Can anyone recommend a suitable brand of gaiters for a PG hunt at the Gras Ranch in namibia next March?

Also, considering the temperatures at that the time of the year, would you recommend shorts and short sleeved shirts or pants and long sleeved shirts? What about brand?

BTW, I live in Edmonton, Alberta but will be visiting in Phoenix for 7-10 this Christmas. Perhaps, there's a store or two there I could purchase from. I hope to pick up a Tuffpak while there.

Bobby B.

If you do a search you will see numerous posts on gaiters, shorts, etc. I like the Boyt Harness gaiters but there are many fans of other brands.

I prefer to hunt in shorts and short sleeves when the weather permits but many prefer long pants and long sleeves. I use the Cabelas zip-off leg pants and have used their long-sleeve (Serengeti I think) and vented-back short sleeve shirts (I believe it is the vented-back shooting shirt). I prefer a true short-sleeve over the roll-up and button type but take a couple of each and a sweater or jacket for when it is cool.

I used gaiters by long grass on my Namibia hunt in July. They were great. It was miserable without them.

See www.long-grass.com

BobbyB:

I second the Boyt Gaiters. They also have excellent safari shirts, tight weave, good colors. Expensive but worth it IMO.

www.boytharness.com

RCG

I use the Boyts as well. I use them anytime I'm hunting in shorts and boots - even here in the States. I've tried other brands, but come came back to the Boyts. I wouldn't mind some a bit larger and am considering making my own that aren't as tight and go further down for when I'm wearing tennis shoes instead of boots.

BTW - knee high goretex gaiters are great in really wet areas when wearing pants.

Gaitors? I don't use no stinkin' gaitors. You want to get your ankles and lower calves all scratched up and sunburned to look like a real African hunter. If I don't, all you see is skinny white ankles with varicose veins.

Of course you could always get some old white canvas tennis shoes (Keds high or low top will do), do a lot of yard work and stomping out campfires with them until they are pure dirt colored, for that Rhodesian Light Infantry look. You must not wear socks as they just collect burrs and other stuff.

I like these

http://www.courteneyboot.com/gaiters.php

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
Gaitors? I don't use no stinkin' gaitors. You want to get your ankles and lower calves all scratched up and sunburned to look like a real African hunter. If I don't, all you see is skinny white ankles with varicose veins.

If you wear them with shorts you still get all scratched up, but you keep the grass seeds/burrs out of your socks and laces!

Another vote for Courtney's gaitors. I buy the long ones, and cut them to my required length. Now if I can just get my wife to put in a elastic band, they would be perfect!

I've got the Boyt gaitors, the Courtney leather gaitors and the other leather gaitors made in Zimbabwe that have an elastic top and a button snap. For Africa, I prefer them in the reverse order listed above. I also have a pair of the knee high gaitors from Cabelas, but those are for hunting here in the states.

Canvas gaiters I think are the best bet over the leather gaiters. If the leather gets wet, they are not that comfortable. The gaiters from either Boyt or Long Grass work well, are cheap and you can bring a couple of pair so you can have them washed when they get real dirty. I usually leave them behind when I come back, the PH's appreciate it.

Cabelas short 9" canvas gaitors, and they are good gaitors, and not expensive..

I prefer trousers to shorts.

And I don't like those little skirt-type gaiters such as the Boyt's model.

I prefer Cabela's "Ultimate Gaiters".

They have a Gore-Tex liner with an adjustable strap that fits under your instep and keeps the gaiter down on your boot, and they also have a hook in front to clip onto your laces. Finally, they close up front on your shin with a zipper and velcro to give you a fairly tight fit that keeps your trousers tight to your legs all the way up over your boot tops.

That keeps out thorns, grass, nettles, brush, ticks and any other damned thing, which is what I want, and they're water proof and quiet besides.

Definitely pants. Pretty much everything has a thorn or sticker.

My favorite gaitors

Will,

Those gaiters would impair my hunting, I would never want to leave camp!

FWIW, give me shorts and canvas gaiters, like the Boyts. The leather ones make my feet sweat more, they seem to get in the way of evaporation and wicking.

I can put up with scratched legs that come with shorts, and the tetse fly bites in infested areas too, but I can't deal with long pants when the temp is over 80*.

JPK

JPK,

Rookie. Give me Tevas every time.

Will,

I've hunted with Buzz and PH Rich Tabor and one of Buzz's great appy cameramen when they were wearing Tevas or less. The thought makes me wince. Ouch!

Even the trackers and game scouts had the good sense to wear boots or sneakers!

JPK

Just do me a favor, oh doubtful one.

Take some with you next week (?) and try it. No seeds, no crap, no sprained ankles, no blisters, etc.

You'll be a true believer.

Will,

I wasn't going to admit it but your post got me thinking that I ought to give the Tevas a try.

Too many pros - and even duffers like you - wearing them to all be wrong.

Who knows, maybe I'll return a veteran and a believer.

I am scheduled to leave Sunday, but my dad is in the hospital and it doesn't look good. He was given Catholic last rights Sunday evening. So even if I go on Sunday I may have to return.

JPK

I'm with JPK. The thought of a 2" acacia thorn being driven into my foot or under a toe nail while chasing game gives me the shivers!

Will, I am sure they are comfortable but just not for me. I will sacrifice a little weight for support, comfort, and safety. That's why I like the Converse Desert Foot Pursuits. They worked great in the mixed terrain of the Lowveld of Zim last Sept.

RCG

JPK,

I hope your Dad returns to good health. The death of a father is a traumatic experience. I'm not sure after eight years that I am over my father passing away.

quote:

Originally posted by RCG:
I'm with JPK. The thought of a 2" acacia thorn being driven into my foot or under a toe nail while chasing game gives me the shivers!

RCG

I've seen it happen to Buzz Charlton and Rich Tabor. That's why I wince. But then again, they didn't stop wearing them and switch to their boots.

If one of those big thorns went under my toenail, every elephant in the concession would know it and get an education in profanity.

So, Ill give them a try on the flat terrain.

JPK

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
JPK,

I hope your Dad returns to good health. The death of a father is a traumatic experience. I'm not sure after eight years that I am over my father passing away.

Will,

I appreciate it. I'm trying to look at it impassionately. It's been coming for the better part of a year and from his perspective it seems time. If he goes now or soon, it will be with minimum suffering and with his dignity and personality to the end. But, I haven't been all that successful being stoic.

JPK

OK, I admit to being a newbie African hunter. Still, I've carefully scrutinized Will's photo post for what seems to be hours and I don't see any gaiters. I do see something I'd like to test out but no gaiters. BTW, what's a Tevas?

Bobby B.

These are great. Use them all the time:

You mean she isn't wearing gaitors?

Tevas are sandles. You would be suprised at the number of PH's who wear them while hunting elephants where the walking is long. I've seen them worn mostly where the terrain was relatively flat.

JPK

JPK -- very sorry to hear about your father.

Sorry to hear about your father too.I think I might invite my father along on a African hunt and pay for him(one buff only) before he is gone.JPK,did you hunt with him?

My father wasn't ever much of a hunter. But when my next youngest brother and I expressed interest when we were in high school he took us duck and goose hunting. For him the perfect hunt lasted only until the oyster stew was ready and not one second longer, whether the birds were flying or not.

Same with fishing.

My dad is 82 today. He has lived a long, happy and sucessful life by any measure, but the outdoors just didn't interest him. My brother and I got that from my mother, who still loves the outdoors.

JPK

Mine's been gone 37 years, and I still miss him. He taught me to hunt and fish as a child. I think he would have been proud to see my buff a couple of years ago. That's what all that rabbit and squirrl hunting lead to.

quote:

Originally posted by Will:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link....earch-box.jsp.form23

Is that your preferred model Will? There is a bewildering range of them but I certainly agree about Tevas for comfort. Not sure about them for thorns, ticks & chiggers(?). Most of my trip thru Southern Africa when I was younger was spent sockless in Takkies. They developed a personality all of their own , something Tevas might tend to avoid.
Steve

JPK, please accept my best wishes during this difficult time.

If you feel like tanning then wear shorts and short sleeve shirts.If you are taking anti malaria pills of which leave your skin sensitive to the sun,then you may choose to wear pants and a short sleave shirt but use sunblock on your arms.You may also choose pants and long sleeves for protection against thorns.I think either WAY your OKAY! I use TAG brand clothing.The model I have changes from pants to shorts by a zipper.These cloths are light weight and breathable.Really comfortable.Many large pockets.

Originally, I was thinking gym shorts and a muscle shirt but have since thought shorts and short sleeved shirts. I really don't mind getting scratched up a bit, all part of the experience. I do want good footwear as buggered up feet can ruin a good hunt...anywhere. In addition, I don't want to spend time picking seeds, burrs and other irritants out of my socks. Chiggers, too!

Seems as though the bottom line is ANY comfortable footwear and ANY gaiter. Is this a reasonable surmise? Brand loyalty notwithstanding.

Bobby B.

quote:

Originally posted by Bobby B.:
Originally, I was thinking gym shorts and a muscle shirt but have since thought shorts and short sleeved shirts. I really don't mind getting scratched up a bit, all part of the experience. I do want good footwear as buggered up feet can ruin a good hunt...anywhere. In addition, I don't want to spend time picking seeds, burrs and other irritants out of my socks. Chiggers, too!

Seems as though the bottom line is ANY comfortable footwear and ANY gaiter. Is this a reasonable surmise? Brand loyalty notwithstanding.

Bobby B.

I like all leather because it keeps some grass seeds and other undesirables out of the footwear when cloth or canvas may not -- or maybe I am just kidding myself.

I have not been to Gras Ranch but in Namibia I faced a mix of loose sandy river bed and rocky hills, so a compromise sole will work better than one that is designed for a particular terrain.

I take Tevas but only for camp. My feet are not tough enough to hunt in them -- they would raise blisters way too fast. Will has me beat there.

On my first trip to Namibia I zipped my pant legs off on the first day and never put them back on. The seeds and grass stems just about chewed my ankles raw. I would have paid $50 for a pair of gaiters but thankfully Charles Helm showed up in camp and let me borrow his Boyts.

On my second trip however, Vaughan looked at me when I took my pant legs off on Day 1 and asked "are you sure you want to do that?" The thick thorny bush we were hunting just would not permit it. After the bleeding stopped, the pant legs when back on.

Boyts worked just fine for me and I ended up buying two pair, but I think this design is much better provided they are of a soft canvas.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve:
These are great. Use them all the time:

Jorge,

They're a soft quiet light synthetic. I've used them from Eastern Oregon (cheat grass is a bitch) to Zim. Can't remember any thorns or seeds in my socks when I wore them.

The lace hook and arch strap keep them where they should be. Never torn or got a hole in them either.

-Steve