What items will allow you to stand out from the your peers as an Army ROTC Cadet? Well, first no one is going to be impressed by your Oakley eye pro or other brand name piece of military equipment. As a cadet, your attitude and desire to learn are the things that will ensure you stand out from your peers. The Army will supply you with everything you need to do the bare minimum, but to achieve standout performance, you will need to upgrade some of what is government issued (GI).
Most of these essential items for an Army ROTC Cadet allow you to perform your job as a leader better. For example, a comfortable pair of boots allow you to focus on the mission at hand and not the enormous blister that is forming on your heel. A rite in the rain set of notebooks and pens allows you to maintain essential information without having to worry about a scrap of notebook paper disintegrating from sweat or rain.
This list is for Army ROTC Cadets only. I’m sure that some of these items are applicable to other military branches, but some of these items have service level restrictions on what can and cannot be worn as well as doctrinal differences in terminology.
Without further discussion, here are the items that made it onto our list as the top five things an Army ROTC Cadet needs:
Rite in the Rain family of weatherproof notebooks and writing materials. Select whatever size you’re most comfortable with, but you definitely will be thankful you’ve got this when your paper doesn’t disintegrate from rain and sweat.
Red Lens headlamp is self-explanatory, but you want to have a product that looks and performs the part.
Sea to Summit family of weatherproof stuff bags far outperforms your standard waterproof bag. Select the size that works best! Use a small one to organize and protect electronics, separate socks and shirts, and a large one to stuff them all in!
The Garmin family of watches is the best. They are rugged, durable, and useful. Splurge on the solar charging model and avoid worrying about running out of juice in the field. Make sure you get a cheap Casio for land nav since you wont be able to use your Garmin since it has GPS capability!
You must find a good boot sock! Everyone’s feet are different, but in our experience, nothing beats the performance of Darn Tough socks. Highly recommend getting a variety so you can rotate depending on the season.
Everything on our list makes an excellent gift idea, but I would recommend asking for some input prior to ordering. You’ve got a variety of choices within each product and you certainly want to avoid the hassle of online return for selecting the wrong size or style!
Army Order Shells and TMKs 