Cleathorn
AH veteran
I am headed to Uganda next week, and I have uncharacteristically started packing early. It gave me the idea to share some advice I received about 10 years ago from a real safari veteran – ask what they need, not what you need. Particularly if you are coming from the U.S.
My normal gear now includes couple of new machete, a couple of Shrader-style skinning knives, some hand held sharpeners, some extra headlamp flashlights, AA and AAA batteries, a couple of extra tee shirts in small and medium sizes in green or gray, a couple of baseball hats, big bottles of Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen, a new Z-pack, and other over-the-counter comfort health and safety products. And I never forget a 5-10lb bag of the individually packaged candies in case you see some school kids along the road (amazing how many kids are in Africa).
I also reach out to the PH (if the outfitter and the PH are different – I make sure I get the WhatsApp # for the actual PH) and see what he or she needs (if anything). Trail cameras, an SD card, a card reader, some binoculars, a sling swivel, we can easily get all these things in the United States. There are 4 Cabela’s/Bass Pro shops, and 2 Sportsmen Warehouses within 1.5 hours of my house in Denver. There are none in Zimbabwe. I don’t know how many gun shops/gunsmiths there are around here, but it’s a lot. A trigger spring, a cross bolt, a firing pin, you name the part, and if I can’t buy it within an hour, Amazon or Ebay will have it to me within a day or 2. A Bog Pod Deathgrip can be an emotional experience for someone who spends a lot of time setting up over bait.
Once you are outside of RSA or Namibia, I have always found that they have everything that you need, but simple items that just make things easier can be in short supply. And it only takes a minute to ask. That's my "for what its worth" free advice - now I headed out to pick up a couple of trail cameras.
My normal gear now includes couple of new machete, a couple of Shrader-style skinning knives, some hand held sharpeners, some extra headlamp flashlights, AA and AAA batteries, a couple of extra tee shirts in small and medium sizes in green or gray, a couple of baseball hats, big bottles of Ibuprofen, and Acetaminophen, a new Z-pack, and other over-the-counter comfort health and safety products. And I never forget a 5-10lb bag of the individually packaged candies in case you see some school kids along the road (amazing how many kids are in Africa).
I also reach out to the PH (if the outfitter and the PH are different – I make sure I get the WhatsApp # for the actual PH) and see what he or she needs (if anything). Trail cameras, an SD card, a card reader, some binoculars, a sling swivel, we can easily get all these things in the United States. There are 4 Cabela’s/Bass Pro shops, and 2 Sportsmen Warehouses within 1.5 hours of my house in Denver. There are none in Zimbabwe. I don’t know how many gun shops/gunsmiths there are around here, but it’s a lot. A trigger spring, a cross bolt, a firing pin, you name the part, and if I can’t buy it within an hour, Amazon or Ebay will have it to me within a day or 2. A Bog Pod Deathgrip can be an emotional experience for someone who spends a lot of time setting up over bait.
Once you are outside of RSA or Namibia, I have always found that they have everything that you need, but simple items that just make things easier can be in short supply. And it only takes a minute to ask. That's my "for what its worth" free advice - now I headed out to pick up a couple of trail cameras.
