BCT Packing List – 4 Items You Must Bring to Basic Training

Army Basic Training is 9 weeks long and you should already know that you will be away from home for an extended amount of time to train. It is important that you follow the packing list from your recruiter. Below is a list of things you can bring to basic training.

When packing for basic training, make sure you don’t forget these items:

• A Debit Card
• A Cell Phone and charger
• Your Documentations
• A Travel-sized Personal Hygiene kit (or Toiletries)

You can only bring the necessities and the required paperwork to basic but pack them all in a small durable backpack. If it can’t fit in your bag than it can’t be taken!

Why do I need to bring them?

The most important item to bring is your documentation but the other stuff is to help you stay clean for a few days in case you don’t get the opportunity to visit the troop store.

Debit Card

Not everything is free during training such as haircuts and resupply on personal hygiene products. You are required to pay for your haircuts every 2-3 weeks of basic but the first one you received at the reception battalion is at no cost. Since you will not be able to go to your bank during training, they will give you the option to withdraw your funds from the nearby ATM on base.

Cell Phone

You are allowed to bring a cell phone to basic but you won’t be able to keep it. Your Drill Sergeants will let you have them during White Phase when you earn phone privileges but it depends on the training location you attend. On Sundays, they let you use them for 1-2 hours. If you prefer to leave your cell phones at home, they provide pay phones on base but you will not have much time to use them because of the long lines and also time courtesy.

Important Documentations

Your Documentation is the most important item in the list because when you arrive to the reception battalion, they will finalize everything you’ve done through MEPS. Your paperwork should be inside the manila folder which contains your military records. Don’t let it out of your site especially when traveling on plane. It contains everything about your identity such as birth certificate, banking, certificates and etc.

Travel-Sized Toiletries

You will want to take a travel-sized airline approved personal hygiene kit with you to keep yourself clean. It should contain the basic necessities such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, razor, shaving cream, and lotion. If you decide to bring the ones you have at home instead, they must meet airline policies.