All Grain Brewing wish list

I am just about ready to get off my 2nd overseas deployment, and want to start brewing again, but this time I want to do AG batches.
What equipment would make a good start? I pretty much dont have any equip. right now except lots of flip top bottles.

I see that most large brew pots can be used for mashing vessel, but would it be easier to get the rubbermaid kit for mashing. Or are there other ways out there.

I do not have the money for a nice stainless conical, so for fermentation, I am pretty much stuck with carboys.

Also, do to room restraints, I want to buy equip for 10 gallon batches, but start brewing 5 gal. at a time. That way I will not have to buy more equip later.

Thanks for all the help,
Josh

where are you stationed at and what branch of the service are you in?

i put my AG equipment toghter for cheap, mash tun is a 15$ cooler from walmart with a SS braid and ball valve, my boil kettle is a turkey cooker kit from Lowes. and the fermentation equipment is carboys and buckets.

i would defently spend the money on a Keggle though if you are going to eventually do 10 gallon batches! they have the big round coolers at Home depot for cheap 30+ dollars iirc.

I was stationed in Balad Iraq in 2004-2005. This time I am in Kuwait.
The cheaper way sounds good, if I use a 10 gallon rubbermaid, or similar set-up with a false bottom, do you still need a false bottom with the keggle?

I am also trying to hook up with someone from the Spring Hill area in FL, so I can see how an AG is done from start to finish on the brew day.

Thanks for the help,
Josh

where you there on IA? im in the navy stationed up in Jax right now. Im not sure where spring hill is though. we have a local brew club here in jacksonville and although i have never been to a meeting they have meet up sometimes and everyone that attends brews beer. i brew alot out of my garage though lol

you wouldnt need a false bottom with a keggle, unless you want it to filter out hops or somehting? normally the keggle is used to boil the wort.

I am kind of in the same boat as you. I am doing a lot of reading to determine what kind of setup I want to go with for AG. I did pick up two 10-gallon round Igloo beverage coolers at Home Depot on sale, normal price was $39.99. Everything that I have read points to the coolers being the best/cheapest way to get into AG. They serve a good purpose now for my extract brews. I set my carboys down in them and fill the cooler with water to help stabilize my fermentation temps.

On a side note, a big thank you to both of you guys for serving our country. You guys probably don't hear it enough, but there are still people that have a great deal of respect for the job that you do.

Bleffered
I forgot to answer your second question. I am in the Army. I was active duty for 11 years, and now I am in the FL National Guard on full time Active Guard Reserve (AGR).
I am a C-23 Flight Engineer. so I pretty much just shuttle people around.
Spring Hill is just North of Tampa.

TWilson,
Thanks for the info, sounds like a good deal on those coolers, I will be on the lookout when I get back. If I dont make my own, then I will just get the set from somewhere. The main thing that I am interested in is the keggle.
Wether or not it is woth it to get one with the spigot, the thermometer, and a false bottom.
Maybe a list of what I had in mind would be better for people to sharp shoot and help me out with.

15 gallon brew keggle W/therm/spigot/ and false bottom
mash vessels 10 Ga rubbermaid, with sparge arm, spigots, tubing, and false bottom (the rubbermaid Kit)
2 6.5 gallon glass carboys
2 5.0 gallon glass carboys
4 double bubble air locks ( is there a difference between the two?)
2 carboy haulers
4 carboy plugs / bungs/ corks which work best here, I have been reading that most like the caps, but do they seal good enough. What are the advantages / disadvantages.

of course the misc clear tubing, sipons, bottle fillers, ets.
I already have a lot of flip top bottles that I had saved from Germany.

Things that I would like to do before I brew, watch someone brew an all grain, get some more info on AG brewing, and make sure that I have it in my head, a pretty good idea of what to do, that way I will limit my mistakes.

And TWilson,
Thanks for the kind words, the ARMY has been real good to me and the my family, so I have no complaints. Besides, I was too dumb to do anything else.

Thanks again,
Josh