what i packed for beast barracks.

my complete packing list

disclaimer: i did army ROTC for two years & went to the prep school, so i had army uniform pieces that i packed into my bag that you may not have. i also packed to my preferences & willingness to carry a heavier bag to have a more comfortable & prepared experience during beast. also, i completed Beast in 2024, so there may be changes to the packing list that i am not aware of.

★amazon storefront with everything i brought for beast & more options★

https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-1625ca7e/list/P2BK4CCOW1TE?ref_=aipsflist

bathroom bag

★function of beauty shampoo

• bring full sized shampoo, you can go to the cadet-store (c-store) during beast, but you only go one to two times during beast

★function of beauty condition leave-in conditioner

• full sized conditioner

★eco gel

• choose gel of choice for females

★off bug spray

• a MUST!! people will beg you for bugs spray all during beast, especially when you start sleeping in the field for days

★baby wipes

• baby wipes are the unsung heroes of beast, in my opinion. keeping baby wipes on you at ALL times saved me, especially in the field! sometimes there is no toilet paper in the portapotties, you might need to wipe your hands, and you might need to do a "field shower" with the wipes!

★lemme vitamins

• i personally wanted to make sure i was doing my best to stay healthy & keep my immune system up. almost everybody gets sick during beast & beast is already hard enough when you're healthy

★tampons/pads

★travel razor

★make up

• this may be a hot take, but i brought some make up for after beast. after beast, you will go through reorgy week, & life will go back to being "normal", you know like your new "west point normal", & i'm a make up girly! i knew i would want to have make up on after beast, so i brought it! SUE ME! i brought concealer, mascara, cream blush, foundation, & primer

★band aids

• people are always getting hurt during beast or getting blisters. having band aids readily accessible is a great way to take care of others & to prepare yourself for whatever may come

★neosporin

★floss picks

★face moisturizer

hygiene bag

★aquaphor

• great for lip & face hydration

★deodorant (spray)

★face & body sunscreen

• the new york sun gets brutal! make sure you're regularly applying sunscreen, especially your face, neck, back of the neck, scalp, and hands. i would recommend a sunscreen made for faces that is good at staying on even when you're sweating, & spray sunscreen for the body

★razor refills

★facewash

★black hair ties (no damage elastic)

• ladies, please get hair ties that is best for your hair! you're hair will be in a bun for 12-18 hours a day, & in the field, it'll probably be up for days straight! super important to take care of your hair during Beast!

★toothbrush, toothpaste, & STERIPOD!

• PUT A STERIPOD ON YOUR TOOTHBRUSH! there are so many germs going around during Beast & it's so important that you keep your toothbrush as clean as possible, whether you're in the barracks or in the field

★more baby wipes

★hair brush (travel size & normal size)

• again, unnecessary to bring both sizes, but i like bringing a travel sized brush for when i am in the field, as it doesn't take up as much room in my ruck & in case i lose it !

packing cube #1

★shower towel

★face towel

★one-piece bathing suit

★ocp tops (from ROTC/Prep)

★ocp belt (from ROTC/Prep)

admin pouch

★ranger handbook (from ROTC)

★ranger beads (for land nav) (from ROTC) bring your own so you don't have to ask people for theirs

★a lighter

• very random item i brought, but i got SO MUCH use of it. i used my lighter for shining shoes, burning off strings on uniforms, burning of ends of tie downs so they wouldn't fray, there's a lot of things you can use your lighter for during beast

★multi-tool

• literally the most useful tool you'll need during Beast,

★ziploc bag of patches (nametapes, us army tape, american flag), dog tags, boot blousers (from ROTC)

• i have always brought extra patches with me to every field training & it has saved my butt so many times! you never know when you or someone else may need a uniform patch, because sometimes they grow legs and run away lol

★heavy duty carabiners

• i loved having extra carabiners, and they come in handy all the time. during beast, i used one of the carabiners to attach my gloves to my tactical assault panel (basically a vest you were in the field that holds your magazines & other tactical tools), & it helped me not lose my gloves (which happens to people often)

★watch (no smart watches allowed during beast)

• i got a cheap casino watch from walmart my freshman year of college at fsu & she's been kicking it, even 6 years later. i would recommend getting a watch that has an alarm & a stopwatch if possible

★face paint

• getting your own good quality face paint helps if your acne prone & for color diversity (sometimes the face paint sticks west point gives you only has light green and dark green & you'll look like shrek all summer if you don't find a black or brown stick)

★compact mirror

• if there was one thing i would BEG YOU TO BRING, it's a compact mirror. i brought one & everyone would ask to use it while applying face paint, & it's so useful throughout your field time

★travel make up wipes (the individually wrapped wipes)

• EVERYONE should bring make up in my opinion, even men! make up wipes are designed to take off tough make up & make up wipes are better at taking off face paint & are gentler on the skin. this is the ultimate life hack

★foot powder

• i'm pretty sure west point gave us foot powder, but my platoon was always using foot powder, to the point we ran out! west point gets A LOT of rain during the summer & having foot powder to attempt to keep your feet dry is important. people during my beast were getting trench foot, so i cannot stress enough how important feet health is during beast

packing cube #2

★ocp t-shirts

★ocp socks

• i brought 7 pairs, but, in my opinion, try & bring as many pairs of socks as possible! your laundry experience & frequency completely depends on your squad leader. this basically means that if your squad leader only wants to do your laundry once, then you'll definitely want to have as many pairs of socks as possible

★black socks

• get GOOD QUALITY black socks. you will spend the first three weeks of Beast in black socks & low quarters, and there's a lot of standing & walking around, more than you would ever want to do. so these are definitely a place where you should splurge

packing cube #3

★journal (in a ziploc bag)

★paracord

• not necessary, but i always bring paracord with me in case i need to build a hooch (a makeshift tent) or need to tie down equipment to each other

★eyepro (from ROTC/Prep)

• people are always losing their eyepro, & i always brought my extra pair with me just in case. eyepro is like gold during beast

★black gloves (from ROTC/Prep)

• somehow, i am always losing my black gloves, so i bring extra just in case i lose my first pair

★combination lock

• great for locking your desk during the day in the barracks

packing cube #4

★underwear (2 12 set packs) (in ziploc bag)

• same deal with the socks, bring AS MANY AS POSSIBLE! you are always changing clothes throughout the day, & i am glad i changed my underwear and bra multiple times a day so everything stays fresh

★sports bras

• bring as many as possible & sports bras you know will support you the best

★portable fan (completely unnecessary)

• during my beast, this was on the packing list so i brought is? literally got zero use out of this

★white crew socks

• get white crew socks with no logos to wear with your pt uniforms! get cushioned ones that feel good on your feet when you're working out or running

★nike pros (4)

• i personally wear nike pros under my ocps to keep from chaffing

packing cube #5

★shower shoes

• my shower shoes are elevated, which makes me feel better because some showers don't drain as well as others & showers may flood

★admin pouch (w/ all the things listed above inside of it)

★envelopes

• send letters during beast!!

★stamps

• i wish i brought more stamps than i did, so bring as many as you think you'll use & ask people to send stamps in the mail if you run out

★pens & pencils

• i brough SO MANY pens & pencils & i somehow only had like 3 by the end of beast. you'll always need pens & pencils for EVERYTHING during beast

★rite in the rain notebooks

• i bought so many of these notepads! i had one notepad for writing information being taught to me, one designated for letter writing, & one as a journal on the go. again, this is excessive, but this is how i take care of my mental health even outside of beast, so it was important for me to have a way to write. writing also makes time fly by. i would write people letters during briefs, i would journal in between trainings, & you'll ALWAYS need something to write on & with throughout your ENTIRE west point career

★gallon size ziploc bags

• this is great for organizing everything. i personally use gallon bags for the field to organize my clothes. i will make a bag for each day i am there, so in one bag i will have a shirt, fresh socks & underwear, and when i change, i will put my dirty clothes back into the ziploc

★bug face net

• everyone always recommends this & while i didn't use mine much because i felt like it was lowkey suffocating me, the people in my platoon considered it a holy grail item. better to have and not need than to need and not have when it comes to scary bugs in the field

flight bag/duffle bag

★all the packing cubes

• packing cubes have been my west point life hack since the prep school. during beast, you will have to do a bag exchange, where you put all your belongings from your civilian bag into an army duffle bag. by putting everything in packing cubes, you are making this transfer super easy for yourself by only having a few items to move than a million littles bags or items to move.

★boots

• break in your boots before beast. run in them & walk in them as much as possible

★low quarters

• same applies for low quarters! BREAK. THEM. IN.

★shoe inserts for your low quarters

• i would recommend getting inserts from a store like feet fleet, where you get your feet scanned & the assistant gets you the best insert for your feet. your low quarters are the cornerstone of your west point experience; they are with you from the first day of beast until you graduate. take care of them & they will take care of you. during beast specifically, you will be on your feet ALL THE TIME & having some cushion is nice

please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions! you got this!

with all my love,

♡steff

p.s. @stefftheyuk on insta for questions!