What you should know
The main reason a lot of people come to this website is our care packages section, because it answers a lot of the questions families and supporters have about what to send, how to send it, what items are not allowed to be shipped, and so on.
Please feel free to use this listing on your own website (provided that you credit us for it) to get this information to even more people.
If you have any suggestions for other items we should include, or have any
info that we may have forgotten or that we may not have updated, please email
the web team and let us know!
Care Package Index
> What should
I send?
> What should I
not send?
> How do I
package and ship the items?
If I mail a package, what should I send?
It is always best to get in touch with your soldier before sending him
things to ask whether there is anything he specifically needs or wants where he
is at. The ability to purchase items at a PX or PX trailer varies by location
and your soldier may need things that are often sold out or that his PX does not
carry. He may not have access to a PX where he is at.
Also, please bear in mind that your soldier has to store the things you send him somewhere. Not all soldiers have a refrigerator to put perishable foods in - and you shouldn't send perishables anyway since they usually don't make the trip. Your soldier will also not have a big closet or a number of shelves to keep a ton of items, so send small things - travel size containers, for example - or items that are easily stored.
Some recommended items
> non-perishable, non-melting food items, such as
hard candy
tea bags
canned goods
pre-sweetened drink mix
pre-sweetened orange juice powder
slim jims
chewing gum
Ramen noodles
mixed spices
beef jerky (grade A USDA beef labeled *only*)
hot sauce
sunflower seeds
peanuts
trail mix
crackers
powdered hot chocolate
canned soup
canned tuna
(Make sure nothing is in glass containers, or they might break!)
> books and magazines (no military-related topics, no swimsuit magazines)
> CDs or cassette tapes
> VHS or DVD movies
> additional socks or underwear (socks should be black, green, and white)
> vitamins
> hand-sanitizer (may not contain alcohol!)
> baby wipes
> chap stick
> laundry marker (writes on everything)
> disposable camera
> Icy Hot or similar sports crèmes
> foot powder
> shaving supplies
> envelopes
> eye drops
> Vaseline
> skin lotion
> spare boot insoles
> shampoo
> conditioner
> flypaper strips
> Neosporin
> sun screen
> pre-paid calling cards
> board games
> hand-held games
> shower gel
> tooth paste
> Ziploc bags
> dental floss
> Nerf toys (footballs, etc)
> pens & pencils
> socks
> underwear (colored ones, they don't show dirt as much)
> Gold Bond medicated powder
> cigarettes & other tobacco products
> Duct tape
> superglue
> electrical tape
> deodorant
> aloe vera
> throat lozenges & cough drops
> Aspirin, Motrin or Tylenol
> athlete's foot ointment
> mole skin
> laundry soap
> sunglasses
> film for cameras
> comic books
> insect repellent
> Polypro shirts (it gets cold in the desert)
> gloves
If I mail a package, what should I NOT send?
When mailing items to the Middle East, there are two reasons some of them
are not allowed to be shipped -
a) due to Postal restrictions regarding shipping of certain items, and
b) due to restrictions because Middle Eastern countries are Muslim.
Postal restrictions include and govern the following - fireworks, ammunition,
lighter fluid, matches, bleach, aerosol (spray) cans, and a lot of other items,
some of which may surprise you. You can obtain a complete list of these items
from your local post office or UPS store and keep it on hand when shipping
things anywhere in the world since these restrictions are pretty much universal
and are mostly due to safety concerns.
Middle Eastern restrictions are due to Islamic law and forbid shipping of the
following items: bulk-mailing of religious materials (for example, a box of
Bibles), any political materials, anything that might be considered "obscene" or
"indecent" such as pornography and images, drawings, or video tape of nude, or
semi-nude men and women.
You are also not allowed to send things that contain alcohol or may be used in making alcoholic beverages, or any items that contain pork or pork by-products. The latter is very important if you are considering mailing beef jerky, summer sausage, or slim-jims - please read the packaging and make sure the item does not contain pork. Beef items should be labeled "USDA choice beef" or 100% beef.
Some things you shouldn't send
> flash lights (everyone's got one)
> anything that melts
> anything that might get broken in shipping (i.e. glass bottles)
> anything containing pork
> pornography
> any kind of liquor
> lighter fluid
> matches
> anything in aerosol (spray) cans
> anything "obscene" - video, pictures, artwork, etc.
> anything depicting nude, or semi-nude people
> any political materials
> any "bulk" shipments of religious materials
> any fresh fruits or vegetables
> any materials used to make alcohol / liquor
> flea collars (pose a health risk unless used on "mascot" animals)
> batteries (caused a number of tent fires that destroyed a lot of mail)
How should I package and send these things?
The ideal size for a care package is "no larger than a shoe box", which is
due to space considerations on the flights transporting the packages over. It's
easier to take a whole bunch of shoe-box sized packages than it is to take one
or two very large ones.
If you don't have any boxes at home, the US Postal Service offers free
shipping boxes for Priority Mail (they are for Priority Mail only). You can
order them through the US Postal Service's website, and the best sizes to get
are #4 and #7 boxes. Mailing items via Priority Mail is often cheaper since
there are flat-rate fees.
Ideally, everything on the inside should be taken out of its original box that
it was purchased in to save space, sorted by "type" of item - for example, all
toiletries together - and packed in Ziploc bags. The Ziploc bags will keep sand
out and prevent things that might spill or melt from messing up everything else
in the package. Soldiers also use the Ziploc bags to keep other things in, such
as CD players, or any items they don't want to get wet, dusty, or sandy.
You should not send toiletry items such as soap or shaving cream with food
items - they make the food taste funny, even if they are packaged separately and
wrapped in Ziploc bags.
If you have space left between items, it's best to "stuff" it out with something
- popcorn makes great packing material, and although it'll be a bit stale by the
time it reaches your soldier in the desert, they'll still eat it. You can also
use newspaper to stuff the spaces, which will give soldiers a chance to read up
on the "news at home" as well. Hometown papers and your soldiers' favorite
magazine are great for stuffing.
Always include a card listing the contents of each box. As the US Postal Service
points out, "occasionally improperly wrapped packages fall apart during
shipment. Including a card inside the package that lists the sender's and
recipient's addresses along with a description of the contents helps in
collecting items that have fallen open during processing." You also need to have
a custom's slip on the outside of the package.
Mail should be send via regular US Postal Service, and either regular mail, or
if you're using Priority Mail boxes, via Priority Mail. The postage you put on
your box is the same than shipping within the United States, as these packages
leave the US Postal Service once they arrive at a military mail facility! Do not
let any ill-informed postal clerk tell you that you need to pay international
postage on your packages or your letters!
Make sure your packages are securely wrapped with regular clear or brown packing tape so that they will not break open during shipping.
Please Note: Due to hightened postal security measures, ALL packages over 16 ounces sent to APO/FPO addresses must be mailed from a US Post Office. You can no longer mail them from the UPS Store, Mail Boxes Etc. or any such services as of April 2006.