MitchWalk

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Good afternoon! I am a cadet candidate for the USMA Class of 2025’ and have been looking over some of the things that are on the recommended packing list for the USMA, and wanted some suggestions. West Point did request that I take an overnight visit sometime in either January or February, and I’d like to have some of these items figured out by then so I can budget/ make the purchases should I get an appointment (As well as ask more informed questions when I’m on campus).

- Is a personal IPad a good idea? Does the Academy’s WiFi work with it?
- Are cadets instructed to bring their own backpacks? If so, what models do you guys recommend? 5.11 tactical? If not, what model is issued out to the Cadets?
- What type of multi tool would you guys recommend? Any essential tools for Beast/everyday life?
- What type of boots should I purchase and break in? How are the approved Nike boots?
- Any special tips a prospective candidate should know to put themselves ahead?

Thank you for all your time!
 
I didn’t know they were allowing overnight visits again. Did they say we can schedule them? I just recently checked the website and it says cancelled till further notice.
 
Welcome, and good doing some research ahead of time. Make sure you ask your host lots of questions while you're there. Throwing out my opinion on your questions for what its worth:

1) iPad - ask your cadet. They were issuing them to some classes, but if you already owned one that was one of the specific approved models, you were able to bring a personal iPad assuming you went and got the proper software installed on it through Gold Coats. That said, this is dated info on my end so I would ask. I love having one to travel with, but I'm also a pilot and I can justify using it as part of my day job as well. You can definitely get around just fine using your laptop that will be issued.
2) Don't bring your own backpack until you see what's issued. If you choose to bring your own, it needs to be completely black and with no logos. The ones that are issued will follow uniform regulations, you can't opt out of receiving it so why waste the money getting a new one, and they're generally serviceable.
3) I had a Leatherman Skeletool through Beast and up until this past year when I broke it. Its smaller, fits on a belt well, and has everything you need. The only reason I didn't get another was they were out of stock when I broke my first, and now I have a Wave which I'm sure will last another decade.
4) Boots are really dependent on your feet. Try them on before you buy. Nike boots are comfortable, but they don't have the greatest ankle support so good for garrison, not as great for rucking around in the woods.
5) Just keep asking questions and working hard. Don't forget to enjoy your senior year. You only get one, and West Point, if that's where you end up will very much keep you occupied.
 
I didn’t know they were allowing overnight visits again. Did they say we can schedule them? I just recently checked the website and it says cancelled till further notice.
It was an invite-only invite. They said it will depend on the situation with COVID in those early months of 2021
 
Good afternoon! I am a cadet candidate for the USMA Class of 2025’ and have been looking over some of the things that are on the recommended packing list for the USMA, and wanted some suggestions. West Point did request that I take an overnight visit sometime in either January or February, and I’d like to have some of these items figured out by then so I can budget/ make the purchases should I get an appointment (As well as ask more informed questions when I’m on campus).

- Is a personal IPad a good idea? Does the Academy’s WiFi work with it?
- Are cadets instructed to bring their own backpacks? If so, what models do you guys recommend? 5.11 tactical? If not, what model is issued out to the Cadets?
- What type of multi tool would you guys recommend? Any essential tools for Beast/everyday life?
- What type of boots should I purchase and break in? How are the approved Nike boots?
- Any special tips a prospective candidate should know to put themselves ahead?

Thank you for all your time!
On the boot front, Garmont T-8. Just had a 12-mile road march today and my feet feel amazing.
 
I just received it in the mail. My regional-admissions commander said it was because they deemed me a highly competitive candidate
Do you mean like a Letter of Assurance b/c I know it mentioned that usually have overnight visits but due to COVID were not conducting them right now.
 
Do you mean like a Letter of Assurance b/c I know it mentioned that usually have overnight visits but due to COVID were not conducting them right now.
No it was not an LOA. My regional admissions commander said they sent an invite letter out to me because no one in my state qualified for an LOA so it was the next closest thing since I didn’t qualify but was close
 
Good afternoon! I am a cadet candidate for the USMA Class of 2025’ and have been looking over some of the things that are on the recommended packing list for the USMA, and wanted some suggestions. West Point did request that I take an overnight visit sometime in either January or February, and I’d like to have some of these items figured out by then so I can budget/ make the purchases should I get an appointment (As well as ask more informed questions when I’m on campus).

- Is a personal IPad a good idea? Does the Academy’s WiFi work with it?
- Are cadets instructed to bring their own backpacks? If so, what models do you guys recommend? 5.11 tactical? If not, what model is issued out to the Cadets?
- What type of multi tool would you guys recommend? Any essential tools for Beast/everyday life?
- What type of boots should I purchase and break in? How are the approved Nike boots?
- Any special tips a prospective candidate should know to put themselves ahead?

Thank you for all your time!

-I do not have an iPad nor do I think I will ever get one, I have yet to find a time where it would be useful for me
-No. We got North Face backpacks this year.
-I have a leatherman.
-Garmont T8 are the ones I think I have, work well
-Get in good shape. Enjoy having your hands uncupped.
 
Good afternoon! I am a cadet candidate for the USMA Class of 2025’ and have been looking over some of the things that are on the recommended packing list for the USMA, and wanted some suggestions. West Point did request that I take an overnight visit sometime in either January or February, and I’d like to have some of these items figured out by then so I can budget/ make the purchases should I get an appointment (As well as ask more informed questions when I’m on campus).

- Is a personal IPad a good idea? Does the Academy’s WiFi work with it?
- Are cadets instructed to bring their own backpacks? If so, what models do you guys recommend? 5.11 tactical? If not, what model is issued out to the Cadets?
- What type of multi tool would you guys recommend? Any essential tools for Beast/everyday life?
- What type of boots should I purchase and break in? How are the approved Nike boots?
- Any special tips a prospective candidate should know to put themselves ahead?

Thank you for all your time!

- I found a personal ipad useful. It was helpful when carrying around pdf files. super useful in completing those pdf reading assignments. You can underline, write notes (if you have the apple pen), and some STEM classes have solutions on pdf files so you can just have the ipad on one side while doing the homework assignment next to it. I highly recommend an ipad because i carried it more than I carried my laptop when going to class or the library. you'll also find that the laptops arent the best. besides the academic helpfulness of the ipads, many would recommend it for netflix or facetiming family/significant others. Once the academic year starts, they will teach you how to configure your ipad to work on the networks there

- they issue backpacks to plebes at the start of the academic year, but some people eventually buy their own from amazon, 5.11, etc. Has to be a black backpack with no excessive logos. But worrying about a backpack should be the least of your worries for now

- i had an old leatherman. you dont need any fancy tool. just get a multitool with a decent knife. dont need all those fancy seatbelt cutters, saws, etc. highly recommend foot powder. some bandaids/moleskin for blisters just in case

- dont remember which boots i had during beast, but throughout my time as a cadet, i found the rocky boots best for CLDT but rocky boots are super expensive, heavy, and can make your feet sweat a lot. like everyone else, i recommend the garmont t8 nfs because its lightweight and very comfortable. however, in my experience, i found that the soles of the garmont t8 nfs can get cut up easily

- enjoy senior year of high school and any break you have before beast. have fun but dont do anything dumb that could jeopardize your cadet career. go into beast with the mindset of being a team player. a lot of people were the top of their class in high school and will show up to WP trying to become the best of the best or a know-it-all. This can be bad because they are willing to do anything to make themselves look good. a lot of us who went straight after high school had that mentality, but i noticed that the prior service people were always humble and were team players. ex: if one person was dropped for push ups, the prior service people would drop too because we were all a team. eventually, the rest of the squad saw this example and everyone did push ups together. helps build camaraderie, teamwork, etc. get what im saying?
 
forgot to add this to the part of the ipad. ipad is useful because of the cloud storage too. whether you use icloud, google drive, or dropbox, its really nice to just share different files from your phone/computer/ipad to each other. now do i use my ipad after graduating and leaving? Not at all. The only people who i know use them are aviators because you fly with it. But boy oh boy, did the ipad make my life really convenient as a cadet
 
iPad is completely up to you. Class of 2024 we were issued laptop, additional monitor and printer. If you have to opt in(like previous classes) I would advise to do it! As for backpacks the issued ones vary every year but 2024 was issued northface and they are great. Knife blade needs to be 4 inches or smaller. So any tool with that works(personal favorite is Leatherman) boots( official advice is wait for boot memo) but garmonts are my personal favorite( do not go Nike unless you want an ankle sprain, they are good for the academic year but not for the field) enjoy your senior year! Enjoy your loved ones. Run! Run! And practice uphills because they suck. Practice the acft because you will do it and you are expected to do well.(gold standard for plebes, grey for yuks and cows, black for firsties) minimums are not the standard tho, push to hopefully one day max it.
 
- I found a personal ipad useful. It was helpful when carrying around pdf files. super useful in completing those pdf reading assignments. You can underline, write notes (if you have the apple pen), and some STEM classes have solutions on pdf files so you can just have the ipad on one side while doing the homework assignment next to it. I highly recommend an ipad because i carried it more than I carried my laptop when going to class or the library. you'll also find that the laptops arent the best. besides the academic helpfulness of the ipads, many would recommend it for netflix or facetiming family/significant others. Once the academic year starts, they will teach you how to configure your ipad to work on the networks there

- they issue backpacks to plebes at the start of the academic year, but some people eventually buy their own from amazon, 5.11, etc. Has to be a black backpack with no excessive logos. But worrying about a backpack should be the least of your worries for now

- i had an old leatherman. you dont need any fancy tool. just get a multitool with a decent knife. dont need all those fancy seatbelt cutters, saws, etc. highly recommend foot powder. some bandaids/moleskin for blisters just in case

- dont remember which boots i had during beast, but throughout my time as a cadet, i found the rocky boots best for CLDT but rocky boots are super expensive, heavy, and can make your feet sweat a lot. like everyone else, i recommend the garmont t8 nfs because its lightweight and very comfortable. however, in my experience, i found that the soles of the garmont t8 nfs can get cut up easily

- enjoy senior year of high school and any break you have before beast. have fun but dont do anything dumb that could jeopardize your cadet career. go into beast with the mindset of being a team player. a lot of people were the top of their class in high school and will show up to WP trying to become the best of the best or a know-it-all. This can be bad because they are willing to do anything to make themselves look good. a lot of us who went straight after high school had that mentality, but i noticed that the prior service people were always humble and were team players. ex: if one person was dropped for push ups, the prior service people would drop too because we were all a team. eventually, the rest of the squad saw this example and everyone did push ups together. helps build camaraderie, teamwork, etc. get what im saying?
You bet! Thanks!
 
No, I am an ROTC cadet and an LOA recipient for CO 2025
TB_Rays congratulations on the LOA!!! I know you were so close last year, I’m very happy for you! Maybe my DS will be luckier this coming year and you will be plebes together. DS is also an ROTC Cadet (actually a 3rd class midshipman) maybe this will be enough to push him across the finish line....🤞🤞🤞
 
Good afternoon! I am a cadet candidate for the USMA Class of 2025’ and have been looking over some of the things that are on the recommended packing list for the USMA, and wanted some suggestions. West Point did request that I take an overnight visit sometime in either January or February, and I’d like to have some of these items figured out by then so I can budget/ make the purchases should I get an appointment (As well as ask more informed questions when I’m on campus).

- Is a personal IPad a good idea? Does the Academy’s WiFi work with it?
- Are cadets instructed to bring their own backpacks? If so, what models do you guys recommend? 5.11 tactical? If not, what model is issued out to the Cadets?
- What type of multi tool would you guys recommend? Any essential tools for Beast/everyday life?
- What type of boots should I purchase and break in? How are the approved Nike boots?
- Any special tips a prospective candidate should know to put themselves ahead?

Thank you for all your time!
I do not believe Nike has been an approved boot on the boot memo at least in the last couple of years. Maybe try to get the boot memo from the class of 2024. My cadet tried both approved boots and went with the one she liked best. She did get a pair of the Nike later for her rucks on the sandhurst team but ended up going back to her beast boots because the nike did not have much ankle support.
Class of 2022 did not get an issued ipad but were given a list of approved ipads. She had us bring that to Aday, she prefers taking notes on the ipad rather than taking notes on her computer. The ipads do work on the academy's wifi.
If you want to bring your own backpack that is allowed, but must be all black and you have to cover any logos. Some used this to bring there stuff in on Rday while others waited to buy one later if they didnt like the issued ones. My cadet brought a duffle that converts to a backpack and has used it whenever taking a pass on the weekends. A lot of use before this year...covid. She used the issued backpack for a year before replacing it.
She took a cheap multitool to beast. They work fine and you can get a better quality leatherman later on when less likely to lose. I would also recommend looking for a headlamp with a red light option. If the red light has its own button even better.
Be prepared for a lot of rucking, and also push ups and pull ups. The first days of beast you will be in your low quarters shoes, get those well ahead and break them in! Be prepared to fail...you will. You might not be used to failing at anything but beast is going to change that.
Good luck, I dont think they will start overnights until the spring at the earliest.
 
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