Hard to Get Gear in Africa

[dmyers]

What stuff/equipment is hard to get in Africa that the staff and PH's like? I have found duct tape is always a hit and I take a few rolls to leave with them (but never part of a tip). I also found warm hats and work gloves are appreaciated. Anything big or small you found the the camp staff or PH's like? Clothing, knives, zipties, etc. I'm sure it depends on the country and again- never as a tip. Anyone find interesting needs in the safari camps they have been in?

 

[slam8031]

I took wool socks last time in the Limpopo. I think I could have used them as money!!!

 

[IdaRam]

Good quality batteries are expensive in Africa. Amazon has great prices on bulk Duracell and Energizer batteries. At 8 batteries per trail cam it can get expensive keeping them filled up with good batteries. Last year I took a 50 pack of Duracell AA’s packed in one of the MTM case guards like you would use for pistol ammo. Along with them I took a Bushnell trail cam (no-glow LED), a Pelican SD Card storage case filled with SD cards and a couple head lamps, the kind that clip to the brim of your hat. One for the PH and one for the tracker/skinner.
Your comment regarding gifts not being part of the tip is good advice. I’m pretty sure most PH’s and staff would prefer cash, and understandably so. They can buy what they really need. But a care package with useful items is a great way to personalize your appreciation.
I’m sure PH’s hate it when clients leave their damn ammo behind too...

 

[sierraone]

Good quality batteries are expensive in Africa. Amazon has great prices on bulk Duracell and Energizer batteries. At 8 batteries per trail cam it can get expensive keeping them filled up with good batteries. Last year I took a 50 pack of Duracell AA’s packed in one of the MTM case guards like you would use for pistol ammo. Along with them I took a Bushnell trail cam (no-glow LED), a Pelican SD Card storage case filled with SD cards and a couple head lamps, the kind that clip to the brim of your hat. One for the PH and one for the tracker/skinner.
Your comment regarding gifts not being part of the tip is good advice. I’m pretty sure most PH’s and staff would prefer cash, and understandably so. They can buy what they really need. But a care package with useful items is a great way to personalize your appreciation.
I’m sure PH’s hate it when clients leave their damn ammo behind too...

Ditto on the batteries!

 

[HWL]

...they like $ and €....more than any thing else

HWL

 

[steve ahrenberg]

Great topic. I've had several PH's stay at my home when here for the shows. (I didn't charge them any daily rate, but should) I was always amused at the things guys from Africa put high value on. A trip to Bass Pro, these guys walk down the fishing isle and stuff things under their arms like a Baboon in a vegetable garden. They fill large plastic truck bed tool boxes and send them home as luggage.

I walked into a Sports Authority with one guy once. They had their fishing tackle marked 50% off the already marked down prices. He bought 4-5 combos pretty cheap. Good Shimano spinning reels with Shimano rods for less than 20 bucks. At dinner that night, he asked if we could go back. We did the next day and he bought everything they had, rods, reels, sinkers, line and lures. We went to Home Depot and made a rod locker out of 4" black ABS and he stuffed it completely full of rods.

One guy told me that going into Home Depot was mind blowing. He commented that going into a hardware store in Lusaka or Dar es Salaam you might find one single drill motor. Home Depot has; 15 different brands, every brand has 20 different models of drill. The store has 30 of every drill in stock. Drill bits, sawzall blades, circulars saw blades hand tools.

We take our luxuries and choices as American for granted I guess.

 

[dmyers]

I took wool socks last time in the Limpopo. I think I could have used them as money!!!

I would not have guessed that wool socks would be so valuable!

 

[Ridgewalker]

AA batteries and wool socks, I wouldn’t have thought of those.

 

[CAustin]

Batteries for sure!

 

[dobber]

I had a spypoint solar game cam that i left this last trip, knowing batteries are a pain regardless of where you are, the solar works great with no batteries. I should have picked up extra SD cards to go with it though.
The price for the game cam was i need to get pics sent to me, so not a completely free gift lol

 

[whitetail]

I left a car phone charger that had 5 ports so that multiple devices could be charging at once. There was only solar-generated electricity where our camp was in SW Zimbabwe by Matopos national park so the huge car charger was a very welcomed gift! Also left socks and boxers- I couldn't believe how far and long (and without complaint) some of the trackers would walk without even wearing socks under their very worn shoes...

 

[jeff]

Its always good to ask your outfitter/ PH if there is anything they would like you to bring over from the states. Some of the things I've been asked to bring were a head gasket set for mid sixties GM truck, a starter for a Briggs & Stratton motor, rifle scope, bullets, and a certain brand of powdered energy protein shake mix. I wouldn't of known that these were needed or wanted if I hadn't asked. These items were taken to SA and Namibia.

 

[spike.t]

One guy told me that going into Home Depot was mind blowing. He commented that going into a hardware store in Lusaka or Dar es Salaam you might find one single drill motor. Home Depot has; 15 different brands, every brand has 20 different models of drill. The store has 30 of every drill in stock. Drill bits, sawzall blades, circulars saw blades hand tools.

We take our luxuries and choices as American for granted I guess.

Lusaka isn't quite that bad these days ...and yeah basspro are great toy stores

 

[dmyers]

Has anyone left shoes for the trackers ?

 

[CAustin]

You know the other hard thinks to get in Africa is a good bourbon. They have Jack and Jim Beam but if you want someth8ng else well that’s very hard to find.

 

[lwaters]

Dann no Old Charter!!

 

[Hogpatrol]

Don't know about other countries so this is for RSA. None of these were considered any kind of tip, $$$ covered that part of the hunt. Previous requests by a couple of my PHs were Lifesavers in wintergreen and spearmint and hard candy gingerballs. I took a couple bags of the mints a few years ago and by the end of the ten day hunt, my PH had eaten all of them! They also like Kinde snack bars, the ones with nuts. Man, they ate them up!

Fishing tackle? YOWZA! After fishing Cahorra Bassa, I left a tackle box, hooks, split rings and an assortment of lures. It was like I left a box of gold coins. Next to hunting, it seems like fishing isn't far behind a PHs list of interests. One other suggestion is reloading equipment. This year I took a set of 6.5x58 Portugese mauser reloading dies for my PH. Six month wait here in the states and next to impossible to acquire anywhere in Africa.

Other items I took and left that were not tips, Primos shooting tripod, Foxpro electronic caller with twitcher tail for jackals, ball cap clip on lights, camo T-shirts, Leatherman, crow decoys and books about hunting in Africa (like the ones listed in another thread). The First Lady of the House requested Hershey's chocolate baking powder. That was easy to fulfill, just a trip to Wallyworld.
As other have posted, we don't know how good we have it until we get out of the consumer nirvana in the U.S.

 

[slam8031]

Another option is to have the ph order amazon and ship to you before the trip...and perhaps the craziest thing —I brought a ph’s camera to the states for repair—Canon—and returned during the show season!!

 

[dobber]

Last year i brought back from SA some dog collars that weren't working anymore, sent them off to Garmin and got new ones back and then, sent them to someone else who was going back to SA for a hunt

 

[Hogpatrol]

Forgot to mention an item that went over very well with one of my PHs, a collapsible cleaning rod. This is it, got it off of ebay.
If not stuck real bad, it's also good for that purpose.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atsko-Rapid-Rod-Gun-Cleaning-Rod-/372037893005?hash=item569f2fbb8d