What is the perfect Christmas gift for a cadet?  We asked  a senior cadet in  E Coy, Yorkshire North and West ACF to tell us what he thought would be the best 10 Christmas presents for a cadet. Here's what he said...

  1. Webbing: This is something I would recommend for senior cadets as you will get a lot more use out of it. Your own webbing set is a great way to be able to be comfortable, manoeuvrable and adaptive in fieldcraft. Your own set of webbing gives you the ability to customise your pouches to suit your need i.e. extra mag pouches if you’re a gunner. The MTP Osprey webbing set is the best set I've come across and is a good price.
  2. Daysack: A small daysack / patrol pack is a great way to carry kit around when you don’t need a big bergen to only move lightly. A patrol or a range day would be perfect for a daysack as you only need to carry essentials. I like small Kammo Tactical Assault Pack and they also do a medium sized version.
  3. Waterproof Jacket: Having your own set of military waterproof clothing is extremely helpful for when the weather isn’t at its best. This type of kit is not always issued and it's great to own your own set ready to go. Staying dry is also very important in preventing hypothermia, especially in young people.
  4. Trouser Twisters: This may seem obvious to some but making sure you have more than one set of twisters is essential to camps where they can get lost so easily. Also for senior cadets it’s good to have a spare pair of trouser twists to lend out to juniors who might not have lost theirs.
  5. Head Torch: To have one of these is really good for a multitude of reasons, mainly for fieldcraft. First of all get one with a red filter or bulb. Also LED head torches use much less battery power than traditional bulbs. A good headtorch allows you to see what you’re doing while still having the use of your hands. Another use is weapon cleaning as you can really see into the dark and hard to see areas that need cleaning.
  6. Basha Kit: Having your own basha kit (basha, bungee, string, tent pegs) is extremely useful as on camp your CFAVs may be running low on these essentials so having your own means you don’t have to borrow them and can be a great time and resource saver.
  7. Sleeping Bag: Having a good sleeping bag can really pay off when you get one that’s high season (3 or 4) as it’ll be much comfier to sleep in as it’ll be much warmer.
  8. Watch: Being able to know what time it is is absolutely essential. Training revolves around time schedules and if you're late for a lesson you can be in big trouble. Not only that, most cadet exercises revolve around co-ordination and timings so a good military watch is very important. Make sure you choose one that is water resistant!
  9. Multi-tool: A good solid multi tool will get use out of it for the rest of your life, especially in cadets where you might have to cut into ration pack and string, cut wire, perform repairs on your gear. The possibilities are endless.
  10. Dry Bag: If it’s happened to you then you know that wet kit can be disastrous at the best of times having a good sturdy dry bag will serve you a lot better then a plastic bag or anything like that at it’s a lot sturdier and specifically designed to withstand even our weather.