Having the right gear in Africa is something both important and difficult to accomplish with your first trip. I have outlined the best equipment to bring and some reasons why.

I have also included some discussion to help educate you so you can make the right decisions.

On one’s first trip to Africa, most arrive with more than they need and end up with a short list of things they wish they had.

CLOTHING
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There is a laundry service every day in most hunting lodges so a maximum of three sets of hunting clothes will be all you need.

DON’T BRING PALE KHAKI, RATHER OLIVE GREENS.

Temperature plays a huge roll in what you should bring. The majority of hunts in southern Africa take place in the depths of the winter so expect early morning and evening temperatures as low as 35 degrees, however getting up to the 70s by 10 am.

East Africa, (Tanzania) is far milder in the mornings but still nippy.

As the season wears on towards late September it is downright hot in the middle of the day, early mornings in the low 50s and mid-day up to 100.

SHIRTS
Lightweight, pure cotton shirts are the best. Personally, I prefer short sleeves, but that’s my preference. There is a great selection of hunting shirts at www.long-grass.com. I have been wearing their shirts for a couple of seasons. I get about 180 hunting days out of a shirt, which is excellent! Remember, NO KHAKI.

PANTS
I like the zip-off variety, giving you the flexibility needed considering the variable temperature changes. I am not a long pants person, but when I do wear long pants, I like heavy cotton, that way they do not tear on thorns etc. Again, olive and dark greens are the way to go. www.long-grass.com also has good variety of these types of pants.

T-SHIRTS
It’s always nice at the end of a hunting day to have some comfortable clothes for around the camp. Pack a couple of tee shirts. They work great on brisk mornings to wear as an undershirt until it gets warmer.

SWEATPANTS
Bring a pair for the evenings.

HATS
I like wide brimmed hats. They are especially great for long walks. I use a Tilley that I got from www.long-grass.com. It is easy to fold, has great breathability, and keeps the sun off of your face and neck. In addition, I highly recommend bringing a baseball hat. They are great because they won’t blow off when you are in the back of the truck and you can also hear better in thick bush than with a wide brim. Color is also important here, dull colors and NO khaki or pale colors.

FOOTWEAR
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Hunting most big game involves traveling many miles on foot. I have had more safaris ruined by those tiny little bags of water that form, BLISTERS!

For Africa, DON’T bring heavy mountain hiking boots. Soft, lightweight shoes are important.

SHOES/BOOTS
The most comfortable footwear I have worn is from Russell moccasin. Based in Wisconsin, they design a very good custom shoe. If you like ultra lightweight, go for their Thula Thula model. For something a little more substantial, their PH II is an excellent choice. This is an expensive shoe, but bear in mind, staying comfortable on your feet is an absolute must while on safari. Ordinary walking shoes are also acceptable. Avoid shoes with air soles, as they are very noisy. Also avoid hard rubber grips as they crunch loudly too. The traditional Courtney boot manufactured in Zimbabwe is a great shoe. It is both durable and quiet. For the evenings, bring a pair of Crocs or Tevas. After walking miles, your feet will welcome the air!!

SOCKS
Socks are very important. Go to your local hiking store and get some good hikers socks. Choose socks that will wick the sweat away from your feet. You will need at least 6 pair. I encourage people to carry an extra set wherever we go. Good socks will make a huge improvement to even the best fitting shoes. GAITERS Gaiters are ankle protectors that fit around the top of your shoes. They are vital for keeping sand out of your shoes, and burrs and grass seeds out of your socks. The best gaiters on the market today are from www.texashuntco.com. They are an important piece of gear that is often overlooked. The cardinal rule is don’t buy new shoes and come without putting at least ten miles on them. All shoes, even the best will take some time to wear in and shape to your feet. Get your shoes early and wear them around the office or the shops and get your feet used to them.

GUNS AND AMMO
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Please understand that this is by no means a comprehensive discussion forum. It is a brief guideline to what I have seen TRULY WORK over the last 20 years of hunting. Often, we over think our guns and ammunition. There are a mind-boggling number of choices out there!! As far as stocking your rifle, given the choice, synthetic stocks are far harder wearing, and while they are not as “pretty” they handle the wear and tear of bouncing around on the gun rack and thrashing through the bush better.

ELEPHANT
The minimum legal caliber in most countries is .375 H&H. While this is completely adequate, I prefer to see someone use a .416 or greater. If elephant were high on your list, it would be an important consideration to think of a double rifle. It is extremely safe at close quarters and gives you a fast, reliable second shot should you need it or a whole second barrel and action in the rare case of a failure on your first one. I personally carry a Heym .450 and have done so for the last ten years with excellent results. Heym has a PH model that is without “frills” and for what you are buying; they are the best value on the market today. Don’t get a double of less than .450, and if you will be hunting with a bolt action, I believe the .416 to the best. On all elephant hunting rifles, I recommend express sights only. If you also intend on shooting plains game or buffalo, have a quick release scope mount. As far as bullets, elephant is the only animal where there is no discussion and you should have just solids. There are many great solids on the market. I have used Wooleghs and Hornadys with great success. Expect to shoot no further than 30 yards for your first shot. It will often be less than ten!!

BUFFALO
Most countries have a legal minimum of .375. I would recommend a scope with a quick release mount and variable power that can range from 2 to 6 power. Most shots will be no more than 100 yards, and the precision is often more to enable you to “poke” through a gap in the brush rather than long distance. There has been a lot of debate between using solid or soft. I am a strong proponent of “high performance softs”. I have had EXCELLENT results with Barnes Triple Shoks. The new Hornady DGX has proved to be an excellent round, and Nosler partitions and bear claws excellent as well. Avoid a fully frontal shot with all softs except the triple shok. It’s a small target and well protected by heavy bone that can deflect a bullet quite easily. Zero your rifle dead on at 100 yards, in the case of a double, dead on at 50.

CATS
People over think the whole idea of hunting cats. Just bring your favorite deer rifle. It’s that simple. Also, bring your favorite deer load and bullet. Avoid fast expanding softs and insist on a broadside shot, especially with lions. That heavy shoulder on a quartering in shot can really affect the bullet performance. Cats are actually soft skinned and in 99% of the cases you have ample time and perfect setup to make a good broadside shot. This article is horribly simple, I bet a lot of people clicked on this link looking for complicated insight and combinations of bullets and loads, it’s much simpler than that. Have a good scope and remember that on a cat hunt you are VERY likely to be shooting in low light. Trijicon has the best illuminating technology on the market right now and a broad range of good scopes. Variable power will give you all the flexibility you need. Zero your rifle dead on at 100 yards.

HIPPO AND CROC
Both of these species require great accuracy. The croc’s brain is about the size of a golf ball, and the hippo about the size of a baseball. If you miss the shot both will be very hard, if not impossible to recover. My personal advice is to bring the heaviest caliber you can shoot well with at 100 yards. I have seen many crocs taken with .300 calibers and I like to see a .375 or larger for hippos. Having a good scope is crucial. As far as bullets, a good tough soft or solid. It really comes down to what you can shoot most accurately with. Either of them in the brain will bring the animal to a stop!

PLAINSGAME
This is a candidate for your favorite deer rifle. Expect to shoot from 100 to 200 yards and bring tough soft nose bullets. As far as your scope, variable power will give you the benefit of being fast in thick brush and accurate in the open. If you are hunting South Africa, expect to shoot up to 300 yards. Being prepared to consistently make those shots confidently will pay dividends. My favorite calibers for plains game are the .338 and 300 WSM. Look at your list and see how many “larger” plains animals you will be taking before deciding.

ACCESSORIES
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The following is a list of important and necessary accessories.

BINOCULARS
Don’t go for the pocket type, you will be frustrated. A good sturdy pair of 7 or 8 power binoculars with no less than 40mm objective will serve you well in all light conditions. At the top of the pyramid are www.leica.com, Swarovski and Zeiss. All have excellent optics and are extremely durable. At the next level are Leupold. They have excellent optics and offer a great value.

BACKPACK
A backpack is a must for taking out each day on the truck, and in the bush on hikes. Even if a tracker carries it for you they make for a convenient place to store your smaller gear. The toughest and best on the market is from www.texashuntco.com.

WATER
The backpack mentioned above has the ability to contain a Camelbak bladder. Having a couple of pints of your own water will help enormously on long walks. You can get these bladders online or at any hiking or outdoor store.

SOFTCASE FOR RIFLE
A rifle soft case is vitally important for holding your rifle on the gun rack while traveling in the vehicle. The gun racks are often rough and will damage an unprotected rifle. There are many on the market; the best and toughest is from www.texashuntco.com.

SUNBLOCK
Sun block is a must. Choose one that’s 60+ that way you can apply it once in the morning and you are good to go for most of the day.

TSETSE FLIES
Tsetse flies are a common pest in most of “huntable” Africa. The only thing that’s of some deterrent is Avon Skin-So-Soft. Even that has limited effect but will help somewhat.

FIRST AID
Bring a small first aid kit. There is a travel kit available from www.long-grass.com that is good. It contains the vitals. Of course, you should bring any medication you may need and your PH will have a first aid kit, but it’s always good to have some of your own.

MOLESKIN
You will want to bring some Moleskin, and hope you don’t need it!

DUCT TAPE
Duct tape holds the world together; bring a small roll!

REHYDRATION
The best rehydration salts on the market today are from www.wildernessathlete.com. Get a few packets of their Hydromax and a few of their energy bars. They great to have in your daypack when you need to stay energized for a few extra miles!

GUN CLEANING KIT
A bore snake, collapsible cleaning rod, and gun wipes are essential for periodically cleaning the sweat and dust out of your rifle.

SAT PHONE
I highly recommend hiring a sat phone for your trip. www.explorersatellite.com has excellent service and rates.

POCKET CAMERA
There are such a variety of pocket cameras on the market today. Choose a small one with no less than 5 megapixels that you can carry everywhere. Don’t forget to bring the charger for it.