Reporting to SOI

[viper1833]

Are you telling me that young boots today don't dress like that anymore?


Maybe not the cut off jeans cause there is and was a reg for that. But I bet I can go down to JVil today and find a boot just off the Depot, wearing their issued boots, a pair of shorts, a USMC tank top, with a farmers tan and dog tags banging around....

I bet, I bet, I bet....

My Fav one is the Boot wearing jeans hiked up to his chest, with a Moto Tshirt Tucked In, Aviators, Jungle Boots, Camelback, Web Belt, and Dog Tags hanging out..

[FattyTheFerret]

Are you telling me that young boots today don't dress like that anymore?


Maybe not the cut off jeans cause there is and was a reg for that. But I bet I can go down to JVil today and find a boot just off the Depot, wearing their issued boots, a pair of shorts, a USMC tank top, with a farmers tan and dog tags banging around....

I bet, I bet, I bet....

everything but the cutoff shorts

these days jorts are pretty much a sure sign of a DADT investigation about to kick in :P

[indygti]

I went to SOI with the bare minimum of garbage and left with even less. All those suckers who packed up their rooms from home to bring to SOI probably wanted to off themselves after carrying it around that first night and the next day and the next, and then have to move it all once again once we picked up.

Honestly bro, I wouldn't bring an MP3 player, or a cell, or anything. They have phone boothes, or hell you could just borrow someone else's. It's just one more thing for you to lug around and most likely lose. Just have someone ship that garbage to you once you hit the fleet. You'll live for a few weeks without it.

[FattyTheFerret]

Honestly bro, I wouldn't bring an MP3 player, or a cell, or anything. They have phone boothes, or hell you could just borrow someone else's. It's just one more thing for you to lug around and most likely lose. Just have someone ship that garbage to you once you hit the fleet. You'll live for a few weeks without it.

bad idea, imho. the phone booths are crap and you're lucky to get time to use them...plus cell phones aren't heavy and he will want to call people every now and then. it's better than those dingbats that purchase overpriced plans on mainside from the swindlers

Although the idea of him living a few weeks without is good, it would only work if everyone else in his platoon did the same thing. Otherwise he's just going to get frustrated that everyone else has communication but he doesn't.

[indygti]

I get that. I didn't mean to imply that just bringing a cell is going to weigh him down. What I meant was, from my experience, the Marines who brought their cell phone, mp3/cd player with a ton of cds (those were still the most popular thing back then), would more often than not have packed a **** load of stuff they didn't even need but brought anyways.

I personally never called anyone the whole time while I was there, I just emailed people at the computer lab/nerd center. For the most part you're just getting back from seeing all your family and friends after going 13 weeks without a damn thing, a few more weeks at SOI won't kill ya.

If you have kids and a wife or something I understand that.

I'm not hatin', just speaking for myself and my experience.

[Backhaus 1103]

Bring all the sh!t from bootcamp, an ipod if you have one, your cellphone and if you really want, a laptop for your free time. You shouldn't really have that much sh!t as it is other than uniforms. Bring as much extra sh!t as you want as long as it will fits in two seabags. You're not carrying it very far and even if you are, get over it, you'll be carrying way more sh!t on deployment anyway.
Wear your **** cover the other one looks gay. I think I was the only one that I could see that had garrison cover on...no one said sh!t.
You can rock a high and tight if you want or buzz the sh!t like in bootcamp, no one really cares, you're going to have to get a haircut every week anyway and everyone already knows you're a boot.

[MarinesFTW]

My Fav one is the Boot wearing jeans hiked up to his chest, with a Moto Tshirt Tucked In, Aviators, Jungle Boots, Camelback, Web Belt, and Dog Tags hanging out..

I almost died when I read this, saw a kid in the airport who graduated with my company wearing this exact gear minus the Camelback.. Looks f**king retarded!

[Crusader20]

Hell, i will enter the fray.

Think about when you are going to be there. If you are headed there now, the winter will be upon you soon. Think Warm. You will need a jacket for libo. Dont get one of those flight jackets with a big EGA on the back. Again, "hello I am new to the area. Please take my money". Sorry for those who have one.

If you want, think about a pre paid phone that can be "thrown away" when completed. That way you can get an idea of how much phone time you will really have.

Think about this. You went home from Boot Camp. You had very little of your stuff to take back. Now that you have been home, you want to bring more things. I get that. But, this time, you will not be able to "go home" after you complete SOI. YOu will be shipped directly to your unit. three seabags and all.

As a prior SOI/MCT instructor, you would be surprised about how much crap Marines would leave behind at SOI. Stuff that they simply did not have room for in their bags. Good stuff. money down the tubes.

My adivce. Think light. Carry what you need. This is only a short stay.