What are your best tried and true life hacks for the field?

1. Baby Wipes
2. Bivy sack w/ poncho liner
3. Poncho
4. Bungee cords
5. Heat Tablets
4. Canteen Cup
5. Socks

Personally? I pack light and accept that I'm going to be dirty, smelly, cold or hot (within reason). No amount of comfort or preparation has ever been more relieving in the end than a light load.

550 cord for everyone! Also for those times when paperwork might be needed in the field (2062's, counseling statements etc.) I put 100MPH tape around a pringles can to waterproof it and store papers and pens in it.

I always pack the old school field jacket liner made of woobie material. Even in places where you can not wear it (which is most places nowadays), it serves as a great pillow if you fold it up to fit the area. It's lightweight and fits right into a side pocket or top flap. If I'm out in the open sleeping, I just wrap it around my head to keep the bugs off my face.

I no longer pack a sleeping bag. I had two woopie blankets sewn together with an opening at one end. That has served me great on multiple field problems and deployments. I've even upgraded that recently and added a thin blanket to the inside for either padding or for warmth depending which side you lay the woopie sleeping bag down. It all fits nicely into a NBC bag and there is still room for a pillow as well.

A pair of tennis shoes inside of NBC overboots. (Thefted this idea from an old green ranger tips book). Not good for rucking but great if you are stationary in a wet/cold place or need some quick footwear for a midnight latrene break. ...don't tell the 1SG

Never take the last watch. In Vietnam, we would pass around someone's wrist-watch to the soldier who had the next watch. Being young and tired it was tempting to move the long hand forward a few minutes. Heck, whats 10 minutes anyway. Needless to say, the last watch seemed to take forever.

Take a small can, any can. Ideally, a small empty cracker can is best. Use a beer-can opening 'church key' - with its pointed end. Place that point on the outside of the lid, pushing a triangle-shaped piece "in and up" while working your way around the lip. Result = a line of points standing up completely around the lip of the can (360 degrees)...as few as four points (N,E,S,W) or as many as needed. The space now open underneath each point allows airflow. Fill 50% of the can with dirt. Pour a small amount of flammable liquid (gas, JP8, alcohol, whatever) until the dirt is just saturated - do not overfill. Set it alight = instant field stove. Set your item on top and heat to suit. It's what we did in Vietnam to cook any and all type of field rations whenever access to any other heat source was unavailable. When done, dump the dirt, collect the can for later use or disposal.

To make life a bit more comfortable, I pack the Jetboil, small compact, and admit it, who doesn't like hot coffee in the field. It is also great for ramen, oatmeal, instant soups, etc. Nothing beats hot water for shave in the morning either.

For those moments when a Class 1 download needs to happen and there are no portajohns anywhere and you do not wish to do the kimchee squat, what us Engineers did was take a metal folding chair, had the welder cut a hole in the seat and then wrapped it with 100mph tape.