I am going on a full 6 month deployment in september. it is my first one, obviously. I just wanted to know what i should stock up on? i don't have much room onboard but what things have helped you get through the whole deployment like books? movies? games? i am just wondering. any answers would be helpful. thank you.

Extra tee shirts, socks and skivvies, along with coveralls. Laundry is spotty at times. I always had raman noodles(The kinds in a cup) and powdered gatoraid(I got an insulated athletic type cup, and refilled it alot)

Also, any kinds of snacks you like. I liked beef jerkey and granola bars. Sucks at night time and the mess decks are closed(Especially because they normally lock up the drink dispensers). I had a game boy, but this was back in the late 90's, so thats up to you. Plus, any type of books you like to read, granted, there will be lots of books floating around, sometime they just show up on your rack(Hehe).

Some guys brought golf clubs, if you like golf, me I brought my bike. It was by far the BEST thing in port. As you could just ride all over and see things, plus its good PT. Finally, I brought my fishing pole and some tackle.

If youre wondering where you will store all this, well, I worked in the engine room so I had a locked fan room, right next to the quarterdeck, where i stored my bike and fishing stuff. But, I am sure you can get creative if you work in another division.

Have about a two week supply of socks/underwear/working uniforms to start.

Civilian attire - have a limited supply of wash and wear stuff, preferably without any markings that would indicate you live in the US or are in the US military.

Snacks - check with your MAA office first. One I was on, if they did a locker inspection and found the stuff there, it was gone for sanitation reasons.

A small camera is a good choice. Also fishing tackle if you're into that. Some civilian boating shops will sell small fold-down bikes that don't take a lot of room for use in-port.

Check to see if your command has a seabag locker you can store some things in and the rules governing it.

Bring a pair of Dockers or any kind of nice pants, and a few collared shirts. Certain port calls require nicer liberty attire. Get a camelback too!

I always had my family mail me new packs of tshirts in every care package. That way I reduced the amount of laundry by just throwing away stuff. In my situation with 3000 Navy/Marines splitting 10 self serve washers/ dryers this was very necessary. Bring stuff to make your life exciting, puzzle books, Sodoku, crosswords, Ipod, PSP...deployment is mostly just combating boredom in between watches and work.

Well, what is your rate? Are you going to be getting down and dirty, or staying neat and clean? 21 Pairs of Coveralls along with 21 T Shirts, 21 pairs of socks and 21 pairs of skivvies. Bring 5 or six towels. Get two laundry bags. You will also want to bring concentrated laundry detergent as well. Maybe 6 bottles. If you smoke, and you are unsure you will be able to pick up the smokes you want, bring around 25 Cartons of cigarettes with you. That should be enough for over 6 months. A little over a pack a day. It will be good if you happen to get extended on deployment as well. Bring some sets of your favorite civies with you and take a pair of sneakers/dress shoes with you. Let's see what else. Utilities, 3 pair are good, that is if you are in a rate where you will be wearing coveralls mostly. On deployment, you will hardly ever use them, unless required otherwise. Ensure your uniforms are squared away and that all patches/name tapes are sewn on all your uniforms. Buy three ribbon racks and have one with medals corresponding medals, (not sure how many ribbons you have earned) along with extra ribbons. You never know when you or your a buddy will need an extra.

Ramen noodles, crystal light/iced tea lemonade packets, pastina, orzo and so on. Whatever you prefer. Camelback is recommended. Bring a few books to keep at the front of your rack, if you should get a chance to read. A little dvd player, or Ipod is a help too. Load it up with all your favorite music, movies and so on. Don't know how strict they are with berthing on your ship, but you can stow some magazines, your sea bag and other flat items under the mattress if they don't get uptight about it. Bring a little put together iron with you. The berthing iron always seems to be broke when you need it most. Bring a roll of tape, just in case your rack air vent breaks. It can get cold as a ***** when you can't regulate it. You should be allowed one personal blanket for your rack. Don't forget to grab three sets of sheets, and pillowcases. (Change and wash them as much as you can)

Bring two sets of boots with you. If one pair happens to get soaked with water/lube oil, you have a backup pair. Don't forget two or three pairs of shower shoes. For some damn unknown reason, they seem to sometimes disappear (yes, people can be that nasty and steal your shower shoes). It sure beats wearing plastic bags on your feet to go and shower (been there, done that). Yes, bring some plastic bags with you too. Just in case. A backpack for liberty ports (if your lucky to get a few) is a good idea. Make sure you have a spare hangar for your towel. This way you can hang it up for whatever little time you are in the rack. The little towel bar is a pain, especially if you have non standard towels.

That should cover most things. If you don't think you can fit the aforementioned things in your rack and stand up, you can. You have to know how to roll, pack, and hide.

Hope all goes well for you, your crew and your ship on deployment, as well as the rest of the battle group.

Geez, things have gotten complicated. Way back when(50's & 60"s) - a full seabag was all that was required and allowed. Are there no shipboard laundries, ship's stores, libraries, geedunks, etc., anymore?

quote:

Originally posted by whyworry:
Geez, things have gotten complicated. Way back when(50's & 60"s) - a full seabag was all that was required and allowed. Are there no shipboard laundries, ship's stores, libraries, geedunks, etc., anymore?

Not that complicated WW. I chose self reliance. Sometimes the ships store doesn't have what you need. Sure they can order it, but it doesn't always get there in a timely manner. When you are 6x6, 18x6 or 20x4, there is not much time for waiting in line trying to get laundry done. There were many a days that we did laundry with homemade washboards, buckets and clotheslines. If your down in 100 degrees plus, how long do you think your two pair of coveralls that you were issued will last? Back in the 50's and 60's you guys were lucky enough to have the durable dungarees. Something I always hoped they would bring back. They did what instead? Introduce expensive cammies in the mix. They aren't worth a damn in any extreme environment.

Don't forget to take at least a couple collared shirts for when you hit Bahrain/Dubai/KL.