Proper hunting clothes for a safari

[Velo Dog]

I wear short pants most hunting days in Africa but sometimes in the mountains I wear long ones, due to cold mornings.

 

[Rob404]

Bought all my gear on used on E-Bay,,Cabelas has the 5-11 series which is great product maybe a little pricey,,I wore long sleeves and with my Lilly white Canary Legs I wore long pants so they wouldn't blind my PH

 

[James.Grage]

Shirts came from TAG & ? - These keep getting ripped up from the bushes so i leave them behind
Pants were Wranglers - Black -been on every trip
1 pr of Shorts from Patagonia - been on every trip
Shoes from Merrill - been on every trip
Hat from the - Hat shop in Albuquerque.
I did take a set of under shirts this year - from sportsman warehouse.

 

[ActionBob]

Keep it simple and toned down, drab colors. But no need to go all out with new camo... One of the farm guides wore bright blue overalls!

I find tee shirts to be the most comfortable and found some at Cabala's I really like. They have a front pocket with little rivets on the corners, got a brown and drab green one. About $20 but really comfortable neckline for me. Also took some button up shirts I had that were not hunting shirts but a decent tan color, and some comfortable long sleeve button up that I normally wear for work... Layering in the early morning and peeling it off as it warms up. I'm also a long pants guy and really like some thin but tough Kuhl brand from Gander Mountain, expensive but comfortable and tough. You only need 2 pair. Jeans will suffice.

The next hunts for us will be hot weather so leaving the Cabala's Miedel mountain boots home and taking non-waterproof breathable hikers... 2 0r 3 pair. My wife rotated through 3 pair and her take was every time she started to get a hot spot she would switch pairs and they would be different enough to rub a different spot. She went up and down a lot of mountains and never had a problem. For the hot weather I am going with no waterproofing, didn't do much good for me when I fell in the river and the water went over the top anyway! LOL also plan to take a ventilated fishing shirt if I can find a dull enough color. And a pair of shorts.

I agree a simple pair of sneakers is fine for some days... But we climbed some pretty rocky mountains where I almost walked through the front of my boots on the way down. Some of these were so covered with sharp rocks, cactus, and thorns I was glad to have a pair of tough leather boots... Pulled out some cactus needles that would have gone right through tennis shoes. But they were too noisy (not as noisy as a group of Eland though) and the PH told me a couple times, "wear your quiet shoes tomorrow". I had the two pair, real boots and mid hikers.

Having said this all, don't over pack.

 

[greyfox]

I went in July to Eastern cape and the traditional tan British Khaki is way too light, it looks almost Neon white in that setting, Brown, grey green natural falt colors work well, as does an "open" camo pattern.
Shorts? too many thorns for me, I did wear them some, because I brought them.
Mornings and evenings are cool so a cotton duck or tight fleese that wont snag every thorn,
Boots - I bought some Clarkes winter boots which worked well and cabelas Kangeroo (similiar to Brownings) that did not work too well.

Ask your PH, ask what he wears, Marius at KMG wears rugby shorts and a fleece or camo jacket in the cold.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I went in July to Eastern cape and the traditional tan British Khaki is way too light, it looks almost Neon white in that setting, Brown, grey green natural falt colors work well, as does an "open" camo pattern.
Shorts? too many thorns for me, I did wear them some, because I brought them.
Mornings and evenings are cool so a cotton duck or tight fleese that wont snag every thorn,
Boots - I bought some Clarkes winter boots which worked well and cabelas Kangeroo (similiar to Brownings) that did not work too well.

Ask your PH, ask what he wears, Marius at KMG wears rugby shorts and a fleece or camo jacket in the cold.

"Doug, the bush is not your friend. Go around it."

 

[greyfox]

Sitting on a cactus to get the photo right.....

 

[Grumulkin]

Notice the careful selection of clothing. Earth tone skids. The tasteful yellow shirt with a blue floral design to fool predators. I think my footwear was camo unless I was barefooted at the time.

 

[blackdog001blackdog001]

I think traditional "work boots" may be heavier than you need. I have a pair of Russell PHs that I alternate with a well-worn pair of Browning Featherweights. Possibly I have been lucky, but both pair have served me well in some pretty rocky country in Namibia, Zim and Mexico. I don't think a real aggressive tread on the sole is necessary and the luxury of having a spare pair of boots is nice.

 

[ActionBob]

Sitting on a cactus to get the photo right.....

That was the most dangerous thing I experienced in Africa... So far.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Notice the careful selection of clothing. Earth tone skids. The tasteful yellow shirt with a blue floral design to fool predators. I think my footwear was camo unless I was barefooted at the time.

Perfect!

 

[greyfox]

I don't recall seeing that pattern in any hunting catalog? the throwback '60's hippie shooting a vietnam era rifle? Love it!! Love the rifle too!!!

 

[spike.t]

Tennis shoes would be better than your mountain hunting boots. We over think the boots. My PH was wearing sandals when I shot my buffalo. Not flip flop type, but still sandals. Light and quiet is what you want.

just remember that their feet are most likely a lot tougher than yours as most will have grown up wearing shoes as little as possible as kids, and the last thing you will need are feet that are buggered when you need them to take you walking....

as Royal said Tag gear is good i have used their shirts for years. get the ones with the 2 front pockets, one zipped and one button up, gives plenty of pocket space. get the olive colour http://www.tagsafari.com/item/ms-188s/s-p867_bush safari shirt mens short sleeves_mens shirts# . they make good clothing that can stand up to plenty wear and the bush laundry as long as a hot coal doesnt fall out of the iron

 

[Royal27]

just remember that their feet are most likely a lot tougher than yours as most will have grown up wearing shoes as little as possible as kids, and the last thing you will need are feet that are buggered when you need them to take you walking....

Great point! And why you should WALK in the shoes that you will wear over there a LOT before you go.

 

[matt85]

the TAG clothing looks very appealing to me but im concerned about what James.Grage said earlier in this thread about them not being durable enough.

but id also be plenty happy if i could find some good quallity olive drab jean pants with T-shirts (with a pocket) of the same color. these would match what i normally wear at work so i would be comfortable.

ill have to do more looking around for boots. heavy work boots are literally all i wear these days. i dont even own a pair of shoes...

-matt

 

[ActionBob]

Matt;
I'm with you on the tee shirt and what you normally wear. I have a couple tee shirts from Cabela's, one a drab green, the other brown. The tag just says Cabela's and Legendary Quality, they have a pocket with a little brass rivet at the top corners and pen slot. Most comfortable tee shirts I've ever had. In fact the brown one is wearing out because I wear it often.... My wife was looking sideways at me for wearing a tee shirt going out to eat (it was a Saturday, not a Sunday) so I told her "hey it's ok, it's a $20 tee shirt!"

I really think you could wear those, blue jeans, and I would go with lighter weight hiking shoes or boots that are just one step up from tennis shoes. I can't see why your work pants would not be fine, unless they are bright colors... And avoid the lighter khaki color, it is too white, especially from a distance. When you said drab olive you were spot on.

 

[Royal27]

Bob is dead on. I did like the TAG though and it seemed to wear well. I really like the shirts in particular. The shorts I could take or leabe, although the zip off pants were nice and meant I had less to pack.

 

[matt85]

think i looked at those cabelas T's once a while back and wasnt impressed. cant hurt to take another look at em though.

i dont wear shorts or shoes though, ive wore long pants and tall boots my entire life and i dont like change. i wouldnt mind wearing a lighter boot as long as they are tall enough to cover well above my ankle. id hate it if my heavy boots gave us away while stalking in on an old buff.

-matt

 

[ActionBob]

I'm with you on the boots, I have to have at least have a medium height. Used to wear cowboy boots and heavy lace ups all the time. But cannot take the heavy boots anymore, so buy the lighter hiking and trekking type now. I did have a pair of elk type boots with for the rocky mountainous terrain, but my PH would say "wear your quiet shoes tomorrow".

 

[spike.t]

the TAG clothing looks very appealing to me but im concerned about what James.Grage said earlier in this thread about them not being durable enough.-matt

well as i said i have used them for years and rate them. no shirt is going to stand up to being walked through thorns etc. you get to know the bushes etc to avoid, maybe thats why ours are lasting longer we use the shirts i mentioned as our company shirts with our logo, and yes they do get messed up from time to time but are being worn all the time..............