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Deployment Care Package Checklist: What Soldiers Actually Want (Holiday APO/FPO Gift Ideas)
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items After 18 years in the Army, I'll tell you the best care packages aren't fancy: they're the everyday stuff soldiers run out of first, plus a couple of things that make downtime feel like home. This is my checklist, from good boot socks and baby wipes ...
Sections
5
Comfort & Hygiene
Snacks, Coffee & Hydration
Downtime & Entertainment
Tech & Power
Packing & Shipping
Comfort & Hygiene
The everyday basics soldiers burn through first, all mail-friendly with no aerosols.
These are the socks I trust in my own boots, hands down. They have a lifetime guarantee too, so if a pair ever wears through, Darn Tough replaces it.
Darn Tough Tactical Boot Midweight Sock T4021
Baby wipes are on every soldier's wish list. The flip-top packs stay moist and are easy to hand out to the whole squad.
Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Baby Wipes, Unscented, 560 Count
Hot boots, long days, and chafing nobody talks about. It's a shaker bottle, not a spray, so it's fine to mail.
Gold Bond Medicated Original Strength Body Powder 10 oz
Sun and wind wreck lips fast. It's tiny and rides in a cargo pocket, so toss in a few.
Blistex Five Star Lip Protection SPF 30
Get the lotion, not the spray, since aerosols can't go in the mail. It also doesn't feel greasy under gear.
Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch SPF 70
Snacks, Coffee & Hydration
Shelf-stable fuel and a real coffee upgrade from the chow hall.
Fifty packets of real coffee that only need hot water. Fair warning: it's getting shared whether you plan on it or not.
Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee Pike Place 50pk
Keeps that coffee hot through a long shift and water cold in the heat. Black goes with everything and doesn't stand out.
YETI Rambler 20 oz Tumbler w/ MagSlider Lid
The small bags fit in a cargo pocket. I'd stick with beef since some locations restrict pork products.
Jack Link's Original Beef Jerky 20 Pack
Plain water gets old fast in the heat. The stick packs weigh almost nothing and tuck into any gap in the box.
Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier Lemon Lime 16
Downtime & Entertainment
For the long stretches between shifts when there's nothing to do.
A whole library in something about the size of a paperback, and one charge lasts weeks. Load a few of their favorite books on it before you ship it.
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 16GB (2024 Release)
Everyone in uniform ends up needing a notebook that survives sweat and rain. This one even has Army reference pages in the back.
Rite in the Rain Tactical Field Book No. 980T
Games take about 15 minutes, and the box is small. It's an easy way to get the whole tent laughing.
Exploding Kittens Original Edition Card Game
Tech & Power
Gift-worthy upgrades. Built-in batteries can generally ship APO, but spare lithium batteries and power banks can't, so this list skips them.
Fill it with movies, shows, and family videos before you mail it. It's rugged and dust resistant, which matters when dust gets into everything.
Samsung T7 Shield 1TB Portable SSD, Rugged IP65
Noise cancelling helps block out generators and snoring bunkmates at night. The battery lasts a long time between charges.
Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Noise Cancelling Earbuds
Small and fast, with no battery inside, so it won't cause shipping headaches. The prongs fold flat so they won't poke through anything else in the box.
Anker Nano 30W Foldable USB-C Charger
Red light mode lets them find stuff at night without lighting up the whole tent. It runs on regular AAAs, which are a lot easier to mail than lithium.
Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp, AAA, Graphite
Packing & Shipping
How to get the box there in one piece and in time for the holidays.
Bag anything that could leak or get crushed, since boxes get tossed around for weeks. They'll reuse the bags to keep their own stuff dry.
Ziploc Gallon Freezer Bags, Stand-Up, 28 Ct
Tape every seam and use the free Priority Mail boxes from the post office, since APO mail goes at domestic rates. The military holiday cutoffs land in November, so check usps.com and mail early.
Scotch Heavy Duty Shipping Packing Tape, 6 Rolls