<p>My dad always has said "colder than a witches t*t in a brass bra." He has never lived in the east only the west as has all his family since the 1860's. </p>
<p>A web cam is another good idea. Especially if your plebe is using Skype</p>
<p>What?? you mean a plane ticket home isn't enough??</p>
<p>I have heard......oh never mind I don't need to be censored from such a dignified board. LOL</p>
<p>KP10 is getting little other than his plane ticket......but then the ticket is taking him to Munich.</p>
<p>a plane ticket works for me. i never thought it'd be such a big deal to be home for Christmas. but alas, it'll be amazing.</p>
<p>ich mochte bestellen, zwei Schweinshaxn und zwei spritzie!!!</p>
<p>Yes, the joys of leaving home are learning how nice it is to be home. Enjoy.</p>
<p>And KP10, yep and you can have mine too, you need to put on a little weight.</p>
<p>where did you find the infrared led flashlight?? He is a deckie and would like that one..by the way, I just got his knife from Colorado parents club..it came in only three days...looks good and great service.</p>
<p>Um... I can't recall which one or where I'd gotten the flashlight. It was a special led with colored lenses like the one in this link. Maybe KP2001 can provide a better one? The Jamz said his flashlight was awesome because the white light lit up the whole bridge at night and the red lense was priceless for night vision when looking at equipment. He used the red more than the white. I know one thing for sure... Don't buy anything expensive to take to sea year as things have a way of getting misplaced/lost. Put money into a good sturdy piece of luggage. BIG is the key word. A good back pack is a needed item as well. </p>
<p>Thanks Jamzmom, that one looks great. When they go to Sea should they have a large suitcase or do they use duffle type sea bags?? I made the mistake of getting him a real nice orvis duffle on wheels for graduation and he does not use it much cause the wheels on it add so much weight. Wheels on most luggage are great , but on this orvis they weigh much more that the bag..bad design.</p>
<p>Well Thats kind of a personal choice but I can share what my kid experienced. Wed sent him with a great 27 wheeled duffle to Indoc thinking it would see him thru to Sea Year. Atleast I thought so until hed used the duffle to move things out of his room to dry storage before he left for sea. I think hed put everything he owned in it so he could make one trip. About 300 lbs. of stuff Im sure. Anyhow, the bottom ripped out of the thing. Soooo. In July, we made a trip up to see him off & gave him a new HUGE sturdy wheeled suitcase type piece. They take few clothes but the size is needed for all of their books & gear they have to have to go to sea. Youll get a list of needed items close to the time they get ready to go. The wheels were handy for going through all of the airports. Hed put his laptop, sea project & sextant in his backpack to carry-on. He was loaded. His suitcase weighed in at 75 whopping pounds. Going out of LaGuardia, they put his luggage on with no extra fee for weight. Coming back through LAX, they charged him $50.00. Go figure.</p>
<p>Hint: Remind the kids to pack for cold climates as well. The Jamz was really cold in the few t-shirts hed packed & had to buy warmer clothes when he hit Tacoma the first go round. He hadnt planned on being so close to the Aleutian Islands. All he heard his ATR say was Honolulu like hed won a trip on a game show. :D</p>
<p>LOL that is perfect!! He did win a trip on a game show, he just wasn't counting on the side destinations. </p>
<p>In sailing my son had a coach that said, "it is never the wrong weather, it is only the wrong gear" and I imagine out at sea you need plenty of gear to change into and perhaps need it all in the same day.</p>
<p>I didn't think of all the books and stuff they might need, I just know about the gear part. We bought KP10 a duffle but it sounds like he is going to need a duffle plus. </p>
<p>On that suitcase you bought him when he started, did you try to take it back or was it pretty clear he just plain ole overloaded it?</p>
<p>Just getting back from sea, i learned the best way to get past those overweight baggage charges is to show your orders from the school and your military ID. Most of the airlines will cancel the charges without any problem.</p>
<p>As for a Christmas present, i would suggest an external hard drive if he doesn't have one yet. They're great for storing stuff like movies, music, and oh yea, sea projects. Most people will have their computer crash at sea, and this is a great way to backup data and not lose anything important (like the movies or music). Anything 80GB or higher is usually a good size that will take some time to fill up.</p>
<p>Nice! Another Mid come to help us. Welcome. The external hard drive is a perfect needed gift idea. </p>
<p>Nope, KP10smom. He killed it. Just abuse & it was only a bag from Target. Lesson learned to buy quality for that item.</p>
<p>Mine found a good backpack worked better than any wheeled duffle or wheeled suitcase. She got a large internal frame by gregory and even when fully loaded at 80 lbs, once it was on her back, she carried all around through three airports with no problem.</p>
<p>The other thing that they will need if they are a Deckie is the Commercial edition of the Nautical Almanac. They are available on the bridge, but if they want to work on their project in their room they need their own copy. Make sure you have the right year for the project. If they went out in 06 they need an 06 and if they are going out in 07 they need an 07.</p>
<p>Wow. I wish I'd thought of that! Great idea 8kidsmom. To think.... He has a rack system backpack in his closet. Duh. Wish I would have thought about that. Thanks for the link to the book. Gotta order it.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone...what great ideas...this is the best information...</p>
<p>since parents here really have no idea of what works and what we need, i thought i'll share.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>"Nav Bag" you dont need it, period. its not as if we are hauling around loads of plotting gear. in fact, dont even bring plotting gear to sea becuase the ship will have plenty of it. besides, it looks lame and you wouldn't be allowed to carry it around anyways.</p></li>
<li><p>Nautical Almanac. Has anyone here actually looked at one of these before? These are very boring and contain dry material; it only has different angles for celestial objects. why would you want to carry it around with you anyways? the ship is required by law to have one, so it is pointless to bring your own. its not as if they use it much anyways, the mates will let you use it all you want. just use skymate, a PC program that contains the same information.</p></li>
<li><p>suitcase. all you need is a cheap duffle bag, like an army style green one. its probably gonna get trashed anyways, so don't spend much on it. </p></li>
<li><p>hard drive. this is an absolute necesity. get at least 120 gigs; trust me, it will be filled with music and movies to the max in less than a week.</p></li>
<li><p>if you want to get him things he'll appreciate, then get: 1. a decent set of speakers, 2. a SMALL flashlight with a red filter. you dont need a powerfull flashlight on the bridge becuase you will lose your night vision and it will **** off the mate, 3. a good knife. it doesnt have to be a rigging knife per se, but something with a big serated edge or a leatherman, 4. Dickies short sleave coveralls; they are much cooler than the long sleave cotton ones we are issued. they are much lighter and more comfortable too. 5. an ipod. everyone loves them. theres a reason they are the number 1 mp3 player. 6. a netflix account. I get 3 movies at a time with no limit for 17.99 a month. its great. I would not get gift certificates as there isnt much in great neck. get him a visa gift certificate card - he can use it where ever he wants. Let me stress NOT to get any fancy navigation equipment. your not going to impress any of the mates, and there is a high likelyhood you will break them. the ship has everything you need, so save yourself the added weight of dragging your bag up the gangway. if you feel the need to get a nautical themed book, then get The OCEAN Almanac. its very interesting and has very neat facts about seafaring.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>i still say something shiny should do the trick...
; )</p>