Updated list of things to bring?

[Tycho_Brohe]

Thanks for the info. Question...is it 4 NWU sets that will be issued?

We got 3 sets.
I still don't know why they give them to everyone; pilots and FO's will pretty much never wear them again (unless you get stashed), CEC wears the Type III's for the most part, I think sub guys wear coveralls, etc. Obviously everyone needs them for OCS, but still.

 

[yakboyslim]

We got 3 sets.
I still don't know why they give them to everyone; pilots and FO's will pretty much never wear them again (unless you get stashed), CEC wears the Type III's for the most part, I think sub guys wear coveralls, etc. Obviously everyone needs them for OCS, but still.

I gave all 3 of mine to the thrift shop. They were the wrong size. I am a medium or large tall, and was "issued" XL/short. Which brings up a good point - uniform buying is done during a phase where you are still pretty robotic, but when it boils down you are BUYING CLOTHES, so do so like you normally would, not like an officer candidate would.

I just bought a new proper size set 6 months ago. Never even wore an NWU with Ensign bars on it. Which reminds me, I have to pick up my still-gigantic-and-short parka from getting a nametape sewn on it. Owned it long enough that uniform regs changed before I ever used it outside OCS.

 

[Spekkio]

We got 3 sets. I still don't know why they give them to everyone; pilots and FO's will pretty much never wear them again (unless you get stashed), CEC wears the Type III's for the most part, I think sub guys wear coveralls, etc. Obviously everyone needs them for OCS, but still.

Submariners wear coveralls underway, but the NWU is supposed to be the 'principal working uniform ashore.' That's why they're issued to everyone, even if some communities choose to wear other working uniforms in port like flight suits. Strange that you are only issued 3 sets when you are supposed to have 4, though. And if for whatever reason you suddenly find yourself having to wear NWUs on some odd occassion, you have them.

Which brings up a good point - uniform buying is done during a phase where you are still pretty robotic, but when it boils down you are BUYING CLOTHES, so do so like you normally would, not like an officer candidate would.

This. Also, the recommended sizing charts for NWUs if you know your body measurements are incorrect, at least for me.

 

[Spekkio]

Oh, as for the shoes question: I brought one pair of running shoes and they lasted just fine. If you want to bring a second in case your shoes get all wet and nasty and need to dry out, you can do that.

I did buy a cheap second pair from the NEX to display during RLP, despite the fact our DI said not to. I don't really remember but I think they didn't even look at anyone's sneakers.

 

[Dangy]

Doesn't help when the NWUs are flammable too, so woohoo for pilots and flight officers!

I will most likely bring two pairs. Because the shoes I'll be coming in with one broken in, and the second pair, not for RLP but when the DI hates me so much for not reaching the standards of athleticism, and drills me to death where my shoes break before me.

 

[Spekkio]

Doesn't help when the NWUs are flammable too, so woohoo for pilots and flight officers!

They perform just fine in a fire. If you're in a situation where your NWUs are in flames, you probably weren't going to make it anyway. There are a lot of equipment items that didn't work as well as the Navy thought, such as the Bates boots melting to the deck and getting 2nd degree burns through the FFE flash hood because water evaporates then condensates and drips, but no NWUs lit on fire.

 

[Dangy]

They perform just fine in a fire. If you're in a situation where your NWUs are in flames, you probably weren't going to make it anyway. There are a lot of equipment items that didn't work as well as the Navy thought, such as the Bates boots melting to the deck and getting 2nd degree burns through the FFE flash hood because water evaporates then condensates and drips, but no NWUs lit on fire.

I definitely agree with you about military equipment not working as well as they though. I read a couple of articles regarding the NWUs fire test.

http://gizmodo.com/navy-work-uniforms-burn-like-paper-so-sailors-will-get-510683575

 

[Eric Pro]

Couldn't find anything recent (past 5 years) about things people WISH they has brought to OCS. Any comments or recommendations would be helpful. I couldn't find any up to date information except on ocs.navy.mil. If you have any other links or information it would be greatly appreciated.

Side note: what's the rule on chapstick?

Thanks!

 

[yakboyslim]

I went to OCS in 2011 so anything is up for change since then.

I took a lot of stuff. A lot more than I needed to as we had a lot better access to the NEX than we thought. Things I remember wishing I had brought was the stuff I actually had my wife send me, and it's all personal preference stuff that you can't buy at the NEX. I don't like Kiwi shoe shine, I like Lincoln brand stuff (someone at OCS had a tin and let me try, it is a lot better) and the aforementioned Fox River socks.

Anything else you can pretty much buy while you're there and you might be able to share with others. Cleaning supplies you pretty much have to buy there. But if you have these things, then I would bring them: cuticle scissors, clear nail polish, super glue. It really doesn't take as much as people build it up. You will also need slightly more than 7 pairs of underwear and socks, at least at first laundry does not run smoothly.

Things I bought there that I am glad I did: Extra boot socks, extra shirts, extra towel, extra shower bag, extra set of sweats (for sleeping in winter, new building might be better)

Things I bought that I regret (or that others bought):
- So many white crew socks. So many.
- Books. It is tempting because a lot of OCS is crushingly boring, but there are free books floating around there. Now I have like 3 "how to be an officer" books that I read most of on watch and will probably never read again.
- Iron/ironing board. If it hasn't changed there are piles of these floating around. They are all busted up, but what is your new $50 iron the first time you let someone else use it, or someone bumps you in the hall? Equally busted.
- Vitamins. Maybe just our class, but when class team let us we all went crazy for buying vitamins.
- Any expensive item, just for RLP. Buying an extra pair of pricey boots or shoes you won't wear again, just for RLP is dumb. You are not going to fail because you have worn an item, you will fail if it is apparent you didn't put in the time and attention (or the mood strikes to fail you, depends on the day)
- So many PT uniforms. I don't know how many were issued. But I have worn the official PT uniform only a few times since OCS (YMMV, that depends on command, community, how you PT, etc...) but I have a whole drawer of them that I came back from OCS with.

This is all my experience, from 2011, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[Eric Pro]

Thanks for the information!

 

[LFCFan]

The uniform shop ladies mostly gave me PT gear and undershirts (both white and navy blue) that are a bit too big. Look out for that.

The biggest thing I'll echo is that you will have way more NEX access than you'd expect. I would recommend more underwear. The laundry situation has improved a lot (I lived in both the old and new building), but you can never have too much underwear.

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

but you can never have too much underwear.

but don't go overboard on undershirts. I bought a ton of white undershirts, and then I found out they were pretty much useless once I started wearing the flight suit.

Also, I've said it before, I'll say it again. $30 wristwatch with an alarm function. Either a Timex Ironman from Amazon or one of those G-Shocks they sell at the NEX. They'll last forever, and when class team lets you have them, they make life much easier.

 

[Eric Pro]

Thank you!

 

[Dangy]

Is bringing personal laptops useful to OCS when you are allowed to use them, or it doesn't really matter aka leave it at home?

 

[Tycho_Brohe]

Is bringing personal laptops useful to OCS when you are allowed to use them, or it doesn't really matter aka leave it at home?

I don't know whether they're allowed, to be honest. Nobody brought them, at least. All the rooms have their own laptops, so you shouldn't really need yours. But the laptops are all on TRANET, so most of the good sites are blocked. Basically all you get is Google and Wikipedia and all the .mil sites. But bringing your laptop wouldn't help that, since it's not like you get Wi-Fi there either. Maybe if you were thinking music or movies, but a tablet or an iPad would be better in that regard, assuming you had music/movies already downloaded onto them. Or you could bring CD's/DVD's, which you'd be able to use in the TRANET laptops. But you'd have to leave them in your car until you get POV runs, which might not be until candio phase in the most extreme cases.

The other thing to worry about is theft. I won't go into details, but while we were going through, there was an issue with an officer candidate who had quite a large amount of cash stolen from his/her room. So if you worry about your laptops and tablets going "missing," that's another consideration, however remote the possibility.

"Well, to make a long story short" ("too late"), I would leave laptops at home. iPads and tablets are debatable, but I'm guessing they are contraband and would be sitting in your car. But maybe bring some CD's to carry on the proud tradition of adding music to the shared drive for the less fortunate officer candidates.