicating because if something is wrong, you SL will want to know about it. Depending on your CoC, they are generally very strict with this. If you have the prescription, there's no questions asked and your candidate will be able to keep them when they check for medications. It'll keep unnecessary attention from being targeted at your candidate.


That said, general note on OTC's, halfway through the summer for me, we asked our SL if we could grab Advil and he allowed us to at the C-Store as well as other OTC's that are there. We needed his permission though or we would not have been able to buy them and store them in the barracks. They checked our lockboxes at times so its a good idea to have someone's official approval before you try to get away with things. If you do need medication though, they will be able to get it for you. Ibuprofen was given to new cadets who needed it. They just want to be able to record who has what medication.
 
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