What were your top 3 favorite things from Beast?
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chalktherock
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Hi and congratulations! For the must needed things to bring to BEAST— only bring enough toiletries (soap, hair products, etc.) to last about 3-4 weeks. You will get to go to the C-store around the beginning of the fourth week of BEAST. I wish I knew that, because I brought way too much baby wipes and soap. Bring 1-2 baby wipe packs (for the field) , and buy the rest at the C-Store. Also, bring your debit card/cash because you will need money to purchase items at the C-store and for Lake Fredrick (week 5).
Other items to bring to BEAST…I recommend a compact mirror with a brush for the field. I was thankful to have that and the other girls in my platoon were happy to borrow it too haha. The mirror also helps when putting on camo paint.
A pen with multiple ink colors helps for land nav—black pen/pencil is sometimes hard to see on the map. Also plastic bags with the slider zippers are really helpful for keeping your stuff dry in the field!
As for clothing, bring about 7 pairs of boot socks (preferably black color to also use as dress socks), 7 pairs of underwear and bras, and 7-10 pairs of white athletic long socks (no logos visible with shoes on). Personally, I never used the issued boot and dress socks unless I had to. If you run out of your personal socks during BEAST, just wear double boot socks so you won’t get blisters. Laundry for our platoon was done 2-3 times during BEAST.
I’ll update this if I think of anymore tips, but hope this helps!
chalktherock
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It requires a minimum of 2 miles in 15 minutes because they want you to be prepared for the ACFT (Army Combat Fitness test). Training with that standard in mind helped me to max out my ACFT 2 mile in 15 minutes. Males have a slightly lower time for the maximum score— you can look it up to see.
chalktherock
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I would bring some hydrogen peroxide or some soap to wash out canteens/camelbaks. A lot of people in my platoon got sick from moldy canteens/camelbaks because they never washed them out periodically. Also hand sanitizer! New cadets in my platoon got pink eye and hand sanitizer was going around like crazy.
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Thank you so much!! That's extremely helpful and I'll keep it in mind coming up.
Also, I read somewhere that women's underwear needs to follow specific color requirements. What has been your experience there?
Thanks again!
Drew_Chop3
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What leadership extracurriculars did you have besides clubs?
chalktherock
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Just don’t bring brightly colored underwear like red or blue. During my BEAST they didn’t check the color of bras nor underwear. In general I would bring bras/underwear that are darker in color. Honestly imo that rule is mostly for tactical and uniform regulation purposes.
chalktherock
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I was the second earliest report time (6am). I arrived around 0545, so I was sleeping before that haha. When I first found out that I was in the 6am group, I was bummed because I thought I was going to miss valuable sleep but trust me, you want an earlier time. You will get an extra 2-3 hours just sitting in your room waiting for the rest of the groups with later times to finish in-processing. It‘s a good time to relax (not nap though), write letters, and mentally prepare yourself for what’s to come. However, if you are a later reporting time, make sure to get there 30-45 min earlier, as the line of cars/parking lot gets really crowded. Just get as much sleep as possible before that.
Most cadet candidates can’t sleep anyways the night before R day, so the early wake up isn’t too bad. Thankfully I got a full night sleep the night before R day because I pulled an all nighter the day before (which was strategic).
In terms of how early I arrived before R day, I came there about a week and a half before to train in the humid climate (I’m from the West Coast). Yes, my family made a vacation out of it, and I definitely recommend y’all to do that if you can. New York City was amazing and it was my first time on the East Coast. Just make sure you’re balancing the fun and physical training.
Try to pack as light as possible. You will probably need much less than you think you need. I say this because they give you like 1 minute to move everything from your bag to your issued flight bag. The flight bag is already full with a ton of issued items so you do not have a ton of space. If you can't transfer everything you will most likely lose the stuff you don't move in time so be fast lol
Portal
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chalktherock
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1. Gas Chamber
I know this is one of the most talked about BEAST events (with plenty of videos on the internet) but personally it was so fun. The cadre know that new cadets are nervous so they try to hype us up. Once you get out of the gas chamber it’ll suck a bit, but after everyone will be laughing about it and it’ll be a great time. Personally, I volunteered to go twice, but don’t do that unless you want to do countless jump squats without the gas mask until you can’t breathe
2. The People
Both the new cadets and the cadre were the coolest people I got to know for sure. You create really tight bonds with your battle buddies and especially your roommates (my BEAST roommate and I are best friends now). One tip I can give to all the CC’s going into BEAST this summer is to be there for your fellow new cadets/roommates. It’s going to be a bit strange at first meeting different people from all over the country and world, but learn from them and help each out out. If you have differences, resolve them right then and there because there’s no time for that. You need to be able to rely on them 100%. As for the cadre, yes, they will yell and scream and make you do pushups, but there are times you can truly learn from your cadre’s leadership style and they will (perhaps) give you tips for the academic year if you ask nicely. The cadre are there to discipline you so you are squared away for the rest of your West Point journey and beyond.
3. The Scenery
During my BEAST, I was honestly super grateful to be there despite the environment of basic training. When you‘re able to look around, just make sure to remind yourself why you’re there. So many young people from all over the country (and world) have a dream to go to USMA, and you are the lucky bunch who get a chance to prove yourselves worthy of attending. The scenery of West Point is amazing and quite honestly is unparalleled in my opinion. Yes, it‘s going to rain cats and dogs sometimes with thunder booming overhead while you’re training. But it’s still your home for the next 4 years, so remember to take joy in the little things!
chalktherock
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Yes, I forgot to mention that the flight back already has issued items in it. Unfortunately that was my problem that I didn’t account for. I estimated the size of the flight bag when packing, and then did not realize that the bag space was 25% full once I started putting my stuff in. I had to leave important items behind in my personal bag, so make sure to pack as light as possible and put your items in plastic bags so it‘s easier to transfer to your issued bag. Girls, I know we like to pack a lot of personal hygiene/toiletry items, but pack enough and get the rest of your stuff at the C-store. Your roommates will probably have enough to share as well.
chalktherock
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Portal as well.
Perfect! Thanks for the details!
My DS packed underwear and socks in large clear Ziploc bags so the transfer went quickly. As Sonar said, you have to think about how to make that process quick to lower stress.
How much food do you get at beast and is it all MRE’s?
chalktherock
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We get a decent amount of food, depending on if you’re a big eater or not. No, it’s no all MREs.
On the days we are in the barracks (garrison environment) we go to the mess hall 3 times a day. There is enough food to go around usually, unless your battle buddy decides to take two pieces of chicken and you’re left without one lol. If you’re a D1 athlete that requires heavy eating, you’ll sit at the “heavy table” instead of at a regular table with your squad. Otherwise, just hope your squad mates are considerate when taking portions of food.
In the field (outside of garrison), you’ll eat MREs usually. In all honesty, you’re going to be hungry despite eating the MREs. Usually cadre will give you snacks in the field to compensate for all those calories burned between meals.