Its an exciting time of the year , the shows are winding down to a close , bookings have been made and deposits have been sent …all of a sudden its real !

Now you enter the second phase , phase one was agonising over who to go with and comparing prices camps areas times of year and all the other details …you are into the second phase …forget about the first phase , and look to preparing for whatever adventure you have bought ..ask about the little things , everyone can tell you to bring good hiking shoes and plenty of sunblock , not many tell you about the travel mug for that last cup of coffee as you roll out of camp .. I call these the 1 degree details , things that if missed wont change your experiences more than 1 degree ! like I said none of these are big items that you find on almost any list , these are the little bits of “insider info”.

Here are a few of my 1 degree details…

1/Spare tsa locks , they often cut them off in Africa and its great to have spares.
2/In southern Africa between may and august bring some lined leather gloves ($15 at a hardware store)
3/Cheap travelmug for coffee in the truck , plan on leaving it with your ph.
4/If you are hunting cats you want to take a trailcam or two …take a viewer the cuddeviewers are the best.
5/boresnake in better and lighter and easier to pack that a pushrod , its all you need with a small bottle of hoppes.
6/smart wool socks – no sweat , no smell and very comfortable.
7/wilderness athlete has excellent snacks , energy bars and rehydration salts.
8/small roll of bright colored duct tape.
9/if you wear eye glasses you can buy tiny repair kits at walmart for about $3- do so.
10/wet wipes (antibacterial) one in each shoe at the start of a long hiking day will work wonders and a pack in the truck is always handy …especially in super dry dusty areas.

The list could go on and on , these are just some that you rarely see on packing lists.

Hope that this helps you as you prepare …feel free to add to this list …

yup and 1 10x50 swarofski`s. . . leave that with PH to.
dave

quote:

6/smart wool socks – no sweat , no smell and very comfortable

I started wearing these in 2002 on a month long European trip where we mostly walked and have since replaced all my cotton socks with wool. A very underrated but important piece of travel advice.

_BAxter

Thanks Ivan, several great tips there.

Everyone takes extra glasses, how about extra sunglasses. I've lost mine before.

Bandana's are great for sweat and double as a wash cloth, dry by morning.

I take the leather mechanic's gloves, cost a bit more but are so form fitting you can shoot with them.

Some guy's are taking knee pads. I like the butt slide, but I've also been reduced to crawls and my knee's don't like it.

Trying to think of these brings back lots of memories. Thanks again Ivan

What's the brightly colored duct tape for?

quote:

What's the brightly colored duct tape for?

duct tape is always handy, and i always have a roll , nobody else will have bright colored , use it to mark a place on the road , round the handle on your bag, anything that you need marked but also serves as a fixit to 90%of anything that breaks over there

Makes sense, as I always carry the grey stuff. Just didn't know exactly why the brightly colored stuff was important. I now do!

Also bring a spare digital camera battery (I've lost one before) and a voltage converter with the specific plugs for your countries. Radio Shack has a nice one. Remember---the converter too not just the plugs.

Dam Ivans a red neck!!! needs all the duct tape he can get!!!! Best stuff in the world for quick fixs on many things stops complaning clients!! Right Ivan

My wife swears by pink duct tape. Do you ever really see how many identical black bags or green sea bags go round and round on the luggage, and people pulling them off andputting them back? One quick wrap of the pink stuff, and nobody touches yours!

Pink? I don't know if I'm up to getting THAT! in touch with my feminine side just yet...

Rich

Yep, it appears that Ivan may have a little bit of redneck in him but I'll bet he's a damn good one.

quote:

ep, it appears that Ivan may have a little bit of redneck in him but I'll bet he's a damn good one.

african redneck would that be !!!

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:

quote:

ep, it appears that Ivan may have a little bit of redneck in him but I'll bet he's a damn good one.

african redneck would that be !!!

Anyone who knows Ivan knows his sense of humor and wit, and when I hosted him on a recent seaduck hunt, he had me at times blowing beer out my nose (post-hunt beer, naturally).
Anyway, I asked at some point what ethnic background he was. His deadpan response? "You're a good man, but not too bright sometimes. I'm African-American, obviously!"

BTW, on any hunt, especially one where thorns and stickers abound, I would not leave home without a good pair of tweezers. Nothing like being out hunting and have some Godforsaken thorn tip in your hide that you can't remove. Bad ones can actually distract from concentration. For me, anyway.

KG

Ivan- so the wet wipes in the shoes, you just put them inside and then put your boot on?

quote:

Ivan- so the wet wipes in the shoes, you just put them inside and then put your boot on?

yup that right its a great little trick , will keep your feet soft and help avoid any raw spots etc ...that and smart wool socks and you can walk hundreds of miles , doesnt help your legs but your feet wont be sore !!!!

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:

quote:

Ivan- so the wet wipes in the shoes, you just put them inside and then put your boot on?

yup that right its a great little trick , will keep your feet soft and help avoid any raw spots etc ...that and smart wool socks and you can walk hundreds of miles , doesnt help your legs but your feet wont be sore !!!!

On the other hand you could skip all that and by some strops sandals. Then you could walk hundreds of miles without getting sore feet or raw spots and without all the hassle!

I became a committed compass carrier a while back, on my home grounds and elsewhere.

When you get out of the vehicle, shoot a bearing on the most prominent point landmark you can see. If you get turned around, but can make it to the landmark, you can then add 180 to your initial azimuth and you are at the truck. (There are dozens of other methods, but this is any easy one to remember.)

Ivan, I like the Boresnakes, too. I add an old fashioned shaving cream brush for external cleaning as well. The bristles are much longer than a toothbrush and will reach deeper crevices. In a pinch, I can give the scope a sweep too, without worrying too much about scratching the lense.

No one should be without a medium sized Swiss knife. Fantastic tweezers, great toothpick, scissors, two or three screwdrivers, depending on the model, and an awl. Pulled five stiches out of my eyebrow with mine last trip. Been traveling with one for at least 30 years. Would never leave home without one.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:
No one should be without a medium sized Swiss knife. Fantastic tweezers, great toothpick, scissors, two or three screwdrivers, depending on the model, and an awl. Pulled five stiches out of my eyebrow with mine last trip. Been traveling with one for at least 30 years. Would never leave home without one.

I too have performed several impromptu procedures with one, and must get a replacement ASAP. My last one--one that my dad gave me and I had for many years--I had to surrender to the TSA when it found itself in the bottom of a carry on.

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:

quote:

Ivan- so the wet wipes in the shoes, you just put them inside and then put your boot on?

yup that right its a great little trick , will keep your feet soft and help avoid any raw spots etc ...that and smart wool socks and you can walk hundreds of miles , doesnt help your legs but your feet wont be sore !!!!

On the other hand you could skip all that and by some strops sandals. Then you could walk hundreds of miles without getting sore feet or raw spots and without all the hassle!

OR, go barefooted like the natives (and some real oddball PHs)...

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:

quote:

Originally posted by David Hulme:

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:

quote:

Ivan- so the wet wipes in the shoes, you just put them inside and then put your boot on?

yup that right its a great little trick , will keep your feet soft and help avoid any raw spots etc ...that and smart wool socks and you can walk hundreds of miles , doesnt help your legs but your feet wont be sore !!!!

On the other hand you could skip all that and by some strops sandals. Then you could walk hundreds of miles without getting sore feet or raw spots and without all the hassle!

OR, go barefooted like the natives (and some real oddball PHs)...

Tevas are great, if the temps are okay, but a thorn under a big toenail sent me back to New Balance 974's... Highly recommended.

Ivan obviously has forgotten some of the most essential items.

1. A cough suppressor. Ted Nugent carries one and so should you.

2. A brand new felt fedora with a either a leopard skin or a zebra skin hat band.

3. Brand new Light colored Khaki safari clothing. The lighter colored the better.

4. A brand new Mark V Weatherby Rifle chambered in either .460 or .378 Weatherby topped with a gynormus 6X18 Tasco "safari" scope.

5. A list of demands for your PH in which includes a trophy list including species and trophy requirements for each. Make sure and cop a major attitude if any of your trophies misses the demanded mark by as little as 1/2" in either direction. Also be sure and demand fresh squeezed chilled cows milk at every meal, that is only right considering your social status as a "big time" safari hunter.

6. Tip small, complain mightily,shoot poorly, and always have an excuse. That is sure to please your PH as they have come to expect this type of behavior and appreciate it over all else.

No need to thank me Ivan, I'm sure that my advice is warmly and heartily received and generously taken in.

Why hasn't anyone told African governments about duct tape?

+1 on Smartwool. For extra protection from blisters layer with wool dress socks inside (my old dress socks make it to the hunting wardrobe). Not for Africa, but for cold weather avoid all synthetic socks. You'll just get cold.

+1 on Swiss Army knife. I like the one with the roedeer on the handle--big locking blade, serrated gut blade, saw, can/bottle opener/screwdriver, awl, corkscrew. Really enough to skin and quarter any medium size game with.

I don't know about the pink duct tape on luggage, just returned from Fla and it seemed every other bag had pink duct tape or if not pink, bright blue or bright green. I guess that is the new in thing. Just leave it plain and it will now stand out. I use Kathi's bright ID tags. Of course my initials on the bag really helps.

as one red neck to another I hope to meet you in the bush some day Ivan. you'll know me I'm the one with duct tape holding my shoes together

Be careful ivan you could mistake him: i also wear duct tape holding my shoes. not kidding on my second safari I lost the sole of my shoes trackin eles on the first day of the safari and m. Butcher had to fix them with duct tape. you should have seen the face of the tracker that collected, first one and onemile after the other. he was quite amused with the clients boots. they where worst than his

Speaking of "red"....let me add something else...do...at all costs...avoid the "red-axx" by taking some prep-H or something similar even on the carry-on