Wow..that's a lot of crap.

In my 17 years, I have grown used to the portability of the U.S. Navy lifestyle. On a ship, space is limited and living quarters compact.  The average sailor has figured out how to live for extended periods of time with less stuff than most people take on a two-week vacation.  There just isn't space for anything more.  I think this basic tenet of naval life has permeated through our culture.  On my first deployment, we travelled with 1 Seabag, 1 Kit bag and 1 personal carry-on that weighed no more than 25 lbs.  That amount of luggage carried all of our uniforms, any issued gear to include helmets, body armor and gas mask and any personal effects we needed for the next 7 months.  Every Sailor made it work; it sucked but it's our way of life; we adapt and overcome.


The Army has a different outlook; they think of every potential scenario and then take everything they might ever need to carry out each imagined possibility.  This deployment, I will be taking 4+ seabags with me just of the stuff they issued! The gear issue process took 4 hours and it wasn't because they were slow with the issuing.  They have this shit down to a science; I felt like a Coke bottle in the assembly line the process was that quick.  They just literally had that much crap to issue us.  Here's a quick recap of what I now own beyond all the uniforms I already had:

  The Army sleep system to include a sleep mat and sleeping bag.  There's probably a pillow and blankie in there somewhere, I just haven't looked yet.
   A Gerber multi-tool
   Belt cutter tool
   Helmet
   Body Armor (complete with the ever handy groin pad)
   Army fleece jacket (this I am happy to have..it's actually really comfy)
   Rain coat and pants
   Extreme Cold Weather/Wet weather overgarments
   Gas mask
   Goggles
   2 sets of eye wear, each set with a pair of interchangeable lenses
   Knee pads
   Elbow pads
   Ruck sack (it's a really big backpack with a metal frame so you can carry more weight on your back  than should be humanly possible)
  Assault Pack (I call it a bookbag, the Army calls it an assault pack)
  Flash/Bang Pouch
  Bandolier Pouch (I don't really know so don't ask me)
  Magazine Pouches (and no I am not referring to a bag that carries the latest issue of Cosmo)
  Helmet flashlight mount
  7-Layer cold weather system (yes, there are 7 layers of clothes that I can now wear to keep warm should I find myself in ANTARTICA! The Army seems to be really afraid of the cold)
 Camelbak hydration system
 2 portable canteens (kind of redundant given the Camelbak they just gave me but whatever)
 Web belt (these things have been in use by the military since WWII and I don't think they have changed since.  The belt will come in especially handy for carrying around the canteens I will never use)
  A multi-purpose tool (Gerber)
  4 sports bras (they really do issue you everything)

...and my personal favorite, a trenching tool carrying pouch but no damn trenching tool.  My friend and fellow Chief, Stacie says she might start a new trend over there and carry it around as a combat purse.  I think it's a great idea and may follow suit.  I'll put some lipstick in there with my ammo, a pen or two, my Blackberry (that of course will be turned off for the duration) and maybe some car keys so I don't forget the simple pleasures of standing out in the dark digging through my purse so I can get to work on time.

This is just the stuff I recalled from the top of my head. There's actually more but I don't see the need to dig through my 4 seabags to give you a full list.  Besides, I think you get the idea.  I really am not looking forward to dragging 5 seabags (we still have more gear to be issued) 1/2 way around the world.  At least it should make for a good blog post coming soon!

Goodnight all.