Deployment: Luxury Items You May Not Have Thought Of
There are, of course, things beyond the necessities that make deployment better.
Below is a list of luxury items & entertainment that you’ll be very happy you brought.
BY USING THE LINKS PROVIDED ON OUR PAGE, YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE SALTY RACK SO WE CAN CONTINUE TO GROW & OFFER RESOURCES TO SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES.Soundproof headphones & sleep mask
There are loud noises 24 hours a day — especially on my deployment on an aircraft carrier. These items are the only thing that helped me sleep and keep my sanity. These are on my personal must-have list.
lighting & Heating/cooling
Being comfortable in your rack is very important— temperature has a lot to do with your ability to wind down, relieve your stress of the day, & get good sleep. You may hit extreme temperatures that hinder your comfortability, I recommend bringing a heating/cooling system.
Having lighting in your rack is another great way to make your rack feel a little more “homey”, you’ll find it useful for things such as reading as well.
Kindle or tablet
These were a simple way for me to store and have easy access to books. On long deployments, books were an essential escape. Books can be bulky to store, I highly recommend a kindle or tablet.
Portable Blender, kettle & Tea/coffee
The galley is only open a couple times a day, a portable blender is a good way to get a shake in for the added nutrition, especially for those who are working out.
Coffee and tea drinkers, such as myself, will want to bring their own to assure you have access when you want it.
Update your rack’s bedding & Comfort
Your rack is the only space that you have on the ship. Make it your area.
You’re going to want comfort and coziness in order to relax, decompress, and actually get some restful sleep.
Gaming devices
Games offer distraction and entertainment — this is an opportunity to have fun and feel like “a real person”. My Nintendo Switch helped me keep my sanity on my 11 month deployment. I personally recommend story-mode games, such as Zelda.
Laptop/dvd player & speaker
My lap top was good to store movies, videos, photos, and more.
The Portable DVD Player is a cheaper option to be able to watch movies. I especially liked to watch movies to held me fall asleep in my rack. You’ll want plenty of movies and a good way to store them so I suggest a dvd case.
Some people would airdrop movies on their phones, and others liked watching movies or listening to music in groups, here’s some recommendations:
Physical wellbeing
“Working out buffs up the body — and perhaps the mind, too. New research is revealing how physical activity can reduce and even ward off depression, anxiety and other psychological ailments.”
photos
Photos of my wife and kids in my rack kept me going on a day to day basis. Bringing a polaroid camera let me bring home and make a fun activity out of showing family and friends photos from deployment.
A place to sit
It’s almost impossible to find a comfortable place to sit on a ship— months on end of being uncomfortable really wear on a person. These really help.
For couples
Deployments are always hard for couples, these are a fun way to keep feeling connected on long deployments and make for a sweet gift.
