Is the classic Stewart Granger/Clark Gable safari jacket still a good way to go for cool weather African hunting? If so, who currently makes the best and is khaki or olive drab the most practical color.

I've only hunted there in late summer/early fall when it was still very green and very hot - so short sleave olive drab shirts were the thing. Just want to know how to dress for late fall or winter hunt.

Brazos_Jack

I have one that's sort of that look, but I've found I get more use out of a vest. The extra pockets are handy on either one, but if it starts out cool in the morning but gets hot in the afternoon, I can wear a light jacket or sweater under the vest, then wear only the vest later.

Mine is donkey's years old and worn to hell but I still find it useful and ultra comfortable.

Beretta make or used to make a very nice one.

How are you going to look cool in your safari pictures if you don't have a safari jacket?

Boyt Harness makes one the the cartridge loops in the right place and it also comes in short sleeve.

quote:

Originally posted by degoins:
Boyt Harness makes one the the cartridge loops in the right place and it also comes in short sleeve.

Looks nice: http://www.boytharness.com/cat...15524fd06718b4bd175a

Ask your PH what colors you should be wearing for the time of the year you will be there.

These look swell, but it seems to me that all the outside pockets and belts might want to get snagged on thorns. Other thing is that it gets cold enough in the mornings that I'm wanting a down or heavy wool jacket for the ride in the Land Cruiser ... I'd freeze in one of those light jackets.

I bought a few from Stafford's (Classic and made in USA) a few years back for a filming trip to Zim.

Thought they would add a cool retro look in a world of camo shirts and ballcaps...

...I ended-up really liking this type of jacket. Aside from being a very functional piece in the bush, it is fun to have soccer moms and their kids stare at you in airport terminals as if you were some ghost from the past. Also a great conversation starter!

I cut the sleeves off of one of them for giggles and caught a bunch of crap from some members of this forum when I showed-up on TV wearing it...All in fun of course!

JW

They look good on Stewart Granger in old movies, but I have found that any kind of light cotton jacket or vest is not warm enough when it's cold, and too warm when it's hot!

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Wemmer:
I cut the sleeves off of one of them for giggles and caught a bunch of crap from some members of this forum when I showed-up on TV wearing it...All in fun of course!

JW

I have an old one that I cut the sleeves out of and use it like a vest with a T-shirt under it in the mild weather or with a down sweater under it for the ride in the hunting car. The pockets are handy at times.

If you want to look like you are about 50 years behind current safari fashion trends then a safari jacket would be the way to do it.

Up into the 1950s gentlemen were expected to dress in a tie and jacket and wear a hat. This is where the sports jacket or casual jacket came from. It was a jacket cut to allow participation in active sports.

The safari jacket was a type of sports jacket styled after a military field coat. It allowed men on safari to be dressed properly but still look super cool.

If you have noticed, men's fashion has changed. It is very casual. Except for businessmen and some professionals, suit jackets are not part of every day casual wear. So the safari jacket has fallen out of style.

For warm weather safari hunting, a short or long sleeve button shirt is perfectly acceptable. Or cut the sleeves out all together. Or just wear a t-shirt to hunt in. By the way a t-shirt was considered an undergarment back in the 50s and no gentleman would be seen out doors wearing just a t-shirt.

For cool or cold weather safari hunting a fleece jacket or sweater and or a heavy parka are perfectly acceptable.

But you can wear whatever you like on safari. It's your money and nobody is going to say anything if you show up in a bush jacket and fedora with a zebra hat band.

I have a couple of them that I've never worn. Just sitting in the closet next to the unused Texas Safari Vest.

Don't know if they are fashionable or not....never owned one....but , hell, I hunt in Levis or surplus six pocket military pants so I am not a real classic dude....only classic I do is to enjoy a nice refreshing Gin and tonic at sundown...

quote:

The safari jacket was a type of sports jacket styled after a military field coat. It allowed men on safari to be dressed properly but still look super cool.
has fallen out of style.

If if you look at the pre and post WW2 classic safari jackets, they are pretty much copies of the the various Army's Officers Tropical Uniform of the day.

Thats no coincidence and just reflects the background of many of the colonials who were in the bush in that era.

The one below is British,



If you look at pictures of German hunters of the same period, their safari jackets were often very similar to the issue Lufwaffe Tropical uniform jacket of the day...

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
I have a couple of them that I've never worn. Just sitting in the closet next to the unused Texas Safari Vest.

Bring one along should you ever come to South Africa. My size is L

http://www.kapstadt.de/schindlers-africa

quote:

I cut the sleeves off of one of them for giggles and caught a bunch of crap from some members of this forum when I showed-up on TV wearing it...

One must have the courage of their convictions.

quote:

They look good on Stewart Granger in old movies, but I have found that any kind of light cotton jacket or vest is not warm enough when it's cold, and too warm when it's hot!

Mike

Couldn't agree more. For me they serve no practical purpose. I've yet to see a day from June-October that I needed to wear any jacket or vest anywhere except in the Cruiser.

Mark

Well, being an old fart....I wore a vest in RSA, on my 2008 plains game hunt...and loved it!

I don't like fanny/day packs, because to me they are a distraction, and bothersome.

I intend to wear a vest in Zim, in 2011, because it's what I like! Easier on my back, and I can carry all the neccessaries I care to.

How's tha t for an old fart?


Mad Dog

I carry lots of junk, so the pockets are handy. But once the sun is cooking, it stays in the truck.

Yes they are useful if Steven Hawking is right and time travel is a possibility.

Mark: +1 Sunshine: Mine are all mediums! Sorry.

I like the looks of them. Gander Mtn had some very nice ones at SCI. Saturday they went to half price so I got three shirts, and a slightly heavier sleeveless vest.

Rich
hopeless romantic, comes as a result of reading too many books on Africa...

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
Mark: +1 Sunshine: Mine are all mediums! Sorry.

As far as I know a South African size large is equal to an US medium - luck is on my side

I've got a vest that i got from Cabelas several years ago that I use every hunting season over here...once it gets cool. I find the pockets and bullet loops very handy, but as others have said....once it warms up, it has to go. It's one of those fish nor fowl kind of things. The short sleeve jacket that Boyt sells might be a possibilty though. You could just wear it like a shirt like Victor Mature did in Safari.

"I shoots a 30-30 and wear one of those green camo t-shirts cause theys practical."

Be still my heart.

OP back again.

If a fleece jacket is more practical for modern African cool weather hunts, which one is recommended as the best, most practical, most versitile?

After reading some of your responses I googled a bit. Evidently some can be zipped into parka's/rain gear. Are these the way to go or just a stand alone?

Is there on or two brands/models of fleece jackets that are best to consider?

I found my Orange Boise State University hoodie to be very practical in Zim & RSA.

Rich

One must learn the differance between style and fashion. Well executed, these garments still have style, but although I wear mine, I generally don't hunt in it.
Check out http://www.lostworldsinc.com for all manner of stylish, retro clothing.

quote:

Originally posted by Marty:
One must learn the differance between style and fashion.

It doesn't matter what I wear, I still look like a sack of coal tied up in the middle but that's because I'm shaped like a Tokolosh but you're dead right. Style & fashion are two very different things and style is always a great thing!

BTW. Some of that lost world stuff is very stylish!

Of course the Eles and Buff, etc., don't care what you wear.

I've seen what I consider some pretty outrageous attire worn on safari - they make safari jackets look good! Over the years I've probably bought a half dozen while looking for the "right" one. And I agree with others that they aren't very practical for safari use, but they look good on the plane going and coming.

For zim and most everywhere else in the winter you need a Cabelas downlight jacket, a windbloc fleece jacket and a sleeveless garment of your choice.

I am a long time vest wearer and that Boyt short-sleeved jacket mentioned above looks like just the ticket. Thanks for the tip, beleive I will try one. Are those Boyt safari gaiters that I see Ivan and most everyone else wearing? They lokk handy for here in central Texas also.

Don't forget the pith helmet!

classics never go out of style while, dare I say it, camo and face paint thankfully will.

has anyone seen the recent benelli tv ad with the duck hunter who also looks strangely like a member of a paramilitary organization.

gimme a break.

quote:

Originally posted by Pete E:

quote:

The safari jacket was a type of sports jacket styled after a military field coat. It allowed men on safari to be dressed properly but still look super cool.
has fallen out of style.

If if you look at the pre and post WW2 classic safari jackets, they are pretty much copies of the the various Army's Officers Tropical Uniform of the day.

Thats no coincidence and just reflects the background of many of the colonials who were in the bush in that era.

The one below is British,



If you look at pictures of German hunters of the same period, their safari jackets were often very similar to the issue Lufwaffe Tropical uniform jacket of the day...

I've always thought that the Wermacht Field Grey was exactly the right color for safari clothes.

quote:

Originally posted by Wink:
I've always thought that the Wermacht Field Grey was exactly the right color for safari clothes.

If only the Germans had thought the same thing in 1939!



OK, my apologies for a bad taste joke but I just couldn't resist it!

Tokolosh you fall well short in one area there my friend.