What to Bring to Basic Training: The Complete Packing List

For basic training in any branch, bring your Social Security card, a government photo ID, the documents your recruiter gives you, banking information for direct deposit, any prescription medication in its original labeled bottle, glasses, a short list of contact addresses and phone numbers, and the clothes you travel in. The military issues almost everything else. This guide covers each branch’s official “what to bring” guidance (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, and Coast Guard), what not to bring, money, phones and documents.

Knowing what to bring to basic training is one of the few things you can control before you ship out, and the list is shorter than most people expect. Each branch issues uniforms, boots, bedding and most hygiene items when you arrive, and anything extra you bring is usually stored until graduation, mailed home or thrown away. Your recruiter’s current list for your ship date is the one to follow if it differs from anything here.

What Every Recruit Should Bring

Military OneSource, the Defense Department’s official family-support site, publishes a basic training packing list that covers the core items every branch asks for.

Documents

• Social Security card (the actual card, not a copy)
• Valid driver’s license or state photo ID
• All orders and enlistment paperwork your recruiter and MEPS give you
• Direct deposit information: a completed direct deposit form, or your bank’s name, routing number and account number
• Immunization records
• High school diploma or GED and any college transcripts
• If they apply to you: proof of citizenship or permanent residence, marriage certificate, divorce decree, children’s birth certificates, copies of a lease, prescription copies and JROTC or ROTC documents

Keep these in a folder in your carry-on. The Air Force specifies the actual Social Security card and driver’s license, not photocopies.

Personal items

• Prescription medication in the original pharmacy bottle with the label, plus the prescription paperwork
• Prescription glasses (with a hard case) and your current prescription
• A written list of names, mailing addresses and phone numbers of the people you will want to contact
• A small amount of cash or an ATM card, within your branch’s limits
• A plain, inexpensive watch (allowed or encouraged by the Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard)
• Women: sports bras, regular bras, hair ties that match your hair color and feminine hygiene items

Army Basic Combat Training

The Army issues uniforms, boots, physical training gear and field equipment at the reception battalion. Basic Combat Training itself lasts 10 weeks, according to Fort Jackson. Your recruiter’s ship packet is the official Army list; the Military OneSource list above reflects the same core items, including:

• The documents listed above, especially your Social Security card, photo ID, direct deposit information and recruiter paperwork
• Casual, comfortable clothing for travel, plus white underwear and white calf-length athletic socks
• Running shoes and your eyeglasses
• Basic toiletries: toothbrush with case, toothpaste, dental floss, antiperspirant, shampoo, soap with a case, a washcloth and towel, shower shoes, and a disposable or safety razor with shaving cream
• One lock: a combination lock or a padlock with two keys

If you are flying, liquids in your carry-on must be 3.4 ounces or less.

If you still need to pick a job before you ship, see our guide to choosing an Army MOS.

Navy Recruit Training Command

Navy Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes, Illinois, publishes one of the most detailed official lists. Every recruit must have a Social Security card, immunization records, a COVID-19 vaccination card if vaccinated, and two forms of valid ID, one with a photo. The names on all IDs must match, or you need legal name-change documents. As applicable, bring your marriage certificate, divorce decree, copies of dependents’ birth certificates and your permanent resident card.

Items you may bring to RTC:

• Wristwatch and wedding ring
• Religious medallion (no larger than about 2 by 1 inches) and a pocket-sized religious text
• Writing material and a small address book
• Plastic hairbrush, pick or comb
• Prepaid phone cards
• One pair of prescription or reading glasses
• Prescription medications
• Less than $10 in cash
• Women: feminine sanitary items, conservative cosmetics (one each of face powder, blush, lipstick, eye shadow and mascara) and barrettes that match your hair color

The Navy also asks you to arrive with clean nails and no polish (no gel or acrylic nails), a clean-shaven face, no false eyelashes, and hair that meets Navy grooming standards in a natural color. Wear weather-appropriate pants or shorts, a T-shirt, socks and closed-toe shoes. Flip-flops and sandals are not allowed. Memorize a good mailing address or bring a small address book, because your personal items are boxed up and sent home.

Marine Corps Recruit Training

Marine Corps recruit training lasts about 13 weeks: a receiving week followed by 12 weeks of training, according to the Marine Corps. Recruits bring very little. Plan on your photo ID, Social Security card and all the enlistment paperwork your recruiter gives you. Your recruiter goes over the official list of what to bring and what to leave home before you ship, and civilian clothing and personal effects are placed in storage for the length of training.

A Marine Corps recruiting district’s guidance on what not to bring lists items such as:

• Knives, guns or anything that could be used as a weapon
• Dice, playing cards or other gambling items
• Magazines, books and puzzles that are not religious material
• Tobacco products and lighters
• Large photo albums (a few photos are fine)
• Over-the-counter medications, including vitamins and supplements
• Aerosol sprays of any kind

Electronics such as phones and music players are stored during training. Marine recruits make one required phone call the night they arrive to tell their next of kin or recruiter they made it safely.

Air Force and Space Force BMT

Air Force and Space Force recruits both attend Basic Military Training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. The 37th Training Wing’s official recruit packing list makes these items mandatory for all recruits:

• A list of important contacts with full legal names, addresses and phone numbers (hand-carry it)
• A completed Visitor Access Request Letter, signed by you, for any family member over 18 without a military ID who may attend graduation
• Cash or a credit or debit card in case of travel delays or pay issues
• Your actual driver’s license or state photo ID and your actual Social Security card
• If married: a color copy of your spouse’s driver’s license or state ID that won’t expire within 30 days of your projected graduation
• Guard and Reserve recruits: five copies of orders and your Common Access Card
• Three pairs of dark blue or black spandex shorts with no visible logos
• All prescribed medication in the original labeled bottle, with prescription documentation
• Women: six pairs each of black or white underwear and bras (sports bras recommended), hair ties that match your hair color, conservative makeup, and no acrylic or false nails
• Men: at least a two-week supply of shaving equipment (disposable razors are encouraged)

The Air Force also strongly encourages a conservative watch, one pair of running shoes and one set of gym clothes. Travel-size toiletries are allowed. Glasses with a hard case and your current prescription are recommended because contact lenses can only be worn until military glasses are issued. Recruits are also encouraged to bring a phone charger and keep their phone plan active and paid during BMT. If you are joining the Space Force, our Space Force basic training guide explains what follows BMT.

Coast Guard Recruit Training

All Coast Guard enlisted recruits train at Training Center Cape May, New Jersey, in an eight-week course. The Coast Guard’s recruit guide, The Helmsman, says you must bring your Social Security card and at least one photo ID, and recommends $50 in small bills for extra items you may want. You may bring one small suitcase or duffel bag, no larger than an airline carry-on, with your name printed clearly on it. That bag stores the clothes you arrive in until graduation. Arrive in comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes and sneaker-type shoes.

The Coast Guard also requires a checking or savings account with an ATM card, because pay is direct deposited and the ATM card is your only way to reach it. Permitted items include three white V-neck T-shirts, six to 10 pairs of white underwear, long underwear (October to April), a watch, wallet, wedding band, cartridge-type razor, one religious book, an address book, stationery and stamps, a prepaid phone card and unframed family photos. Women may also bring birth control pills (if already using them), hair ties that match hair color, feminine hygiene items, minimal makeup and six sports bras.

Branch-by-Branch Comparison

What Not to Pack, and Why It Matters

Every branch prohibits the same broad categories. From the Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Military OneSource lists, leave these at home:

• Weapons, firearms, knives and explosives
• Alcohol, tobacco, vapes and illegal drugs or paraphernalia
• Over-the-counter medications, vitamins and supplements (bring only prescribed medication)
• Food, gum, candy and drinks
• Aerosol cans and items containing alcohol, such as mouthwash, aftershave and cologne
• Anything in glass, including mirrors
• Playing cards, dice and other gambling items
• Expensive electronics, cameras, game players and smartwatches
• Extra civilian clothing
• Magazines, newspapers and pornographic material

Some rules are branch-specific. The Navy bans razors of any type and electric razors, while the Air Force wants men to bring disposable razors and the Coast Guard allows cartridge razors. Follow your own branch’s list. At the Coast Guard, possessing some contraband items can result in immediate removal from training, so this is not a place to test the rules.

Do not pack anything sentimental or valuable that you cannot afford to lose.

A Note on Money

You do not need much cash. The Navy limits recruits to less than $10, the Coast Guard recommends $50 in small bills, and the Air Force asks for cash or a card in case of travel delays or pay problems. More important is a working bank account. You are paid by direct deposit, so bring your bank’s routing and account numbers or a completed direct deposit form, and make sure your debit card works before you leave. Set up automatic payments for any bills, since you will have little chance to handle them during training. For what you will earn, see our military pay chart.

Phones and Staying in Touch

Phone rules vary widely, which affects whether bringing your phone is worth it:

• Army: Fort Jackson says soldiers in training can use their phones roughly once a week at the discretion of unit leadership, and that mail is the best way to communicate.
• Navy: prepaid phone cards are on the authorized list.
• Marine Corps: one required call the night you arrive, then no phone access until after the Crucible. Recruits send their first letter home seven to nine days after arriving, with their mailing address.
• Air Force and Space Force: recruits are encouraged to bring a charger and keep their phone service active and paid.
• Coast Guard: recruits receive mail daily starting Wednesday of week two. Letters are welcome; care packages are not recommended.

Preparing Physically Before You Arrive

What you bring in your bag matters far less than what you bring physically. The Air Force’s packing memo tells recruits to start preparing for physical training as soon as possible, citing the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation of at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous activity three days a week.

If you have not started a structured fitness routine, train for the Army Fitness Test events: 3-rep max deadlift, hand-release push-ups, sprint-drag-carry, plank, and the two-mile run. Many recruits who struggle during BCT did not fail because of what they packed — they failed to prepare their bodies. Break in your running shoes before you ship, and make sure you still meet your branch’s height and weight standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where This Leaves You

Pack less than you think. Bring your Social Security card, photo ID, recruiter paperwork, banking details, prescriptions, glasses and a paper list of addresses, plus the specific items your branch’s list calls for, and leave everything else at home. Check your recruiter’s current list a week before you ship, then read our guide to how long boot camp lasts in each branch so you know what comes next.

The best thing you can bring to basic training is not in any bag — it is a disciplined mindset, a prepared body, and the ability to follow instructions without complaint. Pack light, pack smart, and leave everything else at home.