# Afghanistan/Mirage Packing List



## PhilB (30 Oct 2005)

Hi guys I'm wondering if anyone here could run down their packing list when deploying. Im not talking standard things like combats, but rather the not so typical items you may have taken, or retrospectivly wish you had taken. Thank you


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## Daidalous (31 Oct 2005)

If you are going to Mirage

Your own sunscreen,  if you are very pale the standard issue stuff is not strong enough

Desert Socks   x10,Underware     x10  why 
 I found during the summer months unless you have a office job,   you are soaked to the bone and need to change your socks   underware and shirts  at lunch

A really good pair of civy sun glasses, on my tour  10 guys had to be hospitalized with no light for 24 hours because of crappy sun glasses.  And for the love of god if you go down town and buy a  copy pair  don't believe the labels that they block   UV rays   they don't.


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## BKells (1 Nov 2005)

Daidalous said:
			
		

> A really good pair of civy sun glasses, on my tour  10 guys had to be hospitalized with no light for 24 hours because of crappy sun glasses.  And for the love of god if you go down town and buy a  copy pair  don't believe the labels that they block   UV rays   they don't.



How do the new issued ballistic glasses stack up?


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## MJP (1 Nov 2005)

Hmmmm  

Laptop- Everyone that took one was glad they did.  Get one that is a DVD player as well (pretty much standard now) and you can have your own personal entertainment center for when you want to get away from everything.  Added bonus is a set of cheapish speakers.  Also a nice to have for leaders when it comes to PERS/PDRS and all the office comps are taken.

IPOD/MP3 Player of some sort-  A must have if you dont want to die of boredom running around the same route a million times or when they just have to play some sort of crap music in the gym.  

I'd second a really good pair of sunglasses....however I'd go the ballistic route for them (especially for Afghanistan).  Lots of options out there for you in that Dept.  The issued ones aren't bad.....They did take a few machete hits on the BTE (testing) and came out pretty good.

Lots of light civvies/PT gear.....You'll go through clothes fast.  If your going to Mirage bring some good non army, light shorts and shirts for day trips.


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## Big Red (2 Nov 2005)

Smartwool are the way to go for socks in the desert, summer or winter.


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## willy (8 Nov 2005)

A laptop is indispensable so far as I'm concerned.  Nothing beats having your own personal entertainment centre that you don't have to fight with anyone else over.  Be prepared to have it get damaged by exposure to sand however- if I were to go again, I'd buy a cheap used one that I wasn't worried about breaking.  Before you leave, you should load the laptop up with as much entertainment material as it will hold: games, music, movies, etc.  Be aware that "adult" materials are considered inappropriate.  Ensure that you bring enough gitch, socks, etc to stay dry in the summer, and enough cold weather gear to stay warm in the winter (yes, it's cold there in January).  If you go to Mirage, you won't have to worry about cold, but don't forget that you might get sent to one of the other camps for a task or two, and you'll need appropriate gear.  

I took a laptop and the stuff on the kitlist, and I was fine.  It sure isn't like North America, but you don't necessarily need to bring the kitchen sink: a surprisingly wide variety of consumer goods can be bought over there for very low prices (though the quality is often suspect as mentioned in other posts).  I can't think of anything that I could feasibly have brought with me that would have completely alleviated the biggest problem I had, which was boredom.  The camps are very well developed these days and you can't complain at all about the facilities they have there, but all the same, 6 months of day-in, day-out routine will start to get to you eventually.  My advice is to get there, wait about 2 weeks to figure out what your routine is like, and then decide on an appropriately time-intensive hobby to help you stay sane.  There are no shortage of recreational activities available in Mirage, and even in the other locations you will likely have enough access to the internet to allow you to take an online course or some other such thing.


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## Korus (9 Nov 2005)

If you're going to get a laptop, I *highly* recommend a pelican case for it. The price is a bit hefty, but if you want peace of mine while bringing it overseas, trust me on this one. Unless you're OK with the potential for your laptop to be in your bag at the bottom of a 1.5 meter high palette of luggage on the Herc hop into Afghanistan, it is defiantly worth the price. I know my pelican case has saved my laptop at least a couple of times. Plus it keeps the dust out, and you can lock it easily (Then lock the pelican case itself to something immovable with a bike lock if you're extra paranoid)

Also, pick up one of those hanging closet organizers from Ikea.. like this one. It's great to hang up beside your bed to hold shirts, socks, etc in.. But depending where you are, be prepared to have that stuff coated with a light layer of dust after a few days.. But you kind of get used to it.

I think the main points have been covered.. If you want to get a "Cheap" pair of Oakley's, get a bunch of your buddies deploying with you together and do a group order. You'll have to e-mail Oakley to get the details on their military discount program, but most frames are at least half cost. Don't expect any of the overly fancy frames and bright exotic colours, but you can get a good pair of black sunglasses with great lenses for the wholesale price.


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## COBRA-6 (12 Nov 2005)

A Visa card with online billing, whatever you forget you can order and have shipped over.

However, you can find a surprising variety of items over here, from Oakleys to boots to laptops, not always at a great price though... if you're in Mirage then you can buy it all downtown, for less than you'd pay in Canada...

A good way to spend time is to read, there are a ton of good books out there, both fiction and non-fiction. I realize now how much time I spent watching TV at home, though I do miss Mythbusters...  ;D


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