<p>Definitely after BCT. There is a very limited list of things you are allowed to have during BCT.</p>
<p>Many people get a printer over Parents Weekend, but any time after Basic is fine.</p>
<p>Hey, can an USMA mom suggest a few gifts? ;) </p>
<p>versatile piece of luggage: Eagle</a> Creek Switchback Max ES - 22 Inch from REI.com . The backpack part fits under the plane's seat and the main part fits in most overhead compartments. </p>
<p>multitool - my son likes the black one: Hand</a> Tool, Multi Tool, Gerber Tool, Multiplier, Gerber Multi Tool</p>
<p>silk long underwear - Terramar</a> Mens Silk Long Underwear Crewneck from Campmor
or REI</a> Silk Long-Sleeve Crew - Men's from REI.com</p>
<p>Go Air Force! Beat Navy!</p>
<p>just to let everyone know of the irony.. my little corner of MS got ~ 2 inches of snow saturday morning. that hasnt happened in over 20 years.. most snow i've ever seen in my life; it was also the most beautiful.. i look forward to colorado :)</p>
<p>I definately agree that some sort of swiss army knife or letherman is invaluable here, just for odds and ends. But you should have that mailed to you after basic. As a member of the triathlon team, I'd definately say that a bike makes a good gift, but then again, that's just me talking. Many cadets on the team either buy bikes over parents weekend or have them shipped here from home. You can even ride when the weather's bad, since there is a room here with rollers (cyclers will know what these are).</p>
<p>An electric razor makes a nice gift prior to going to BCT. You have very limited time to shave, and men with a thick beard will be shaving multiple times every day. An electric razor was real nice during basic (even though I really don't like it, and haven't really used it since--It was still worth the $35 or so to buy it for those 6 weeks)</p>
<p>Running shoes or money to buy them would also make for a nice gift.</p>
<p>Really, it just depends on what kinds of things your cadet likes. I think the only thing that would really be universal for everyone is plenty of mail during basic, and some homemade cookies every once in a while.</p>
<p>Just a tip, don't bring a bunch of stuff with you on I-Day. Get parents to mail it to you towards the end of basic so that it will be waiting for you after Acceptance Day. I brought a duffle bag packed with a ton of pictures (yeah, silly, I know, but it's me :)) and some other random stuff that I wanted right after basic. It was not worth lugging around the whole day. Especially since you get to carry everything you own in your left hand the entire day. It's fun. Don't be like me! haha</p>
<p>The max you really want on I-day is a small/medium backback. So, if you don't need it for I-day or IMMEDIATELY after basic, don't bring it!</p>
<p>Y'all have been incredibly helpful. It looks like whatever she gets, except for money, we will need to take to her on Parent's weekend.<br>
Thanks again for all the great suggestions and keep them coming if you have any more!</p>
<p>Like you all have said already, normal gifts only go so far for an academy kid, but there are things that you can set up for the future for them. They might not be as psyched in the beginning but they will really appreciate it in the end. I am talking about things like, set up a fund for them, which could be for a number of things. You can set up a fund that will accrue interest in the name of the cadet which will go towards a car for junior year. You could set it up in the cadets name so (s)he can deposit unused earnings in it. Possibly give them incentives like you matching every dollar that they save in the fund (or something like that). also good are</p>
<p>*money into zoomienet - if your cadet just doesn't like mitches
*golf clubs (my favorite) - great way to bond with cadets and learn a lifelong skill.
*care packages (<a href="http://www.cadetcarepackages.com%5B/url%5D">www.cadetcarepackages.com</a>) it gives your cadet a reprieve from mitches every once in a while without the hassle of trying to leave the academy
*Liberty/Colorado Pass - for cadets who love to ski/snowboard this is a season pass to up to five mountains.<br>
*Cleats - many of the intramurals are outside and are greatly benefitted by the use of cleats.</p>
<p>***Expensive gifts are fine but not quite practical for a cadets life at the academy. Graduation is a great time for a more expensive gift.<br>
* also, motorcycles are a big graduation gift just because cadets are not allowed to use them at all during their time at the academy.<br>
*parents whose future cadets are still in high school - if you're looking for something for your future cadet, instead of a going away gift (not very useful during basic) think about maybe throwing them a party or some kind of gathering with all their frineds from back home. like it's been said before, comign home four times a year doesn't leave much time for friends.</p>
<p>GWaugh - You are so right about what the cadets will find useful and what they will come to appreciate and/or need. </p>
<p>Zoomienet is an account you parents (and only parents and cadets can access this site) can set up and periodically add money to so cadets can order from the "COS local" menu (Chick-fil-A, Jamba Juice, P.F.Changs and others) as a reprieve from Mitch's food.</p>
<p>One thing we decided to do - We allow our cadet to "pocket" all the semester book money and allow him to charge all book expenses on a credit card he carries. This card is tied to our account and he has used it responsibly since he was sixteen. He can then take that book money and "blow it" or wisely put it into a savings account. It is then his choice and his responsibility. </p>
<p>Parents, you will come to see that "things" are less important to your cadet than when they were home. Lots of reasons for this. You will see the evolution. It doesn't need to be explained.</p>
<p>One note about ZoomieNet. Not all squadrons allow 4-digs to order or pick-up food. For instance, my squad has only allowed us to order stuff about four times (all on weekends), so my family never set me up an account, since I couldn't use it. Just some advice.</p>
<p>BTW, it's great to see you on here again, GroogWaugh.</p>
<p>That's a good point. Technically four degrees are only allowed to order food with the approval of their squadron commander or higher. In my experience though, it's not a rule that most squads care to enforce. Falcons, however, is in the infamous Hardcore 24 this year, so I guess it really does just depend on your leadership. For those that can access ZoomieNet, it's a great deal and definitely a nice reprieve from Chez Mitch.</p>
<p>Uh, how bad is Mitch's right now? At SS it wasn't too bad.</p>
<p>It's usually not that bad - some of their meals are actually pretty good. And from what I hear from upperclassmen and recent grads, it's improved quite a bit in recent years.</p>
<p>Yes, MUCH improved over last year.</p>
<p>Last year, we had some sort of pasta/soup/??? for lunch one day. After staring at it for a couple seconds, I asked the Mitchel Hall worker what it was. She gave it a look and responded, "...I'm not sure." That and the green eggs and ham (minus the eggs) kind of put me off of Mitch's last year.
It IS much better this year!</p>