Covers and Uniforms

[Midshipmanjosh]

I know this is going to sound stupid, but while at OCS, do you have to iron your everyday uniforms? Do you have to iron them for inspections? If so, how many irons is there in a squad bay?

Also, when it comes to covers, do the instructors care how you bend the brims (IE. triangular, curved, ect...)?

Last question: Is there tips that ya'll found out that would save a ton of time for the rest of us. Not in regards to inspections per se, but just other random stuff like doing laundry, ect.

Maybe those are just plain stupid questions....

 

[DocT]

The new MARPAT uniforms are no-iron. You will need irons for civvies for libo, but it's up to your platoon to bring those. I suggest no iron civvies so you aren't hanging out and worrying about irons when you could be hailing a cab.
Use the time you have during in-processing to really learn your candidate regs. It's the bible of OCS and the more you learn before pick-up the better off you are.

 

[ZGXtreme]

Yeah, you will have wash and wear cammies and the tan (coyote) no polish boots. You are lucky... with the woodlands and black boots you spent so much extra time pressing and spit shining it isn't even funny. Once done it looked awesome... but the lost sleep sucked.

One tip, when washing your cammies: with the woodlands we wash em hot, but the digis seem more fragile so you'll want to wash them on cold and maybe on delicate. It will keep them newer looking and shouldn't rip as soon. A common occurance in the crotch and especially the knees.

 

[Augustus]

geez, good to know... good to know.

 

[DocT]

ZGX brought back more memories. The laundry situation will be worked out by your candidate platoon staff. Fire watch should be switching out loads all night. You will always have clean cammies that way. PT gear will get washed everyday as well. Mark your trash! The laundry bags come untied and it's a free for all. After the combat course and the IMC you will have tons of debris in your cargo pockets...clean it out before you wash them or your washers/dryers will break and there's no telling when they'll be fixed or replaced.

The laundry pens you will purchase there are useless and will washout right away. Buy some sharpie rub-a-dub markers and you'll have no remarking issues. This will save you sleep. Keep your stencil in good shape! There were candidates who threw theirs away after they had marked their gear for the first time. You will need it almost daily for the duration to remark 782 gear etc.

Keep one set of cammies in your wall locker perfectly marked and unworn for inspection, also keep one of your covers for the same purpose. This saves eons of time.

During pick-up you will dump the entire contents of your seabag and your large and small bag issue on the deck. Try as best as you can to keep your trash in a pile so you you don't lose the neccesary gear you will be told to appear on line with during the first few weeks.

Oh, moonbeams are junk and yours will break/die or disappear when someone elses breaks. Perhaps bring a mini-mag or something with a red lens.

 

[Midshipmanjosh]

Awesome guys, it was little stuff like that that i was looking for.

Doc, what are moonbeams?

Also, any feedback on the cover bending question?

 

[skidkid]

Moonbeam-noun-A bit of Marine Jargon used only at OCS and Boot Camp see flashlight big stupid crook necked.
Go Fasters-noun- sneakers
Ink stick-silly but self explanatory

 

[DocT]

I don't remember any instruction on covers and bending the bills of your 8 point covers. Some guys always seemed to have nasty covers. Uniformity in your platoon is the key.

 

[ZGXtreme]

For inspection you may be able to go a size smaller then normal in a long length with the digis. I do this (small long) and they look tailored to me. Then for the field (I wear woodlands) but I wear my normal size so I don't stress the seams.

The cover for the digis should stay pretty presentable. So long as you aren't bending the bill in half. I just took some thick (I mean thick....) rubberbands and used them to curve the bill. Leave them on there for a while and it will match your head. Also, with the bill curved it will also in a way add some tension to the fabric comprising the top of the cover and make it more tense... thus looking like it is stiff and formed when it isn't. (Starch mucks with these [as I described earlier, fragile...] digitals.

Instead of a Mini-Mag, try and find a small LED (red or red lense) that runs on AA batteries. Won't have to change the battery til the end of TBS if not longer using an LED!

 

[KBayDog]

I suggest no iron civvies so you aren't hanging out and worrying about irons when you could be hailing a cab.

Good call. Irons are black gold at OCS.

Also, if you can swing it, here's an option that worked well for me:

Go to Goodwill and pick up an old (but presentable) set of civvies to wear for check-in, and pack a "good" set of libo civvies.

You will be wearing your civvie pants for a few days prior to picking up with your staff, and they will get pretty funky. At the very least, they will reek from the Quantico heat, and could possibly get stained/marked up. I wore my goodwill set for check in, and just threw them away after check in was complete. Come libo time, I had a nice, clean set to wear.

Remember, the platoon staff may not let you go on libo if your civvies look like crap. Is it worth the risk?

p.s. - OCS is not a fashion show. Even though you are not in "uniform" on libo, you are basically in "uniform." Everyone knows who the bald guys wearing khakis and polo shirts on Saturday nights are between Fredricksburg and D.C.

 

[DocT]

two sets of civvies: definitely. I would recommend comfy civilian shoes. Your feet won't be in good shape and if your dress shoes are painful it will suck. The walk to Q-Town and Little Hall is pretty far in uncomfortable shoes.

Bring your cell phone! Otherwise you are waiting for the payphones on Brown Field and there's only about 6 as I recall, not all them functional. You will be required to keep it in the civilian gear locker, but it's a must have come libo.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Utilities are so easy now. I just got another set in the mail the other day, had the tailor throw the nametapes on, and I IP'd them and hung em in my closet.

No more elaborate ironing schemes to make cammies that stand up on their own. No more intricate cover-bending devices (I know someone else had to have had the brasso can with the ruler taped to it, and the boot bands to hold the cover in place ). There aren't any little tricks for these new cammies either, like the fishing line trick, or getting a tailor to take off the buttons and sew down all the pockets, etc...

 

[KBayDog]

Wait - so the Corps finally found a way to save Marines both time and money?

BRILLIANT!

 

[HueyCobra8151]

Yeah, but now you can't tell if a Marine is a $hit bag or not by looking at his creases

haha

 

[KBayDog]

Yeah, but now you can't tell if a Marine is a $hit bag or not by looking at his creases

haha

So now we have to tell if he's a bag based on his performance, not just on his appearance?