Civilian Clothes. All recruits (male and female) now ship out to Lackland every Tuesday (exception: Because of flight scheduling, a very few might arrive on Wednesday or Thurday, but these will be the exceptions). As your first uniform issue is not until the following Thursday or Friday, you will be wearing civilian clothes (and called "Rainbows," for obvious reasons) for at least one full day, and possibly two days. After the initial uniform issue, civilian clothes are no longer worn at all during basic training, and cannot be worn outside of the dormitories for the first 30 days of technical school (See Technical School Training Restrictions). Don't overdo it on the civilian clothes, however. You'll want a maximum of one medium-sized suitcase and one small carry-on bag. If you can get away with just one bag, so much the better. (Again, I'll tell you why a little later). Bring underwear and enough white socks to last five days, and two changes of *COMFORTABLE* clothes (although you will have opportunities to do laundery before uniform issue).
Personal Appearance. Before leaving, you'll want to make sure you do not stand out in your personal appearance. When you meet your Training Instructor for the first time, trust me -- you'll not want him to remember you for your long hair, earrings (male), handlebar mustache, or pants that are four sizes too big. Ladies, while you will not be required to cut your hair for Basic, you will be required to keep it off of your collar at all times when in uniform (which is most of the time in Basic), so you may wish to consider cutting your hair short enough so it doesn't have to be put up.
Packing Tip. Take care with what you pack. One of the very first things that is going to happen when you first meet your T.I., is that he/she is going to dump out your belongings in front of everyone, then he/she and his/her buddy T.I.'s are going to make fun of anything "unusual" you may have brought. Even items as innocent as a book or magazine ("What do you think this is, a library? Answer me!") If you bring a book or magazine to read on the flight, leave it in the Reception area of the Airport. Try to pack clothes that have no writing, slogans, or pictures on them. This includes that neat "Air Force" T-Shirt the Recruiter gave you. ("How dare you wear a shirt that indicates you're a member of my beloved Air Force? You have NOT earned the right to wear that, yet, scumball, and you probably never will. Anwser me!")
Two things to remember when packing: Everything you bring (shampoo, razors, toothpaste, ect.) is going to have to be kept spotlessly clean for inspections. Choose items/containers that are easy to clean with Q-tips, such as liquid soap containers with the little spouts on top. Secondly, anything you need will either be issued to you (uniforms, flashlight, ect.), or you will be taken to the BX (Base Exchange) and instructed what to purchase (soap, shampoo, shoe shine kit, ect.) (NOTE: When you get to boot camp, you will be issued a debit card with $250 credit for such purchases. The amount debited is taken out of your first paycheck.)
Casey, who recently graduated Air Force Basic Training, gives this advice:
As far as the packing list goes, I would highly recommend clear toiletry items such as clear body wash, clear gel deodorant, etc. The reason for this is most T.I.'s make us use the white towel for the security drawer. I made the mistake of getting blue colored body wash and constantly got a "D" (dirty) demerit for my towel. If it's clear, no stain. I would also recommend the toothpaste in the flat bottles becuase they don't roll. Get foam shaving cream becuase the gel stuff likes to ooze out after you have wiped it off. I once got nailed for a demerit on shaving cream becuase it oozed out after I had cleaned it 30 minutes prior to the inspection.
Debit Card. Pretty much everything everything you need will be issued to you. In some cases, however, it's not a "free issue." Only actual uniform items are issued for free. Non-uniform items, such as notebooks, pens, flashlights, etc., are not. A couple of days after arrival, you'll be issued an official basic training "debit card." This card has about $250 worth of your first paycheck deposited in a special finance account. When you need to purchase something that is not issued free (such as the running shoes, soap, shampoo, haircuts, laundery costs, etc.), you'll use this card.
Running Shoes. The Air Force used to allow you to bring your own running shoes and wear them during basic training PT. According to Casey, this policy has recently changed. Recruits are now required to wear the "issue" standard, New Balance, plain white running shoes. Recruits may only wear their $200 "Nikes" if they have a medical waiver from the base medical clinic.
