All Things Beast Barracks

newcadet2027

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Joined
Jan 15, 2023
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Hey everyone! Incoming class of 2027 here. I wanted to ask any current or graduated cadets (or really anyone with information) about any and all advice for R-Day and Beast Barracks. I have seen miscellaneous advice throughout the forums but I thought it would be a great resource for myself and others to have everything in one thread. That leads me to my list of many questions, although, I would enjoy any info regardless of whether it corresponds to my questions or not.
  • What do you wish you had known before going to beast?
  • What is something you wish you had brought to beast or something you did bring that proved to be very useful?
  • What is the worst part of beast?
  • What is the best part of beast?
  • How do you get through really tough days?
  • Is there something you wish you had done to prepare before beast? Or did you do something to prepare that made things easier?
  • What does the average day look like in the first half of beast? The second?
I'm sure I have more questions, but at the current moment, those are the big ones. Any and all advice is appreciated. Other class of '27 appointees feel free to ask if away as well. Thanks so much! GO ARMY AND GO CLASS OF 2027!!
 
Others will be able to provide more personal specifics, but I can offer the following based on what my cadet conveyed to me. 1) don't spend your time over-thinking it, you will be told what to do. 2) Best/worst part of beast is an individual thing. You may find things easier/more difficult than your peers. The key is that you support one another. 3) Remember that it will end, then Re-Orgy week happens and Beast becomes a distant memory. 4) Be healthy and well rested before beast. 5) additional underwear is a good thing.

...and 6) and most important, bring a positive attitude!

Congrats and best of luck.
 
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I am sure more current cadets and grads will weigh in on your questions. My personal experience is probably a little dated. I will answer a couple of your questions. The best way to get through the tough days is to lean on your peers. You are all in this together, so you need to learn to support one another. Also, take your opportunities to write home or to a girlfriend or someone you want to write to and encourage them to write back. Reading stuff from home is good for the soul.

Do not overpack. There is a natural tendency to bring far more stuff than you will actually need to Beast. My wife (the mom) bought all kinds of junk for my son to carry because "the moms" all recommended it. I am a graduate, yet when I said "he doesn't need that" I got overruled. Go figure.

Last piece of advice - DO NOT QUIT DURING BEAST! Beast is not like any other part of West Point. Do not base your beliefs of what being at West Point will be like on the experience at Beast. Get to the academic year before you consider such a difficult decision.
 
Hey! Class of 2026 plebe here. I bet that other people on this forum will offer you plenty of advice on your questions as well, but I figured that I'd throw in my two cents for a few questions.
  • What is something you wish you had brought to beast or something you did bring that proved to be very useful?
    • Something that I did bring, and really debated on skipping all together, was duct tape. I remember seeing a post on here about someone saying that duct tape was one of the things they used on a daily basis, and I 100% agree! It was incredibly helpful when I taped up my ruck, and I shared with a lot of people so I nearly went through an entire roll throughout Beast. Something I did wish I brought more of though was baby wipes. You'll use a LOT of baby wipes when cleaning your rifle, so make sure to bring some with you when you go in the field. It's also useful for staying clean in general in the field and cleaning your room when you do a mock SAMI inspection. Make up wipes are helpful too for taking off face paint, although regular baby wipes work as well. You'll also go to the C-store on campus sometime in the middle of Beast so don't worry about needing enough for the entire 6 weeks.
  • How do you get through really tough days?
    • My roommates really helped. We did our best to be open and learned fast that helping each other out, even in small ways, could make a bad day seem far better. I also don't know if this is something that varies with company or not, but visiting other people's rooms in your hallway is a great way to meet new people and bond! We also had "Knowledge parties" where we helped each other study knowledge.
  • Is there something you wish you had done to prepare before beast? Or did you do something to prepare that made things easier?
    • Definitely wished that I broke in my shoes more! I had a lot of difficulty finding a pair of low quarters that fit and ended up deciding on a pair less than a week before R-day. Overall, I think my Beast experience would have been a bit less stressful if I wasn't always worried about blisters or breaking my shoes in during those first few weeks. But nearly every one I knew at Beast had shoe discomfort at one point or another (likely because most of us were not used to all the marching and standing we were doing).
  • What does the average day look like in the first half of beast? The second?
    • Days varied depending on whether we were in the field or attending briefs/activities on post. We did wake up at the same time every day (04:50ish, aside from a few days where we woke up earlier) and did PT every morning on The Plain. Meal times were consistent as well, with breakfast after PT, lunch, and dinner in the evening.
      Me and many of my Beast platoon mates personally found the second day of Beast to be the most challenging, as that was when we received all of our issued items and experienced for the first time what it was like to study knowledge for hours on end and go through the day without talking outside of our rooms. For me, the second day was really when everything "clicked" and I truly started to realize what Beast truly was about.
Feel free to PM as well if you like! I hope this helps.
 
Hey everyone! Incoming class of 2027 here. I wanted to ask any current or graduated cadets (or really anyone with information) about any and all advice for R-Day and Beast Barracks. I have seen miscellaneous advice throughout the forums but I thought it would be a great resource for myself and others to have everything in one thread. That leads me to my list of many questions, although, I would enjoy any info regardless of whether it corresponds to my questions or not.
  • What do you wish you had known before going to beast?
  • What is something you wish you had brought to beast or something you did bring that proved to be very useful?
  • What is the worst part of beast?
  • What is the best part of beast?
  • How do you get through really tough days?
  • Is there something you wish you had done to prepare before beast? Or did you do something to prepare that made things easier?
  • What does the average day look like in the first half of beast? The second?
I'm sure I have more questions, but at the current moment, those are the big ones. Any and all advice is appreciated. Other class of '27 appointees feel free to ask if away as well. Thanks so much! GO ARMY AND GO CLASS OF 2027!!
C/O 2026 plebe here as well. My classmate above gave great advice, so I'll also add:
1. Do not take yourself too seriously and try to have fun where you can. Avoid gaining the attention of cadre and just do what you're told. Ultimately, the cadre training you are also learning and in many ways just as nervous as you are as they learn to be leaders.
2. I would purchase only black socks since you can use them with every type of uniform during the academic year, rather than green boot socks that you only wear with ACUs. Aside from that, seriously do NOT overpack. I packed lighter and found that I had more than enough stuff. 550 cord, a lighter, duct tape, and plenty of toiletries are useful.
3. Standing for hours and hours reading knowledge, especially in the outdoors going through issue points. This is why the first week of beast is the toughest in my opinion.
4. Getting to meet your future classmates. I mean seriously, do not make enemies or be a jerk during beast. You'll endure sucky times and laugh about it later with people that will be in your company, classes, etc. Make good connections and try to socialize when you have free time during beast. Also, Lake Frederick is a lot of fun. You'll get to act semi-normal again and to meet your otherclassmates from other beast companies.
5. Meal by meal. I know this has been said before and with good reason. Avoid thinking too far ahead and focus on the next objective at a time.
6. Work on back, legs, and shoulder strength. And be able to run too. If you do this, beast should be much easier physically during the rucks and group runs.
7. 1st half of beast is mostly on post with routine days like was stated above. The only caveat I will add is when you go to the field, which you spend roughly around half of second detail. You don't do PT in the field and wakeups vary but still early. Also, more downtime 2nd half since you'll be in the field, allowing you to talk more to platoonmates.

Good luck!
 
Hey! Class of 2026 plebe here. I bet that other people on this forum will offer you plenty of advice on your questions as well, but I figured that I'd throw in my two cents for a few questions.
  • What is something you wish you had brought to beast or something you did bring that proved to be very useful?
    • Something that I did bring, and really debated on skipping all together, was duct tape. I remember seeing a post on here about someone saying that duct tape was one of the things they used on a daily basis, and I 100% agree! It was incredibly helpful when I taped up my ruck, and I shared with a lot of people so I nearly went through an entire roll throughout Beast. Something I did wish I brought more of though was baby wipes. You'll use a LOT of baby wipes when cleaning your rifle, so make sure to bring some with you when you go in the field. It's also useful for staying clean in general in the field and cleaning your room when you do a mock SAMI inspection. Make up wipes are helpful too for taking off face paint, although regular baby wipes work as well. You'll also go to the C-store on campus sometime in the middle of Beast so don't worry about needing enough for the entire 6 weeks.
  • How do you get through really tough days?
    • My roommates really helped. We did our best to be open and learned fast that helping each other out, even in small ways, could make a bad day seem far better. I also don't know if this is something that varies with company or not, but visiting other people's rooms in your hallway is a great way to meet new people and bond! We also had "Knowledge parties" where we helped each other study knowledge.
  • Is there something you wish you had done to prepare before beast? Or did you do something to prepare that made things easier?
    • Definitely wished that I broke in my shoes more! I had a lot of difficulty finding a pair of low quarters that fit and ended up deciding on a pair less than a week before R-day. Overall, I think my Beast experience would have been a bit less stressful if I wasn't always worried about blisters or breaking my shoes in during those first few weeks. But nearly every one I knew at Beast had shoe discomfort at one point or another (likely because most of us were not used to all the marching and standing we were doing).
  • What does the average day look like in the first half of beast? The second?
    • Days varied depending on whether we were in the field or attending briefs/activities on post. We did wake up at the same time every day (04:50ish, aside from a few days where we woke up earlier) and did PT every morning on The Plain. Meal times were consistent as well, with breakfast after PT, lunch, and dinner in the evening.
      Me and many of my Beast platoon mates personally found the second day of Beast to be the most challenging, as that was when we received all of our issued items and experienced for the first time what it was like to study knowledge for hours on end and go through the day without talking outside of our rooms. For me, the second day was really when everything "clicked" and I truly started to realize what Beast truly was about.
Feel free to PM as well if you like! I hope this helps.
Super helpful! Greatly appreciate you and everyone else taking time to answer my questions. Can you elaborate more on realizing "what Beast was truly about"? Did you find it easier to get through things when you could see what the point was? Thank you!
 
Super helpful! Greatly appreciate you and everyone else taking time to answer my questions. Can you elaborate more on realizing "what Beast was truly about"? Did you find it easier to get through things when you could see what the point was? Thank you!

Sure!
I mainly just realized how while Beast and R-day were what I was expecting on the surface level (running/exercise, people yelling at you, NY humidity), there was also a whole deeper level to it that I hadn't initially expected. On the first day, we were told that our fellow New Cadets were "battle buddies", and I can remember thinking it was over exaggerated at first (Point noting that for reference, I'm the first person in my immediate family to do anything military-related so I was truly walking into my experience not entirely sure what to expect from it) but later realized that the cadre had a point when they told us how much we'd have to depend on each other. I suppose it was less of a realization and more of a better understanding of what the cadre were trying to teach us than anything.
 
Make sure you don't pack too much. When I arrived with a large bag last year, transitioning my stuff to the new bag was a nightmare. I ended up being forced to leave essentials in my civilian bag that I couldn't get access to until much later.

Make sure to remind yourself that Beast is a learning experience for the cadre too. They're gonna mess with you and make you do stuff that seems super dumb, both to amuse themselves and to strengthen you. There will be times where you can connect with them on a personal level, but make sure you know how to "flip the switch" and remember your place.

START LEARNING PLEBE KNOWLEDGE NOW! The knowledge book is arguably the worst part of Beast. You will need to have the whole book memorized front to back by the end of it.
 
Make sure you don't pack too much. When I arrived with a large bag last year, transitioning my stuff to the new bag was a nightmare. I ended up being forced to leave essentials in my civilian bag that I couldn't get access to until much later.

Make sure to remind yourself that Beast is a learning experience for the cadre too. They're gonna mess with you and make you do stuff that seems super dumb, both to amuse themselves and to strengthen you. There will be times where you can connect with them on a personal level, but make sure you know how to "flip the switch" and remember your place.

START LEARNING PLEBE KNOWLEDGE NOW! The knowledge book is arguably the worst part of Beast. You will need to have the whole book memorized front to back by the end of it.
Super helpful thank you!

Any potential CO 27 appointees, on westpoint.org there is a digital Bugle Notes: https://www.west-point.org/academy/malo-wa/inspirations/buglenotes.html

I have heard others say that Schofield's Definition of Discipline is the most commonly requested piece of knowledge. Would you say thats accurate or did you notice any trends where some knowledge was requested more than others?
 
What is the knowledge book? Where can I get it for my cadet candidate? Is it @newcadet2027's digital bugle Notes link above, or is that something additional to memorize?
 
What do you wish you had known before going to beast?

Everyone here comes here for different reasons. It may seem obvious, but there is a wide range of people here. I'm very Army-strong, not everyone in my company was. Some people were here for the money, for the free college, and some people aren't super patriotic. Be ready to deal with a lot of different cultures.

Also, how hot it is in NY during the summer. Be ready to deal with VERY high heat while doing a lot of very physical activities.
  • What is something you wish you had brought to beast or something you did bring that proved to be very useful?
A good pair of Mechanix gloves. They'll issue you some but they aren't as good as the third-party alternatives. I had some but they weren't in the right color so I wasn't allowed to wear them. Get a good pair. Here's an example of an acceptable type: https://www.mechanix.com/us-en/tact...color=coyote&cgid=tactical-and-defense-gloves

A **** ton of duct tape too. Don't buy a bigass roll as it takes up a lot of space. RediTape makes some pocket-size duct tape packets that fit inside a magazine pouch with your mags. Each has about 5 yards, buy six or so in olive. Hella useful, everyone will want some in the field. https://www.amazon.com/RediTape-Poc...argid=pla-942404452982&psc=1&region_id=373786
  • What is the worst part of beast?
Land nav. Getting to wander around in the woods alone. Also CLS (combat lifesaving). But it's very subjective, everyone will love/hate different things.
  • What is the best part of beast?
Not being able to talk/interact with my peers most of the time. It's very frustrating and I still think it's a poor policy that discourages teamwork and team building. If you're an introvert, you'll be fine. But get ready if you're an extrovert.
  • How do you get through really tough days?
Photos of family, letters too. I wrote a lot during BEAST and got letters nearly every day. If you are religious, see if you can get a religious book. I know the protestant chapel has small NTs for pickup.
  • Is there something you wish you had done to prepare before beast? Or did you do something to prepare that made things easier?
I knew all the drill and ceremony, how to rappel, how to handle a firearm, all military etiquette, as well as land navigation before BEAST. It certainly gave me a head start, but everyone is on equal footing eventually.
  • What does the average day look like in the first half of beast? The second?
Depends less on the 1/2 and more on the week. First two weeks are death by powerpoint followed by marksmanship. A lot of standing around, a lot of being quiet, a lot of dealing with admin and issue points. Second half is a lot more field work and working knowledge, and is much less strict than CBT1.
 
What is the knowledge book? Where can I get it for my cadet candidate? Is it @newcadet2027's digital bugle Notes link above, or is that something additional to memorize?
Don't bother memorizing anything. They say you need to beforehand. You don't. They'll give you a hard time but the reality of the situation is nobody knows it coming into BEAST, and very few people retain a lot of it going out.
 
I think five people already said it, but don’t bring too much stuff. I was one of the moms who told my son he should bring every single item on the list of recommended items for R Day. He later said he should have brought less stuff because they give you everything you need.
But I will say he definitely appreciated the nice boots we got for him, and he definitely benefited from all the nice underwear and socks (except not really all the white socks) that I made him pack. I once heard someone mention something about people saying the standard issue underwear was good for shining shoes. :)
 
Put everything you take to R-Day in a bag with one compartment! You will be glad you did when you have 60-90 seconds to transfer ever into your issued bag. My son had a beautifully organized pack with lots of compartments and he couldn’t get stuff out quickly enough. His brother, who will report this year has learned from big brother’s lessons. We did send DS #1 several “re-supply” packages with additional socks and underwear. New Cadets can receive packages, as long as contents are part of approved gear or essential items.
 
Super helpful thank you!

Any potential CO 27 appointees, on westpoint.org there is a digital Bugle Notes: https://www.west-point.org/academy/malo-wa/inspirations/buglenotes.html

I have heard others say that Schofield's Definition of Discipline is the most commonly requested piece of knowledge. Would you say thats accurate or did you notice any trends where some knowledge was requested more than others?
Schofields definition of discipline arguably was the root of the worst smoke sessions of beast, mainly because it was requested frequently, but also because many found it very difficult and long to memorize. Learn it now if you can, or at the very least don’t be the guy that slacks on knowledge and causes the platoon to get smoked for 2.5 hours, happened several times.
 
I would say studying knowledge isn't that bad so long as you stay on top of it and don't fall behind. I didn't study any knowledge beforehand and was still able to pass it all off. Most companies during Beast had "due dates" where if you didn't have a certain week of knowledge passed off by a certain date, then you'd cause your platoon to get smoked like TX_USA mentioned above. You will get plenty of time to study it, and will most likely be able to ask your Squad Leader to pass off knowledge during free time if they let you. Just make sure to actively memorize it when you get the chance to.

The Bugle Notes seem incredibly daunting but I promise you that it won't be impossible to memorize, especially when you're forced to study it for hours each day.
 
My son packed all of his R-day supplies in 4 - 2 gallon Ziploc bags, made for very easy transfer during the 60-90 second bag transfer time. Camping supply stores or online sell larger bathing wipes - he said that being able to clean up a bit before going to sleep each night in the field is a huge plus.

He said if he could have done something different, he would have researched BEAST more to have a better grasp on expectations/schedule/etc. past day R-day.

Be kind and patient with your squad mates, at some points they will literally pick you up and carry/drag you if needed - my son was the recipient of this help and he also was able to give this help.

And lastly, write your family and call them when you can - they will be rooting for you and thinking about you and praying for you more than you can imagine!
 
Please don't study knowledge before showing up to CBT. Enjoy your time at home. I promise you will have plenty, plenty of time to stare at a knowledge book during Beast. -- Beast cadre last summer
Adding to this point - the upper class cadets will not be amused or appreciate it if you try to be the "smart" person and get ahead on learning your knowledge. You don't want to be that person because it likely will have the opposite effect of what you think. Trying to learn it ahead it preparing to become a "spotlight Ranger." You will learn what that is one day and you don't want to be that person.

The two most important items to bring are a good pair of boots and a good pair of running shoes because you will spend a lot of time on your feet. Also take a little time to break in some dress shoes as well.
 
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