 airman vision. Today I'm going to be showing you what I'm packing for BMT. I need these at BMT. I am so excited to share that today's video is sponsored by Sandbox. Sandbox is going to make our lives and our friends and family's lives so much easier. Even though we haven't left for basic training yet, we have all heard that receiving letters at basic training can be the biggest source of motivation. Well, this is where Sandbox comes in. So what is Sandbox and how does it work? Sandbox makes it easier and faster to send letters to your loved ones while at basic training. Sandbox is a free mobile app that can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices and it can also be used on your computer. Once friends and family know your address, they can start sending letters right away and it's as simple as sending a text message or an email and they can even snap a photo to attach to the letter as well. Once letters are sent they are printed and encrypted right away so you don't have to worry about anybody seeing what's inside your letter. If the letter is sent by 4.30 p.m. Eastern time it is printed and shipped same day. Being able to get those pick-me-ups and motivation throughout the weeks a lot quicker is going to make a world of difference. And then they make it easy on us trainees by including a pre-address envelope and stationery to write back on. All we have to do is add the stamp. If anyone ever runs into any issues with sending a letter their customer support team is made up of military spouses and veterans who know what you are going through and they are there ready to help you. Lastly you as the future Airman can go ahead and download the Sandbox app and invite your friends and family so they know exactly where to go to start sending you letters when you're at BMT. So I actually created a checklist on the very front page is everything they are going to be issuing us at basic training. I have this whole checklist on airmanvision.com you can download it for yourself. Also you have your own checklist to see the things that you need to mark off. Let's just get started and go through the packing list. The very first thing you are going to need is a duffel bag that is carry-on size. I would not recommend taking a checked bag it's just going to make the process a whole lot more difficult than it needs to be. I would not recommend taking a backpack they issue you a backpack at BMT and you're going to have to be carrying your backpack and the bag that you bring with you and I think it would be a lot harder to have two backpacks to try to deal with and a backpack on your back and then a duffel bag that you can just throw over your shoulder and it's going to be a lot more manageable that way. I personally wanted one that was able to fold up pretty easy so when I leave basic training I can just shove it in my bag and not have to deal with an additional bag and I can just pack it away. I got mine at Ross for like 20 bucks. It's always good to go with neutral colors. I think black and gray would probably be your best bet to stick with. The next thing is going to be paperwork, our enlistment contract, all the important documents that you need to have. I have all of this listed on the checklist that you can download on airmanvision.com and of course always check with your recruiter to make sure if there's anything specific that you need to add. I'm also recommending a poly folder. This is definitely optional. Recruiters should give a manila folder but I wanted to go a little bit extra on this and have a plastic poly folder just to keep my documents protected better. The next thing is going to be money and bank information. I would recommend taking about 40 to $60 cash and also make sure you have some smaller bills like ones and five. Sometimes during BMT they might get some money and donations from people. They might have the whole flight donate to get some extra laundry detergent and sometimes flights will get graduation shirts so you just want to make sure you have some smaller bills to be able to chip in for things like that. Next is going to be any medical materials you may need. This is going to differ for each person because it just depends on what you need. Some people might not have anything they have to take. Some people might have some medications they have to take so make sure you have your prescription and you have any medications in the original bottles that they came in. Then we have a few items that you can decide whether you want to pack or purchase when you get to BMT like band-aids, a lint roller, and lip balm. Now let's talk about clothes. So the day I'm going to BMT I'm wearing a plain black t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and the running shoes that I'm going to be taking with me. Now ladies make sure you do not have a v-neck shirt or even a low collar shirt. Make sure it stays high up to your collar bones. I've heard stories of girls even having a scoop neck that sits a little bit lower and they've had to wear their shirt backwards so I would just try to avoid that altogether. Additionally I am taking four more plain black t-shirts. These are Fruity Loom. I got them at Walmart for like five bucks in the men's section. And then I'm taking a second pair of jeans, two extra pair of socks, and a belt. And then I have these two pair of athletic gem shorts. I also got these at Walmart for just a few bucks. These are to wear to sleep at night just so I have something comfortable. I'm also taking three pair of compression shorts. I've heard mixed reviews on these. I'm not someone who normally wears compression shorts but then I've had friends who have gone saying definitely take them and I've had other people who said I didn't wear them the whole time. I'm the type of person who is like I would rather have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. And lastly for this section I am taking this black zip-up jacket. Now for guys I would recommend taking a few pair of the underwear that you like. I know you do get issued whitey tidies when you're there but I have heard people recently say that they were allowed to wear their own underwear so it may not hurt to take it again because if you have it and they let you wear it awesome and if not then whatever. Ladies I'm going to talk about our specifics in just a little bit in a different chapter. Next we're going to talk about the accessories that you need to take to basic training. The first thing is going to be a watch. Now smart watches are not allowed so you just need a very simple watch. I got this Casio brand from Walmart for like 15 bucks. And then of course you're going to take your cell phone with you. Make sure you have your cell phone charger. A portable charger is highly recommended and don't forget your portable charger's charger. If you are someone who wears glasses like myself make sure you take your glasses with you and a hard case and also your current prescription because we will be wearing those until we get issued our glasses at BMT. And I also got this small little wallet to hold my ID cards and cash. I got this on Amazon for like just a few bucks. Next we're going to talk about toiletries. Now a lot of these items are going to be issued to us at BMT but if you have preferences about the brands or the products that you like to use then maybe you'll want to bring your own items as well. Make sure they're travel size because we don't want to have to worry about checking a bag so you need to make sure it's within the limit to be able to take on a carry-on. Most of the toiletries are going to be issued to us at basic training but here are the few things I'm taking. Two travel size shampoos and one conditioner. A pack of razors, full size deodorant and a toothbrush. And then I have a face wash and then this is a hydrating facial mist. Now we are going to talk about the female specific items. So guys if you're watching this part you can go ahead and skip to the next chapter because those will still apply to you. So the first thing we're going to talk about is underwear. This is the bag that I have all my underwear packed in. I have 10 pair that I'm taking. Now I've heard it recommended in the past to make sure they are the full coverage briefs. Some people call them granny panties. I got these cotton briefs from Victoria's Secret. As you can see I have pink and navy. I have had friends who have graduated basic training recently and they said the color of your underwear does not matter but they recommended not to take black because it attracts lint so much more. And there have been some girls telling me that the style doesn't matter. I want to be more safe than sorry so I'm going to stick with the brief style. The next thing is going to be sports bras. I am taking eight. This may seem overkill. I initially had six but I had some girls that said laundry gets backed up. People would either have to wear dirty bras maybe even not wear one at all. So I grabbed two extras. The style and the color of sports bra really doesn't matter. I decided to go with these zip front sports bras only because I do need a little extra support with sports bras. I also thought it would help after taking a shower and you're not fully dry and you have to get dressed really quickly and pulling a sports bra over your body while it's still damp and it getting stuck and just wasting time. I'm like I could just put it on like a jacket and zip it up and I'm good to go. So with these I get the support that I need and I think it will help me get dressed a lot quicker. Also make sure you take at least one regular bra a nude bra that matches your skin tone because everybody says that the blues button-up shirts that you wear for graduation day are pretty thin and see-through and it would just be better to have a nude bra as opposed to one of your sports bras showing through. Next is going to be rubber bands and make sure they are the same color as your hair. I might be doing a little bit of overkill here but I wanted to make sure I had options for the right style that I was doing and didn't wish I needed anything else. So I'm taking all three of these sizes then you want to make sure you have the tiny rubber bands. These can either be the same color as your hair or the clear ones. Then bobby pins of course the same color as your hair. I have regular bobby pins and I also have the stick pins that will help hold a donut bun in. I'm also going to be taking two travel size hair gels. The next thing is going to be brushes. I have a regular brush, a comb, a bore bristle brush which is highly recommended. This is what is going to help smooth our hair down. Then I have this other bristle brush as well because it has a point to it at the end and that is what I'm going to use to part my hair. Then I have these hair donuts. This is totally optional. We may or may not even be able to use them while we're there. I'm also going to take two scrunchies that match the color of my hair and a dew rag. I have never worn a dew rag before but I heard that it is recommended for all hair types so I thought what the heck I'm going to take it with me because if the girls who've already went through say it makes life easier why not try it. So I'm going to take it with me just in case I happen to need it but I'll update you all later on on if I ended up wearing it while I was there. Then we're going to want to make sure we have at least a month's worth of menstrual products. Next I'm going to take a little bit of makeup for graduation day. I have my foundation, some powder, blush, concealer, brow gel, eyeliner, a neutral shadow and some mascara. You're not going to be able to wear makeup the whole time throughout VMT but graduation day typically they allow girls to wear a little bit of makeup and sometimes on picture day as well. This is going to depend on whether your MTI says you can so take a little bit. It has to be very natural and conservative and then if you're taking makeup you're going to need some makeup removing wipes because as soon as pictures are done and graduation is done we're going to have to wipe all of that makeup off right away. The next thing we're going to talk about some optional items that you can take to VMT. You guys can go through this whole list on the download but I'm just going to show you guys the things that I am taking from this list. Packing cubes. I kind of debated on if I was going to get these or not. I looked on Amazon, I looked at Target and Walmart and they were so expensive and I'm like I am not going to pay that much just to separate my items. I'll either use plastic baggies or I just won't even separate them at all. But then I went to TJ Maxx and I found groups of packing cubes for like super cheap. I had one that was like six packing cubes for like five bucks or eight packing cubes for like six bucks. So I grabbed a few and I'm glad that I got them but I wouldn't have paid more than that for them. So I don't have all my packing cubes out since I'm using them but this actually kind of creates a little cube with the flap over top and then these are more like little baggies for clothes and then I also got some of the clear see-through ones. This one is going to be for like all the liquids that I'm taking. So let's start with the clipboard on this one. I've heard different things. I've heard from MTI that says don't bring a clipboard. I've heard from people who graduated this age don't. I've heard from people who graduated who say do. I'm gonna take it. I'm gonna take a pair of insoles for my boots whenever I get there. I am not going to take any for my running shoes because I figured if my insoles end up wearing out while I'm there I can just buy insoles at the BX but I would rather have these for my boots right away. Next is fingernail clippers and tweezers. I got the dual cut on these fingernail clippers. This has like the regular fingernail clipper and then they have the cuticle cutter on this side. I figured that would be nice for cutting strings on my uniform. Now I'm not typically one to wear a sleeping mask but I'm gonna take one with me. Then we have some stationary items. We do get issued pens and notebooks but I just kind of like to have my own stuff. I wanted to pick out my own notebooks so I'm taking this style of notebook and then this one as well. And then I'm gonna take a few pencils, a few pens, and I also like gel highlighters so I wanted to take those. Then we have stamps and envelopes that I probably won't be using very many of while I'm there and I decided to go with the peel and stick ones instead of the ones that you have to lick. Then I'll be taking my contacts, a travel size contact solution, and a contact case. These are just some extras. I figured I would take some sanitizing wipes. I have two packs of q-tips. And then I'm taking this silicone luffa. They do issue you a regular luffa there but people recommended taking a silicone one because it's more sanitary and it doesn't take that long to dry. And then a travel size lotion and this moleskin padding for blisters. Now this last part is not anything on the list of stuff that you actually have to take but it's just some extra things that I'm going to be throwing in my BMT bag and since I'm showing you guys what I'm packing here's what I have. So here I have a retainer case because I do have to wear retainers at night so I have a case and my retainers. Then this is my leave-in conditioner I put in a travel size spray bottle. I have travel size tissues, little post-it tabs for my BMTSG which is going to be our basic training study guide, some cough drops. Then I have tiger balm which is pain relieving ointment. This stuff is seriously amazing whenever I run and like my calves are hurting me really bad I put this on my calves and it soothes it so quickly so if you guys don't have this go get some tiger balm. I'm taking some facial sunscreen, fog block. This is for glasses wearers. I have a small pair of scissors for cutting strings on uniforms and then a little plug-in that has two USB plugs. Now you are allowed to have Bibles. I initially wasn't planning on taking mine because this is mine. It is pretty thick and heavy and takes up a whole lot of space but my brother and sister-in-law got me this one and it is super small and it is lightweight and this is going to be super easy. It doesn't take up a lot of space and I can just throw this in my bag. Now a few notes that I want to mention label anything that is not in its original container. Next is pack your clothes that you want shipped to you at tech school before you leave for BMT. Also maybe throw in like one or two shirts that you can wear when you get to tech school so while you're waiting for all of your other clothes to get shipped there you already have a few options of things to wear when you're not in uniform. Now I've spent a lot of time on this checklist. I did a lot of research and I've heard from a lot of people who have gone through basic training at different times. I've talked to a lot of people who have just recently graduated so I've used all of that knowledge to create this checklist but still there's going to be situations where each person may need or want more things so use the bottom of this to write down any additional things that you need on this checklist so as you're going through you don't miss anything so make sure to keep it all on the same pages so you don't have two separate lists and then happen to forget one and then you get there and you miss out on something that you wanted to take with you. That is my BMT packing list video. I hope it helped you. I'm going to be making an updated BMT packing list video after I'm out of BMT and I'm also going to be documenting my whole experience so if you haven't subscribed to this channel be sure to subscribe. You can download the checklist on airmanvision.com the link is in the description. The link for sandbox is also in the description so be sure to check that out. Send it to your friends and family so they can send you letters quicker while you're at BMT. I'm so excited for my journey. I'm excited for your journey. Best of luck and I will see you guys in another video.