Things You Will Need to Rock Advance Camp 
                  
 

1. Whistle.  The best that I have found is called the Fox 40, it is sold
through U.S. Cavalry for about $5.00.  It's ear splitting.  Vital for
tactical signals.  

2. Non-water soluble camo paint. Comes in three tubes (green, brown, and
black).  Works great and comes off easily.  Stays on in the rain.  Take
extra camo sticks.

3. 2 pad locks.  Arrive with them.  You will not have a chance to purchase 
any.  For wall and foot locker.

4. 2 big rolls of 100mph tape.  Works much better than electrical
tape.  Vital for tactics phase of Camp, taping equipment snaps, and
minor repairs.  

5. Big Safety Pins (10). Easily kept pinned inside the "Fudd flaps" of
your BDU cap.

6. 1 spool O.D. thread, 1 spool Black thread, 3 needles.  You will
negotiate many obstacle courses. Your BDUs will get ripped.

7. Binoculars. The smaller, the better.  7X35 are perfect.  Invaluable
during all tactical phases for leader's recons and recon missions.  I
used mine all the time and my squad really appreciated them.

8. Hangers (15).  Everyone forgets these.  

9. Liquid-filled wrist compass.  Get one at any Outdoor-type store for about $7.00.  

10. Your own field gear. The rucksack that you will be issued at camp is
ridiculously small.  You will barely be able to fit 3 MREs and 1 uniform
in it, much less anything else.  The pistol belt issued is a worn
out clasp-fit variety from the Viet Nam war.  Also, try to bring an 
extra pistol belt for wear at formations.  This way, you can tape up 
your LBE and leave it that way, nice and comfortable, and won't have to 
disassemble it to get to your pistol belt. 

11. Poncho liner.  

12. Battery operated travel alarm clock.  

13. Iron, small ironing board, spray starch.  

14. Baby wipes.  Removes camo after three days in the field, quickly!

15. Shower shoes ("flip-flops"). You do not want to step on those shower
floors, believe me.

16. Weapon Cleaning Kit plus a packet of 1000 Q-tips in
a bag.  Get a dental scraping tool at a drug store ($1.50) and a soft
rag and place them in the bag, too.  

17. Markers. 2 big black permanent ones, and a few thick colors.  Great
for writing daily schedules on the platoon butcher board.  

18.  Get yourself some 550 cord. 

19.  Buy, beg, steal a pair of field suspenders.   

20.  map case.  Waterproof type.

21.  Take some laminated range cards.  

22.  Make sure you have a small knife.  DO NOT TAKE a rambo survival 
knife to Ft LEwis.  IF at a possible, take a secondary knife.  Make 
sure it's dummy corded.  

23.  Take a Mosquito Head net.  Great cammo and you won't survive in the
woods w/o one.

24.  If you wear glasses, "ranger" goggles.  Practially indestructable.  

25.  Take some waterproof paper.  Make sure that you have some lighters
too.  Also, TAKE A LOT of ziploc (all sizes) bags.  It will save
your ass when it's damp or when it rains.

26.  Take some sandtable material. Take some yarns (diff color), precut 
squares/circles of paper that are laminated works good also.  You can 
use your alcohol pens to right on them.  If you're in a pinch, those 
COLORFUL coolaid powder will work also (depending on the humidity level).

27. Buy a set of alcohol pens and an alcohol eraser.  You can use them to write
on the plastic sheets or laminated stuff. Get alcohol ones because rain won't wash them off.

28. Bring foot powder.  You'll need it for all those long road marches.
It'll help prevent your feet from rotting.  

29.  Camoflague bungee cords.  You can setup a hooch in 30secs flat.  Take some extras.

30.  A mini-mag light or photon light.  Ditch those worthless gooseneck issue flash lights.