Safari Gear Checklist

This is not an exhaustive list of things that must be taken on safari, but is just a list of what I found useful on our trips, from clothing to camera equipment.

Clothing:

Safari Shirts - light coloured khaki or olive. The lighter the better, and some of these new "breathable" fabrics are great for helping stop the sweat! Long sleeved to protect from sun, tsetse fly and acacia thorns (Rohan / Ellis Brigham / YHA / Karrimor).

Hat - really important, not just for sun, but great when you're flying through the bush on the back of an open truck with thorny bushes whacking everything in sight.

Shorts - for daytime.

Trouses - Long, lightweight Trousers (Rohan "Bags" are great) during the evening - it's still hot, but the bugs are out!

Shoes - boots aren't essential, trainers or "jungle moc's" are light and comfortable. Sandals get a little creepy at night if you're wandering around near campfires and scorpions!

Cargo Vest/Camera Vest - Sometimes I was grateful for it, othertimes I hated it for making me even hotter. Good for carrying extra lenses, sunglasses, suncream. Bad for being heavy and hot.

Camera Equipment
What I took and found useful:
1 Main Camera Body (EOS-50E, EOS-D60 Digital SLR)
1 Spare Camera Body - Incase of breakages, but mainly to have a second lens/film on the go at all times.
Canon 300mm F4 L (Integral Hood & Tripod Mount) ~ Main lens, in combination with 1.4TC
Canon 1.4x Teleconverter
Canon 28-105mm Zoom ~ Secondary Lens for close shots, snaps and landscapes

Camera Supports (very Important)

Benbo/Manfrotto Superclamp with Manfrotto quick release
The best supporting equipment I took by a long way, attached it to all the roof-support bars horizontally or vertically. I attached to it a small benbo ball head from a benbo trekker and a quick release plate. When driving around, unclip the camera and hold in a camera case to protect against the bumps. If you get stuck the monopod or beanbag will always let you frame for something on the other side of the van.

Beanbag - ben-v-bag and H-style bean bags both worked well
Take them empty and get them filled at the safari camp with rice or dried beans

Monopod (Velbon Carbon) with swivel head and manfrotto quick release
The lighter the better. Along with the beanbag this helped with around 33% of the shots taken. The rest were taken using the clamp or handheld.

Films:
(Now i'm shooting digital this is obsolete, but if you're using film this is what I would have taken)
Slide Films
8x Velvia 50
3x Ektachrome E200

Print Films
10x Reala 100
10x Superia 400
5x Superia 800

Suppliers:
mx2.com (channel-islands based mail order don't charge VAT - they always send packages below the £18 customs cut-off mark)

Gear:
www.speedgraphic.co.uk mail-order camera gear.

Other:
Ziploc bags for Films, Repellent, Cash (lots)
Hama Lead x-ray bags for fast films - don't know if they worked, but they packed the films nicely and nothing blurred - even after going through the main baggage x-ray machine at Dar es Salaam by mistake.
Lens Hoods - avoid that flare and protect your lenses
Sticky labels to code exposed films - very useful
(Manfrotto Quick-release System for Clamp & Monopod. With plenty of spare plates)

Flash
Spare Batteries
Binoculars 8x30 (Steiner Safari)
Camera Bags (Large enough for Large Lens with Teleconverter, Space for films)
The Lowe-pro Street & Field Reporter system is a great modular system. It comprises a main camera holder, optional belt, film-drop bag, binocular case, etc.
African Wildlife Books

Medical:
Immodium!
Aspirin
Sunscreen
Oral Rehydration Tablets/Sachets
A Good DEET based repellend

Web links:
www.safari.cc
Serena Hotels
Zanzibar Serena
Selous Luxury Tented Camp

Tips.
800 ASA for Early Morning & Evening When Animals most active;
Polariser for Landscapes;
Sleeve for Lens when in use to keep out dust;