Packing for OCS

Here is a look at what I've packed for OCS, including required gear and other optional—but recommended—gear. This will apply specifically to male OCC candidates attending a winter course, but other candidates should find it helpful, too.

Required Gear

The official OCS website lists the following items as the required gear for all candidates.¹

• 2 collared shirts (1 worn)
• 2 undershirt (1 worn)
• 2 pairs of slacks, pressed, with belt (1 worn)
• 1 pair of dress shoes (clean, worn)
• 5 pairs of underwear
• 5 sports bras (females)
• 2 pairs of serviceable running shoes, preferably purchased within 3 months. See Fitness Preparation: Shoes page for details.
• 1 rugged, water resistant watch
• $450.00 of cash or credit/debit for initial issues
• Enough basic overnight toiletries for a week, such as razors, shaving cream, soap, deodorant, etc
• 1 pair of eyeglasses as required. 2 are recommended. Contact lenses are not authorized for wear at OCS at any point in training.

These items are not optional. Bring them. Do not short yourself on the running shoes; get quality shoes that are properly fitted so that they last longer and provide the correct support to your joints.

Note on Boots: All non prior-service candidates will be issued and properly fitted for boots at Officer Candidates School. Do not buy boots prior to arrival.

Recommended Gear

OSO Recommendations

The following items were specifically recommended to me by my OSO. In his words: "None of these are necessary, but if you can swing it, good to have.

• Headlamp with red light (red lens for light discipline, hands-free to allow work)
• Batteries (for headlamp)
• Baby wipes
• Make up remover
• 1" athletic tape
• Cuticle scissors
• Ruler
• Huge perment marker
• 'Rite in the rain' pad (can be bought at OCS later)
• Electrical tape
• Duct tape
• Ink stick, lead stick, yellow stick (pens, pencils, highlighter)
• Q-tips"

Other Recommendations

Here are a couple other places I checked to get ideas of what to pack (and how to pack it—more on that later).

1. OCS Packing List « From Civilian to Marine Officer (hereafter, "FCtMO")
2. Pack list for OCS at Openbah / Journal of a Marine Officer Candidate (hereafter, "Openbah")

I won't repeat everything on those lists; just click the links to see them. I'll add some commentary below with the list of what I'm actually packing.

What I Packed

I have everything on the Mandatory list, which you can see above, so I'll skip those items.

I've gotten everything on my OSO's list except for the rain-proof pad. I wasn't able to find them at the standard places I checked, and since I can get them at OCS, it appears to be a lower priority.

I haven't confirmed it with anybody, but I figure that the "huge permanent marker" requirement is for coloring in your name on the back of your PT shirts using a stencil. I got the Sharpie Magnum.

FCtMO recommended a Rub-a-Dub Sharpie, but I just got the original Sharpie because I couldn't find the Rub-a-Dub anywhere local. Shouldn't be too much of a problem… I think.

Like my guess for the "huge permanent marker," my guess for the makeup remover is unvalidated: I bet it's for removing face paint. But, since it's a light oil, there is probably a bunch of stuff it could be used to do. One thing is for sure: it is not for girls to remove their make-up (they aren't allowed to wear it), so don't assume that's a female-only recommendation.

I am taking twist-up mechanical pencils. I figured the fact that it didn't click would be better for noise discipline, and it's always easier to erase with that kind, anyway.

Instead of erasable pens, I went with a few of these new Sharpie Liquid Pencils, which are advertised to be erasable, like a pencil, for about 24 hours before becoming permanent, like a pen. I'm also taking some more standard pens (black ink only). And I'm taking a few of your typical yellow highlighters.

I have 1 large roll of Duck Tape, 3 rolls of 1" hockey tape, and 1 roll of standard electrical tape. An OCS graduate noted on FCtMO that 1/2" athletic tape is not allowed, so that's why I went with hockey tape, which is 1" standard.

FCtMO recommended a 6" ruler, but my OSO didn't specify the length. So, mine is a 12" flexible ruler that can be cut down if appropriate.

Openbah recommended Thorlo boot socks, so I am taking 3 pairs of these. He recommended black or brown, so I got brown since that's easier to Sharpie your name on brown than black. I haven't worn these in boots, but man-alive, they were so comfy when I wore them around the house. I think they will prove extremely helpful. I also picked up a pair of pretty standard sock liners and am also bringing a few pairs of normal athletic socks (not the super low-cut ones).

I'm taking a small stick of Body Glide as well as my compression shorts/chafe guards. I asked my OSO about taking my Under Armour cold weather compression running shirt, but he advised against it, saying, "if you find out it's allowed, have your mom send it later."

Since it is winter, I will be wearing a coat with a winter cap and gloves in the pocket when I arrive. The gloves are a pair of Under Armour gloves I have been using as my everyday, mid-grade cold weather gloves for driving, shooting, and other things. If I can, I'll keep those with me, but I may be told to leave them with the coat. (For fun, here's the discussion thread that convinced me to try these gloves. I've had them 2 years so far, and I still love them.)

I'm not taking any shampoo. I have short enough hair (and it will be even shorter after I get there) that I can just use the body wash.

I already had a small Bible I was planning to take, but I actually couldn't find it. And there was no way I was taking my big study Bible. I did a little bit of research and found this: The Marine's Bible. I ordered it on Sunday morning and it arrived today, despite yesterday being a holiday (MLK Jr Day). The reviews I read indicated the size was perfect, and I think it will be. It has some great extra materials specifically for Marines (and candidates like me), and I think it will work out nicely. The HCSB translation also seems to be a great one, similar to the NLT I have been using for the past few years.

Important Tips

Ensure that everything that can be labeled has your name on it. Even my Chapstick is marked. The pens aren't, but the huge Sharpie is. Use discretion, but I'm not worried about being accused of having too many things marked.

One of the best insights I saw on Openbah was to use Ziplock bags. Pack as much into them as you can. If/when you have to dump out your entire duffle bag, it will be 5 times easier to pick up 10 small plastic bags than 50 small individual items. Use 1 gallon freezer bags (those are stronger) for the larger items and 1 quart bags for the smaller items. Take some extra Ziplocks already labeled with your name for the small-bag purchase items.

Have a copy of your immunization records in your wallet. There was a candidate from my OSS who reported to OCC 208 and ended up receiving the flu shot twice during in-processing due to a corpsman error; he caught the flu as a result, spent a few days in a local hospital, then was sent home. So, I made sure to get my flu shot in advance and will have a copy of my full records on my person to try to avoid a situation like that.

I'm also carrying my dental records on my person. Seems like that is probably less critical, but I figure it can't hurt. Same for a copy of my orders to report to OCC-209.

I can't find it now, but I read somewhere that haircuts are $7 now. For one per week, I'm taking twenty $1 bills and ten $5 bills so that I can always give exact change. I read somewhere that it gets annoying when everybody is trying to break a $20.

I'm also taking a roll of quarters. I don't know… laundry? Can't hurt. Otherwise, I plan to use my credit card for my large-bag and small-bag purchases and at the PX, so I'm not taking much extra cash.

All Together

It seems like it's been a lot of work to get together a good list of what was being taken and what wasn't and then acquiring it, but I hope that the guides I linked above as well as the comments I've added will be helpful to some candidates somewhere. After it all, I am even beginning to wonder if what I thought was a nicely sized duffel bag may even be larger than necessary. I'm sure it will work, though. Better a little too much room than trying to shove everything in and having it break open en route, I suppose.

To finish up, here is a photo of all the stuff I have prepared for packing.

(click to enlarge)

What About You?

What else are you taking? Think there's anything I may need that I don't have? Is there something I'm taking that you think I won't need? Add your thoughts in a comment below.

And are my fellow OCC 209 candidates all packed and ready to go? I'm leaving Fort Wayne on Friday, spending 2 nights in Indianapolis, then flying out Sunday to report with the rest of you. It's almost Go Time…



1. Source: Officer Candidate School — Required Gear. ↩