So my son has gone Army and got a SMP slot along with contracting.

I want to get him a kit for school and field training. He says a Piggy but I say a Plate carrier so it won’t be useless when active duty.

Requires OCP camo.  The issued stuff is, well, awful.

Thoughts. As a CW I want to support our sponsor so I won’t shop elsewhere.

Suggestions please.

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Hit the surplus stores near any large Army base.  Quickest and easiest way to get a full kit in one day.

Don't get him a plate carrier.

The Guard will issue him one (or a vest), with plates.  He'll never need armor for Cadet training (the FLC you see him wearing at contract swearing is what Cadet Command issues ever'body).  Once he commissions they'll issue him one from CIF (the Central Issue Facility).

LBE can be personal, and he'll more than likely figure out on his own what he wants and needs, and how he'll configure it.

Since you're in Carolina, the best I can offer is -- drive up to Fayetteville/Spring Lake.  There are dozens of cut-throat surplus stores there that compete with each other to sell gear guys have stolen, found, or were issued and told to keep when they separated, retired, or went AWOL -- plus all the retired gear the Army sold as surplus when colors changed.  GWOT was Command Sergeants Majors' nightmare when it came to mixing kit in OD, woodland, tri-color desert, ACU, khaki, brown (coyote), and multicam.

You'll find in some shops you can negotiate pricing on stuff with a couple careers' worth of life still left in them if they're not in the latest color or unique SOCOM items ARFers, airsofters, and LARPers want.

I'm a gear queer, and my son (now a lieutenant and also a geardo) and I personally like Sarge's in Spring Lake.

If, after all that, he still doesn't have what he wants, then buy off the EE or new.  SKD, OPTactical, and other arf sponsors are great.

This is for a Christmas gift anything purchased has to be the OCP camo. I am letting him decide what he wants.

The FLC he has on will work for now.

He hasn’t reported to the NG Aviation Battalion yet.   Do y’all think they will issue him anything as he is nothing but a “Dot” to them right now.

He is planning on Aviation and is almost done with his PPL which is why he got picked up by the 151st at McEntire.

As a SMP Cadet 20 years ago(yeah that long) only thing I ever thought was missing from my issued gear was a M249 ammo pouch to throw on the outside of my ruck and a titanium razor protector(never found one, but something so my disposable razors didn't get crushed, they always did). Ruck it didn't have enough pockets to hold the stuff I wanted. So I bought a 249 ammo pouch and It was awesome. since it matched nobody ever questioned it, couple guys in my squad wanted one after too.


I was also SMP with an Aviation unit (207 AK NG), I drilled with them for 2.5 years. I wore the "dot" and did 2lt duties that were non technical, led some PT, and even got a couple hours in the UH60 simulator with a generous warrant officer. Got a cited  for an AAM by the Colonel for going above and beyond with my  "attention to unit safety" ( During lunch I chiseled the ice off the walkway so nobody else would bust their ass on it like I had...) .

tell your son unless he wants chem corps put it last. it was my 4th choice after aviation, finance, and logistics. They gave me Chem Corps and I dropped the SMP/ROTC program because I didn't want chem (my packet for Avaition was solid too, AFAST score was 15 points above the cutoff, good medical, vision, ect).

If he's been to basic or OSUT, they'll probably issue him soldier stuff.  If not, maybe 50-50.

He'll go to Summer Camp and abuse the snot out of his issue gear.  He might not be allowed to use something blatantly not issued (it's contraband).  

If it was issued by unit or Cadet Command (even as old as Vietnam and ALICE), no worries -- if it gets thrashed/trashed, Uncle replaces it for free.  If he doesn't have something (either his own, the Guard's, or the Army's) they'll issue it there and take it back before he leaves.  If it's personally-owned stuff and gets torn or destroyed, well that's too bad.

If he gets offered or there's an opportunity to do CTLT (Cadet Troop Leadership Training -- a three-week internship with an Army unit) tell him to take it or volunteer for it.  I have buddies and current and former cadets who got great opportunities -- aviation companies in Korea (flying); jumps and artillery live-fire in Italy, Germany, and Poland with the 173rd Airborne Brigade; urban combat training with 3rd SF Group, etc.  
My kid did three weeks as an OPFOR soldier with the 509th Geronimos at JRTC at Polk, going direct from Camp (NOBODY wanted Louisiana).  It was a formative summer for him, as he was completely immersed and got to see what right looks like.  Nobody screws with Apaches.  

The 101st Airborne Division brigade rotation was so thoroughly thrashed that commanders at several levels were no-kidding real-world relieved (fired), and the Army Chief of Staff flew in from the Pentagon to find out why their ass-kicking was such a rout.  

I'm sorry but as a Cadet (2003-2007) I didn't need any high speed gear, you don't really do much.  The Guard will give him anything he needs.

Thanks all

I isn’t about high speed as much as fit and functional.  Which the shit he has on is neither.

There are no plates going to be used for now.

Many cadets are using their own stuff so maybe his school is okay with it.

Yeah, if you're really interested check out the ROTC Cadet Command book of faces photo page and see what each summer camp regiment does.  The kids are pretty much dressed and equipped the same.

Depending on the Cadet Command CG and how serious they take it that year all cadets have to accomplish basic, common lieutenant things: whatever this year's fitness test looks like; land nav; basic rifle qual; leadership tasks at different levels or jobs -- team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant and platoon leader; planning and execution of admin and tactical exercises; maybe obstacle course and a road march.

I would go Daeodon with the ROC cummerbund. It has 4 PALS rows, can mount whatever he needs/wants. Also can say with our proximity to JBLM and our retail store front, lots of Daeodon's in the field. The Multicam Daeodon pics on the products page, that's an actual Soldier. He came in to grab one right as the new version launched and became a kit model

Chug on