I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

[integlspwr]

Hey guys, i thought Hawaii threads would be a great place to ask..

Im sending a buddy of mines a care package who is in a combat zone in Afghan. What are some things I should include.

He said don't send chocolates because those melt, and nothing perishable.

Somethings I had in mind was...

Lihing Gummy bears
Mochi Crunch
Chex party Mix
rice crispys treats.
power bars / granola bars / kashi
powdered Drinks like Tang or Crystal Light
some car magazines because he is super into imports etc.

Other then that I really dont know what else to fill up his care package with. I want to make it Hawaiian theme but any suggestions is greatly appreciated.

-Edgar-

[helen]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents

Maybe an issue of the local newspapers like the Star Bulletin and/or the Advertiser. If said friend is from another island you could send them a copy of that island's newspaper.

[integlspwr]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents

Maybe an issue of the local newspapers like the Star Bulletin and/or the Advertiser. If said friend is from another island you could send them a copy of that island's newspaper.

not a bad idea.. keep those suggestions coming..

[StinkyTheGrump]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents

Maybe an issue of the local newspapers like the Star Bulletin and/or the Advertiser. If said friend is from another island you could send them a copy of that island's newspaper.

That's a really good idea.
The vast majority of deployed soldiers are going to have access to a good chowhall and a mini PX with a lot of convenience items so it's a lot more difficult nowadays to think of something to send a soldier that they don't already have access to. Life in a combat zone usually consists of a lot of downtime punctuated by brief periods of planned chaos (obviously this depends on the soldiers' job) so reading materials, movies, and video games are generally appreciated. You could buy a large thumb drive with, say 32gb of space, rip a bunch of movies to 700mb files (standard dvd quality) put them on the USB drive and send that over there. I have this one - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233063 It's the most rugged one you can buy and seems to have been built for military applications. This assumes that your buddy has access to a personal laptop.

Good luck to your friend!

[Vanguard]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

A DVD box set (or thumb drive) of their favorite television show would probably be well appreciated. Each season generally gives one at least 17 hours of entertainment.

[integlspwr]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

Great advice, but from what i know its pretty rugged meaning FULL ON COMBAT not this walk in the park stuff, so no electronic devices that I know of and the stories from what i Know he is going to be eating MRE's so no access to chow halls and mini px's.

[lihingmui]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

Dried fruit and fruit leathers, beef jerky, hard candy, tubes of peanut butter.

Condiments such as Tabasco sauce, to make MRE’s more palatable. I have read that fast food packets of ketchup etc. are very popular.

Packets of cleansing wipes such as Wet Ones.

[tutusue]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

During Viet Nam, my daughter's godfather was a chopper pilot, in the thick of things. Every week I sent him home baked goodies packaged in seal-a-meal bags or whatever was the equivalent in the late 60s. I also included travel sizes of after shave, shampoo, deodorant, etc. I padded the box with air popped popcorn wrapped in Saran Wrap...or was it waxed paper then! He said even the popcorn was still edible by the time the package arrived! He really, really appreciated the home baked goodies and was the envy of his platoon...or helicopter...or whatever, so in subsequent care packages I sent triple the goodies as he was sharing everything he received!!!

Here's an odd suggestion but I'll offer it anyway...a package of those thin strip breath mints. IIRC, dental hygiene isn't a priority in a war zone.

[Amati]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

http://www.mysoldier.com/downloads/care-packages.pdf

From the My Soldier's webite (a great resource to "adopt a soldier"):

Food Items:
Instant coffee, powdered drink mixes (Gatorade, Kool-Aid, hot chocolate, etc.)
Sweetner, sugar
Tea Bags
Slim Jims, Beef Jerky, Summer Sausage
Crackers
Individual packages of chips, cereal, cookies, and other snacks (Rice Krispy treats, Chex Mix, Dried Fruit etc.)
Candy and gum (avoid anything that will melt)
Kraft Easy Mac
Mcrowave Popcorn
Granola bars, Power Bars, Breakfast bars
Canned goods (soup,tuna, chicken, etc.)
Oatmeal
Ragu Express
Instant Soup (Cup-o-Noodles, Ramen etc.)
Condiments (spices, mustard, ketchup,mayonnaise, salt, pepper,hot sauce, salad dressing, etc.)
Practical Items:
Clorox Wipes, Baby Wipes
Shower supplies (shampoo, conditioner, soap/body wash etc.)
Mouthwash, Dental Floss, Toothbrush,Toothpaste
Deodorant
T-shirts, Socks,Underwear
Towels and washcloths
Eye Drops, Contact Lens Cleaner
Chapstick/Lip Balm
Sun Block
Lotion
Baby Powder/Foot Powder
Combs and/or Brushes
Cotton Balls/Q-Tips
Liquid Hand Sanitizer
Breath Mints
Nail Files
Leisure Items:
Batteries
Magazines (Sports, Body
Building, News)
Books
Disposable Cameras
Stamps, Paper, Pens,Envelopes
Puzzles
Frisbees
Hackie Sacks
Squirt Guns
Electronic Games (XBox,PS2, Game Cube, etc.)
Jump Ropes
Phone Cards

[StinkyTheGrump]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

Great advice, but from what i know its pretty rugged meaning FULL ON COMBAT not this walk in the park stuff, so no electronic devices that I know of and the stories from what i Know he is going to be eating MRE's so no access to chow halls and mini px's.

Sorry to burst your bubble but combat isn't like it was back in WWII. Soldiers will eat MREs but will do so for a few weeks at a time at the most if they are in a completely unestablished outpost. They don't spend an entire deployment in an outpost and will rotate on missions with some "companies" having the duty of quick reaction force etc as the one that has to spend time out in the suck. This is all assuming that your buddy is in the Infantry or attached to an Infantry Platoon, Company, or Battalion. If that is not the case then he will have it much better than this.

[integlspwr]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

Sorry to burst your bubble but combat isn't like it was back in WWII. Soldiers will eat MREs but will do so for a few weeks at a time at the most if they are in a completely unestablished outpost. They don't spend an entire deployment in an outpost and will rotate on missions with some "companies" having the duty of quick reaction force etc as the one that has to spend time out in the suck. This is all assuming that your buddy is in the Infantry or attached to an Infantry Platoon, Company, or Battalion. If that is not the case then he will have it much better than this.

yep he is in infantry. but that list is a great way to start. gonna go shopping this coming week end for some goodies to send.

[Mike_Lowery]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

what part of afghanistan? if he'll be in a desert, best include some trash bags for him to keep his rifle sand-free.

[integlspwr]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

what part of afghanistan? if he'll be in a desert, best include some trash bags for him to keep his rifle sand-free.

if i recall, they are going into the mountains..

[Nords]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

Hey guys, i thought Hawaii threads would be a great place to ask..
Im sending a buddy of mines a care package who is in a combat zone in Afghan. What are some things I should include.

Things requested by my nephew the Army Ranger during his Afghanistan tour:
- Kona coffee (ground, of course) in smaller or "variety" bags
- macadamia nuts (smaller packages, can or pouch, sweet or salty, no chocolate)
- a couple dozen Powerbars in a variety of flavors
- small bags of local hard candy
- paperback books, especially if they're new volumes in a series he enjoys
- local newspapers for wrapping/stuffing, especially the Sunday color comics.

Small packages are easy to spread among backpacks or to hand out as military omiyage. If you get a chance to ask, he may want chewing tobacco or other "tradeables". (Nicotine is a popular stimulant but it's not always a good time to make lights and smoke.) As it turned out, I sent monthly sets of the above packages that were always useful for exchanging with buddies or for entertaining villagers. And now he likes li hing mui.

For those of you supporting nephews & neices, don't be surprised by the requests that they may not really wish to share with their own parents...

[cyleet99]

Re: I'm making a care package! Suggestions for contents?

what part of afghanistan? if he'll be in a desert, best include some trash bags for him to keep his rifle sand-free.

When I was in the desert, they used other types of protection as well.

Oh, oh, not for THAT. For the barrel of the rifle.

Really.