Your child has joined the cadets, a kit list has come home, and roughly half of it makes no sense. Some of it will be issued. Some of it you are expected to buy. The list rarely says which is which, and nobody wants to turn up on the first parade night with the wrong thing.
We have been kitting out cadets from the Rochester shop since 2006, and the same questions come up every September. This guide sorts the issued from the bought, tells you where it is worth spending and where it is not, and flags the two or three things that quietly matter more than anything else on the list.
In this guide
- What gets issued, and what does not
- Boots: the one thing worth getting right
- Air cadets are different: blues, not camouflage
- Webbing, bergens and how kit gets carried
- The small things that get noticed
- Sizing, and the growing-room problem
- What not to buy
- Frequently asked questions
What gets issued, and what does not
The short version: uniform is generally issued, everything that touches the ground or gets worn out is generally yours to buy.
Cadets in the Army Cadet Force, the Combined Cadet Force and the Air Training Corps are normally issued their working uniform by their unit. That usually covers the MTP shirt and trousers, and the headdress. It is a loan, it goes back when they leave, and it is not something you need to go shopping for.
An important caveat: this varies by unit. Some detachments issue more than others, some run short at intake, and some ask parents to cover items that another unit would provide. Before buying anything, ask the detachment what they will issue and when. A five minute conversation saves a lot of guessing.
What tends to fall to parents, in rough order of how much it matters:
| Item | Usually issued? | Why you often buy it anyway |
|---|---|---|
| Boots (ACF, CCF Army) | Sometimes | Issued boots do not always fit well, and fit is everything on a long day |
| Parade shoes (ATC, CCF RAF) | No | Consistently a parent purchase. See the air cadets section below. |
| Webbing / belt kit | Sometimes | Needed quickly for fieldcraft, and issued sets run out at intake |
| Bergen or daysack | Rarely | Needed for any overnight exercise |
| Spare shirt | No | One shirt and a wet weekend do not mix |
| Socks, boot care, sewing kit | No | Consumables, and they get inspected |
| Sleeping bag, bivi bag | Rarely | Needed for the first camp |
| Headdress / beret | Yes | Comes from the unit with the right cap badge. Do not buy one. |
Boots: the one thing worth getting right
If you buy one thing off this list, buy boots that fit.
A cadet spends more time standing, marching and walking in boots than doing anything else. Boots that rub produce blisters, blisters produce a miserable weekend, and a miserable weekend is how a cadet decides this is not for them. We have seen it more than once, and it is almost always footwear.
What to look for:
- All leather, not fabric panels. Leather takes polish, and polish is what gets inspected. Fabric panels look scruffy within a term whatever you do to them.
- Black or brown to match the unit. Brown is standard for most cadet forces now, but check, because some units still run black.
- Ankle support that actually supports. A boot that flexes at the ankle is a rolled ankle waiting to happen on rough ground.
- Room to breathe in, worn with the socks they will actually wear. More on sizing below.
Our Patrol Boot in all leather is the one we sell most of for cadets, in black and brown, and it is the boot we would put our own children in. It takes a shine, it holds up to a term of abuse, and at under fifty pounds it is not a painful thing to replace when feet grow.
Breaking them in
Do not let the first long walk in a new pair of boots be a cadet exercise. Two or three weeks of wearing them around the house and to school, an hour or two at a time, will soften the leather where it needs to give. Wear the socks that will be worn on the day, because a thick sock changes the fit completely.
Polish them from new, before the first outing. It feeds the leather as well as making them look right, and a boot that has been looked after from day one stays smart far longer than one rescued later.
Air cadets are different: blues, not camouflage
If your child has joined the Air Training Corps, or the RAF section of a Combined Cadet Force, most of the advice above still applies but the headline changes. The air cadets are a blue uniform organisation first. Camouflage is the exception, not the default.
This trips up a lot of parents in September, because the word “cadets” makes people think of MTP. Buying a set of camouflage for a new air cadet is one of the most common ways to waste money in the first month.
What air cadets are issued
Squadrons issue a loan set of the blue service uniform. That typically covers the shirts, trousers or slacks, jumper, tie, belt, brassard and a foul-weather jacket, along with the beret. It stays RAF Air Cadets property and goes back when the cadet leaves.
The uniform is worn in two main orders: Best Blues for parade and formal occasions, and Working Blues for routine squadron nights. The difference is largely the shirt, tie and jumper combination rather than a different uniform altogether.
What parents actually buy: parade shoes
Footwear is the gap. Squadron uniform guides are consistent that cadets are not issued parade shoes or black socks, and that these are a private purchase. So while an army cadet parent is shopping for boots, an air cadet parent is shopping for black service pattern parade shoes.
They need to take a proper shine, because they will be inspected, and they need to fit well for the same reason boots do: a cadet stands still in them for a long time. We stock them in men’s and women’s fittings, and the same advice applies as for boots. Get them fitted, buy to fit now rather than to grow into, and polish them from new.
When camouflage does come in
Air cadets do wear MTP for fieldcraft, exercises and some outdoor training, but usually later and only when the squadron says so. Two things worth knowing before you buy any:
- Ask the squadron first. Whether field kit is needed at all, and when, is a squadron decision. Some encourage buying it early for convenience; that is not the same as it being required.
- Boot colour follows the pattern. Brown boots go with MTP. Black boots are generally for the older DPM and CS95 patterns, or acceptable if already owned. Check before spending, because this is exactly the sort of detail that varies.
If field kit is confirmed, everything in the sections above applies just as it does to an army cadet: the same webbing, the same bergen, the same boots.
CCF: it depends which section
In a Combined Cadet Force, the Army section looks much like the ACF, camouflage and boots from the start. The RAF section looks much like the ATC, blues and parade shoes. Find out which section before buying anything, because the two shopping lists barely overlap.
Webbing, bergens and how kit gets carried
Once fieldcraft starts, a cadet needs somewhere to put things. There are two layers to this and they do different jobs.
Webbing, or belt kit, carries what is needed to hand: water, a mess tin, waterproofs, snacks. It sits on the hips and stays on. Our Cadet MOD Assault Webbing is the pattern most detachments expect to see, and it is built to the same specification as the issued sets rather than being a lookalike.
A bergen carries everything for an overnight or a weekend: sleeping bag, spare clothing, wash kit, rations. A full size PLCE bergen is the traditional answer and holds far more than a cadet will need at first, which is rather the point, because it lasts through years of growing.
You do not need both on day one. Ask what the first exercise requires. Most cadets need webbing well before they need a bergen.
The small things that get noticed
None of these cost much, and every one of them is the sort of thing that gets picked up on inspection.
- Boot care kit and parade gloss. A cadet who can produce a shine will be told so. One who cannot will also be told so.
- Spare socks, several pairs. Wet feet ruin a day faster than almost anything. Cadet socks are cut for boots and are worth having over ordinary ones.
- A sewing kit. Buttons come off, badges need attaching, hems drop. Being the cadet who can fix their own kit is a small but real thing.
- Camo cream. Needed the moment fieldcraft starts, and always forgotten.
- A compass. Navigation comes up early, and having their own means they can practise at home.
- A microfibre towel. Packs down to nothing and dries far quicker than a bath towel, which matters when everything lives in a bergen.
None of this is expensive. All of it is the difference between a cadet who looks organised and one who is always borrowing.
Sizing, and the growing-room problem
Cadets grow, often alarmingly fast, and it is tempting to buy everything a size up to get two years out of it. That works for some things and is a bad idea for others.
| Item | Size up? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Boots | No | A loose boot causes blisters and rolled ankles. Buy to fit now, replace when outgrown. |
| Shirts and smocks | Yes, one size | Worn over layers anyway, so a little room is useful rather than sloppy |
| Webbing | Not applicable | Fully adjustable, it will outlast several growth spurts |
| Bergen | Not applicable | Adjustable back length on full size packs |
| Socks | No | Loose socks bunch and cause the blisters you were trying to avoid |
This is the honest argument for getting boots fitted in person rather than ordering a guess. Foot length is only half of it: width, instep and how the heel sits all decide whether a boot rubs, and none of that comes through on a screen.
What not to buy
Money is better kept in your pocket than spent on these.
- Headdress and cap badges. The unit issues these with the correct badge. Buying your own is a good way to end up with the wrong one.
- Rank slides and unit patches before they are earned or told to you. They come from the detachment.
- A full uniform set, before checking what will be issued. This is the single most common way parents waste money in September.
- The most expensive boot in the shop. A cadet does not need a two hundred pound mountain boot. They need a well fitted leather patrol boot that takes a shine.
- Anything “tactical” that was not asked for. Cadets get told what they need. The list is the list.
Getting fitted in Kent
We are on Medway City Estate in Rochester, and September is our busiest month for exactly this. Bring the cadet, bring the kit list, and bring the socks they will actually wear in the boots.
We will measure feet properly, put them in the right boot, and tell you honestly which items on the list can wait until the unit has issued what it is going to issue. We would rather sell you three things you need than seven you do not, because the parent who trusts us in September comes back at Christmas.
If you cannot get to us, everything here is available to order. But if boots are on the list and you can make the trip, make the trip.
Our cadet picks at a glance
| Category | Our pick | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Best all-round cadet boot | Patrol Boot (Black) All Leather | £44.95 | Choose options |
 | Best parade shoe for air cadets | Mens Parade Shoe | £39.95 | Choose options |
| Best parade shoe (female fit) | Female Parade Shoe | £39.95 | Choose options | |
 | Best webbing | Cadet MOD Assault Webbing (back soon) | £49.95 | Notify me when back in stock |
 | Best spare MTP shirt | PCS Shirt (MTP) Grade 1 | £19.95 | Choose options |
 | Best bergen for camp | Full Size PLCE 120 Litre Bergen BTP | £134.95 | Add to basketView details |
 | Best boot care kit | Deluxe Boot Cleaning Kit (Black) | £14.95 | Add to basketView details |
 | Best socks | Cadet Socks Size 4-7 | £7.99 | Choose options |
Frequently asked questions
What kit do cadets get issued?
Generally the working uniform and headdress, on loan from the unit, returned when the cadet leaves. Boots, webbing, bergens, spare shirts and all consumables are usually down to the parent. It does vary by detachment, so ask yours before buying anything.
Do I need to buy a beret?
No. The unit issues headdress with the correct cap badge. We do not sell them for that reason.
What boots do army cadets wear?
All leather patrol boots, brown for most cadet forces now, though some units still run black. Check with the detachment first. What matters more than the colour is that the boot is leather, supports the ankle, and fits properly.
Should I buy boots a size too big so they last?
No. A loose boot is how cadets get blisters and rolled ankles. Buy boots that fit now and replace them when they are outgrown. Size up on shirts if you like, but never on boots or socks.
What uniform do air cadets wear?
Blue service dress, issued on loan by the squadron. Best Blues for parade, Working Blues for routine nights. Camouflage is worn for fieldcraft only, and usually later. The item parents normally have to buy is black parade shoes, which are not issued.
Do air cadets need boots or shoes?
Black parade shoes for blues, which is the day-to-day requirement. Boots only if the squadron confirms field training, and then brown boots with MTP. Do not buy boots for a new air cadet until the squadron says so.
How much does it cost to kit out a new cadet?
It depends entirely on what the unit issues. Boots are the main expense, and beyond those most parents spend modestly on socks, boot care and a sewing kit to start with, adding webbing and a bergen when the first exercises come up. There is no need to buy it all at once.
Can you fit cadets in store?
Yes, and we would encourage it for boots especially. We are in Rochester, Kent, and September is our busiest month for cadet fittings. Bring the kit list and the socks they will wear.
Do you stock Air Cadet and CCF kit as well as ACF?
The practical kit is largely common across the cadet forces: boots, webbing, bergens, socks and field kit are the same regardless of which organisation. Uniform itself comes from the unit.
Browse the full cadet range, or the wider forces and emergency services store. If you are after genuine surplus rather than new, see army surplus in Kent.
Kitting out cadets from Rochester since 2006. Find us, opening times and directions.
