Try to pack as light as possible. I brought a single duffel bag, jam packed. By the time I left OCS, I accumulated about another duffel bag's worth of stuff, plus my sea bag full of uniforms.
LIBERTY/CHECK-IN CLOTHES
At OCS, you'll get "Liberty" a few weeks in, and you'll need your liberty attire. Time to dress up like Tiger Woods.
Liberty tire is business casual, khakis or nicer pants, polo shirts or button downs. When I went, women could wear a blouse with no collar, but it had to be nice. To be on the safe side, I would just bring polos. No need to come to OCS with a target already on your back. No jeans, sneakers (except for PT), etc. You'll check into OCS wearing these clothes, and you'll wear it the first week. I brought two sets of business casual clothes, and I got by just fine. Well, actually, scratch that. I never wear heels, but decided for business professional I needed nice shoes. I wore shoes with a 1" heel. Guess who almost busted their ankle getting off the bus...WEAR FLATS!!!!!
On liberty, a lot of people get a hotel room. No one watches you in your hotel room, so you can definitely wear sweats or other comfy clothes in your room. But once you leave your hotel room, put your golf outfit back on. I'm not joking. A couple time we got back from liberty and the instructors claimed that candidates were spotted at the hotel buffet in sweats. I have no idea if this is true, and it reminded me of when I was little, around Christmas time, when Santa was always watching.
At OCS, you'll be able to do laundry. I'm female, and we were allowed to bring whatever color panties and bras we wanted. I played it safe. All my bras were either gray or black, and I got super comfy stretchy granny panties :) I wore nothing but sports bras during OCS (except for liberty). I brought around seven of each. I'll explain more about laundry later.
UNIFORM ITEMS
At OCS, you'll be given ALL the uniform items you need. (I'm sure this is deducted from pay, but you won't have to pay cash). This is, except for PT clothes. At the start of OCS, you'll go to a giant warehouse where you get your uniform items and essentials you'll need. I brought most of this stuff, and ended up buying it again. It cost around $180 for the essentials. I don't regret buying things twice, I needed them.
I brought five green skivvy shirts, and three pairs of skivvy shirts. I got these on Amazon. You can buy these at the warehouse too, and I bought like two extra packs. I brought around ten pairs of white PT socks. YOU MUST BRING YOUR OWN RUNNING SHOES. You need these for PT. I brought some that were true to size. Mid-way through OCS, I bought a second pair because the first were so dirty and beat. When I found these running shoes months after OCS, they were so big on me! That's how much your feet swell at OCS.
You will be issued boots and boot socks, but most people (including myself) brought some. It's best to break-in a pair before you get to OCS.
I brought Thorlo boot socks and Fox River socks. Both of these were great but I loved the Thorlos more. I wear these nowadays, and only wear the Fox River when I am too lazy to do laundry. The Thorlos are just so soft and comfy. You can get both of these on Amazon. I brought four pairs of Thorlos, and three Fox Rivers. I was also given about four pairs at OCS, a cheap brand. I used these only when our dryers weren't working.
BOOTS
You'll be issued two pairs of boots, but you should bring at least one other. A good rule of thumb:
First pair-ONLY FOR INSPECTIONS
Second pair- Day-to-day wear
Third pair- your dirty boots. They will get dirty and disgusting. These ones should be broken in, and the ones that actually matter.
I brought two pairs of boots, Bates Heavy Duty, and Bates Hot Weather. The difference is the summers had ports in the sides. I got them from:
https://www.bootsplusmore.com/
This website had them pretty cheap, but now that I'm looking at this site, I think some aren't available.
IMPORTANT. Make sure your boots have the Marine Corps EGA on the side. Some boots have the brand name, and I remember some candidates weren't allowed to wear them.
*Warning*
Bates Heavy Duty- I went to OCS in the Winter. People recommended Bates Lites (different from Hot Weather), so I ordered them, but the site accidentally sent me the Heavy Duties. This was an amazing mistake. Candidates struggled to do the O-Course in Bates Lites. I used my Bates Heavy Duty, These were warm, they were good on the rope, but they are indeed heavy. Don't use Bates Lites for the Obstacle Course.
Here's what I had:
Bates Hot Weather- I used these as my inspection boots. I brought these from home and they were new.
Bates Heavy Duty- These were my dirty boots. My PT boots, field boots, hiking boots, O-Course and E-Course boots. I brought these from home and they were broken in. These were a half size bigger than what I usually wear and ended up being snug by the end of OCS due to feet swelling (not injured swelling, just swelling in general) and repeated getting wet/drying.
Unknown-I forget the name of these, but I think it began with an R (not Reckoning). These were issued to me, and they were my day-today boots. A lot of people disliked them, but I thought they were fine. I used them on the 6 mile hike because my dirty boots were still wet from the day before.
Bates Heavy Duty- these were also issued to me, and they were identical to ones I brought. It's recommended to go up a half size from your actual size, which I did with the ones I brought with me. With this second pair, I got a whole size bigger. These boots went untouched almost my whole time at OCS, except right at the end. At OCS, your feet may swell, and your boots may actually shrink from the constant soaking and drying out. This happened to my Heavy Duties I brought from home, and at the end of OCS, I wore the second bigger pair because my foot was broken and I wore an extra sock on that foot to alleviate some pain.
I went to TBS during the summer and I instantly bought Danner Reckonings. People had these at OCS and loved them. I loved them at TBS. They were super light-weight, almost like sneakers. They were awesome for the CFT, and honestly, great for the O-Course and E-Course. I used them in the field and hiking. I can't attest to how they are in the cold, or the rain. Some people complain and say while hiking they could "feel the ground" when hiking, but I didn't have a problem.
If I could have an MVP Line-up of boots to use at winter OCS, I would use:
Bates Heavy Duty-for the field and for hiking
Reckonings-for CFT, O-Course, and E-Course
Issued random pair- Day-to-Day
Issued Bates Heavy Duty- Inspection
If I was to go in the summer, I would use the same line-up except swap out a Bates Heavy Duty for a second pair of Reckonings.
BOOT BANDS
These are little elastic bands that you use to blouse your boots. I accidentally ordered too many before OCS, and buying some there. This wasn't a problem. These get lost really easy, and at least they are cheap. I always carried extra pairs on me, one in my blouse pocket, one in my assault pack, and I even kept a pair under my pillow for quick access. More than once I needed my extra pair, or had to give a pair to a fellow candidate. You can get these on Amazon.