Deployment Orders and a Few Questions...

Great you're putting some stuff together for him. It will kill a bit of the surprise I guess, but how about asking him about some things he'd like to have?

As they said, baby wipes and/or maybe some individually packaged wipes like Wet Ones or something. That way he can have a couple tucked in his pockets or whatever.
 
I'd send him an ESEE Hest(hostile enviroment survival tool).It is a good,tough as nails,multi purpose blade,that is compact enough that he can pack it at all times.Yet,it is a blade that could get you out of some tough jams.
 
I'd thought about the HEST but I've never handled one so I wasn't sure if that would be the right tool for the job. They look fantastic, I've just never had the opportunity to play around with one...

I think we are going to ask him what he would like to be able to bring with him. He's the type of guy that would normally just buy whatever he wants but now that he's married with a kid on the way we're trying to help with fixing him up so he can make sure they're covered with the baby.

Thanks again for the suggestions guys, keep 'em coming!
 
I think a ESEE 3 MIL would be a great blade for a combat soldier. He surely already has a main blade, but the 3 would make for a great backup. Also if he is at a small FOP wipes for cleaning are a great treat. If you go to www.chinookmed.com, then to supplies, then personal protection they have packs of SAGE body cleaning wipes made for the field. There are 8 in a pack a it's about a $1 a pack, GREAT price. Get a bunch of those and they're worth they're weight in gold.
 
Deployed friends of ours craved magazines, beef jerky, snacks, hand/body wipes, baby powder, DVD's. basically things to make them feel like they're NOT 5000 miles away!

As far as 'equipment', a GOOD multitool, a good fixed blade (3-5 inches), and a sharpener.

RAT Pack # 177
 
RAT-1 is a great low cost folder.
Don't pay extra for a black blade - the paint chips/wears like you wouldn't believe.
SAK tinker, camper, or huntsman (my personal favorite) all drop into a pocket very nicely as well at about the same price point.
 
1066vik said:
RAT-1 is a great low cost folder.
Don't pay extra for a black blade - the paint chips/wears like you wouldn't believe.
SAK tinker, camper, or huntsman (my personal favorite) all drop into a pocket very nicely as well at about the same price point.
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I have a RAT-1 and love it, without the black coating :) of course. I had thought about a SAK but should I send that or a multi-tool (leatherman)?
 
Guys dont forget that with a desert like that, a slipjoint will become almost impossible to open with all the sand packed into it.
 
The idea of a custom is nice, but in the military a "no questions asked" guarantee that ESEE provides would offer a TON of peace of mind. If ESEE was around when I was in I would have saved a lot of money spent on inferior companion knives...

In my time away from home I enjoyed food and care packages, but the things that were best were a laminated -picture of my girlfriend (now wife), worn in my headgear, and gold bond powder.
 
amcardon said:
I have a RAT-1 and love it, without the black coating :) of course. I had thought about a SAK but should I send that or a multi-tool (leatherman)?
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You might try and ask him if he has a multi-tool already. I had thought about that, but everyone I know in the Marine Corps along with myself has one already. Just wouldn't want you to get him something he already has.
 
milani74 said:
he will have access to a PX that sells poggy bait.
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Now there's a term I haven't heard in a long time. :D I think it's actually spelled pogey bait but it gave me a chuckle just to think about it.
I hope your buddy stays safe Amcardon. I don't think you could go wrong with an Izula or Hest. I wish I had an Izula when I was in the military.
 
I've seen it "pogey" and "pogie" - your spelling would lead me to think it's pronounced like "foggy" - but it's the interwebs - nobody cares about spelink anyhoo. :-)
 
NJ Tom said:
Deployed friends of ours craved magazines, beef jerky, snacks, hand/body wipes, baby powder, DVD's. basically things to make them feel like they're NOT 5000 miles away!

As far as 'equipment', a GOOD multitool, a good fixed blade (3-5 inches), and a sharpener.

RAT Pack # 177
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90% of deployed soldiers already have a GOOD multitool, most of them are issued one. I know I was given a Gerber Diesel and a SOG EOD multitool flatout. The HEST is definately a knife that fits the job, it's like the RC5 in the fact that I know I can put this knife through anything and it will come back asking for more. I find the handle more comfortable for general use and more suitable in general than the RC3, I think it would be perfect for duty carry.
 
Well, it's sounding like maybe the HEST is the way to go then! I'd love to make him a knife but maybe I'll have that waiting for him when he gets back and he can take the HEST and it's warranty over to the sandbox...
 
hoopster said:
Now there's a term I haven't heard in a long time. :D I think it's actually spelled pogey bait but it gave me a chuckle just to think about it.
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Ha! I think your correct. I've dun been livn in Alebame to long I reckn.
Also, Payette is right. Most Soldiers now get a really good multitool issued or a benchmade folder and sometimes both. Depends on the unit. The hest would be a really cool knife I think.
 
What about a pre-loaded MP3 player? I'd think that would be great. And now you can load them with movies, too.

Deck of cards?
 
amcardon said:
Hey guys, my brother in law got his deployment orders last night for deployment to Iraq in September. This is his 2nd tour and his wife just found out they're pregnant with their first child, due in October.

Anyway, I'm trying to get an idea of things I can send with him to make his tour hopefully better than his first. I am going to try and make him a knife for daily carry but I was hoping you guys might have some ideas as to other items that I should consider sending. I'm a student so please don't recommend items that would be fantastic to have but require a lot of money.

Anyway, thank you for any posts or suggestions you guys might have. I've never served in the military so I really don't know what to send him with.
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Porn, books, video games (handheld), magazines, beef jerky, baby wipes, good socks, under armor shirts and undies, 550 cord, 90 mile a hour tape, multi tool, bug spray (lots), powder gatorade mix (the water tastes like crap), vitamins, protien bars, good knee pads, laptop camera if he ain't got one. Most of this stuff is cheap and you can always send care packages.
 
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Hadn't thought about stuff like powdered gatorade or vitamins! Thanks for the suggestions, we're getting a good list together that should make things a little easier for him and his company!
 
Man if you are close enough to spend a lot of time with your sister after the baby is born, then ALWAYS take your camera and shoot pics and video of the baby every time you visit. Then send him copies of the pics and vids.

Make sure to help your sis out. It's HARD to be a first time mom, with a newborn, and your husband deployed. Help them to stockpile disposable diapers in different sizes. Babies grow fast, so you usually only need N's for 2-4 wks if at all, and 1's for a month or so. Then it's on to #2's and on up in size as the kidlet grows. If she is going to formula feed, help out and buy some formula. It's real pricey--even the walmart brand stuff.

By helping take care of his wife & kid, you will ensure he has a little less to worry about.
 
Got a mate in Afghanistan right now I sent him care packages of old shooting magazines. One a fortnight ( I can send a a 2kg care package free of charge to a deployed Australian soldier )
They get some magazines brought in but never enough to go around and never the shooting related ones that I send him. After they have done a couple laps of the mess he eats in ( When he is in the base) he hands them over to bloke he has befriended from the Dutch contingent, and they do the laps there.
When he arrived he was sleeping on a platform made from wooden Pallets under a heavy tarp but the snow was gusting in, so a good light weight water proof ground sheet to put over his swag was appreciated.
I also sent him a sea to summit pocket shower
http://www.gadgets-reviews.com/sea-to-summit-pocket-shower.html
For when they get covered in shite and aren't gunna get access to a shower till they return to base in two weeks ( he slipped into a sewage drain chasing a suspect)
As for sharpener
http://www.rei.com/product/780741
Not for "good" knives but in his job a knife is a consumable.
Carl
 
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