A hunting buddy & I have booked a 10 day plains game hunt for Namibia in July of 2013. We know absolutely nothing about the weather there at that time of year. We would very much appreciate clothing, footwear, or other helpful suggestions. Thanks in advance. 163bc

It can depend on where in Namibia you are going. I hunted on the edge of the Namib desert, about 70 miles inland from the Atlantic ocean. Temps got down to about 40-45 at night but climbed up to the eighties during the day. Anywhere you go in Namibia will be dry, although if you are close to the ocean, as I was, you can get fog rolling inland for part of the day. (There was one morning when the fog was so thick visibility was down to less than 100 yds and the PH had to run the wipers on the hunting car.)

I hunted in northern Namibia in late July/early August of 2012. Mornings were low 30's, warming up to 70's after the sun came up. Wear comfortable uninsulated boots, and pack light since clothes are washed and pressed every day. Pack long sleeve shirts in case there's thorny brush on the property you hunt. You can always roll up your sleeves when the temps rise. Make sure you stop at Joe's Beer House in Windhoek for a great meal and a few cold Taffel beers. If you have the time, spend a couple of days at Etosha National Park. You can see my report under "Africa Hunting Reports" for pictures and more info. Here's the report:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...6321043/m/5681066871

We had some chilly mornings in late May in the country near Otjiwarongo and Kamanjab, so I would expect you'll want a warm coat for the hunting car in the mornings. You are going to have the time of your life!

I've been in early June & earlly August, It got durn cold at night, close to freezing.
The mornings started out quite cold, but warmed up quickly after the sun rose.
It also goes from warm to cold in a hurry in the afternoon as the sun set, therefore keep a good jacket in the hunting vehicle for the ride back to camp.
Namibia is beautiful & we found it to be safe & hospitable.
I look forward to reading your report.
Who will you be hunting with?

Depending on where you are going in Namibia, think of being in Arizona in late March or early October; warm/mild during the day, a bit cool (perhaps) in evenings/mornings. You might have to layer a little bit mornings/evenings but not much.

Keep it simple in your clothing/footwear selections. They will most likely be doing your laundry every other day so three or four sets of anything will be plenty. Since the odds of one of your bags being at least delayed (lost?) by the airlines is good, travel in clothes that you could make do in the field and carry a set of back up stuff in your carry-on. I suggest you and your buddy each pack half the other guys stuff in one-anothers suitcase. That way, if the airlines succeeds in losing a bag at least half your stuff is there.

Each of the times I've gone to Africa (seven) I've reduced the amount of stuff I pack with me. I stick with darker earth tone clothes and really like the Cabela Serengetti (sp?) shirts.

163bc,

As others have said June/July will be very cool at night and expect wind. You'll do fine in July but the best hunting is actually once it get hot later in the season and the wind subsides.

Mark

Take you some gloves for the morning truck rides. I didn't take any when I went in late July and needed them.

Ask these questions of your outfitter. They can provide you the best info for the time and location of your hunt. They should be providing you with a packing list as well. Best of luck.

quote:

Who will you be hunting with?

Jamy Traut

I don't think there is a better time for me to be in Africa than in July. Cool and nice and not hot. I am not the hot hot weather type and love the first two weeks of July.

http://www.namibia.climatemps.com/

You'll have to do a conversion from Celsius to that other temperature measurement..

quote:

Originally posted by Matt Norman:
Depending on where you are going in Namibia, think of being in Arizona in late March or early October; warm/mild during the day, a bit cool (perhaps) in evenings/mornings. You might have to layer a little bit mornings/evenings but not much.

Keep it simple in your clothing/footwear selections. They will most likely be doing your laundry every other day so three or four sets of anything will be plenty. Since the odds of one of your bags being at least delayed (lost?) by the airlines is good, travel in clothes that you could make do in the field and carry a set of back up stuff in your carry-on. I suggest you and your buddy each pack half the other guys stuff in one-anothers suitcase. That way, if the airlines succeeds in losing a bag at least half your stuff is there.

Each of the times I've gone to Africa (seven) I've reduced the amount of stuff I pack with me. I stick with darker earth tone clothes and really like the Cabela Serengetti (sp?) shirts.

man, i must be living right. in 10 safaris in 6 countries i have never been in a camp where laundry wasn't done every day and i have never had a baggage delay, although once it happened on the way home. 2 sets of real hunting clothes and a light coat in 1 small checked bag plus i travel with 2 khaki outfits i can hunt in in my carryon. my total baggage weight with both bags is under 50 lbs- and i have never wished for or needed anything more. i learned a long time ago hunting unguided in Alaska( where everything you and a buddy took in-tent, stove, food, sleeping bag, food, etc. had to weigh 100lbs for BOTH) THAT YOU REALLY DON'T NEED MOST OF THE CRAP THAT YOU LUG AROUND....



if necessary

My trip to Namibia was in July a few years ago. I hunted near Gobabis and up on the Waterbourg plateau. The ice on the pans made me feel right at home when shooting sand grouse in the mornings.

Dean

Lion Hunter is right, ask your PH!

Ask him to email you a few days before departure about the forecast.

I went end of June / first of July, south of Windhoek on the edge of the Kalahari. First morning was really cold and I thought the skinny boy screwed up and didn't bring near enough clothes. After less than an hour I was out of my jacket.

Keep that jacket handy for the ride in at night. Temps drop in a hurry!

As others have said, ask the PH. Depends on the area, obviously (espcially for footwear), but expect it to be cold at night and in the mornings -- you can always take off clothes, but can't wear what you don't bring. I've hunted east of Grootfontein in June and July. One year it was extraordinarily cold. In that area, a pair of Palladium boots or the like would be great in the loose sand; there are no rocks and you don't need ankle support. Further south, you may be climbing some serious rocky hills/mountains. Caprivi: always wanted to go, but haven't yet; I suspect it's a whole different proposition.

Good luck and have a great time. Leave the watch at home.

THORNS! I hunted an hour and a half NW of Windhoek in late sept. It was hot so I wore shorts. By the end of 8 days my shins looked like cat scratching posts. It was the only way to be quiet as fabric, (shirt, pants) snagged and made a lot of noise trying to rip free. I bought high suede stalking boots in Windhoek on the way home.
Scott

I hunted Namibia in mid July and it got very cold in the morning. At one point below 0 C. Here are two photos I took while we were sighting in the rifles on the first day.

[IMG]http://s1291.beta.photobucket.com/user/bevanjones/media/DSC00291_zps71fce1d9.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0 [/IMG]
[IMG]http://s1291.beta.photobucket.com/user/bevanjones/media/IMG_2210_zps33cd112f.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1 [/IMG]

The PH lit this fire as it was getting to cold to hold the rifle.

These photos were taken about an hour’s drive from Windhoek.

We hunted in this location for two days and it was cold each day. The temperature remained a max of about 18 degrees C and a Min on 0 Degrees C while we were there.

Then we moved to the Aranos area on the Botswana border. This was slightly warmer. The temperature was a Max of 20 degrees C and a min of 5 Degrees C at this location.

I only took a cap and no gloves – so in the mornings I was cold particularly riding on the back of the hunting vehicle.

Once I got home I went out and brought a pair of gloves and a beanie for next time. The gloves would have come in handy for crawling in the bush as every plant has spikes on them and we seemed to do a lot of crawling to get close enough to the wary animals.

Apart from the early morning chill it was excellent weather to hunt in.

I find that a tough jacket (like a Carhartt Detroit)is enough to manage the chill of early morning and evening, while being fairly thorn resistant. Unlined leather gloves, and a knit cap will help.

163bc, do you know if you will be hunting on Jamy's Panorama property? I was there in August and can give you some info on that and some of the other properties in the area that Jamy hunts.

I hunted Gobabis and also in the mountain area about an hour or two out of Windhoek. Left the US around Memorial Day and hunted 10 days. It was damn cold at night. We called jackals at night and I had long underwear on and neck gaitor and a heavy stocking hat. My coat was an insulated jacket and I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Watch toward sunset. Temperature really drops and drops fast. Always have a jacket in the truck and light gloves in your pack. I never left the truck without a bottled water. You never know where you'll end up.

We hunted Gobabis in June 2010. We had some very cold mornings. One morning it got around 23 F. We pulled ice out of water a trough at 11AM.

We also hunted near Okahandja in July 2009, and it was also very chili in the mornings. The early morning rides in the back of the land cruiser were pretty cold for the first hour or two.

On both hunts the temps normally rose pretty quickly. The afternoon hunts were generally hot. We layered up, and peeled off layers as the days warmed.

quote:

do you know if you will be hunting on Jamy's Panorama property? I was there in August and can give you some info on that and some of the other properties in the area that Jamy hunts.

Pretty sure that is where we'll be most of if not all the time. I'd love to hear from you on it. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks !!

163bc, I hunted Panorama and 3 other properties in the area. The mornings will be cold,but it warms up quickly. I wear a zip front sweatshirt and a windbreaker over that if needed, a pair of gloves and some sort of hat. Either a baseball type cap or a wide brim hat,I wear either one. I take light weight long underwear to sleep in. The terrain varies from sandy to rocky ground. All the properties I was on have rocky hills where boots with good hiking soles and good ankle support are a plus. The soft soled boots often recommended for stalking are not the best idea here.

These areas have the typical thorny brush but are more open than other areas I have hunted. You may have a 50 yd shot or you may have a 300 yd shot. In August, the winds varied from light to strong. Other areas in Namibia I have hunted in July, the winds were usually light.

If you think of any other questions about the area, just ask.