What are everyones thoughts regarding clothing for plains game hunting? Where is/are the best place(s) to purchase cotton pants & shirts for this type of hunting? The hunt is sheduled for September 2009 in Namibia.

Cabelas was my choice for East Cape, Cooler weather and
Zimbabwe, much warmer.
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link....yncharset=ISO-8859-1

Oh boy, stand by for lots of opinions!

IMHO...stick with darker colors, avoid the light tans. I like the Serengeti (sp?) shirt from Cabelas. Never liked wearing shorts as too many thorns and too hard to do the occasional low-crawl. I've got a couple different version of Cabelas pants depending on which weight mode I'm currently in. It won't be very cool in September but have a sweatshirt available for early morning or after dark.

Keep it simple and travel light. Most likely whereever you are going they wash clothes at least every other day so you won't need a lot of stuff.

Also depends on how deep your checkbook is too. For me if I have any expensive clothing that seems to ensure the airlines will lose the bag containing them. So I usually end up wearing what I wore on the airplane plus my carry on.

FWIW, it seems to me that first-timers have a tendency to want to dress up like 'Bawana Don'.

Dark green cotton. Buy or take two sets of hunting clothes. Leave them there when you leave. This is not a fashion contest. Boots are the most important.

I just personally went to my closet and took some things off the hangers. Exactly the same ones I wear here in Southern Arizona to hunt in.

Don't you guys think a top quality Pith Helmet is in order -- ha, ha, ha

For hunting when it is warm/hot, these are the pants I really loved: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link....m_ite=0013190901236a

I'd prefer them in a darker color than the khaki, but they could be dyed. They are very light, comfortable and hold up well. That, a couple of quality polo shirts, and a light jacket is all you'll need. I've worn them in both Namibia and Zambia.

Too much of a big deal is made out of what to wear while on safari.

My PH wore an old pair of blue Adidas shorts, an old green cotton button up shirt, and Reebok tennis shoes for the entire time I was with him. I wore dark green cotton shorts that I bought on sale from Cabelas for $12 a pair and dark green cotton t-shirts that I bought at the Army-Navy Surplus for $5 apiece. For boots I wore a pair of $90 Merrell Sawtooth hiking boots. Perfect for me. Whatever you wear avoid the light colors, they spook game.

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreMan:
Don't you guys think a top quality Pith Helmet is in order -- ha, ha, ha

I do, I like them, but can be noisey in brush area.

Cabelas.

I would rather be hunt cool, in shorts and a light shirt. You are going to get scratched anyway and a few more on your legs are just interesting conversation points when you get back. You will probably leave most of your stuff over there anyway, so there is no need to buy expensive. I wore shorts in green and blue with safari-type shirts from a lower end retailer. Boots and socks are way more important.

I like the sage green 511 shirts and pants.
Their pockets are great.

I always take the longsleeved shirts, you can roll them up if it is warm, and roll them down if the tetse flies are about.

Just make sure that you grow the mutton chop sideburns to go with it.

http://www.long-grass.com/products.htm

Jerry and his wife Melody will treat you right and you will be a satisfied customer...

Mike

Last hunt I did was with a couple of SCI green shirts and Levis, with a $69.00 pair of Cabelas Silent Stalker boots that must have five thousand miles on them by now. The buffalo didn't seem to mind the Levis at all.

Fly light and buy your clothes at Safariland Holtz shop, at the Gustav Voight Center in Windhoek. It is where the Kalahari Sands Hotel is.
Take a look here: safariland-holtz
You could travel with your rifle, cartridges and a trolley bag with few thing and buy all there at a good price too. cork helmet included
Before leaving Namibia, buy a suit case big enough to bring back clothes and souvenirs

I'm sorry I forgot to say that the E-shop is very little compared to the original in WDK. In WDK, there are hundred different articles for safari life.

Another vote for Long-Grass. The quality of their clothes is outstanding and the service is unsurpassed.
Ron

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreMan:
Don't you guys think a top quality Pith Helmet is in order -- ha, ha, ha

Here's the link you need:

http://www.villagehatshop.com/african_safari_pith_helmet.html

It was July, in the Limpopo,but I took 2 sets of carhartt pants, and shirts, took my cabela kangaroo bird hunter boots, and smartwool sox. Wouldn't change a thing. Got scratched on my ears and hands, but the thorns didn't get thru the carhartts.

Mad Dog

Cabela's cotton/poly blend trail shirts (long sleeve) in mid-tone greens and browns, brown Wrangler jeans, Russell and/or Columbia shoes (or whatever you have), and a jacket. I also carried a fairly heavy coat, which I was happy for in June in Namibia. When I hunted RSA, we planned for night hunting predators, so I took insulated coveralls - again a wise choice.

I just went to the local Columbia Sportswear outlet and got set up for like $80. The shirts and pants work great. If I rip a hole in a $50 safari shirt, I'm gonna be a little more irritated than if I destroy a $20 one.

Pith Helment????Pith on it! A soft fedora with a rakish zebra or leopard band!

I think we need to arrange for pith helmuts with the AR logo on the back and the AR member has his name embroidered just under the logo. I'm tired of looking at hunting videos where all you see are the back of somebody's head and some vague buffalo form dropping in head high grass somewhere out in front.

I have the British style, technically the foreign service helmet, and it is very comfortable to wear except when shooting from prone, when the bill on the rear of the helmet hits the base of the back of your neck. This helmet is absolutely required if you hunt with a Martini or a Snider.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I have the British style, technically the foreign service helmet, and it is very comfortable to wear except when shooting from prone, when the bill on the rear of the helmet hits the base of the back of your neck. This helmet is absolutely required if you hunt with a Martini or a Snider.

British troops walk with their heads held high into the fray, or something like that.

Except when defending against the impi from behind stacked mealie bags ...

Yeah, or milling about behind the rocks trying to hide from the boer sharpshooters.
Until headless and helmetless....

bwoodie

There is no reason to not buy the safari uniform if you enjoy having all the right kit for whatever you do. On the other hand there is no real practical reason to look like you stepped out of the Orvis cataloque. Any type of all cotton shirts and pants in green are perfect.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by bwoodie:
What are everyones thoughts regarding clothing for plains game hunting? Where is/are the best place(s) to purchase cotton pants & shirts for this type of hunting? The hunt is sheduled for September 2009 in Namibia.

bwoodie, every one has given good advice. IMO, the best two places to get clothing for safari is Long Grass, or Cabela's. Stick with 100% cotton, in dark colors. The suggestion for cotton clothing is because the camp staff will iron everything with a very hot iron, and if you have synthetics they will be ruined. The hot ironing is a must, because there are some insects there in parts of Africa who will lay tiny eggs in the fabric, and the ironing kills them. I don't know if Namibia has them, however!

I September the weather will be hot in most of southern Africa, but the nights can be cool, and the rides to the hunting field in mornings, and back to camp at night with no wind screen can get down right cold, so take wind breaking jacket, for those rides, and early mornings, and late evenings in camp.

All my shirts are long sleeve,, and my pants are long as well. The thorns don't bother me, as for them sticking me, but I don't like being stabbed by a thorn that has just stabbed a tracker in front of me, Aids is rampant in Africa, and I don't relish coming home with anything I can't throw in the trash! The cover is good because of bugs as well, The tesetsi flies are vicious any place where Buffalo live.

Good hunting!

I wore Mountain Khaki pants/shorts and TAG shirts. The MK pants held up well, the TAg ripped in thorns. I wear the same stuff here.

Don't forget the Bwana Bob hat.

While living there i dressed like the Afrikaaners and gemans most of the time. Seldom did people know i was American if i kept my mouth shut. Most addressed me in German... I am of german decent that is probably why. I was good to book stuff on line when i was able to or have an Friend there do it... American accent cost money hunting i wore a bush shirt, and khaki pocketed pants with some courtneys.... but its what i wore just about every day. I perfer to blend in. new traditional safari clothing just shouts tourist!
Aaron

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Malinverni:
Fly light and buy your clothes at Safariland Holtz shop, at the Gustav Voight Center in Windhoek. It is where the Kalahari Sands Hotel is.
Take a look here: safariland-holtz
You could travel with your rifle, cartridges and a trolley bag with few thing and buy all there at a good price too. cork helmet included
Before leaving Namibia, buy a suit case big enough to bring back clothes and souvenirs

The shirts/trousers from Holtz are of MUCH better quality than the rubbish from Cabelas......at the end of my trip I bought pure cotton shirts from them and tipped out the Cabelas stuff....

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
I have the British style, technically the foreign service helmet, and it is very comfortable to wear except when shooting from prone, when the bill on the rear of the helmet hits the base of the back of your neck. This helmet is absolutely required if you hunt with a Martini or a Snider.

British troops walk with their heads held high into the fray, or something like that.

Actually the Brits dyed their pith helmets with dark tea to camo them up and removed the regimental brass plates as the Boers were very good at head shooting rooineks

quote:

Actually the Brits dyed their pith helmets with dark tea to camo them up and removed the regimental brass plates as the Boers were very good at head shooting rooineks

Was that before or after they got rid of their red coats?

quote:

Originally posted by Dall85:
Pith Helment????Pith on it! A soft fedora with a rakish zebra or leopard band!

Don't show up with a zebra or leopard band unless you've killed the zebra/leopard. Bad form.

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:

quote:

Actually the Brits dyed their pith helmets with dark tea to camo them up and removed the regimental brass plates as the Boers were very good at head shooting rooineks

Was that before or after they got rid of their red coats?

IIRC, they fought in khaki. Didn't stop the farmers with their Mausers from teaching them hard lessons in long range marksmanship, though.

Blair: What's pure cotton "shits"? I've never heard of that type of safari clothing.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Blair: What's pure cotton "shits"? I've never heard of that type of safari clothing.

Never heard of those either -- but they sound much more comfortable than burlap shits

Blair,
I am going to have to ask you not to bring those into camp, it could attract Hyenas