Hunting pack load out for a safari

[DelRock83]

Of course one is gonna have all of the essential gear needed as far as the trip but obviously the gear an American hunter uses might not be necessary or might not be enough for Africa....what does PH's recommend that a hunter puts in his hunting pack if that makes sense

 

[mdwest]

I think the response(s) you'll get will largely be driven by 1) where are you going? (hunting RSA for example is a good bit different than hunting Zimbabwe).. and 2) what are you hunting? (walking down an elephant in Mozambique for example is going to be very different than chasing PG in Namibia)...

For your typical RSA PG hunt, you honestly dont need much.. you'll get a variety of answers, but for the most part its really about your personal preferences and needs.. some of the things I like to carry along, others will think have no value.. and some things others like to have, I personally wouldnt carry or find any use for...

I mostly just take a small 1250 CI pack about 1/2 the size of a typical "day pack" just to keep a couple of bottles of water handy, a place to hold a few snacks, etc.. I have spare ammo on hand in the pack, a decent multi-tool, a small med kit, etc.. and its a place to put my cap and gloves and light jacket when the day gets warmer and I want to take that stuff off, etc..etc..

Truth be told, even with the things I do carry, there has never been a need for any of it (except maybe having additional ammo if its been a great day and I need to fill the rifle back up to continue hunting)... the PH always has a cooler full of water on board, a few snacks, always has an ample med kit, plenty of knives and tools if one was ever needed, etc..

I just like knowing I have a few cornerstone items on hand, and have always been a "better to have and not need... than to need and not have" kinda guy..

 

[Tanks]

I have a small foldable leather travel backpack in which I put a knife to cut elephant tails, first aid kit, iPad, camera, protein bar, LMNT electrolyte packet, toolkit for the firearm and spare batteries for my optics.

 

[DelRock83]

I think the response(s) you'll get will largely be driven by 1) where are you going? (hunting RSA for example is a good bit different than hunting Zimbabwe).. and 2) what are you hunting? (walking down an elephant in Mozambique for example is going to be very different than chasing PG in Namibia)...

For your typical RSA PG hunt, you honestly dont need much.. you'll get a variety of answers, but for the most part its really about your personal preferences and needs.. some of the things I like to carry along, others will think have no value.. and some things others like to have, I personally wouldnt carry or find any use for...

I mostly just take a small 1250 CI pack about 1/2 the size of a typical "day pack" just to keep a couple of bottles of water handy, a place to hold a few snacks, etc.. I have spare ammo on hand in the pack, a decent multi-tool, a small med kit, etc.. and its a place to put my cap and gloves and light jacket when the day gets warmer and I want to take that stuff off, etc..etc..

Truth be told, even with the things I do carry, there has never been a need for any of it (except maybe having additional ammo if its been a great day and I need to fill the rifle back up to continue hunting)... the PH always has a cooler full of water on board, a few snacks, always has an ample med kit, plenty of knives and tools if one was ever needed, etc..

I just like knowing I have a few cornerstone items on hand, and have always been a "better to have and not need... than to need and not have" kinda guy..

Right because in the southeast one would believe a spotting scope or binos would not be needed due to the vegetation but all that changes when the thickets open up into a 2 acre plus cut cotton or peanut field lol ....and I'm on the same page as you with you about the hunt dictates gear

 

[mdwest]

the follow on question that gets asked a lot is.... "what gear do you carry on your person?"....

same answer.. terrain and hunt type dictate.. and personal preferences will drive quite a bit of the decision(s)...

I am pretty minimalist when it comes to stuff I am carrying on my person... usually a small cartridge slide with a spare load (4-5 rounds) of ammo... a set of binos in a harness... a range finder in a pocket.. and a small (3-4" blade) belt knife.. and thats it..

some guys look like they are wearing a batman utility belt they are carrying so much.. others pretty much jump out of the truck with their rifle and thats it... no one is really wrong.. it all "just depends"...

 

[sgt_zim]

Hunted Limpopo in August. The biggest utility I got out of may day pack was to stuff my over-clothes into it once the sun rose - we were in the low- to mid-40s before the sun came up, but except for one cloudy, blustery day, it warmed up into the 70s by 9AM, mid-80s by early afternoon. It may have been in the 50s when we stepped off the bakkie, but it doesn't take long to work up a sweat in even mid-weight overpants and jacket.

When I was hunting with my 6.5 Swede, I carried loaded spare mags in my cargo pants pockets. When I was hunting with my 9.3, I had spare ammo in a culling belt. Cargo pants are great for that, and you can stick a couple bottles of water in the pockets - 330 mL bottles are common there, so they don't take up a lot of room. You really don't need to carry much else.

The 8x42 Leupolds were nice to have, but honestly, I won't bring them next time. If I were hunting in Free State or Karoo, they'd probably be a lot more useful. In Limpopo, they just weren't. I bring more crap with me to a deer blind or tree stand for white tail hunting than I needed to hunt Limpopo.

 

[Tanks]

the follow on question that gets asked a lot is.... "what gear do you carry on your person?"....

same answer.. terrain and hunt type dictate.. and personal preferences will drive quite a bit of the decision(s)...

I am pretty minimalist when it comes to stuff I am carrying on my person... usually a small cartridge slide with a spare load (4-5 rounds) of ammo... a set of binos in a harness... a range finder in a pocket.. and a small (3-4" blade) belt knife.. and thats it..

...

Same here. Binos with built in rangefinder, iPhone( for the camera) cartridge belt with ammo, pocket knife and water bottle in pocket. Bag with stuff stays in the truck. Of course, also my rifle.

 

[K-man]

No one has mentioned toilet paper or its equivalent, but I bet all of you have some along...

 

[mdwest]

No one has mentioned toilet paper or its equivalent, but I bet all of you have some along...

Never touch my left hand….

 

[Kharn]

I find bumbags/fanny packs handy!

 

[Safari Dave]

It all depends on where you are hunting and who you are hunting with.





Give the exact scenario, and you will get some good advice.

 

[Kharn]

On the belt.

 

[Mekaniks]

No one has mentioned toilet paper or its equivalent, but I bet all of you have some along...

Shit kit in in every backpack and coat

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Bathroom-Pack-Sanitizer-Backpacking/dp/B0BNWB7G9P/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3A6B1CJWU4I36&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.I3NP3peS6DLW2aSS5ig_xpoeCCVLbvBjEpyHc9Se1MxDvj2Hb6cW3gCAlq7jNXplyLqaS-f6f8psgbBM5BzSESaOu46Qc-dj_WQp-QFYNJtE7GVxvVqFSSrxUaVU8_H1s3pvmnchEcjRTqkS2jJLnXHpdUjoH5DAowUF1nZRG4bKfDhwWnTuyfdCkub50P03btr-V9s01WZCbrUW0lvCFA.Sk6yhhJr5YCb3BIwCzU11H7jWrRV_qSpd02yKnZn1f4&dib_tag=se&keywords=shit+kit&qid=1727308310&sprefix=shit+kit%2Caps%2C518&sr=8-1

 

[AimSmall]

Flashlight, headlight, spare batteries.

Can be a long walk back to the truck.

 

[bakerb]

My last hunt was in Botswana. I carried binos. My iPhone. A can of chew. An extra contact lens for each eye. And an emergency painkiller (1) and muscle relaxer (1)

I rented firearm so didn’t check luggage. No knife. Although I prefer to carry a knife

I kept baby wipes, sunscreen, and other meds in a bag in the cruiser

 

[K-man]

Never touch my left hand….

You mean something like this??

 

[sureshot375]

I leave the bag on the truck. On my person I carry:

Garmin gps watch
Phone
In reach messenger on beltloop
Individually packed wet wipes.
Pocket knife
Small flashlight(especially if an afternoon stalk)
Maybe a lighter or matches.
Maybe a hydration packet or two
mission appropriate ammo
Maybe binos

Everything else stays in the truck.

 

[sureshot375]

No one has mentioned toilet paper or its equivalent, but I bet all of you have some along...

Therese are a major part of any trip I take.

IIndividually Packed Wipes

 

[Mort Hill]

Therese are a major part of any trip I take.

IIndividually Packed Wipes

What socks are for, right?

 

[mdwest]

Therese are a major part of any trip I take.

IIndividually Packed Wipes

I normally have a pack of baby wipes in my pack.. Ive never seen the individually packed ones before.. thats interesting... would certainly cut down on weight to only have to carry a few in the pack as opposed to an entire package of them...