I'm sending a care package to a good friend who is serving overseas. Does anyone have suggestions of what to send?

I sent stuff to my nephew when he was deployed, and porn and liquor weren’t allowed. So, I sent snacks; trail mix, nuts candy, etc. Packages of baby wipe thingies (?) yeah, that’s what I said, but hey, they were welcomed! Magazines, cards puzzle books, DVDs, things that can be shared with his buddies, gum, TP if it’ll fit. You can really cram a lot into the prepaid boxes that you get from the PO.

Handy wipes and baby wipes are definitely appreciated, I’ve heard.

I have a friend serving over there. There were a couple of items on her wish list that I’m sure he would appreciate as well.

Fabreeze – You can’t just toss your body armor in the wash and it gets pretty ripe in the desert heat.

Baby wipes – Yep, baby wipes.

Pro-Biotic vitamins – Between army food and stress a bit of a kick start to the natural flora in your guts to keep things working properly is a good thing.

A personal comfort item. This might be some small lightweight easily packable item that can be crammed into the duffle (like a small plush toy, preferably with some “inside joke” type meaning) can serve as an important connection to home.

Pictures (see comfort item)

Rice krispie treats keep and travel well. When my ex was in the desert, he asked for photographs and books. If this is someone in a friend group, a card signed by mutual friends would probably be appreciated. If you can find some Mad Libs, I bet those would be fun.

I sent this to SeaofClouds. She’ll know!

The next best thing to porn is Maxim magazine. Get an issue or three if you can find them.. hot lady on the cover, guy humor inside, almost as good as Playboy. :P

Coffee, magazines, candy

A local group collecting to send care packages overseas had powdered drink mix high on their most requested list, like crystal light. They come in all sorts of flavors from tea to lemonade, to mixed berry. I bought a 200-pack of single serving pouches. They are lightweight, small, and ship easily.

Porn is usually not allowed. As far as if it will get confiscated or not, it just depends on if he has to open his packages in front of other people. There are ways to sneak stuff like that if you really want to do so (such as sticking pictures or magazines into a pringles container or swapping the covers on the magazines (as long as he doesn’t open it in front of others).

If he’s only requesting Skoal and snacks, it could be that he is in an area where he can get most of what he needs. Baby wipes are usually really good when they are out in the middle of no where, but not as necessary when they have daily access to showers. He still may appreciate those as well though.

Snacks are always good, especially freshly baked goods. My husband loved getting cards. As others have mentioned, some of the powdered drink mixes would probably be nice as well. My husband’s group could get all he free bottles of water they wanted, but that got boring for some of them after a while. I’ve also sent those Colgate wisp toothbrush things to my husband in the past. He said they came in handy on the days he was up for over 24 hours and working nonstop.

While the weather is cooler right now, it’s a good time to send chocolate if he likes it because it’s hard to get. Once it’s warmer, it’s harder to send chocolate because of the heat.

When sending packages, you should try to get the APO flat rate boxes from the post office (if you haven’t already). The boxes are free to get and ship for a flat rate ($12.50) up to 70 pounds, so you can pack a good bit of stuff in them. Depending on where he is, it may take two weeks or more to get the packages. When I sent freshly baked goods, I used the Ziploc vacuum seal bags (they come with a little handheld vacuum thing). My cookies and brownies always made it there fresh.

If you want to be creative, you can also send themed packages. Since Valentine’s is coming up, you could send a Valentine’s themed box (depending on the type of friendship you have). In March, you could send a St. Patrick’s Day themed one (with various St. Patty’s Day things and other fun stuff).

No go on the porn. Main thing is to not send soap and food in the same package. Its just not a good idea, lol.

I have a brother in the army and he loved it when we sent him a heated blanket in afganastan and some candy too also we sent a card!!