Hey guys. I'm currently on boot leave and I have some questions about reporting in my service alphas. If I have to take my ditty bag as a carry on how can I transport my garment bag? I wouldn't want to check it cause if it gets misplaced I'd be screwed. Can I take it as a carry on?

Also, I'm confused about the washing instructions for my trousers and khaki shirts. The tags say to dry clean or hand wash but my DIs told me throwing them in the washing machine would be fine. Any tips?

Here is the real deal about checking in to MCT.

First of all, you need to bring EVERYTHING that you were issued in boot camp, which includes the body bag, your seabag, and the war bag. I HIGHLY recommend that you mark each of your bags with some colored tape so that when you arrive and a LCpl takes your bags from you, you can easily find them after you change over to cammies.

Yes, I said cammies. Therefore, you need to be smart. Inside your war bag should be a pair of cammies, your boots, belt, chevrons (if you rate them), boot bands, one green t-shirt, boot socks, and one pair of green pt shorts. That way you can easily grab the bag and change. Make sure you have your blouse sleeves rolled up prior to getting there. You won't have much time messing around rolling them up. (Not sure when we switch back over to woodland cammies, so make sure you know if you need desert or woodland, in which case if it's woodland you won't need to roll your sleeves)

Secondly, you need to show up wearing your Service Alphas. That's a given, but we had a couple show up in their civilian attire (not good for them). It doesn't matter if your body bag gets lost because you'll be wearing what you need for check in. Once you switch over, it's so chaotic that you'll be stuffing your Service Alphas into your seabag/war bag/body bag in a manner that is disgusting, but hey, that's how it is.

After you get assigned a barracks, they will take your Service Alphas from you so that you can have them dry cleaned because you'll need to check into your MOS school in them after MCT.

Thirdly, I would recommend getting your Service Alphas dry cleaned prior to showing up to MCT. Washing them is fine, but for now, being a boot, you want to look as sharp as possible. When you pick up rank you can wash your stuff on your own without screwing it up....Trust me, get it dry cleaned.

Hope that helps and good luck!

S/F

And I just realized after writting all of that for him, he is no longer a member of military.com

Sigh

Alright, thanks man. I'm still a member, I just changed a bunch of stuff on my profile. I appreciate the help!

Definately dry clean your alphas. Are you going to MCT East or West ? If you are going to West (Camp Pendleton), you should fly into San Diego in civies and go straight to the USO. You can change into your alphas there. There is a shuttle that runs from the USO to MCT, it cost about 25 to 30 dollars

Everything else that Caligstar recommends is absolutely good advice, so good luck with MCT

I'll be reporting to Camp Geiger but its the same deal right?

Well, here's what I did & it worked fine.

My flight was a day early, so a few Marines from the airport and myself got a hotel a few miles from base, and the next morning we just packed all our stuff, got into alphas, called a cap & told the driver we need to report into camp Geiger and they drive you straight to the building and there will be a Marine there to direct you inside. Pack a full set of cammies with boots and sleeves pre rolled in your diddy bag! And try to put a distinct mark on your bags because there will be bags EVERYWHERE. As soon as you get in you throw your **** down and someone will direct you to a room to change in. No one even looked at my alphas. Make sure they are good tho just incase. Then from there you'll be directed on check in stuff. Try to have to pee haha you'll do a **** test when you get there.

Have fun! Mct was pretty cool.