Which do you prefer for paints on your safari, blue jeans, safari style cargo paints, shorts or??

temps permitting = shorts.

jeans don't sound very comfortable hunting.

Jeans, If I wore shorts I wouldn't have any legs left after the first day and shorts are really cold in back of a truck at daylight. Fine in camp. Try Diamond Gusset jeans and you won't wear any other kind.

carrhart jeans. frankly, i don't want to be scratched by the same thorns that just scratched the tracker....I don't know if it's possible to contract aids that way but I don't want to find out the hard way.

I'd go with shorts, as long as I can have a some ankle gaiters to keep the seeds and burrs out of my socks. Just take pair of fleece pants for the early am stuff. It gets pretty brisk. I like the berber style from cabelas, and am sure I would really love them if they were lined with windstopper.
I couldn't imagine hunting in a pair of jeans on any continent.

Len Hawkins

Another vote for jeans. I do just about everything else in them so if they're uncomfortable I've never noticed.

I wear jeans all summer working outdoors. There are a lot of Mennonites around here and I'm nearly naked compared to what some of them wear! Guess it's all in what you're used to.

Just like the tennis shoes vs. boots debate. Wear what you are comfortable when hunting in temperate climes in the U.S.!

I wear shorts, gaiters, hikers and a comfortable cotton kakhi shirt with a ball cap... it works for me. That said, might not for you... go with what you are used to. There is no right or wrong answer here and those who insist they have the RIGHT answer are probably first-timers!

I wear shorts, tennis shoes and cotton shirt, the cotton shirts are cooler when you perspire .

Here's a vote for cotton cargo pants with lots of pockets--or shorts of same if very hot and no Tsetses or mossies.

One vote for heavy cotton longs.

Jeans tend to be too tight fitting.........and shorts and thorns are bloody too much for this Aussie

In that part of the world men don't were shorts or jeans.Were durable light,tan cotton pants.

Cotton cargo pants with zips to make it shorts and quite a few pockets. Jeans makes more noise when brushing against strong thorns like sekelbos and other hardy tress and thorns.

Haven't gone yet, but next year, for my RSA plains game safari, its gonna be 2 pr. carharts, green and brown. Used em in Texas and Idaho, and theywere great, even in 90 degree heat. It'll also be carhart long sleeve shirts, and tees underneath. My biggest problem is gonna be boots. I've had issues withe the soles of my feet, and a heel. I have a pair of cabelas kangaroo boots, that have been good until now, but they hurt the bottom of my feet after extended wear during the day, even with inserts and arch supports in the boot. So, I'm gonna have to find something light weight, with a lot of cushion/arch support in them that are cool on the feet. Prolly also gonna take smartwool sox to keep my feet from sweating too much.

Mad Dog

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
carrhart jeans. frankly, i don't want to be scratched by the same thorns that just scratched the tracker....I don't know if it's possible to contract aids that way but I don't want to find out the hard way.

.............AMEN!

Try 5.11 pants or shorts.

Mad Dog
Try these arch supports. My orthopaedic doctor recommended this company.
http://www.hapad.com/comf34.shtml

quote:

In that part of the world men don't were shorts or jeans.Were durable light,tan cotton pants.

Shootaway, if you ever make it over there, you will likely find your PH wearing shorts shorter than anything you'll see in North America. The exception will be areas infested with tsetse flies. There you will need to cover everything including your hands.

Blue jeans ?
Wrong colour !!!

Dark green cotton cargo pants. Soft and do not make noise. I just can't wear shorts hunting.

So guys are you saying no shorts in the Selous in Sept becaise of Tetse Fly??? My PH says he hunts in shorts???

Tetses bite the PH's but I never have seen them get the reaction from the bites like some clients including myself do. To be plain if one of those tetses gets up your leg and bites the tender parts you might be unhappy with a huge itchy welt or six where you can least tolerate it. I just think that for people from the Northern climes who aren't used to wearing shorts the possible hazards out weigh the advantage of coolness.

Mark

Try a pair of Dickies Workpants. They are almost the same color as Carhartt but are a little lighter weight material. I cut the red Dickies label off and the hammer loop, and they make great hunting pants for safari. I wore mine in 100 degree heat during a buff hunt and had no problems. Walmart sells them for about $16 a pair.

quote:

Originally posted by Mad Dog:
I have a pair of cabelas kangaroo boots, that have been good until now, but they hurt the bottom of my feet after extended wear during the day, even with inserts and arch supports in the boot.

Specifically where do your feet hurt? The pads, the arch, ...? Can't really diagnose footwear problems without more details.

For example, If I'm doing a lot of ladder or climbing work, the arch "muscles" get very sore at the end of the day unless I'm wearing boots with a rather stiff shank. Its really exaggerated if I wear sneakers. But if I'm wearing the same footwear and walking around on flat ground, no pain whatsoever. But if my footwear has insufficient cushioning in the heel, by the end of the day I feel it from the heel "internals" all the way up above the ankle bone as a general ache.

On my first trip to RSA, I took camo and khaki's. I quickly learned important things about camo: 1. It is difficult to see "seed" ticks crawling on camo (thanks for Permanone). 2. Your PH can be dressed in blue jeans and pastel shirts, and may still be sporting last nights cologne. 3. Trackers are native to Africa. Wearing very colorful garments are part of their ancestral tradition. You wear camo, the Tracker, Skinners, Spear totes and such will dress sporty, just in case you stumble across a dance party or braai in the bush. Bright red, yellow, sky blue and purple seem to diminish the "I'm invisible to all game" theory. Wear khaki or OD green and you'll feel like Lucky Bwana and smell the coffee. Long pants will protect you from thorns: long sleeves will do likewise and they can be rolled up. Rugged footwear with decent soles will prevent thorns and cacti from going into your feet (let one of those get infected, and your hunt is over). You may get a little warm but two months ago I was in the Zim bush at 110 degrees. Sunburned (my fault) but no problems over clothes. Cotton 100%. Check out Academy Sports. They're closing out their winter shirts and cargo pants about now. Shirts $4.99-$9.99 pants $9.99-$14.99. Brand names. Good hunting, LDK

quote:

So guys are you saying no shorts in the Selous in Sept becaise of Tetse Fly??? My PH says he hunts in shorts???

Bob, the tsetse flies can be really rough - and I was raised on the gulf coast in heavy mosquito territory. Last Sept. in Tanzania I stayed in long pants, long sleeved shirt, hat and gloves when hunting. Those little bastards can really hurt - especially when they bite the outer edge of your ear!

Wear the cargo pants with the zip off bottoms. That's what I do. That way you have the flexibility to go shorts or long with the same pants. In camp there were no tsetses so I wore shorts. In RSA I would start out in the early morning with the lowers in place and unzip them an hour or so after sunrise. It's a good system.

I do the same thing when hunting in the US and Canada.

No way I would wear shorts.

1. Too many thorns.
2. Too many bugs.
3. Too many thorns (I know I already said that).
4. Too many thorns (needed saying one more time).
5. Too many bugs (once again for emphasis).

Besides, after a northern winter, my legs are so white they glow in the dark. Don't want to frighten the game.

As for jeans, they are too damned hot! Give me middle weight cotton trousers with lots of pockets. The 5.11s (as recommended by Oldcoyote above) are the best I have found.

I like to wear the PH shorts from Tag Safari when the weather is warm. However, for long pants, you can't beat Filson tin-cloth. They are practically bullet proof.

Bwana91

Ok Ok-I get it --the word picture Mark painted for me ensure the shorts will stay in camp where I can set down my sundowner and deal with the little buggers if need be. I am still uncomfortable thinking about sore welts on tender parts-Mark you have a mean streak--HA HA !

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
In that part of the world men don't were shorts or jeans.Were durable light,tan cotton pants.

what are you talking about? every one of the 8 PH's i have hunted with in africa hunted in shorts(usually really short ones at that). i prefer the cotton cargo pants with zip-off legs. as the day warms up, just zip off the legs and throw them in the truck. as the sun and temp. drop in the evening on the way back to camp, just zip the legs back on.

Shootaway, I bet you wished you could pull that post back. The PHs I've used wear shorts and open-toed sandals. I don't.

I went to Cabela's in Ft. Worth the last time. I picked out a pair of cotton cargo pants in dark olive. They cut the length to fit in about fifteen minutes, and I walked out the door. The legs zip off, but I wore them long the entire hunt. They were lighter and more comfortable than my Wranglers, and they dried quicker when wet. My other two pair of hunting pants are camo cotton/poly blends.

Men just don't wear shorts.Shorts should only be worn at the beach.I don't care what any PH wears.

When I get back I'll be wearing gray like a kudu.
Gray wool or cotton.
Lighter gray hair on my head and chin too, unless it is all white by then.
Just another gray ghost of the bushveld. Yep, that will be me.
The silly short pants boys don't bother me at all. They can have them.

quote:

Originally posted by RIP:
When I get back I'll be wearing gray like a kudu.
Gray wool or cotton.
Lighter gray hair on my head and chin too, unless it is all white by then.
Just another gray ghost of the bushveld. Yep, that will be me.
The silly short pants boys don't bother me at all. They can have them.

I'm with you Ron!! Cheers mate.

Another vote for light brown Carhart jeans. They're not heavy like Levi's, but loose, comfortable, lots of pockets, and will protect you from the bugs and thorns.

huntnjim,

Just wear what ever you think you would be most comfortable in. Except for colors (and blue jeans are fine), it does not make that much difference as long as you are comfortable.

I grew up working on my dad's ranch in 100+ degree heat in the thick thorn brush of Texas. Wore long-sleeved cotton shirts and Wrangler jeans my whole life. When I went to Africa, that is what I wore. Jeans and a Kakki long-sleeved shirts.

I was in the Zambezi Valley in June. When I got home, We had 60 straight days of 100+ degree days in Texas with the hottest being 112. As I was walking through the Mesquite and Green-Briars of North Central Texas on one of those days, I was thinking how nice and cool it was in Zimbabwe and how nice it was for the brush to not be so thorny and rough on you. The thickest Jesse I have seen, has nothing on the Texas brush country as far as diffulty in traversing. It is just not as fun chasing a set of cattle through it verses a buff or ele!!!

Sounds like cotton tan cargo pants is the most common agreement. Shorts in Mozambique with all the skeeters, thorns and testie flys could be an accident wating to happen. I have hunted a lot in jeans (north america)but I agree with the light cotton drying faster and of coarse they should be cooler.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
Men just don't wear shorts.Shorts should only be worn at the beach.I don't care what any PH wears.

i've got a great idea. go to the SCI convention next year and go to the Rum Bullion Bar in the Silver Legacy Hotel on Fri. or Sat. night- tell a few of the 15-20 P.H.'S there( who will undoubtedly be deep in their cups) that "men just don't wear shorts". you will definitely get a differing opinion. your thought for the day---it is better to close one's mouth and be thought a fool than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt!!!

Wranglers.

Come on down to Fla., shootaway. Everybody wears shorts. Except the Miami crowd.

Jeans are irritating when it is hot, cold when it is cold, and heavy when they are wet. Other than those times they work OK.

Shorts, sleeveless shirt and comfortable boots worked perfectly for me in a mid-August Zimbabwe hunt. Standard dress for Southern California summers in 100+ temps. For me anyway.
My shins are solid callus from the same thorns and desert scrub in my area anyway.

quote:

Originally posted by shootaway:
Men just don't wear shorts.Shorts should only be worn at the beach.I don't care what any PH wears.

This from a "man" that recommends this Butt-Pirate apparel: "or a more casual cotton pants, polo shirt and loafers with a sweater tossed over the shoulders"

Tell you what there froggie, show up at SCI and the PH dinner and get up there and tell them "real men don't wear shorts."

My guess they'll have you wearing a flowered dress and singing "Mary had a little lamb" in about 30 seconds. they'll just "love" that sweater "tossed over" the shoulder look. jorge