RT Training - exercise insights

[royalmarineworldwide]

If anyone could answer this as best they could I’d appreciate it. During RT, when we go on a ‘4 day survival exercise’ & other similar experiences, will we go the whole time without showering or do you have to learn to take care of yourself in the wilderness?

I’m just curious - would greatly appreciate some insight, thanks

 

[Chelonian]

During RT, when we go on a ‘4 day survival exercise’ & other similar experiences, will we go the whole time without showering or do you have to learn to take care of yourself in the wilderness?

You will be required to keep yourself clean and will be inspected to ensure that this is done to the required standard.

Although showers might be unavailable it is likely that 'wet and dry' routine will ensure adequate immersion in cold water.

But as a former Honking Pongo I'll step back and let one of the resident Bootnecks comment further.

 

[SCOTTY6]

So most of your exercises will be tactical based not survival based. You will not have access to showers on ex, and in phase one, they will focus on your individual skills and personal admin in the field including how to keep clean/shave/cook/stay sustainable. And yeah as mentioned above you will be in and out the oggin so much I’m surprised nods havnt developed gills yet.

 

[Former AE]

They bring mobile hot showers into the field so you can stay clean. These are supplied by the 6th Mechanised Bath Regiment.

 

[Rob20]

In training things will be different to how you work as a trained rank.

The longest I've gone in the field without a shower etc I think was 23 days, in quite a "dirty environment" shall we say. However you'll be surprised how easy it is to live in those conditions when you take control of your personal admin. Set habits and stick to them.

Brushing your teeth every morning and/or before bed. Give yourself a wipe round the armpits and bollocks/arse with a antibacterial wipe can surprisingly feel like a shower when you've been in the field for long enough. As a trained rank you wont shave in the field. In my opinion the most important thing is footcare and getting on top of minor ailments early.

Personally I'll do the old 'powder bag' with the feet each night. And in my dry rig I'll have a small tub of vaseline, sudocrem and tiger balm. The vaseline I'll use to apply a small layer to my feet each morning. Can help avoid blisters and also as a mini waterproof layer for your foot. The tiger balm for any mozzy bites, it surprisingly helps stop the urge to scratch em. Obviously also good for muscular aches. And any small cuts/grazes etc will be immediately dealt with with application of sudocrem or any anti septic cream and if needs be dreasing applied.

Being clean and hygienic in the field isn't about looking amazingly fresh. Its about taking care of the small things and not wrapping on basic things like wet and dry.

Modern man is blessed with hot water, showers and luxuries which has reduced his ability to survive in the most basic environments. Recruits are taught to live without these commodities and you'll be surprised how easy it can be.

 

[mace]

Where do you poo on exercise? I read in the Going Commando book you are showed how to poo in the bag but there was also of a story where they had to carry a mobile, caravan like toilet? I don’t have a problem with any just curious. It’s actually much healthier to poo when you are squatting compared to sitting on a toilet.
On the same note what happens when somebody really needs to poo during mid-run or exercise if let’s say you ate a new, unaccustomed ration pack or something and it hits you bad? Can you just ask to quickly take a poo and catch up or you just pooing you pants?

 

[Rob20]

Where do you poo on exercise? I read in the Going Commando book you are showed how to poo in the bag but there was also of a story where they had to carry a mobile, caravan like toilet? I don’t have a problem with any just curious. It’s actually much healthier to poo when you are squatting compared to sitting on a toilet.
On the same note what happens when somebody really needs to poo during mid-run or exercise if let’s say you ate a new, unaccustomed ration pack or something and it hits you bad? Can you just ask to quickly take a poo and catch up or you just pooing you pants?

I love these questions!

First part, it depends. In training usually you'll take an elsen, which is like the portable toilet you refer too. Some UK training areas may have portaloos if you're non tac. I've also used long drops which is basically a deep hole. And also the bag jobby which isnt as easy as it sounds when you're not supposed to pee in the bag. Man hasn't quite cracked the pooing without weeing yet!
I'm yet to progress to levels of clingfilm but it's an option ha.

Second question. I saw two lads have "accidents" in training. One on a speed march, another on the Tarzan assault course. You can stop if you like, but you'll still fail. Just a case of bad luck I guess. Top tip, always poo before phys! Another top tip, don't mess up on exercise otherwise you'll find yourself pinged as Elseneer! Not a job you want, thankfully one I dodged

 

[Geespt]

Where do you poo on exercise? I read in the Going Commando book you are showed how to poo in the bag but there was also of a story where they had to carry a mobile, caravan like toilet? I don’t have a problem with any just curious. It’s actually much healthier to poo when you are squatting compared to sitting on a toilet.
On the same note what happens when somebody really needs to poo during mid-run or exercise if let’s say you ate a new, unaccustomed ration pack or something and it hits you bad? Can you just ask to quickly take a poo and catch up or you just pooing you pants?

Don't you worry, try a few biscuit browns from your ration pack and you'll not need to poo for a week!

 

[SCOTTY6]

I think the elsan olympics have been banned now unfortunately. Can’t have any fun in training these days....

 

[Former AE]

The longest I went without dhobying was from the 20th May until 16 June 1982, when we arrived in Stanley it was a case of get a shower where you could, I managed to get out to a fuel tanker ship and the crew sorted me out with fresh socks and kecks, when we got back ashore the old ones were ceremonially burnt helped with a gallon of diesel. As for having a dump, drinking bog water purified with steritabs meant you went when your body told you !

 

[Jaykay2343]

So most of your exercises will be tactical based not survival based. You will not have access to showers on ex, and in phase one, they will focus on your individual skills and personal admin in the field including how to keep clean/shave/cook/stay sustainable. And yeah as mentioned above you will be in and out the oggin so much I’m surprised nods havnt developed gills yet.

As already alluded to, especially and most definitely in phase 1 on morning kit musters, you will have a mess tin for hot oggin to use a hot soapy flannel to remove all cam cream from face and be cleanly shaven, with a disposable razor, which in my opinion stings abit, you won't be using a Mach 3 turbo "best a man get can get" sort of thing. Your face and hands will be clean from mud/dirt/cam cream etc. Another flannel will be used for intimate areas. Again all this will be inspected. Toothbrush will be inspected too, don't cut corners.

As for the Elson, you get accustomed to it , bit awkward at first laying an egg Infront of your oppos trying not to gag at the smell. By the end of training I would sit and have a leisurely dump while my oppo next to me was sat on a tree stump with a hot wet, spinning dits, both of us having a ciggy.

 

[Chelonian]

I once enjoyed a most satisfying dump at an altitude of about 5,000 metres on a mountain in East Africa. The facilities were simple; someone had enlarged a natural fault in an overhang of rock with a 200 metre drop below.
The location was way above the cloud top and as the sun set over the distant Serengeti plains a sky full of stars became visible. Thought I'd share.

 

[mace]

Thanks a lot for sharing your insights gentlemen!

 

[The guide]

Wait until you want to go at minus 40 c in Norway at 2 am, the very definition of snapping one off, and if you mess up you might get the job of poo compactor , ( squeezing the air out of the bin bags,) so you get a nice vacuem bag instead so you can transport the bags away if required!!

 

[thirdtry]

I once enjoyed a most satisfying dump at an altitude of about 5,000 metres on a mountain in East Africa. The facilities were simple; someone had enlarged a natural fault in an overhang of rock with a 200 metre drop below.
The location was way above the cloud top and as the sun set over the distant Serengeti plains a sky full of stars became visible. Thought I'd share.

Would this be the infamous Mt. Kenya long drop? A pal of mine lost his phone down the drop.

 

[Chelonian]

Would this be the infamous Mt. Kenya long drop? A pal of mine lost his phone down the drop.

It was a long drop on Mt Kilimanjaro. It had a rudimentary, rickety wooden shelter which apparently frequently vanished in high winds or when demolished for fire wood.

In 1980 a party of us traversed parts of Rebmann Glacier. Unsure how feasible this is now as the glacier had even then been shrinking since the early 1900s.

 

[diggernet]

You’ll be hanging out so much you won’t care for showering or keeping clean and by the time you hit violent entry you’ll be dropping logs while conducting nav checks with 100lbs plus of kit on your back you won’t require any toilet paper.....that’s what I heard anyway