<p>Come to R-Day wearing something comfortable. Your favorite jeans and t-shirt are fine. Carry a sweatshirt or something similar. Don’t be conspicuous, today is not the day to stand out. Leave the rest of your civvies at home, youre not going to need them until the school year starts. I suggest packing 3-4 outfits in a small suitcase and leaving it at home. Have your parents bring it to A-Day or Labor Day weekend, or have them ship it out later. Youre going to want some civilian stuff for trip sections and stuff as a plebe, but youre not going to need much of it.</p>
<p><strong><em>What to pack</em></strong>
Something nice your favorite little black dress, and appropriate accessories purse, shoes, slip, stockings, the great necklace that goes with it, the cute barrettes that match the pattern, whatever. This is part of my Be Prepared motto, you never know when youre going to need to dress up. Make sure its some that can go from summer to winter. Mine is a black jersey knit with a matching shell. Add a nice coat, and Im good! </p>
<p><strong><em>Casual stuff</em></strong>
Another pair of jeans, one of khakis, a collared shirt or two, your favorite t-shirts, a good sweater, some cold weather stuff. A set of pajamas. Two pairs of civilian shoes, nothing screams CADET ON PASS like a cute top, khakis, and running shoes. Accessories to go with. Basic makeup if truly necessary. </p>
<p>As far as I know, plebes wont be able to wear earrings, jewelry, or makeup until after Christmas, so this is for going on trip sections, Plebe Parent Weekend if youre the daring type, leaving for Thanksgiving and Christmas, Army/Navy, and whatever pass you choose to take. Make sure this can stretch across a few seasons, its going to be blazing hot over Labor day, and well have at least a foot of snow by Christmas, so think in layers. You can get some nice stuff at the C-Store, and the PX has clothes too. Plus, if you join a few clubs, a lot of them include a trip to the mall wherever youre going. </p>
<p><strong><em>Underwear</em></strong>
Ok, I was pretty laid back in high school. White cotton undies and a few cute patterns. Now that its the ONLY thing I get to choose to wear every day, Im a little more adventurous. However, I do wear a sports bra just about every day in uniform. One, its comfortable, and two, in a training environment the normal bra just isnt practical. During Airborne we ran to and from the training area every day, and trained hard. Youll be running a lot and doing physical activity outside of PT, so keep that in mind. Black, white, gray, or neutral. No orange, no blue, no red, no green, no neon pink. Not that anyones going to check, but if your PT shirt neck shifts, people may see your straps and they will correct you. Well, I would. Im not so sure about male cadre. </p>
<p>Dont send standard bras out in the laundry, ever. Its really hard on them, and its awful to get them back stained and with the hooks destroyed. If you take normal bras to Beast, hand wash them in the sink, and hang them on the drying racks overnight. Hand washing stuff in your sink is a great way to keep up with clean laundry. I did towels, underwear, sports bras, t-shirts, shorts, and socks in my sink for all of Beast. At one point, I even washed my BDUs in my trash can. It only takes a few minutes, and just about everything will dry overnight on the drying racks in the latrines. Plus, youll smell Tide fresh while those who have run out of clean laundry will be hurting.</p>