I have only taken cotton clothing on safari as I was afraid the staff would scortch/melt synthetics with their irons fueled by hot coals. What has your experience been?

My wife took a fleece pullover that the camp staff ironed for her. That didn't work out too well.

I have an insulated underwear top that is synthetic, and has a nice "safari hole" melted through it .

Jim

I am sticking with mostly cottons in a mix of 65% or 100% fabic shirts and pants...I will do the pymerthin spray...
Ultrathon by 3M bug repellant....

Check out this skeeter beater...found under tse fly repellant..I my try it...

Mike

I had a pair of light, quick drying nylon shorts. No problems.

BTW they became my favorite safari shorts.

JPK

I had one cheap Duofold t-shirt get a small hole burned in, but out of many washes and presses in Africa, that's it. And I still wear it. But then again, I prefer to hunt in shorts and most think this is crazy.

This being said - I think most guys will be happiest and best served w/the traditional 6 ounce per square yard cotton canvas safari clothing. But its not the only option especially for warm-season hunts and/or when one expects a lot of walking. Even Cabelas "Safari Shirts" are a 65% polyester/35% cotton blend.

The reason for the hot iron is because of a tiny larvae that is laid by a fly on damp cloth. The hot iron kills it before it can burrow into your skin and cause you no end of problems.

Line drying will not kill the larvae but offer it a place to breed. Synthetics may be easy care here but they are trouble in Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by Mickey1:
The reason for the hot iron is because of a tiny larvae that is laid by a fly on damp cloth. The hot iron kills it before it can burrow into your skin and cause you no end of problems.

Line drying will not kill the larvae but offer it a place to breed. Synthetics may be easy care here but they are trouble in Africa.

Mickey,

I have to wonder how big a problem this really is. I know it can potentially happen, but can say that when we drove thru Africa, my wife and I did all our washing in a small bucket for a year with no other option than to dry the cloths on a clothsline without ironing. In all regions and climates. Yet we never encountered the dreaded larvae problem. Nor have anyone else I know who has washed their cloths for extended periods of time in Africa, doing the same line drying we did.

Could it be that the larvae "myth" maybe a little exaggerated?

Also, FWIW, I used a couple of synthetic (polyester if I recall correctly) shirts made by Patagonia in Zim last year, and told the cleaning ladies to not iron them when being washed. These shirts kept me much cooler than the cotton shirts I also used, and at the same time were much lighter. The downside was that they were not as resistant to thorns as heavy cotton.

quote:

Originally posted by SBT:
I have only taken cotton clothing on safari as I was afraid the staff would scortch/melt synthetics with their irons fueled by hot coals. What has your experience been?

I wash my synthetics myself in the shower. Or else you have to instruct the camp staff not to iron ANY of your clothes, or they will surely melt. The iron boy melted one of my shirts.

quote:

Originally posted by ErikD:

quote:

Originally posted by Mickey1:
The reason for the hot iron is because of a tiny larvae that is laid by a fly on damp cloth. The hot iron kills it before it can burrow into your skin and cause you no end of problems.

Line drying will not kill the larvae but offer it a place to breed. Synthetics may be easy care here but they are trouble in Africa.

Mickey,

I have to wonder how big a problem this really is. I know it can potentially happen, but can say that when we drove thru Africa, my wife and I did all our washing in a small bucket for a year with no other option than to dry the cloths on a clothsline without ironing. In all regions and climates. Yet we never encountered the dreaded larvae problem. Nor have anyone else I know who has washed their cloths for extended periods of time in Africa, doing the same line drying we did.

Could it be that the larvae "myth" maybe a little exaggerated?

Also, FWIW, I used a couple of synthetic (polyester if I recall correctly) shirts made by Patagonia in Zim last year, and told the cleaning ladies to not iron them when being washed. These shirts kept me much cooler than the cotton shirts I also used, and at the same time were much lighter. The downside was that they were not as resistant to thorns as heavy cotton.

Erik

I can't speak from personnal experiance but was told that the larvae (can't remember what they are) caused many problems in Zambia in the late 70's early 80's. That is why everything, especially your BVDs, were ironed.

Maybe someone else can expand the discussion.

If BVDs are causing a health risk, I guess I will stop wearing them.

N West identifies worm disease
01/02/2006 12:05 - (SA)

Johannesburg - A skin-worm sickness which has broken out in the Mafikeng area has been identified, the provincial health department said on Wednesday.

The condition is Cutaneous Myiasis, a skin condition caused by Cordylobia Anthropophaga (tumbu fly, mango fly, putsi fly).

The department said the fly was widely found in Africa, and dogs and rodents were the usual hosts. Humans were accidental hosts.

"Although it is not usually found in the North West province, it is found in other parts of South Africa such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

"It is related to the weather pattern and is common in the lowveld, in hot humid areas," said provincial health spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane.

The department reported on Tuesday that the sickness had hit several villages around Mafikeng.

"People come to clinics complaining that their body is itching. Within three days small sores develop.

Resembling a boil

"A yellow spot then develops from each sore as it gets ripe. Once the sore is expressed a worm comes out of it."

Lekgethwane said the Communicable Disease Control Unit had consulted widely regarding the outbreak.

It and other reliable sources including the parasitology unit of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases had agreed it was Cutaneous Myiasis.

A female fly lays eggs on clothes or soil contaminated with urine or faeces.

The larvae that emerge from the eggs penetrate the skin painlessly.

An enlarging papule (small pimple), resembling a boil, develops over about six days. Eventually the larva is large enough for close examination to reveal small dark lines with pus in the centre.

The department said treatment consisted of covering the lesion with Vaseline or liquid paraffin which suffocated the larva. Treatment should be left on for 30 minutes to an hour and then the larva should be pushed out via finger pressure.

Ironing of clothes will kill eggs

It said attempted removal by instruments may rupture the larva and cause severe inflammation.

Although the ironing of clothes would kill any eggs laid on them, washing should not be laid on the ground to dry, it said.

"As a department we are positive that we are responding as necessary to deal with this new health problem.

"The... outbreak response team has been investigating the source of the problem since it was initially unknown to them," said health MEC Rachel Rasmeni.

"Health promotion messages had already begun under the suspicion of the same condition. Now that it has been confirmed, the same messages will be intensified."

Feedback has been given to the affected sub-district, and other sub-districts would be informed of the condition and the need for intensified surveillance.

It was important that all people affected reported to the nearest clinic to get personal assistance and advice, Lekgethwane said.

quote:

A female fly lays eggs on clothes or soil contaminated with urine or faeces.

quote:

Although the ironing of clothes would kill any eggs laid on them, washing should not be laid on the ground to dry, it said.

It looks to me like the above things are what matter, and as long as you don't leave the wet cloths on the ground, or walk around with cloths contaminated with urine and faeces, it shouldn't be a problem. Which brings me back to still thinking that as long as clothing is hung to dry, it shouldn't be a problem.

Erik
You may be correct about ground contact being part of the problem but I have read and been told by expats that the flys will lay eggs on hanging damp cloth.

I think it may be more common in west Africa but it is also known in northern Zambia.

Jason

Jason,

Are you accusing us of not washing our cloths while in west Africa?

I have been told the same as you by ex-pats, but still didn't have problems with this, nor can I remember anyone who had personally experianced these Tumbu fly magots themselves while in various regions in Africa. Including numerous ex-pat we got to know. But then most ex-pats have their cloths ironed, so I guess they usually avoid it anyway.

On the otherhand, I do know quite a lot of people who have gotten jiggers in their feet from walking barefoot in the sand/mud in Africa. A type of sand flea can burrow in and lay eggs. One friend of ours who lived in Mozambique for quite some time made a weekly rutine of digging them our of her feet...

Ahh, now we have another use for vaseline.

John

John,
Please do not bring Vaseline to Zambia. With this Broke Back Mountain thing supposedly being filmed in WY, I do not want anyone to think you are one of "them".

On my first safari in Zim, I was warned about the flies laying eggs on the hanging laundry and told that they were the exact reason that all laundry is ironed. I don't recall ever having my laundry ironed in Moz, though, and in RSA the clothes went into a dryer!

I hunted in Zimbabwe 3 years ago. My cotton safari clothes bought from Cabelas were sewed with a synthetic thread. The hot coals in the iron melted the threads and the clothing fell apart! We had to hand sew every day to keep me in clothing.

Ron L