By Luke Dalton, former Royal Marine. Updated 27 August 2026.

The Royal Marines Kit List: What To Bring To CTCRM And What To Leave At Home

In 30 Seconds

The Royal Marines kit list is the short list of personal items a recruit brings to the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) at Lympstone. Almost all training kit is issued once you arrive, so what you bring yourself comes down to documents, personal admin and a handful of small items that make life easier. The definitive list is sent with the joining instructions from your Armed Forces Careers Office (AFCO), and the Royal Navy joining process is clear that your AFCO tells you exactly what kit you need.

This guide is written by Luke Dalton, former Royal Marine and co founder of Contact Coffee Company. It covers what joining instructions consistently ask for, the extras that earn their place in your bag, and what to leave at home. Where the official word and the internet disagree, follow the official word.

First, How You Actually Get To Training

It helps to know where the kit list sits in the process. The route into the Corps runs through the Pre Joining Fitness Assessment, then the Candidate Preparation Course (CPC) at CTCRM, then the Recruit Orientation Phase (ROP), and then the 32 weeks of initial training. The Royal Navy structures those 32 weeks as Individual Skills in weeks 1 to 10, Team and Section Skills in weeks 11 to 15, Troop and Urban Skills with Skills Consolidation and Test Exercise in weeks 16 to 23, and the Commando Phase in weeks 24 to 32.

The key fact for your packing: the Recruit Orientation Phase includes kit and equipment issue. Uniform, boots and field equipment are provided. Nobody expects you to arrive kitted out, and the recruit who turns up with a bergen full of their own tactical gear has already made their first mistake.

Packing For The Candidate Preparation Course

A quick word for anyone searching for the old PRMC kit list. The Potential Royal Marines Course no longer runs; it was replaced by the Candidate Preparation Course, a five day course at CTCRM, and an itinerary of what to bring is provided before you attend. Pack light: sports kit, swim shorts, washing kit and the paperwork you are asked for.

One verified detail worth knowing before you go: the Royal Navy swimming assessment, which runs across the CPC and the Recruit Orientation Phase, is two laps of the pool, roughly 150 metres of breaststroke without touching the sides or the floor, conducted in swimming trunks or shorts with no equipment, and no goggles unless there is a medical reason. So the swim shorts you pack are the swim shorts you will be tested in. Choose accordingly.

What Joining Instructions Consistently Cover

Your joining instructions are the authority, and intakes vary, so treat everything below as the categories every letter covers rather than a replacement for it.

• Documents. Photo ID or passport, bank details, National Insurance number, and any certificates you have been asked to bring. Put them in one folder and know where it is.
• Washing kit. Towel, soap or shower gel, toothbrush and toothpaste, razor and shaving kit, deodorant. Simple, compact, and easy to keep squared away.
• Sports kit and trainers. Shorts, t shirts, socks, and a reliable pair of running trainers that are already broken in. Worn in beats box fresh.
• Swimwear. Swimming is part of training from the start, so bring swim shorts or trunks that you can actually swim in.
• Notebook and pens. You will be given a lot of information quickly. The recruit who writes things down asks fewer stupid questions.
• Phone and charger. Expect access to be controlled, especially early on. The training team sets the policy.
• A small amount of money. A bank card and a little cash cover the odds and ends you did not know you needed.

The Extras That Earn Their Place

Everything above is standard. What follows is experience. These are the small items former and serving Marines consistently recommend, and the ones I would pack again. None of them replace anything on your joining instructions. All of them are cheap, small and boring, which is exactly what good kit looks like.

• Zinc oxide tape and blister plasters. Your feet are your transport for 32 weeks. Tape hotspots early and you stay in the game.
• Foot powder. Dry feet survive. Wet feet fall apart.
• Spare bootlaces. Laces fail at the worst possible moment, and a spare pair weighs nothing.
• A cheap waterproof watch. Timings run everything. A basic digital watch with a light does the job, and nobody cries when it gets wrecked.
• A small sewing kit. Buttons come off and rips happen. Five minutes with a needle keeps your kit serviceable and your admin score intact.
• Wet wipes. The field shower. Enough said.
• A padlock. For securing your kit when you are told to.
• A second notebook and spare pens. One for the classroom, one that lives in a pocket.

If you want the deeper field admin tricks for later in training, from lanyarding a compass to prepping rations, our military kit tips from Royal Marines covers the habits that make life in the field easier.

What To Leave At Home

• Valuables and jewellery. If losing it would hurt, it stays at home.
• Your own military kit. Everything you need is issued. Turning up in your own gear marks you out for the wrong reasons.
• A wardrobe of civilian clothes. You will live in issued kit. A small, smart civvy outfit covers you.
• Speakers and clutter. Space is limited and shared. Pack like a professional, not like a festival.
• Supplements and caffeine products, unless cleared. Training is fuelled properly, nutrition is covered in ROP lectures, and anything you bring should be run past your training team first. Caffeine products such as pouches are for adults aged 18 and over in any case.

Personal Admin Is The Real Kit List

Here is the part the forums miss. The Recruit Orientation Phase formally includes drill and personal administration, plus lectures on health and hygiene. In other words, how you look after your kit is assessed from the start. The list of what you bring matters far less than the standard you keep it to. Clean, serviceable, squared away and where it should be: that is the actual kit list.

A habit worth stealing from day one: keep every category of kit in its own bag, so nothing turns into a jumble sale when you are tired. It is the same principle Marines use in the field, and it is why stash bags ended up in our own range.

The Brew Bit, Because We Are A Coffee Company

Contact Coffee was founded by a former Royal Marine, and the wet, which is what the Corps calls a brew, is a genuine part of the culture you are joining. You do not need to pack coffee for week one, and you should not stash food or drink anywhere it is not allowed. But later in training and beyond, single serve coffee bags are the field format: individually sealed, brewed straight in the mug, no mess and no admin. The full story of how a Marine ended up roasting coffee is in From Bullets to Beans.

For families reading this while someone prepares to join: letters beat parcels in the early weeks, and if you want a gift that lands at the end of it all, the coffee ammo tin has become a pass out favourite. The wider Red On range, including Red On caffeine pouches, is built for those who push harder, and is for adults aged 18 and over.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you need to bring to Royal Marines training?

You need your documents, washing kit, sports kit and trainers, swimwear, a notebook and pens, your phone and charger, and a small amount of personal admin. Almost everything else is issued at the Commando Training Centre. The definitive list arrives with the joining instructions from your Armed Forces Careers Office, and that letter is the authority over anything you read online.

Is kit issued in Royal Marines training?

Yes. The Recruit Orientation Phase at CTCRM includes kit and equipment issue, so uniform, boots and field equipment are provided. You do not need to buy military kit before you arrive, and turning up with your own tactical gear is not the move.

What trainers should I bring to CTCRM?

Bring a reliable pair of running trainers you have already broken in, because early training involves regular physical training and the Royal Marines Fitness Assessment. Worn in beats brand new. If your joining instructions specify anything further, follow them.

How long is Royal Marines training?

Initial training at Commando Training Centre Royal Marines lasts 32 weeks. The Royal Navy breaks it into four sections: Individual Skills in weeks 1 to 10, Team and Section Skills in weeks 11 to 15, Troop and Urban Skills with Skills Consolidation and Test Exercise in weeks 16 to 23, and the Commando Phase in weeks 24 to 32.

What is the Recruit Orientation Phase?

The Recruit Orientation Phase, or ROP, is the introductory phase at CTCRM before mainstream training. It covers kit and equipment issue, drill and personal administration, weapon handling, basic fieldcraft and lectures including nutrition and health and hygiene, and it ends with a field exercise and the Royal Marines Fitness Assessment.

What is CTCRM?

CTCRM is the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines at Lympstone in Devon, the principal training centre for the Royal Marines. It trains recruits, officers and reserves on one site, with around 1,300 recruits passing through training courses each year.

What is the Candidate Preparation Course?

The Candidate Preparation Course, or CPC, is a five day course at CTCRM that gives you an introduction to life in the Royal Marines and indicates your potential to begin initial training. It replaced the old Potential Royal Marines Course (PRMC), and an itinerary of what to bring is provided before you attend.

Do I need to buy boots before Royal Marines training?

No. Boots are part of the kit and equipment issue during the Recruit Orientation Phase. Spend your money on good running trainers and foot care instead, because your feet do the heaviest work in the early weeks.

Can I bring my phone to Royal Marines training?

Yes, bring your phone and charger, but expect access to be controlled by your training team, especially in the early weeks. Your joining instructions and your troop staff set the current policy, so follow what they say rather than what any forum says.

What is the King's Badge?

The King's Badge is awarded to the best all-round recruit in the King's Squad, the senior squad in Royal Marines recruit training. The tradition dates back to 1918, when King George V inspected the Depot Royal Marines and designated the senior squad the King's Squad.

Related Guides

• Royal Marines Fitness Requirements. The current CPC standards, the officer and recruit timings, and the tests themselves.
• Royal Marines Ranks Explained. Every Royal Marines rank in order, with what each one actually does day to day.
• Top Military Kit Tips from Royal Marines. Field admin habits for later in training, from compass lanyards to ration prep.
• From Bullets to Beans. How a former Royal Marine ended up founding a coffee company.
• The Red On Range. The performance caffeine range built for those who push harder. 18 and over.
• Multicam Stash Bags. Keep every category of kit in its own bag from day one.
• Single Serve Coffee Bags. The field brew format: sealed, simple, no admin.
• Red On Caffeine Pouches. 200mg caffeine per pouch for adult users. Strictly 18 and over.

References and Further Reading

• Royal Navy: Royal Marines joining process (AFCO joining instructions and kit)
• Royal Navy: Commando initial training (the 32 week structure)
• Royal Navy: Recruit Orientation Phase (kit and equipment issue, personal administration)
• Royal Navy: CTCRM Lympstone (the Commando Training Centre and the King's Badge)
• Royal Navy: Candidate Preparation Course (the five day CPC and the swimming assessment)