Two simple questions in our quest to get ready.

1. Do you take your film out of the plastic canisters or just out of the paper box? (by the way I am using Fuji and the canisters are translucent not black)


2. Are we packing our ammo in MTM type plastic boxes or getting factory boxes to pack with?

Just tying up loose ends.

Thanks
Dulcinea

Dulcinea:

I leave film in the plastic containers, and translucent is good for security purposes, and also makes it easy to see which rolls have been used (leader isn't visible). I also tape them together in pairs with the tops facing in opposite directions to reduce the number of individual packets. Thirdly, I use a permanent marker to number the container and the film canister itself so that at processing time I can transfer the number to the developing envelope and keep them in order when they get back.

I've always uses plastic ammo boxes and so far no problems. I either tape them shut or use heavy duty rubber bands to prevent the lids from popping or sliding open. Some have suggested putting a label on the box, giving the impression of "factory" ammo.

Good hunting!

Thanks,

Just what I wanted to find out!!

Dulcinea

Keep your film in your carry-on baggage. You can ask them to hand check it, some will some won't.

Most carry-on scanners will not damage film anyway.

Some checked baggage scanners will fog the film a bit.

Don

Are lead lined film bags no longer allowed?

You may also consider buying your film when you arrive in Africa. I asked my PH about this and he told me there are numerous shops around Windhoek that carry quality film. They will also develop the film so you carry only pictures home. You don't have to worry about fogged or damaged film going either way. And as a bonus, it appears much less expensive to get film developed there as opposed to the States.

I took the film out of each cannister before we left and just carried a few rolls in two or three spare cannisters I brought along when in the field to keep dust out. This worked right well up to the point that the camera got pinched! Stupid tourist mistake but I thankfully lost little more than the camera as I had most of the film in a spare bag.



What film I didn't lose, I had developed in Namibia and that made things a lot easier on the return for the search and siezure part at security check points. We had so many rolls that they even gave us a 20% discount on the development putting it well under what it costs in the U.S. Print quality was as good as home.



MTM boxes with heavy rubber bands worked well for me too.



K

The lead lined bags are still permitted.

Dulcinea,

We always just take the film out of the cardboard box and transport it in the plastic container. The translucent cans might even be better than the black ones as has already been suggested.

I've recently been packing my ammo in factory boxes. Actually the Alaska Airlines fireams declaration addresses your ammo being in factory boxes. The last 2 times I traveled with guns I was specifically asked about how my ammo was packaged. It's not that hard to find some factory boxes. Why take a chance that some over zealous airline person will give you a hard time or not let you board with your ammo. The boxes don't even have to match the ammo.

Regards,

Mark

Factory boxes are hard to come up with for wildcats, so I use MTM boxes. Never any problem. I figure that since they are handloads, I'm the factory and that's my factory box.

Regarding getting the film deveoped over yonder--do they do good work, and what about time? Do you have a few days after the hunt to wait for the development, or do you try these "one hour" wonders, none of which I want messing with my film in the US, let alone a foregin country. Ever loose your film during development? Sounds like a good idea, just don't know about the logistics.

As usual what a wealth of info here. I will let the film in the canisters number them as suggested(smart idea when you dont know which end is up. I think I will go the factory box route.

I wonder what would happen if you just got on the plane and did not worry about all this shit!!!

When I start analizing too much my daughter says'simply "Dad"!!!!

Dulcinea

I second the comments by DesertRam and others on developeing the film over there. We did in RSA and got 26 rolls developed AND burned to CD for what it cost us to get 6 rolls do the same way here

Good Luck!

Most of the better photo shops over there have the exact same Fuji or Kodak machines for development as we have in the states. Sometimes you must specify the paper you would like used. I gave up bringing film back. Of course, for the price of developing 30 or 40 rolls of film, you could get a decent 3+ megapixel digital camera and one of those nifty stand alone printers that don't need a computer to print. Take the film camera as a back-up, but the digital is the way to go for the average trophy pic, and it's a bunch easier to carry than an SLR with a bunch of extra lenses and film. Just mho.

I believe the requirement for ammo packaging is "INDIVIDUAL" containers and the MTM boxes put each round into it's own individual space as opposed to just throwing 60 rounds in a zip lock and taping it shut.

All factory boxes also package each round separately from the others not allowing them to contact each other.

This is a common requirement for ammo and primers locally stateside

I used this infernal machine to print up labels with all the usual factory info on them and call myself the Southern California Ammunition Works. They look so "professional" that my buddy at the range had another shooter ask where he could buy the brand! I label the MTM boxes and seal them with transparent packing tape. No one even looks at them twice.

But how long do you have to wait for the development? Here, unless you use one of those in-store gadgets, which I don't trust because if they screw up the negatives, that's it, it takes a week. But maybeso I'm overly worried about those machines. I always send my rolls out to have them done by Kodak. Am I pissing in the wind? Getting them done over there could be real handy, but I sure don't want to risk my negative quality. I don't have a digital, and not likely to for some time, at best. This is potentially some damn handy info!

Last year I used factory ammo and dito boxes, this year I had my own handloads and a plastic box -either way no trouble at least if you�re going to the RSA.

Have you considered buying a digital camera? I got one this year and it made the whole process of getting good pics a lot easier.

I've already got 3 cameras and I'm damn sure not getting another! And, other than this computer at work, I don't have access to one, and this one doesn't know anything about photos to my knowledge. Also, I like to have negatives so that I can make additional prints and enlargements. So, the digital is out!

I pack my ammo in plastic boxes, 20 round boxes and 50 round boxes as long as the have the partitions in the box they are legal....Or in taped up factory boxes that I have had for eons...

I carry my film in the plastic round cases they come in...Xray machines only destroy ultra violet film I have been told by experts...

At any rate I go to Africa every year, and many other foriegn destinations and have for years and I have never had any kind of a problem anywhere I have been, not even once...

Always be polite or act as innocent as a lamb, always smile, that will get you by about anywhere you go overseas...Smart asses suffer...

I really have to chime in on the digital camera thing. I got one for the family at Christmas and it's some of the best money I've ever spent on a gift.



The picture quality is better than anything I've ever taken, and getting photos off the camera and onto the computer is the first thing I've done on a computer that is actually as simple as it is supposed to be. Just about any computer made since 2000 can handle the transfer.



What I didn't realize is how much I'm saving on film by not developing shots I don't want. If one shot out of ten is a real "keeper", I just develop that one. Sam's Club prints digital shots for $0.29 each.



Also, because each shot is free, I take three or four times as many pictures as with wet film, using different positions, settings, etc., just to see if it works out.



There are some things they don't do as well, specifically really quick shots, as the lock-time is about 1 second.





When I go to Africa, I'll probably borrow an SLR, but my digital will be my primary.



Tom



(Heck, just the automatic anti-red-eye feature makes it worhtwhile!)

Tom if you are borrowing a slr be sure to borrow a digital slr. You won't be disapointed. "D"

I am taking my old Canon AE-1, my new Olympus 4 megapixal digital, new Panasonic video. Enough film and memory for about 1200 pics. I like the digital but I still think film takes a better trophy pic, for me that is.

Some times I just like to stand and take it all in rather than spoil the moment messing with a camera!!!

Dulcinea

Digitals aside--I'm sure they are fine for the computer types, although I have heard that they are rather fragile--at any rate, you guys using film, please, how are you getting development done regarding time? Does this only work if you have 3 or 4 days to wait? Have you found places that can do a decent job in a day? Where have you done this? Only in big cities like Jo'berg and/or Capetown?

Art, I have no direct experience, but my PH told me there were several very good photo shops in Windhoek that could develop or film within a day. We'll end up with a couple days at the end of the hunt, so this will work out just fine. I imagine we'll have a couple rolls of "tourist" film to take on the plane, but I hope most of our hunting pictures will be developed and burned onto a CD.

Well, I reckon I'll look into this this trip. Don't know if it can be worked out timewise in my case, we'll see. All I need is prints (and negatives, of course), no CD burned. It would be nice to have photos on the plane home, eh? A guy could have them all labelled, those to go in an album selected, etc. Good way to use that time! And to be able to show photos to buds upon return would be nice instead of having to wait a week--by then they loose interest.