BOLC Packing List/ACU/ASU

Here, I clarify the Army's packing list so that you do not buy incorrect items. I cannot stress the following point enough: DO NOT USE THIS AS YOU FINAL PACKING LIST FOR BOLC. IT IS ONLY A GUIDE. USE THE LIST PROVIDED BY THE ARMY AS YOUR FINAL CHECKLIST. I attended BOLC in the Summer of 2016 - the required gear list may have since changed.

As a general rule, Army sizes are significantly different from normal human sizes. As a result, I would recommend trying on anything on this list that has a size prior to purchasing several of them.

All of the items listed below can be purchased online from the Exchange website under Military>Army Uniforms, or at any Army Exchange location. Unless otherwise indicated below, I would purchase all of these items from an Exchange to ensure you are getting the right color, style, etc. 

***EDIT: It is now AUG2022. I have graduated from residency and want to make some amendments to my original recommendations based on new things I have learned. Any edits will be bolded and in blue color.

Army Combat Uniform (ACU)

As Rip Torn famously said in Men in Black: "Let's put it on...the last suit you'll ever wear." The ACU will be your everyday wear in training, and possibly your career as a physician.

The ACU coat should be long enough in the torso to go about 1-2 inches past the end of your belt, or, as you can see in the picture, up until mid-way through your fingers. Your sleeves will likely be too long, but there are button cuffs to keep them up. These come in a variety of sizes, including "Long" and "Short" versions of all sizes. They also come in a female-tailored variety as well. You can probably get away with just 2 of these. 

Price: $48

UPDATE: The Army has authorized use of the "hot weather" ACU. This includes a coat and trousers that are made of a lighter material, buttons instead of a zipper and various other small adjustments to decrease overall weight. I now exclusively wear this new uniform. If you are someone who is always hot like me, this is the uniform for you!

The ACU trousers should be worn as any other variety of pants should. Depending on your body type, they may be a bit baggy. This is not a big deal. Your ACU trousers will be tucked into your boots. The length should be so that the below-the-knee-pocket in the pants does not get tucked into the boots. These, too, come in a female variety that for some reason, have an elastic waistband and cost $3 less. Also oddly, the men's sizes fall under small, medium and large, while the female sizes are numbered. This, I am sure, makes total sense to someone, somewhere.

If you are a male, like me, who falls awkwardly between the 3 available waist sizes, you are authorized to wear the female ACU trousers. The same is true for females in regards to male trousers, if that is your preference. Again, you can probably get away with 2 of these.

Price: $48

UPDATE: The Army has authorized use of the "hot weather" ACU. This includes a coat and trousers that are made of a lighter material, buttons instead of a zipper and various other small adjustments to decrease overall weight. I now exclusively wear this new uniform. If you are someone who is always hot like me, this is the uniform for you!

Your standard-issue patrol cap - don't call it a hat. They come in a variety of numbered sizes by the eighth-inch. It should fit loose enough to not leave an indentation on your forehead and not too loose so that it falls off if you shake your head around. As you can see from the right picture, the cap should sit on your head so that the edge of the portion in contact with your head is parallel with the ground. Don't be afraid to bend the brim - this is actually encouraged. It will make the cap fit looser, so take that into consideration when trying them on.

This is the one time I will recommend that you buy MORE than the Army tells you to get. They will tell you to buy 1 cap. I must disagree, and suggest that you buy two, for two reasons:

1. This is the "cherry on top" of your uniform. You MUST have a PC on when wearing ACUs outdoors. They will figuratively, and possibly literally, burn you at the stake if you are caught not wearing one of these babies. With this in mind, it is not a bad idea to keep a second cap in your backpack, your car, or anywhere else you may find yourself having forgotten your PC.

2. You will want your rank sewn onto the PC, for reasons I explain below. It takes a few days to get this done by the Army tailor, so you need a second cap while the first is being tailored. 

Price: $8

It's a belt. The color of this belt MUST BE "TAN 499" or "OCP." If it does not say "TAN 499" or "OCP," do not purchase it. You'll only need 1 of these. 

Price: $4

UPDATE: I have learned about the various belt upgrades that exist! Some have velcro, others have clips. I have tried a few and this is my current favorite - it is soooo much easier to use every day. You just set the size once and you're done! Here is the link on Amazon. If the link ever stops working, it is a belt with a quick-release mechanism)

This is one of the few items in your uniform in which you have a choice. The Army has a number of requirements of boots. I wouldn't put much thought into that - just look at what boots are for sale in the Exchange - they are all acceptable. They should be "Coyote Brown" in color.

You will put a LOT of miles into these boots, so be sure to find a pair that fits you well and is comfortable. DEFINITELY TRY THESE ON IN PERSON. Mine were a full size smaller than my normal shoe size. These have a big range in price. The boots pictured above are the Rocky S2V Coyote Brown Military Boots. These are top of the line in both quality and cost. When I realized how long I would be wearing boots, it was a no-brainer. 

A hot topic of debate is whether to get one or two pairs of boots. The Army requires two, but after seeing the cost of one pair of Rocky's, I was a bit hesitant. The reason for two is that if you get your boots wet in the field, the humidity is so high that the boots won't dry and you'll have to wear wet boots until you get back to your hotel at the end of the week. They will not check if you have one or two pairs of boots, so the choice is yours. I ended up only purchasing 1 pair for BOLC and had no issues with this decision.

Price: $80-220; you may purchase these anywhere. I got mine from Amazon for $30 less than the Exchange.

UPDATE: Go light! Unless you plan on doing a lot of ruck marches or want to get your wings or some other hooah lifestyle, get one of the light boot options. Nike, Oakley and a few other brands make them. They feel pretty much like sneakers and will make long days on your feet feel just a little bit shorter. I am rocking the Oakley Light Assault Boot 2 and could not recommend them more.

It's a t-shirt. The color of this t-shirt MUST BE "TAN 499." or "OCP." If it does not say "TAN 499" or "OCP," do not purchase it. These sizes are actually standard civilian sizes. You will need 8 of these. 

Price: $5

This might be the biggest one for me. Don't get the basic cotton shirts they sell at the Exchange! There are many better options. There are many shirts in the appropriate color that are "Under Armor" or a similar material that are way lighter and more comfortable. I am not the biggest fan of compression all day, so I have a few Under Armor-like shirts and even more of the looser-fitting "moisture-wicking" polyester shirts (I don't recall the name of the shirt - I got them from my local Exchange - here is a similar shirt)

Socks

The Army is less particular about socks - probably because no one ever sees them. Unless you have a crazy-aggressive OIC who checks your socks, no one will know if you are wearing the correct socks. To err on the safe side, you should purchase knee-high socks in Tan 499 or OD Green, although I have heard that black is acceptable. NO LOGOs. These should have a decent amount of thickness/cushion. You will be walking a bare minimum of 3 miles a day in combat boots, averaging about 6 - you want to minimize the blisters you will inevitably get. They say to get 5 pairs. Considering they come in packs of at least 3 in the Exchange, you should have at least 6. These cost less than dirt, so go crazy.

I must also give a strong recommendation to NOT buy the basic cotton socks you can find at the Cxchange. There are SOOOOO many different brands and types of socks that will fit the bill that you should just find one you love and you will have no problems. These Nike ones are my current favorite.

Skill badges

If you don't know what these are, then this section does not conern you. You're still here? Fine. Skill badges are earned from special trainings such as Air Assault School that many of your comrades will have completed during ROTC training. These should be sewn on. The tailor on base will know where/how to sew them on.

The packing list will say something about velcro vs sewn on for ACU and for your PC. Here is my opinion on how to handle these: 

Buy ONE package of velcro Army 2LT OCP rank insignias. One package contains two rank patches, which is one more than you need as you can simply tear off and use on another uniform when you change. Price: <$5 a pair

Buy ONE package of sewn-on Army 2LT OCP rank insignias. One package contains two rank patches. These will be for your PCs. You need at least 1 PC to wear, so send one out to get this sewn on at a time. Price: <$3 a pair

Buy ONE set of 2LT subdued metal pin-on rank insignias. The reason for this is it will take several days for the tailor to sew your rank insignia onto your PC. In this time, you need a rank for your other PC that you will wear daily. These things are annoying and will likely put a temporary dent in your forehead, but hey, war is hell.

Do yourself a favor: BUY THESE FROM THE EXCHANGE WEBSITE LONG BEFORE YOU GET TO YOUR FIRST ADT/BOLC. I was blown away at the number of people who didn't have name tapes for the first week of BOLC. You look ridiculous without them and people can not identify you. You can purchase the name tapes at the base, but they take about a week to get.

I put these together because they may be purchased as a package deal on the Exchange website. The Army requires 3 name tapes and 2 US Army tapes. Do yourself another favor and purchase 3 of the packages shown above. That will give you 6 name tapes and 3 US Army tapes. I have one name tape for my PC, one for my ACU coats, one for my backpack, one I gave to my parents as a souvenir, one I gave to my girlfriend as a souvenir and I have 1 back-up. For the US Army tapes, I put one on each of my 3 ACU coats.

If you want to be fancy, you can get these sewn onto your PC and ACU coats. I didn't care enough to get this done during BOLC, but you are more than welcome to do so!

Price: $8 for two name tapes and 1 US Army tape.

Your standard-issue velcro US flag patch to be worn proudly on your ACU sleeve. They say to get 2. I don't see why you'd need more than that.

Price: $1.45

This will be your AMEDD unit patch. MAKE SURE YOU GET IT IN OCP. Don't worry about getting this until you get to BOLC. Like the US Flag Patch, they are cheap. It took me a week to get mine as they run out quickly due to the fact that everyone is buying one. Its no big deal though.

Army Physical Fitness Uniform (APFU)

This will be the uniform you wear to PRT on those fun mornings as well as when you will wear on your "off" time while in field training.

It's a T-shirt. Buy 2 of them. The sizes are comparable to civilian sizes. 

Price: $7

In the Exchange, you will find both a cotton and a stretchy polyester shirt. I am always against cotton where I can, so I'd invest a few more bucks for the polyester one - it is way comfier and is not annoying when wet, like cotton.

Long-sleeved shirt

Imagine, if you will, the short-sleeve shirt from above, with longer sleeves! You will probably not wear this if you do BOLC during the summer. It is cheap, so buy the required 2 just in case. 

Price: $8-9

These shorts are not my favorite things of all time. They do not have pockets, but instead have 2 ID card holders - 1 attached to the belt-line and one in the spandex liner. Oh, did I mention that it has a spandex liner? For my male comrades out there, the spandex liner tends to make your underwear a bit bunched up. Like I said, not my favorite part of the uniform. You are required to have 2 of these.

Price: $16

Again, you will probably not need these for the summer BOLC. Just bring them along. You only need 1. They come in unisex and female varieties. 

Price: $34

Like a broken record: you will probably not need this for a summer BOLC. It is a pretty sweet-looking jacket and it is high quality, so I wasn't too broken up about having to buy one.

Price: $52

Running shoes

These are up to you. The Army will tell you to bring "like-new" sneakers. No one really checks or cares. Color is also irrelevant. As long as they are not beat to hell and are running shoes (not basketball shoes or anything like that), you should be fine. 

Sweat Socks

This topic gave me yet another *palmface* moment in regard to the listening ability of some of my BOLC comrades. The two simple requirements of socks were: no logos and socks must cover your ankles. Need I say more on that? The socks are listed as white, but black socks were also acceptable.

Yellow reflective belt

There are a few options on the Exchange website. They are nothing fancy. Pretty much any reflective yellow belt like the ones on the site will be fine. 

Price: $6-8

Extra gear

Things you don't *need* but may want to have. 

Backpack

At no point will you really NEED your own backpack. I got one since I wanted a new backpack anyways. I know several people who got by without a backpack at all (your ACU has plenty of pockets). You will be issued an "Assault pack" (a tough backpack) that you will need for the field training.

If you are interested in buying a backpack, the rules are relatively simple: the backpack must be black, OCP, or coyote brown in color, and may not have any logos showing OR simply do not carry it on your back. If the pack has a logo, you must cover it up with tape the same color of the backpack. If the bag is black, use black tape. If it is OCP camo, you may use OD green or coyote brown tape. 

Elaborating on my earlier point, you may have a backpack with a logo or is the wrong color, you simply are not allowed to wear it as a backpack - you must carry it by hand at your side. Wearing a backpack on your back makes it part of your uniform and therefore must be the proper color and can not have logos.

If you get a camouflage backpack, it MUST be the same camo as your ACU. I.e, you can not wear an OCP ACU with an UCP backpack.

Camelbak

If you are not from a Texas-like region, you should know that you need to drink a LOT of water. Camelbaks provide a convenient way to do this. During your second week of BOLC, you will be issued canteens. At this point, a canteen is part of your uniform and must be on your person at all times. I had a Camelbak and stopped using it after this point. Although you are required to have canteens on you, there is no rule against them being empty and using a Camelbak as your water source. When you get to your duty station, you will very likely be issued a Camelbak with additional bladders. I now have 3 that I have used maybe 2-3 times. 

The same rule of backpacks in regards to color and logos applies to Camelbaks.

Canteens

The canteens that you will be issued have been issued to many a BOLC student before you. A good number of people opted to buy their own canteens instead. There is nothing wrong with this! They cost about $5.75 each from the Clothing and Sales store on base.  

Helmet Pads

Your ACH (helmet) will come with some pads you can arrange to how you feel comfortable. Like all standard-issue items, they are not great, especially if your head shape is not round (like mine). I bought these from Amazon that were life-changing. $28.

Fan/Light/Battery Backup

Not just for BOLC, but for all of my field trainings and my deployment, this thing has been incredible. It has enough battery power to have the fan blowing for >24 hours, it has a very bright light, and it can even charge a standard smartphone four times! I can't tell you how life-saving this was while sleeping in a single-person tent and the LOW temperature at night was in the 80s. This has definitely been my top extra purchase in the Army. There are a million similar items on Amazon, but I've been using this one for almost 3 years and its still going strong. $38.

Army Service Uniform (ASU)

Your formal military attire. In medical school, you will only use your ASU for your interviews during your Army ADT rotations between third and fourth year, and for any formal military event. I finally purchased this uniform in my third year of school intending to wear it to the Military Specialty Night at Walter Reed (which I highly encourage you to attend). As for BOLC,*** see the bottom of the page. Unfortunately, this will not be as simple as putting together your ACU. There are a LOT of small details to get right and there are a few resources you can use to make sure you are on the right path, and I do my best for you, here.

This uniform needs to fit you PRECISELY, so I highly recommend that you visit a commissary to try on parts of the uniform before making a purchase. Furthermore, if possible, I recommend you have this uniform tailored by a tailor on a base. The exact specifications of the uniform are available in AR 670-1, so you can take it to a non-military tailor, but given the amount of specificity entailed, you would do well to have a highly experienced tailor put it together. 

When making your purchase at a commissary, there will both be an instructional poster somewhere in the uniform department, highlighting the parts of the uniform, as well as a helpful attendant who may or may not be a uniform near-expert.

Here is a guide on how to put on your pins and such: http://sturdyyetfragile.blogspot.com/2017/11/army-dress-blues-measurements.html. You can use Google as your friend AND the residents at your rotation will be happy to help you set your self straight!

I have not used this website myself, but https://www.marlowwhite.com/army-uniforms has entire uniforms laid out for you to purchase all at once, and even explains what to wear when. At the very least, it looks like a great place for a checklist.

UPDATE: I heavily regret not going with Marlow White for my uniform. My colleagues who did have much better-fitting and comfier materials for their uniforms. The Army is transitioning to the traditional "Pink and Green" uniform completely in 2027 so if you have not yet purchased your uniform, get the Pink and Greens (formally, the AGSU)!

Lastly, there are three levels of dress uniform: Class A, Class B and Dress. The Class A is essentially a more relaxed version of the Dress with mostly the same parts and same goes for Class B with regards to A. I'll clarify this at the end. While the moral of this story is: READ AR 670-1, to start, I want to go over all of the parts:

I will start this section off with a warning: there are different brands and materials that go into the parts of an ASU. You MUST ensure that the material of your coat matches the material of your trousers/skirt. The big difference here is price and feel. In my opinion, the more expensive coat was much more comfortable, but was slightly heavier. It is up to you, but make sure those materials match! The last part to emphasize here is that it should be an OFFICER coat appropriate for your gender. This should fit you as any suit jacket should.

Price: $115-198 (depending on quality and occasional sales)

As mentioned in the ASU coat description, ensure that the material of the coat matches that of the trousers. Trousers are required for men and are optional for women. The three things to look out for here are: Material, Gender, and Officer gold braid. I believe the braid is slightly narrower for women, but just get the trousers/slacks with the braid sewn on and you'll have no worries. As for fit, these are to be worn high on your hips.

Price: $35-70 (depending on quality and occasional sales)

I must apologize to my female viewers, as this is not exactly my area of expertise. AR-670-1 does not specify how a skirt should fit and I am rather lacking in skirt-fitting experience. My best advice is to follow pictures online and ask for assistance from the uniform department attendant. I also believe the skirt is the same for both officers and enlisted females. Two points of note: AR 670-1 says that hosiery should be worn with an ASU skirt. Also, while a skirt or trousers are permitted with Class A or Class B, a skirt is REQUIRED for Dress.

Price: $48

These come in both a long and a short variety for men and women. There is no officer/non-officer differentiation, here. You can see on the ShopMyExchange site that there are various sizes and fit styles - the best fitting will do! Be sure to get at least 1 long and 1 short sleeve shirt.

Price: $20-40

Your standard black beret to be worn with your Class A and Class B uniform. The beret requires your rank insignia to be worn in the middle of the blue region. The cap does need to be shaved on occasion, as it does get fuzzy, but you can watch youtube videos to figure that one out.

Price: $20-30

The headwear that will top off your ASU Dress uniform. YOU PROBABLY DON'T NEED THIS JUST YET - the beret will suffice for your needs until you have a very formal event. The cap is for males and the hat for females. Be sure to acquire this in the officer variety. The cap/hat will require a hatband as well as a chin strap, which I will get to later. The cap/hat should be the same material as the coat and pants.

Price: $34-95

To be safe, here, I would go with whatever the commissary offers. You'll only find 2-3 choices. Just go with whatever your heart/wallet feels is best! For women, AR 670-1 is annoyingly quiet when it comes to shoes. Again, with women's fashion not being my thing, I am going to guess that pumps are to be worn with the skirt and oxfords with trousers, but I wouldn't take my word for it...

Price: $45-90

The neckwear is to be worn with your Dress uniform, Class A and Class B. The neckwear is optional with the short-sleeved Class B. This applies to both men and women. For men, the necktie is worn when in the Class B and A, but when wearing the Dress uniform, the Bowtie is worn instead. For women, the same standard is applied, but with the neck tab at all levels.

Price: $3-10

It is a belt! It is black, cotton with a gold buckle. Not much to say - there's only one choice, so you can't go wrong! Wear it with all ASU set-ups.

Price: $4-10

To be affixed to your ASU coat sleeves AFTER it is tailored for size. Be sure to get the maroon medical variety.

Price: $10-15

There are many varieties of these, but be sure to get a set of Army Medical shoulder boards/straps, male or female. These are affixed to your ASU coat.

Price: $30-50 (Not sure why these cost this much)

Comparable to the shoulder boards, these are affixed to your ASU shirt. These come in male/female variety

Price: $4-8

A pin-on rank to be worn on your beret. Pick up a set of these!

Price: $8-10

While it is annoyingly difficult to find, you must obtain the Medical Officer maroon hat band to be affixed to your ASU cap for males. Females simply need to obtain the ASU officer hat band.

Price: $15-35

You will also need a chin strap to go along with your ASU cap (males only). It, oddly enough, goes on your forehead in a ceremonial gesture. It should be gold.

Price: ?

Your classic plastic name tag. To be worn on your ASU at all levels. Get 2: 1 to be worn on your ASU shirt and one on the ASU coat.

Price: $3-4

You will likely only meet the criteria for two: the National Defense Service ribbon for your service during a time of war (as shown on the left), and the Army Service Ribbon (right) for having completed BOLC. Note that the ribbon will not have a mount included, so you will have to pick one up separately (they sell mounts to accommodate any number of ribbons, so don't try wearing two single mounts for 2 ribbons). To be worn on your ASU coat. This website will help you figure out the order of your ribbons.

Price: $3

Gold-plated pins to be worn proudly on the lapel of your ASU coat, bilaterally (can't escape the doctor jargon...). Because nothing in life can be easy and straight-forward, you will actually need two different sets of pins. Before you graduate medical school, you are technically in the Medical Service Corps. As such, you should wear the silver pins shown above. After you graduate, you get to wear the gold pin shown above.

To be clear: you need the gold U.S. pins along with EITHER the Medical OR Medical Service Corps pins.

Price: $5-8 each set of 2

Get yourself an Army Medical crest!

Price: $8-10

Badges

With the lack of a station, let's not worry about crests, and if you are far along enough in the Army to have a badge, there is nothing I can tell you about this that you don't already know.

Putting it all together...

As I wrote earlier:

Here is a guide on how to put on your pins and such: http://sturdyyetfragile.blogspot.com/2017/11/army-dress-blues-measurements.html. You can use Google as your friend AND the residents at your rotation will be happy to help you set your self straight!

After all that, let's put the pieces together and get you in a classy uniform! I go in "descending" order as it is simplest to think of the Dress uniform first, and remove pieces to get to the Class A, and eventually the Class B:

Dress

1. Trousers/skirt (mandatory for females), long-sleeve shirt (with name tag (1/2) and shoulder marks - if you don't plan on taking off the coat, you can pass on the name tag and shoulder marks), belt, bow tie/neck tab, black socks and oxfords or pumps

2. ASU Coat 

   1. Name tag (2/2)

   2. Bilateral U.S. Insignia and Branch Insignia pins

   3. Ribbon

   4. Shoulder boards

   5. Sleeve braids

3. Cap/hat

   1. Chin strap (male)

   2. Hat band

Class A

1. All components of the Dress uniform

2. Switch the bow tie for neck tie (male)

3. Trousers may be switched in for skirt (female)

4. Cap may be switched with beret depending on what you are told to do

Class B

1. All components of the Dress uniform minus the coat and minus the cap

2. Add badges and ribbons to ASU shirt

3. Add beret

4. Long or short-sleeve shirt may be worn

   1. If long-sleeve is worn, the neckwear must be worn

   2. If short-sleeve is worn, the neckwear is optional

***There seems to be some confusion as to whether or not this uniform is necessary for BOLC. In my welcome e-mail for BOLC, we were told that the ASU would be necessary for the BOLC graduation ceremony. Shortly after, I received an e-mail clarifying the first, which stated that the ACU, not the ASU would be worn for graduation from BOLC, and thus would not need to be purchased and brought to BOLC. 

I am NOT telling you that you do not need an ASU for BOLC. If you have concerns, I recommend that you reach out to the officer who sent you your welcome e-mail. They may very well issue a clarification e-mail.