The best piece of kit that the army doesn't give you is your brain.
Here are the steps to a successful career in the army without too much poo being flung your direction:
1) Keep your mouth shut - speak only if you need to and when told to speak. There's a time and place to tell jokes and goof off, learn where and when that is.
2) Be a sponge - absorb everything you're being taught, believe it or not you will use it all. Not only that, but absorb everything your instructors say, many of them will have a lot of experience and sometimes one of their smoke pit words of wisdom will help you big time down the road.
and last but easily the most important:
3) Ask for help - I have never been had anyone in the CAF ever give me shit for saying "Excuse me Corporal/Sergeant/etc. I don't quite understand this, I need some help." I have been given shit when I don't ask and something either wasn't done, or wasn't done correctly. We rather than people ask for help and learn than to not understand, get jacked up for being incomplete, not learning, and then later on getting someone or themselves hurt or killed when it could have been avoided.