Bags
☐ North Face Water-Resistant Duffel (62L) – Pack in 2. 62L
☐ North Face Water-Resistant Duffel (42L) – Pack in 1. 42L
☐ North Face Water-Resistant Duffel (32L) – Pack in 1 with port call stuff. 32L
☐ Helmet Bag
☐ Backpack or Tote Backpack
Flight Gear & Uniforms
Pilot Essentials
☐ Socks – 14 pairs minimum Wrangler Boot Socks
☐ Nike Pro Shorts – Wear under flight suits Nike Pro
☐ Underwear/Bras – Enough for 2 weeks minimum
☐ Undershirts – 14 minimum Long Sleve and Tshirt
☐ Headlamp – White AND red light. For LSO shack and not waking roommates Headlamp 2 Pack
☐ Flight Boots – 1 pair is fine (some bring 2) Boots
☐ Cover – Garrison cover or Command ball cap. Small Boy might give or sell you a ball cap.
☐ Green Flight Suits – 3 for deployment (2 for shorter underways)
☐ Tan Flight Suit – 1 for deployment (2 if going to 5th fleet)
☐ Shit Hot
☐ Massif Jacket or Fleece Jacket Massif Jacket
Personal Clothes & Comfort
☐ Running or Lifting Shoes – Whatever you prefer for workouts
☐ Casual T-Shirts – 2 for chilling/sleeping
☐ Slippers – Ultra Mini UGGs
☐ Sweatshirt – 1
☐ Sweatpants – 2 pairs (1 for shorter underway)
☐ Workout Clothes – 4 sets minimum
Wellness
☐ Exercise Mat – Mat
☐ Lacrosse Ball – Lax Ball
☐ Gym Towel – Required on the boat Gym Towel
☐ Metal Shaker Bottle – Blender Bottle metal with locking tab Shaker Bottle
☐ Electrolytes LMNT
☐ Protein Powder – This one tastes good with water. Protein Powder
☐ Supplements – Green Powder
☐ Supplements – Omega Fatty Acids
Medicine
☐ Tums – Tums
☐ DayQuil/NyQuill – DayQuil/NyQuil
☐ Pepto Bismol – Pepto
☐ Cough Drops – Ricola
☐ Vitamin C Packets – Emergen-C
☐ Multivitamin
Shower & Personal Care
Shower Essentials
☐ Crocs – Crocs
☐ Robe – Mid-calf length Robe
☐ Towel – Microfiber dries fast Towel
☐ Towel Turban – Hair Towel
☐ Soft Shower Caddy – Netted/mesh style Shower Caddy
Toiletries
☐ Shampoo – Shampoo
☐ Conditioner – Conditioner
☐ Body Wash – Body Wash
☐ Body Lotion – Body Lotion
☐ Essential Oils – Good smelling things matter Essential Oil
☐ All Other Toiletries – Bring everything you normally use
Cleaning Supplies
☐ Laundry Bag – Backpack style (hands-free for ladders) Laundry Backpack
☐ Hand Towels – 2 for your sink Hand Towel
☐ Room Spray – Luxury but nice to have Room Spray
☐ Clorox Wipes or Pledge – Clorox Whipes Pledge Spray
☐ Hand Soap – 2-3 bottles Hand Soap
☐ Laundry Detergent – Laundry Detergent
☐ Scent Beads – For laundry Scent Beads
☐ Swiffer – Collapsible handle Swiffer
☐ Swiffer Pads – Swiffer Wet Pads
☐ Trash Bags Trash Bags
☐ Trash Bins – 3 for sorting Trash Bins
☐ Scrub Daddy – Sponge
☐ Dish Soap – Mini size Dawn
Rack Setup & Bedding
Bedding
☐ Sheet Set – Twin XL size. You may only need a fitted sheet. Sheets
☐ Rumpl Puffy Blanket (2-Person) – It’s like a sleeping bag but way better. Packs really small, freedom of a comforter, warmth of a sleeping bag, material doesn’t get as dirty. Rumpl
☐ Mattress Pad – Get Queen size and cut for perfect rack width. Mattress Pad
Rack Gear
☐ Rechargeable Rack Fan -Strong airflow, long charge, works while plugged in or after charging. Bendy arms for tripod or to attach places. Essential for sleeping. Rack Fan
☐ Heating Pad – Great for back pain and for nights when it’s freezing. Heating Pad
☐ Extension Cord – WARNING: MAY NOT PASS A ROOM INSPECTION. Potentially 2. Long enough to reach from outlet. If it ihas a splitter it probably won’t get tagged out. Extension Cord
☐ Long iPhone Charger – 6 feet minimum 10ft USBC
☐ Rack Light – Rechargeable, has red light option (way better than harsh rack lights) Rack Light
☐ 550 Cord – Paracord for securing things in your rack 550 Cord
Food/Drink
☐ Collapsible Silicone Bowl with Lid – For ramen and popcorn etc. Collapsible Bowl
☐ Water Bottle – Filters chlorine Clearly Filtered Water Bottle
☐ Coffee Mug – I don’t personally use this one but have heard amazing things. It is truly leak proof so you can throw it in your helmet bag. Multiple people I know swear by this mug. BrüMate
☐ Shaker Bottle Shaker Bottle
☐ Collapsible Water Heater – WARNING: MAY NOT PASS ROOM INSPECTION. Make coffee in your room in your sweats. Or put on a uniform and go get hot water from the Wardroom Kettle
☐ AeroPress or French Press – AeroPress
☐ Blender – Ninja Blender
☐ Coffee – Dunkin French Vanilla
☐ Coffee Creamer – Better Buzz or your favorite brand Vanilla Buzz
Desk / Stateroom Essentials
☐ Command Hooks – Heavy duty. There aren’t enough hooks on ships Command Hooks
☐ Magnet Hooks – Strong magnets. There aren’t enough hooks on ships Magnet Hooks
☐ Collapsible Chair – Seating is scarce everywhere. Camping Chair or Saucer Chair
☐ Foldable Clipboard – Clipboard
☐ Printed Photos from Home – Quick way to turn sad boy/girl hours into happy boy/girl hours.
☐ Notebook – Lined Notebook
☐ Books – Physical books for when you want a break from screens or electronics are a no-go Books
☐ Study Material – Whatever you need for qualifications or advancement. PQS, Gradesheets, Pubs.
☐ Pens – Pens
☐ Pencils – Pencils
☐ Highlighters – Highlighters
☐ Post-It Notes – Always useful Post-Its
☐ Deck of Cards – For downtime with crew Cards
☐ Duck Tape – For everything Duck Tape
☐ Electrical Tape – For when Duck Tape isn’t quite right Electrical Tape
☐ Scotch Tape – For when Duck Tape and Electrical Tape aren’t quite right Scotch tape
☐ Pocket Knife
☐ Multi-Tool
☐ Magnetic Trays – For organizing small items Magnet Tray
☐ Sticky Velcro – Velcro
Electronics
☐ Headphones – Corded backup for when wireless dies Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones
☐ Chorded Headphones – Wired Earbuds
☐ Kindle – Load with 50+ books before deployment Kindle Paperwhite
☐ Hard Drive – Load that baby up before you go and add to it on the boat Hard Drive
☐ USB-C Cables – Transfer Cable
☐ International Power Converter – International Adapter
☐ Portable power Bank – Power Bank
☐ Nintendo Switch – Switch
☐ Nintendo Switch Games – Download digital or bring cartridges
☐ AirPods – Wireless earbuds for convenience Airpods
☐ Blue Light Glasses – For long screen time
☐ Watch (Non-Smart) – Dumb watch Casio
☐ Flashlight – Flashlight
More Items to Add
I’m still finalizing my complete packing list. Coming soon:
- Snacks and comfort food
- Port call pleasantries
Check back as I add to the list!
How to Use This List
Print this out or save it to your phone – Check off items as you pack them. Or use it as a reference.
Don’t buy everything at once – Start with basics and stuff you’ll use these every single day. Add other categories as you get closer to deployment.
Adjust for your needs – This is what works for me. Modify based on your job, your ship or locations, and your preferences.
Questions?
If you have suggestions for items I should add, reach out: Contact
Disclaimer: This site contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only recommend items I’m actually bringing on my deployment. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected to the Department of War, the United States Navy, or any military branch. All opinions and recommendations are my own personal views based on my individual experience.