PN
You know how busy it can be and unpacking kit that is not in use will be very low priority. Then new pattern kit was issued and unpacking would become an irrelevance.
Easily done.
How very true, in another life, on return from Aden (amongst many others) my worldly posessions in the ubiquitous Deep Sea Boxes took ages to arrive at my home (no known posting at time of departure). A very unsympathetic SWO at Thorney Island, unable to understand the situation, could only react with periodic threats. Just as well I hadn't packed anything interesting in them for transit to my home in Belfast in 1967/1968.