<p>OK. Kid's getting ready to go to sea. KP doing a fine job of preparing them. But, out of curiosity, what will he need to take?
And for those who have returned from sea, what were the items you'd WISHED you'd remembered to bring ("Dang, wish I had xxxxxxxx right now!") ?</p>
<p>Sealed flashlight: </p>
<p>He's ordered one, 'starfire' brand I believe. Sealed flashlight, like in a scuba-diving shop... Completely sealed so that there is no danger of a spark, in case of a dangerous/flammable vapor situation.</p>
<p>camera (there are a couple of pretty good waterproof ones out there)
external (USB) hard drive (don't lose the sea project)
good pair of boots
flashlight (as noted above), but with red/blue lens covers
I got Is2Day a night vision scope for Christmas...no real use, but fun to play with
Twizzlers, Vienna Sausage, and Beef Jerky :)</p>
<p>oh yeah - a Leatherman comes in handy too</p>
<p>Glad you reupped this conversation Zonker....JRH thanks for the info. What's a leatherman? and any tips on cost-saving places to get these items? Night vision scope?</p>
<p>a good supply of scrap t-shirts/ underwear that your kid won't be heartbroken when they get destroyed, other than that, i'd say the biggest thing is to not overpack. i know i brought way too much stuff with me to sea
you basically need one or two boiler suits, a good set of boots, some work socks, underwear, and t-shirts, a set of long johns, one or two sets of civvies, toiletries, and make sure he looks through the project and brings the correct books with him! i didn't read as carefully as i should have before i was out at sea and i had many times where i was wishing i'd brought my Electrical book with me. </p>
<p>best thing to bring is a good attitude. it'll help more than anything else.</p>
<p>Funny you should mention the electrical book Is2Day I just got back from Ft Lauderdale where I delivered .....guess what.... to a certain M/N.
Mine also wanted a knife that can be opened with one hand.</p>
<p>Cameras... well, THIS is timely.<br>
Which models did you consider/like, and which one did you wind up getting?</p>
<p>The original Parents Weekend camera I took up is sitting on the table, waiting to go back to the manufacturer for repair. It's one of those pocket cameras that has the lens that pokes out when you turn it on, and goes back flat into the camers when you turn it off. It's stuck, halfway .. won't go back it, won't go all the way out. (Fuji F40fd) </p>
<p>Waterproof... not just "it will survive a monsoon", but 'you can dunk this into seawater up to 20 feet"-types? Again, models would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Hey Zonker...both hockeydude and is2day got the Olympus waterproof camera......it really is waterproof, shockproof and freeze proof. It takes awesome photos and is hard core rugged. </p>
<p>Shockproof</a> Waterproof Digital Cameras Olympus</p>
<p>I honestly cannot recommend this camera enough for KP sea year. is2day can give you his thoughts too, but I know he loves his.</p>
<p>i got my olypmus during sea year cause my original camera broke beyond repair in the S. China Sea. it wasn't very expensive, has 7.1 mpix and is hardcore beyond all that is hardcore. i took it snorkeling with me in guam, no problems.</p>
<p>So what did you do about cash? Obviously plastic fantastic works great for meals and some purchases in foreign port cities, but what about paying the cabbie who drives you downtown, cash for the street vendor, etc? Are there ATMs usually in the ports? Have the cabbie drive you first to the bank?</p>
<p>took a draw from the ship... you can get allowances off of your wages so long as you don't draw more than what you have.</p>
<p>the olympus sells for around $250 and is good down to about 30 feet.
it works well underwater, with clear visibility.</p>
<p>don't forget about the hard drive</p>
<p>Read your sea Year Guide: </p>
<p>Sea</a> Year Guide</p>
<p>Just wanted to echo JRH about the external hard drive. Sometimes laptop computers fall out of bunks and a steel deck can be VERY unforgiving:)</p>
<p>Thank you for the link Oliver! A lot of parents will appreciate this and perhaps not ask quite so many questions. :D</p>
<p>If anyone has had a bad hard drive or lost their data, you can give me a private message and we can talk about if it is recoverable. I work for an Uncle Sam site and perform drive recovery every week.
ChiefnerdNC</p>
<p>One tip for packing for sea...since they're going to have a lot of school related junk (books/drawing paper/drawings tools/etc)...remember that more is less. </p>
<p>I was able to get away with a full backpack (that I carried on the plane) and one large roller duffel. If you need a small/medium duffel on top of that, that's cool too. I usually brought plenty of work cloths but only one set of cloths for going ashore or "up the street" (depending on where you sail). </p>
<p>I suggest a camera that's small and fits in your jean's pocket, USB powered external hard drive (less weight and bulky than one that must be plugged in), an iPod (or at least head phones), and if your really burning a whole in your pocket with some money get a playstation portable or nintendo DS and a few games...trust me you may say "well what about their projects?"...crossing the Atlantic can offer one plenty of time to do both!</p>