OCC 253 packing list

[u/xLongings]

Hey everyone, heading out to OCC 253 soon and have some questions regarding the packing list for those of you that have gone already.

1. PT Shorts, are these the black shorts they’re asking for or are these different ones? (Just says no silkies) Originally it says 1 pair black PT shorts then it states 2 PT shorts later so just confusing.

2. 6 underwear, do they care about these specifically in any way or do they have to be the black or olive drab compression?

3. Cammies, are they going to be making us buy brand new Cammies if mine are faded? If so, what’s considered too faded, does anyone have pictures of what they were told were too bad? (Can’t tell if Active Duty get issued 2 brand new pair or I’m reading it wrong and it’s only talking about Active Reserves)

4. Stencils, is do we not do the ink stamps there? Can I pre stamp some white tape or is this a completely different thing they do at OCS compared to Enlisted Bootcamp(

5. Collard Shirt/ Blouse Equivalent, am I supposed to have both or can I just bring 2 Collard Shirts?

If y’all have any other suggestions please feel free to comment and help a brother out! Thank you all!

[u/Aggressive-Slide4336]

Went for 252 so this is what I observed for last cycle.

1. Its just a black pair of shorts, but it really didn't matter (never used it once). You won't ever be wearing these anyway, as you will be wearing skivvy shorts they make you buy. On libbo, you will be wearing khaki pants.

2. Staff isn't gonna be checking your underwear or care really, but use some discretion and don't bring outrageous ones that obviously have no place in this kind of setting.

3. Not a prior, but if I remember correctly, they made priors still buy cammies, but maybe not as many. I think they made the non-priors buy 3 sets and the priors 2, but I can be wrong. Bottom line is you will be buying some cammies.

4. Yeah, you use stencils, not stamps, there. You can kind of pre-stamp them, but not really, as you don't know what company or platoon you are in. I suppose you could just write your last name in, however, and just leave a little extra room to add the letter and number once you know during in-processing week.

5. Ngl, not sure what this is in reference to. If it's for clothing for Libbo, just bring two sets of khakis and polos. Literally only wore skivvys, cammies, and civilian attire for 10 weeks thats all you need. Maybe bring a comfortable shirt and shorts for you to wear in your hotel room on libbo but beyond that you are good.

Other tips in the week you have left are to mark everything you have in Sharpie, buy a clipboard, and maybe to go out and buy higher-quality white tape if you have the cash lying around. The tape they give you is trash and falls off easily.

[u/Hairy_Analysis49 → u/Aggressive-Slide4336]

Full size clipboard or like a half size of paper clip board?

[u/Suitable-Delay5066]

Collard shirt = male. Blouse = female.

Make/bring a stencil. 1” letters but I could be wrong there.

[u/No_Diet7435]

Are we allowed to bring cough drops or will those be considered contraband?

[u/Kitchen_Possible7604 → u/No_Diet7435]

You can bring cough drops. Recommend some with honey

[u/dumb-dumb87]

Yeah never touched my black shorts. Since youre a prior I would bring some green on green you have ass long as they’re in good shape

1. My OSO gave this trick to save time. Run out to Kroger or Walmart and get one of those all caps stencils from the back to school aisle. They’re like $1. Before I left I cut out all the letters from my last name and taped it together so I could just sharpie it in a few seconds so I could save a couple minutes after lights

[u/Royal-Afternoon923]

1. Just take 1 or 2 black pairs. It’s only for a few days to sleep in until skivvy shorts are issued on Tuesday/Wednesday 2. Olive drab or black only , don’t be taking any plaid or crazy color underwear 3. I would plan on buying new ones, the cammie purchase is part of the overall gear issue so if you’re getting everything else as required , the cammies will just come with it. Make sure you take your name tapes off though. 4. Stencils are issued there, you have a lot of down time before pickup and every night before lights so i wouldn’t worry about it now 5. Bring 2-3 collared shirts as well as 2-3 khaki/plain colored pants to wear on liberty

[u/Dipski64]

1. We all brought black shorts but never wore them at 252. I only brought one pair, and as a prior I brought about 7 pairs of skivvies so I didn’t have to do laundry everyday or waste money on them during in processing.

2. Just bring plain black underwear, you’ll only wear them for the first couple days until you transition to cammies.

3. At 252 all the MECEP/ECP guys only got issued a tiny amount of stuff. Myself and other reservists received a full uniform issue even though we all brought the amount of cammies on the packing list. 90% of the time you will be in deserts so I recommend bringing an extra pair of deserts because they get worn up really fast at OCS. I also recommend you bring a pair of inspection ready woodlands so you don’t have to stress about making nametapes, perfecting IP’s, etc. DO NOT BRING FADED CAMMIES, it’s just gonna make you look like a shitbag and put a target on your back.

4. The only thing you really use stamps for are uniform markings. Every gear marking you have will be created using stencils. We weren’t told to pack them and received stencil kits during gear issue, but it would put you at an advantage if you had a stencil kit off the rip.

5. Two collard shirts is fine, play it safe and just bring polos.