Insider Tips on What To Bring

Dear all - I'm headed to Namibia for a June hunt. I am squared away, but wondering if there was anything that those of you have hunted many times in Africa would recommend bringing that might not be on recommended gear lists, and such. I'm traveling light, though wondering if the vets have a few items they toss in their kit that are really only knowable to someone who has done this a number of times. Thanks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - bedroom slippers, something warm to put on your feet first thing in the morning (or a late night visit).

I wear a boonie hat and a shemagh. They both work well for me. The boonie keeps most of the sun off while the shemagh is warm around the neck early and late in the day. Keeps dust out of my nose. Keeps bugs and sun off my face. If it’s hot, wet it and it cools you down. Many uses!

Best of luck on your June adventure and don’t forget to practice off sticks!

Ridgewalker said:

I wear a boonie hat and a shemagh. They both work well for me. The boonie keeps most of the sun off while the shemagh is warm around the neck early and late in the day. Keeps dust out of my nose. Keeps bugs and sun off my face. If it’s hot, wet it and it cools you down. Many uses!

Best of luck on your June adventure and don’t forget to practice off sticks!

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Thank you. Been shooting off sticks for the past year . . . hitting dimes at 50 yards, and well within kill zone at 225.

Chapstick with sunblock is often forgotten, thinking it is winter, but the sun can burn quite harsh.

Rehydration packs, small little satches with electrolytes, rejuvenate the mineral balance etc. One per day before going out in the veld. Makes the recovery faster and you don’t dilute the body with all the water you drink.

Have fun and enjoy.

I agree with @Hunting Sailor sunblock chapstick with a high spf is needed because of the wind and sun.

+1 on everything already mentioned.

Thinking about what I ended up missing or loaning to other guys in various camps or even to the PH...

1. Plenty of ammo.
2. The PH's laser rangefinder was broken. Happy I had mine.
3. Hoppe's BoreSnake. A few pulls every evening whether I shoot or not that day.
4. Lenses cleaning kit (Giottos Rocket air blaster / soft lenses brush / plenty of one-use moistened lens cleaning wipe). I clean scope and binocs every night.
5. Headlamp LED flashlight (and 3 sets of spare batteries). Shot the Kudu at 5:30 pm and it was pitch black by the time we finally got down the mountain. The PH looked SOL when his iphone battery died after using it as a flashlight for 30 minutes...
6. USB adapter & cable for 12 V cigarette lighter of the hunting truck. Useful if you use your phone as backup camera, GPS, etc.
7. Ear plugs. Often forgotten. Yeah, you will never hear your own shot when you hunt, but I discovered too late that after 2 weeks and 40 shots of a mid bore magnum I had measurably lost (for ever!) some hearing capacity even though the shots never bothered me in the field...
8. Power plug adapters, type D or M. Ask your outfitter what type is at the hunting camp.
9. Sewing kit. Helps when a strategic button decide it is time to go.
10. Curad Instant Clotting Flex-Fabric Band aids (various sizes). Guess what, I was the only one in the field with some of those when the skinner cut himself (thankfully superficially).
11. Very small day pack (I use a Rothco Quickstrike, like a Camelback without the water bladder). You can - but do not have to - carry it yourself, the trackers will want to carry it for you. Primary use: field shooting rest over boulders. Secondary use: "possible bag" with essentials.

What I did not miss but always carry and few others seem to carry:

1. US Army individual first aid kit (IFAK) including 'Israeli' emergency bandage 4" wide. Never know when the proverbial matter will hit the impeller... No bigger than a fist, somewhere in the bottom of your day pack.
2. A goose down vest & compression sack. Really ideal to be warm but not bulky, and can be compressed to a very small volume in your day pack.
3. Ibuprofen / Excedrin / Zantac / Allegra / Imodium / Neosporin

Enjoy!

Lip balm, neck gaiter/Buff or bandana in a dull color, multitool. Oh, and in this day and age, a power plug adapter and an extra power cord. Trust me on the last one, they're way overpriced in airports if you leave your one an only on the plane or the last overnight before leaving.

Tweezers - I ended up giving one set I took to our PH. There are thorns every where.
Saline Nasal spray - sounds silly, but my sinuses were like the desert over there, and I managed to get a nosebleed one day. I also used the spray on the plane.
EmergenC- I'm a huge fan of emergenC on planes. I drank one each way between jack and cokes, just in case the jack couldn't kill the germs. No one wants to be sick over there.
Socks - take good socks. I'm a huge fan of darn tough Vermont socks, and I never get blisters while wearing them.
UPF Neck Gaiter- keeps the sun off and can keep chilly morning wind from blowing down your shirt.
Advil/Tylenol/Travel Meds/ Pepto - They make travel packs of medicines, but I would double up on anything you might be taking for a weird stomach or aches and pains. My advice would be take one pepto in the morning and one in the afternoon, just to avoid any weird unpleasantries.
Down Vest/Jacket - I'm cold natured and I was never cold while we were there, but with as easy as down is to pack it would be nice for early mornings scouting from the back of the truck.
Individual Packed Wipes & Antibacterial Wipes - I keep the wipes in my hunting pack over here because they are much smaller than TP, but they are great to wipe sweat off, or anything else. The antibacterial wipes are great to wipe your hands off if you've been in a sketchy poop filled blind, covered in dirt, or someone is bleeding from some damn thorn and you are a germaphobe. I also used the antibacterial wipes on the plane to wipe everything down, but I'm not a germaphobe or anything. LOL

Lip balm in a small tube. Mine fits nicely in my nylon leatherman sheath on my belt.

One Day... said:

+1 on everything already mentioned.

1. Ibuprofen / Excedrin / Zantac / Allegra / Imodium / Neosporin

Enjoy!

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Gas-X

Hot hands. I take a load and leave them with the PHs. They love them.

I wish someone had told me to bring a nasal irrigator before my first trip. The dry air gave my nostrils a lot of problems. Also, your pain reliever of choice and ibuprofen.

Plus one on nasal spray and antihistamines. Lip balm and sunscreen. I live in Texas and never wear it here. Took some on everyone’s advice and glad i did. First day i didnt use any and burnt !! Used dit rest of time. Good first aid kit and pain meds. Blister pads for feet also. Benadryl cream came in handy also.

Bring a hat with a brim all around, PH in Namibia was wearing a beat up boonie hat, I had my usual baseball cap.
The sunburn on my ears was epic....

I may have missed it but eye drops and if you wear glasses, one of those eyeglass repair kits.

Prescription antibiotics, just in case you fall ill out in the bush.

One Day... said:

+1 on everything already mentioned.

Thinking about what I ended up missing or loaning to other guys in various camps or even to the PH...

1. Plenty of ammo.
2. The PH's laser rangefinder was broken. Happy I had mine.
3. Hoppe's BoreSnake. A few pulls every evening whether I shoot or not that day.
4. Lenses cleaning kit (Giottos Rocket air blaster / soft lenses brush / plenty of one-use moistened lens cleaning wipe). I clean scope and binocs every night.
5. Headlamp LED flashlight (and 3 sets of spare batteries). Shot the Kudu at 5:30 pm and it was pitch black by the time we finally got down the mountain. The PH looked SOL when his iphone battery died after using it as a flashlight for 30 minutes...
6. USB adapter & cable for 12 V cigarette lighter of the hunting truck. Useful if you use your phone as backup camera, GPS, etc.
7. Ear plugs. Often forgotten. Yeah, you will never hear your own shot when you hunt, but I discovered too late that after 2 weeks and 40 shots of a mid bore magnum I had measurably lost (for ever!) some hearing capacity even though the shots never bothered me in the field...
8. Power plug adapters, type D or M. Ask your outfitter what type is at the hunting camp.
9. Sewing kit. Helps when a strategic button decide it is time to go.
10. Curad Instant Clotting Flex-Fabric Band aids (various sizes). Guess what, I was the only one in the field with some of those when the skinner cut himself (thankfully superficially).
11. Very small day pack (I use a Rothco Quickstrike, like a Camelback without the water bladder). You can - but do not have to - carry it yourself, the trackers will want to carry it for you. Primary use: field shooting rest over boulders. Secondary use: "possible bag" with essentials.

What I did not miss but always carry and few others seem to carry:

1. US Army individual first aid kit (IFAK) including 'Israeli' emergency bandage 4" wide. Never know when the proverbial matter will hit the impeller... No bigger than a fist, somewhere in the bottom of your day pack.
2. A goose down vest & compression sack. Really ideal to be warm but not bulky, and can be compressed to a very small volume in your day pack.
3. Ibuprofen / Excedrin / Zantac / Allegra / Imodium / Neosporin

Enjoy!

Click to expand...

@One Day... has pretty well covered it. I would echo a really high end compact flashlight and a head lamp. Boresnake. Lens cleaning kit. Sewing kit. Blister patches. Top quality socks. Merino wool are my go-to.

Therack said:

Prescription antibiotics, just in case you fall ill out in the bush.

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Absolutely the wisest suggestion in this list. I never ever travel abroad (and have been mucking around some of the best and worst corners of the world for more than forty-years) without a broad-spectrum gorillacillin of some type (Cipro is great if you can talk your doctor into it). A handy antibiotic has saved several expeditions.
I'm a minimalist, so I don't get into camel backs and exotic day backs and the like. I carry a few band aids, but don't carry the whole med-kit thing. I used to carry a big Nikon SLR, but it always stayed in the truck. I have an I-phone and high quality pocket SLR that handle photography beautifully. I never touch the inside of a barrel once I have fired a verification shot till I get home. So my cleaning kit is an oily rag. When I hit the track, the little I take is all either in a pocket or on my belt.

The second wisest suggestions on this list are lip balm and a hat that provides a bit of shade. I admit that I likely am somewhat more motivated than most due to periodic lectures by my dermatologist.

The third wisest is a small flashlight (it fits handily in a pocket) and is a Godsend on an after dark hike back to the truck (amazing how many new friends you will make among trackers and scouts on a dark and thorny night!) or in finding the john (or what might be sharing it) in a wilderness camp.

Polar fleece, along with nuclear energy, is one of the great inventions of the late twentieth century. A fleece sweater weighs nothing and is perfect for morning rides and evening at the boma - it is also whisper quiet on a stalk. I personally hate down. I always feel like the Michelin boy wearing it. It is also hideously loud. If you want to remain friends with your PH never take down into a leopard blind.

Great ideas in here. Not much I can add.
However one thing which we took on our trip that I didn't see mentioned here is a spray can of clothing insect repellent containing permethrin.

This is the stuff that you do NOT put on your skin. We used it on our boots & pants while hunting and we sprayed down our suitcases, boots & clothing prior to return to the USA.