As for bath, already try before 5 days outfield no shower no
powder, no nothing, what is one night?
Yeah, reservist is worst of all. Active-time usually maxs out 5
days in the field, but my Arty outfit averaged 8 consecutive days
during most of our high-key ICTs. They split as 5.5 days' unit EX
(BTY & then BN level), a half-day rest (still outfield, but
enjoying the one confirmed bath) & then 2 days' FATAP
proficiency test (to retain ops status).
We were advised to bring along our spare No.4's, & our RQ also
fought hard to acquire extra uniforms & talcum powder. A lot of
us eventually wised up to pack two other items:
(a) a small towel -- to privately cleanse your body Jap-style at
night, lah. It's really better the powder bath which the BMT guys
teach you.
(b) prickly-heat powder -- poured on after the towel bath. The
cooling menthol on your skin, in the chill of the night, absolutely
tingles.
The bad part is extra socks couldn't be indented. But they, along
with foot powder, are of limited use when you're in boots 19-20
hours a day. The best solution was to trying airing our feet during
sleeping time.
When we went to ROC, the field EX was 11 days! And our base camp
was 15-plus klicks away, rendering the daily resupplying (even with
basic things like jelly-cans) logistically very difficult.
