Best products from r/CanadianForces

We found 24 comments on r/CanadianForces discussing the most recommended products. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 62 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

Top comments mentioning products on r/CanadianForces:

u/dingodan22 · 1 pointr/CanadianForces

I can't speak to anything specific (as per the disclosure everyone has to sign), but I feel this publicly available information should help you out:

It is a very intensive few days. Make sure to get a lot of rest and be in a good state of mind. Multi tasking and quick thinking are really what it takes.

Play around with apps such as Lumosity and multitasking games. I didn't use this one but I feel like it could help:

http://multitaskgames.com/multitask-game.html

Also familiarize yourself with simple math (single digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, division - speed, distance, time) and angles.

There is a lot of common sense, but you need to be quick with it.

If you can, familiarize yourself with the six-pack instrument panel.

The toughest part for myself was memory recollection. The following link isn't quite at the level at what is needed but could be a good starting point (maybe someone else can chime in with a better game)

https://dynamicbrain.brainhq.com/play/brainhq#train/attention/1/0/0

Hope these help!

Edit This book helped me a lot too! There is only about one chapter that was relevant for the aircrew selection but I felt it helped me know what to expect!

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0081987FC/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/ChronicSilence · 10 pointsr/CanadianForces

A guy on my courses always had a spare canteen that he filled with jelly beans. Best de-stresser ever in the 5 minutes you get between taskings.

Also, I'm not sure what kind of EX you're doing and what you can take, but we found these to be incredibly useful and they strap onto a ruck very easily.

On a more practical note, take lots of socks. I mean lots and lots of socks. When your feet are soaked from sweat or a swamp, no better feeling than a fresh pair of socks. If you haven't already, get a pair of SWAT boots or similar so you don't want to amputate your feet after a day in the field.

One of my personal favourites was to always carry a ziplock bag of really tough beef jerky in my tac vest. Has a similar appeal to dip, but without the mouth cancer and I found it helps keep energy up during longer marches.

I never really had a problem with any of the shit we had to do during exercises, it's all kind of fun when you have the right mindset, so most of my "hacks" were just ways of being more comfortable during downtime. That's really good for keeping your sanity, and I think it applies to everything in the Forces :)

Finally, if they gave you one of those shitty old canteen cups in your kit that are tin or something and poisonous to drink from, consider surreptitiously replacing it with a steel one.

u/PutSomeWedgeInIt · 21 pointsr/CanadianForces

Edit: I'll keep adding things as I remember them. I'm not adding the usual stuff like laptops, ipads, gym gear, etc, because those seem...common sense?

Updated: 24 Nov 1252 hrs AST

  • Cold meds with pseudoephedrine
  • Magnets (for lockers if you get one)
  • 3M command hooks of varying weight limits
  • Strong plastic coat hangars
  • 550 cord (I'd say no more than 30' of it)
  • Headlamp with red and white light (find one that you don't have to go "through" the white to get to the red!)
  • 2-3 good quality plastic clothes pins to hold curtains closed or some other task (the ones linked are identical to the ones at the Dollar Store for, I think, $4 for 12)
  • Knife sharpener
  • Pocket knife
  • Suction cup hook for the shower (if you use a bath scrubby)
  • Nail clippers and nail file
  • Small FA kit (bandaids, etc)
  • Small sewing kit with the right colours of thread
  • GoToobs for stuff like shampoo and body wash (and aloe gel if you burn)
  • Bose noise cancelling headphones (with a spare battery)
  • Camera (don't be the guy that brings a DSLR with 5 lenses)
  • Couple of power adapters if power is different
  • Water bottle (and denture cleaning tablets to clean it if there's no bottle brush)
  • Couple of locks (combo or keyed-alike, varying sizes)
  • Travel blanket
  • Inflatable neck pillow (the best one I've ever used)
  • Anker USB battery bank (love Anker products!)
  • Anker PowerPort
  • Depending on living accommodations, I also have a "travel kitchen" that I take with me that has a good Santoku knife, cutting board, pepper grinder and garlic press.
  • 2-3 tide pods because it could be a few days or a week before you get to the PX
  • If you know your sleeping arrangements, buy a "bed in a bag" for that bed size. Nothing like having your own good sheets to slide into after a rough day. Make sure you wash everything before heading over, so they're soft and ready to go when you get there.
  • A collapsable shoe organizer that you can use to store gitch, socks, t-shirts, etc, or even a collapsable sweater organizer (or two) if you want more horizontal space and less vertical.
  • If you're coming home or going somewhere on HLTA, don't forget to pack a civvie-pattern backpack. Don't be the guy wandering around a foreign airport wearing your day pack and combat boots in jeans.
  • Birthday/Anniversary/special event cards that you can mail from your location (shows you were thinking of them well in advance of your departure and before the event). Bonus points if it's a mushy anniversary card to a significant other, ensuring that your return is "extra special".
u/aiwaai · 1 pointr/CanadianForces

I'm going to apply this week or next week (after I get my references sorted out and study up for the CFAT) and was wondering if I could have some advice.

I'm a 19 year old who hasn't done too much with his life aiming for nothing but NCM Regular Infantry and want know what my chances might be at getting in for next year's January BMQ course since I really doubt I'd make it for September this year. I figured if I hand in my application before the very end of this month I should be able to make it for January selection at least. Looking on the army.ca forums I saw that a few people who have applied earlier this year have gotten the September BMQ course for Infantry, so I'm thinking my application should have enough time if things goes well on their end. I've lived in Canada all my life and my parents have resided here for a long time, so I think I should have no problems. The references I'm going to use are my supervisor from work, a supervisor from my old job as a writer for articles on the Internet, a senior from my old job (both old job references are from America, but I read that references from different countries are okay), and a best friend/tutor that has helped me in highschool with graphic design work. I feel like I'll be ready for the interview since I'm always reading about military stuff everyday.

I'm currently following the workout guides from The Complete Guide To Navy SEAL Fitness to get in shape and I'm also taking Adult 1 swimming classes. I'm not too good with the water yet, but I hope to be able to swim decently at least by the time the lessons are over so I'm prepared for basic's swimming portion. As for preparing for the CFAT, I'm using Khan Academy to help me brush up on some much needed mathematical skills.

I pretty much just want to know if I'm on the right path towards preparing and getting everything done for the application and the Canadian Forces. I think about joining the military everyday and want to make sure I don't screw up anything.

u/Ubermensch-1 · 2 pointsr/CanadianForces

The Casio F-91W was the top recommendation the last time this question was posted, it can be had for $10 on ebay. I use the AE1200, which is a mildly cooler version that is also cheap and works well.

I also have a G-Shock DW6900, which is a great watch, but it's big and digs into the back of your hand when doing pushups if you wear your watch below your ulna. Some guys in my unit have the rangeman, which is cool but pricey; I've yet to hear back about the reliability of its compass for land nav. I've also seen this behemoth out in the wild, which would be cool if it weren't obscenely large (not "big for guys with 6" wrists" large, just plain large) and had the same features as every Garmin and Suunto.

I like the Garmins and Suuntos from a training perspective (for tracking runs and hikes, etc.), but most of the Suunto models don't seem to have seconds readouts, which I think is pretty critical for a military application. The Garmins are pretty good and there's a store where you can download different watch faces to suit your needs. It's a shame smartwatches are so often overpriced, because there's a ton of untapped functionality there.

Whatever you do, get a digital readout, preferably a 24 hour one. Don't be the guy with an analog watch; I understand the aesthetic appeal and normally wear one all the time, so I can tell the time pretty quickly on them, but it's so much easier to use digital at night or on course.

u/David_Boom · 3 pointsr/CanadianForces

Hey! not in the CAF but a huge watch nerd.

The Casio GD350-1B is a pretty good choice. It's a G-shock and has pretty much every feature you need (Countdown, timezone, calendar, stopwatch). The unique thing about this model is that it has a silent vibration alarm and a negative display.

The Casio F-91W It does lake some features but its probably one of the most well-known, cheap, and reliable Casio watch out there. It's really light, pretty much not noticeable, and is almost impossible to break.

The Casio G-Shock DW5600E-1V is a really cheap but it still packs bunch of features and it is durable. I guess this is the middle between the GD 350 and the F-91.

There are bunch of really good and durable watches out there, these are just some of my personal favourites. They are not only reliable, durable, and good watches, they look really nice too.

u/crazyki88en · 3 pointsr/CanadianForces

Tape your feet. Everywhere you get hot spots or typically get blisters. If you blister like me you may look like you are wearing a tape sock LOL.



Also like every one said, the two sock system. Someone recommended trying a nylon (panty hose) along with the black liner or instead of. I haven’t tried that trick yet



For after, definitely only cover the blisters if you are in shoes. If you can walk around barefoot or in flip flops that’s perfect. Good padding if you need to see shoes or boots. Also don’t wear the same boots or shoes that caused the blisters the next day. Lastly soak freshly blister feet in Epsom salts to disinfect and clean them. It may burn but it’s a good burn.



My newest obsession is Allevyn padded dressings. I bought them off amazon after seeing them at a paramedic conference. Amazing comfort for walking around after. allevyn bandages on Amazon

u/MikoKoko · 2 pointsr/CanadianForces

It would help to know what trade you are applying for.
I've taken both the CFAT and the British Psychometric test for the Royal Marines and scored highly on both.

After re-learning all the basic math skills, the math part became my strongest area, I'm not going to say dont worry about that area because I don't know what you might be applying for, but it is a lot easier than you think it might be.

Surprisingly I though I scored the lowest in the spacial area, even though I always though of myself as being particular skilled in that area the test showed otherwise. It might be worth a brush up in that section for you regardless of how strong you might think you are.
To be honest the first part with the words was probably the hardest, but you can typically guess fairly easily. (I probably only recognized 1 word in the whole section =P, but still scored fairly well).


I used this book as a study guide. It might be to late for you to give it a read, but for any other redditors that come across this it is the only book you will need to ace the test. One part in it really breaks down the English language, which would have made the first part of the CFAT lot easier if I had bothered studying it.

u/pyrocyborg · 1 pointr/CanadianForces

Hi there! I have no affiliation with this, but I bought that "book" to help me determine if I was going to be fine or not : https://www.amazon.ca/Pass-CFAT-Canadian-Aptitude-Questions/dp/148207561X , despite it's flaws (there were a couple of mistakes here and there).

Essentially, it will help you get a better idea of what you should work on or learn before going for the real test. As for the ressources, there are a lot of them around, but if maths aren't your forte, you should try to find some online ressources that teachs grade 10-11 maths (sorry about that, I'm in Quebec where grades aren't the same, so I don't exactly know what would Secondary IV relate to). Doing a couple of algebra exercices everyday might be overkill, but personally, being 32, it served me well.

u/Hootbag · 1 pointr/CanadianForces

I'm a Bio and the only person in a family of various NCM trades to go the officer route. I started as Res infantry, went DEO after ten years, and am fully capable of using fuck as a noun, adverb, adjective, interjection, and the super-rare adnoun, which I totally didn't just make up.

Leadership, to a certain extent, can be taught just like any other skill. Some people are naturals at it, some are shit. Just hope that you don't end up working for one of the shit ones, and if you do, take it as an opportunity to learn what not to do later in your career when you're the boss.

As this time, there are no command positions for Bios, and many don't even have subordinates due to the tasks they perform. However, there are a few positions where you work in a small team environment, mostly in the Deployable Health Hazard Assessment Teams.

Take note: Bioscience is one of the most ridiculously difficult trades to enter. There are only around 35 of us, and we normally take between zero and three applicants per year.

If you have any Bio questions, feel free to ask me here. And if you're looking for etiquette, I highly recommend the US Army's Wife Handbook, which is hilarious toilet reading.

u/ouyin2000 · 6 pointsr/CanadianForces

So I get swamp feet like there's no tomorrow and I used to swear by the sock system. It's a wonderful concept.

Then I went to Afghanistan and got issued 5 pairs of the brown hot climate socks. WOW what a game changer that was for me! I only just recently retired the final pair from my sock rotation after 10 years! They became more of a sack than an actual sock.

Now I'm using a few pairs of these Covert Threads Jungle Quick Dry Silver Lining Sock Coyote Brown Large

u/thefeldmann · 8 pointsr/CanadianForces

I never liked the issue sock system. The socks always became lose and bunched up or were just way too hot. I'm a cheap bastard and I generally never advocate for spending money on kit but I don't cheap out on socks. $20 for a pair of socks might sound ridiculous but they'll last you a long time and feel amazing. In my opinion good socks are just as important as good boots. I use Costco's Kirkland brand hiker socks for my everyday around the hanger sock or the Wigwam trail mix fusion if I'm going to be rucking, marching or on my feet a lot. If my feet feet get cold I just wear my neos or mukluks and its enough for me.

u/MahoganyBomber9 · 4 pointsr/CanadianForces

For better protection, go dual-layer (ear plugs plus ear defenders). For the plugs I find this style the best (https://www.amazon.com/BeautyMood-Silicone-Earplugs-Swimmers-Comfortable/dp/B01GNXCO0Q/) if you want to go disposable.

u/Salut_Ations · 8 pointsr/CanadianForces

I would say weight plays the most important factor in practicing for the Force test. In my experience I've seen a variety of sandbags used, some similar to this. https://www.amazon.ca/Pellor-Fitness-Sandbag-Adjustable-Exercise/dp/B07BSYQWTQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541596392&sr=8-3&keywords=Exercise+sandbags. Whereas others were basically your stereotypical military sandbag with a handle attached. Technique plays a massive part in any portion of the test, basically if you have something that's generally the same weight and size as the sandbags used in the test you should be good to go. Alternatively, perhaps you could swing back a base and use the sandbags at the gym for practice or to get an idea of what you should buy.

u/tehpikey · 1 pointr/CanadianForces

There's a book on amazon, its not bad for studying but as i recall it doesnt really teach you how to solve the problems. DO NOT BUY THE HARD COPY - if you have a smart phone you can get the kindle edition https://www.amazon.ca/Pass-CFAT-Canadian-Aptitude-Questions/dp/148207561X