Chapter 7 of 8 · 18 items

Over-the-Counter Medicine to Pack for Deployment

General over-the-counter medicine is very handy to have in case medical has a long line, or you need something at an odd hour and don't want to deal with waking people up at night. Keep it in its original packaging, follow the label, and check your command's policy on what you can bring aboard.

FCA2(SW) Alex Velichko

FCA2(SW) Alex Velichko

Founder, Savior Sailor · 8+ years U.S. Navy, 22+ months at sea

As an Amazon Associate, Savior Sailor earns from qualifying purchases. Product links on this page are affiliate links; the products and prices are Amazon's, not ours.

1

Contact Solution

The ship's store does not reliably carry it and the brand changes every port. Bring a full deployment's worth, plus a spare pair of glasses for the days your eyes have had enough.

2

Excedrin or Advil

Headaches from dehydration, noise and no sleep are a daily fact underway. Having your own means you do not stand in the medical line for two tablets.

3

Vitamins

Fresh produce runs out weeks into deployment. A daily multivitamin covers the gaps in a galley diet.

4

Cough Drops

One person gets sick in berthing and the whole compartment follows. Cough drops let you stand your watch without coughing through it.

5

Dramamine (Sea Sickness Meds)

Even sailors with years at sea get hit in heavy weather. The less-drowsy formula lets you take it and still function on watch.

6

Chapstick

Wind, sun and dry ship air crack lips within days. Buy a multipack because you will lose them in every pocket you own.

7

Icy Hot

Ladders, hatches and working parties are hard on backs and shoulders. A no-mess applicator means you can use it in your rack without getting it everywhere.

8

Caffeine Pills

A mid-watch at 0200 after a full workday is the reality of a port and starboard rotation. Pills take up less space than energy drinks and do not need a fridge.

9

ZzzQuil

Rotating watch schedules wreck your sleep. Something to help you fall asleep at 1400 when your body thinks it is noon can save a rotation.

10

Odor-Eater Insoles

Fourteen hours in boots every day, and the boots live in a closed locker. Insoles keep the smell down and add some cushion on steel decks.

11

Sunscreen

Reflection off the water doubles the exposure, and you will be topside for hours during sea and anchor detail or flight ops. Sunburn is also a counseling chit waiting to happen.

12

Aloe

For the sunburn you got anyway. It also helps with the dry, irritated skin that comes from weeks of recycled air.

13

Vapor Rub

The berthing cold that goes around every deployment. A little under the nose also helps in spaces that smell like the ship.

14

Basic First Aid Kit

Cuts and scrapes from knife edges, ladders and nonskid happen daily. A small kit in your rack handles the minor ones without a trip to medical.

15

Pepto-Bismol

Galley food, port call food and stress. Chewable tablets take no space and you will be glad you have them.

16

Tums

Coffee all day and mid-rats at midnight. Heartburn is standard issue underway, and Tums is the fix.

17

Benadryl

Allergic reactions to something in the galley or a bug bite in port. It is also what a lot of sailors use to reset their sleep after a rotation change.

18

Melatonin

A gentler option for the same problem: your body clock does not care what section you are in. Fast-dissolve tablets need no water in the rack.

Previous chapter Hygiene Next chapter Miscellaneous

All chapters

Prefer the original? Download the full ebook (PDF).

Don't Want to Shop All of This Yourself?

Our care packages are built from this exact list by sailors who have lived it. Send one to a sailor you love, or to one who has nobody sending anything.

Send a Care Package Sponsor a Sailor