so,joinning the army at July

EladBell

Active member
im about to join the IDF at July,and even though i sepnd alot of time in the desert,being in Israel you know,i still need some tips about the cold,heat or other things i might encounter there,during boot-camp and during the service it self,i want to make sure i know how to handle things,how to use my streanght and weaknesses,being able to get along with my mates,making sure that i am 100% ready for that experiance,because i realy want to succeed.

so any kinds of tips,about what to bring what not,how to use certian things,will be great.
thank you all very much:cheers:
 
Some things that are universal:

In no particular order.

1) Admit that you did it.
2) Take the damn punishment.
3) Look after yourself before you look after others (they won't help you for helping them).
4) Change socks during any rest break during hikes.
5) Be first in line for water.
6) Keep yourself as clean as possible. Wash your hands whenever you can, wash your ass crack whenever you can. Wash your feet whenever you can. It's the best way not to get sick. If you can, be as close to the front of the line for shower. There's never enough time for everyone to wash properly and odds are, your platoon/company/BN will run out of shower water somewhere a bit past half way. Do not think it is cool to be disgusting.
7) Powder your feet if you can (probably will not be possible during boot camp).
8) Keep your stuff as clean as possible.
9) When you're done with your stuff, help others always.
 
about the socks,i heard that a sockless soldiers is worst than a gunless soldier
what about warmth? how do i keep my self warm in the nights?
 
Obviously the best bet would be to have a hot pad with you but odds are they won't let you do that during boot camp (and they shouldn't).
I didn't go through boot camp during the winter but I remember some winters I spent in the field and at NCO school. Got so cold you'd wake up several times during the night.
Wear socks. If no winter glove is given, wear another pair of socks on your hands. Curl up. Do a few pushups before you go to sleep (not enough to sweat but enough to give your heart a little boost).
There is no real escape.
I don't know how cold Israel gets though.
 
If you are going to survive in cold contitions you will get training in that before hand.

But there are a few simple rules here too that are universal.

1. Get out of the wind, ( dig into the snow and/or put up a shelter).
2. Get dry kit on, if you are under tactical conditions (no fire) You wrap yourself in clothes, keep your head covered and then lay as close to your squad as possible.
Rotate order every hour to avoid the ones on the wings freezing to death.
3. In the morning, get up and move around to get your blood going.

This will obviously be harder to maintain then this in real life since you will have entrance trail post and commo guy up, depending on the size of your squad you might get two hours in the warmth, make to most of them..

Keep pulling kit of while doing physical activities, sweating in winter inviroments should be avoided as long as possible.

Good Luck during winter boot.

//KJ.
 
Get a balaclava, best bit of kit for cold weather. Shemagh around the neck is great as well for keeping heat in and the cold out.

Travel light, freeze at night.
 
thanks for all your advices,im not going to be in a cold place,actually its quit diffrent,im going to be in the desert but u know how cold it gets at night,brr.
 
If you are issued any sort of rain gear for that particular night in the cold, you'll find that it traps heat pretty well. Adding that rain layer on the outside will help keep the wind out and also trap heat.
If you are pulling guard duty, wearing a track suit under your cammies also helps. Just make sure it's not visible.
At boot camp however, there may really be no true winning combination as the instructors will probably check that you haven't done stuff to make you "too comfortable." That's when you'll just have to tough it out. Light, periodic exercise (even as little as ten pushups every five or ten minutes) can help keep you warm.
 
Ok, "cold weather" in the desert is something different.
Same rule about finding shelter against the wind.
I am not a big fan of the balaclava as you can´t use it while on guard duty, it impairs your hearing too much.

This debate is rather meaningless as it regards your basic training. ie: You will be told what you are going to wear.
Not much room for individual kitting out..

Had you been on an active Team I would have recomended thinsulate undergarments and a hooded sweater. Yes you read it right, a good old fashioned "hoodie".
Can be used top up during sleep hours, and semihodded during guard hours as the hood will help break up your head outline and downhooded and tied off around your neck to aviod loosing too much bodywarmth..

The one and only thing I believe the youthculture have contributed to the fighting man in a lot of years.

Good luck at basic.
//KJ.
 
I am not a big fan of the balaclava as you can´t use it while on guard duty, it impairs your hearing too much.

I havn't found that. If you have problems hearing with it on then cut holes for your hears. Be careful with undergarments, you may be on the move with no time to take them off and go down with a heat illness.
 
I havn't found that. If you have problems hearing with it on then cut holes for your hears. Be careful with undergarments, you may be on the move with no time to take them off and go down with a heat illness.

The only time you will be on the move in your undergarments will be if you and/or your Team finds themselves in a severe "after" situation.
ie: Enemy have spotted your hide out/sleep hole.
If you are in such proximity to your enemy you should wear what you can fight in, no more, no less.
That is only a problem in book land.

I also disagree with the balaclava statement.
Even if you cut holes for your ears you will still loose a certain percent of your hearing, plus the garment in itself will not be (as) effective.

But this is ofcourse only in my experience.
//KJ.
 
I never really used a balaclava but I have used a face mask that covers your mouth and nose. That also helps in the cold. You get plenty of insulation from your helmet, helmet liner and standalone turtle neck.
I had separate ear muffs which I took on and off to keep my ears from freezing over yet retain hearing most of the time.
 
The only time you will be on the move in your undergarments will be if you and/or your Team finds themselves in a severe "after" situation.
ie: Enemy have spotted your hide out/sleep hole.
If you are in such proximity to your enemy you should wear what you can fight in, no more, no less.
That is only a problem in book land.

When the staff come around firing into empty rat pack tins saying mortars are falling and you have to leg it 5km I doubt there going to be very sympathetic when you cry that you have your thermals on.

I also disagree with the balaclava statement.
Even if you cut holes for your ears you will still loose a certain percent of your hearing, plus the garment in itself will not be (as) effective.

I never really used a balaclava but I have used a face mask that covers your mouth and nose. That also helps in the cold. You get plenty of insulation from your helmet, helmet liner and standalone turtle neck.

Not as effective but better than nothing. I don't cut holes in mine and still hear fine and when I go back to sleep I don't have to curl up to get my sleeping bag over my head. Helmets are uncomfortable.
 
It really depends on the threat assessment.
Obviously if you're expecting trouble, you'll be kitted out so that you can be on the move at any moment. If you're far from trouble, staying warm and away from sickness takes a higher priority.
Either way I think in the course of the discussion I think we got our scenarios mixed up between garrison guard duty, field guard duty, sleeping in quarters with no heating and sleeping outside.
 
When the staff come around firing into empty rat pack tins saying mortars are falling and you have to leg it 5km I doubt there going to be very sympathetic when you cry that you have your thermals on.



Not as effective but better than nothing. I don't cut holes in mine and still hear fine and when I go back to sleep I don't have to curl up to get my sleeping bag over my head. Helmets are uncomfortable.

Well that applies to some training scenarios. Not to the real world.
Fact remains, in real world situations when you are close enough to your enemy for him to spot your hideout you wear what you can fight/ tab out with.
The discomfort of a chill during the night should have no bearing on your clothing desicion IMO.

During basic you will be told what to wear by your cadre.

The sleepingbag flap are there to enable you to pull it over your head should you want to.
This should also only be used when enemy contact are close to zero as it hampers both hearing and smell.

Helmets should only be used during MOUT.
Otherwise they hamper your hearing a few percents, just like anything else covering your ears.

But as with all other things, your area of operations will determine what you wear by a simple criteria.
What works.

//KJ.
 
Well that applies to some training scenarios. Not to the real world.
Fact remains, in real world situations when you are close enough to your enemy for him to spot your hideout you wear what you can fight/ tab out with.
The discomfort of a chill during the night should have no bearing on your clothing desicion IMO.

And that's what we're talking about, training.

The sleepingbag flap are there to enable you to pull it over your head should you want to.
This should also only be used when enemy contact are close to zero as it hampers both hearing and smell.

Not all sleeping bags have them. Some blokes have slept through contacts, I doubt the loss to your hearing or smell is going to matter when your gonked out.
 
During training you will;

a. Get cold no matter what you do
b. Get hot no matter what you do
c. Get so tired you won't know what to do
d. Be just fine
 
Just trying to prevent the guy from making a silly error that'll make his day completely miserable. Then again, that's the best way to learn.
 
And that's what we're talking about, training.



Not all sleeping bags have them. Some blokes have slept through contacts, I doubt the loss to your hearing or smell is going to matter when your gonked out.

I have never slept through a contact.
All the training we do are designed to enable us to continue to be functioning soldiers nomatter how gonked? out we get.
If someone sleeps through a contact I´d suggest he better stay inside the wire.

And during training they will tell him what to wear and what not to wear.
 
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