What to pack and how to pack for your African overland adventure!

By Jessica | June 20, 2012

Only pack as much as you can comfortably carry, not pull:

There are going to be other people on your tour and as the adage goes, first impressions last. When they see you arriving with everything but the kitchen sink, you’re going to get the hairy eyeball. The more you pack, the more uncomfortable you will be; this is definitely a game of less is more. When you arrive at a campsite or at your accommodation, you will need to take your bag out of the truck and carry it to where you will be sleeping and this may be more than a hundred meters away.

Money belt, Day pack and Duffel bag (and sleeping bag if you’re camping):

This combination of bags will see you safely and comfortably through your African adventure tour. Stash your cash, passports and any other important travel documents in your money belt and keep it on you or in the safe. Your daypack is for water, snacks, a light wind resistant top, extra set of socks and underwear, a good book (or your kindle), camera, binoculars, phone and ipod. Put everything that you won’t need during the day into your duffel bag – other clothing, shoes, toiletries, medication, towel and shove it up onto the shelf overhead or into one of the lockers at the back of the truck. Not all trucks have lockers and lockers are not standardised in size.

A money belt is an excellent way to carry your important travel documents, cash and cards.
Carry your day time necessities in a good, small, strong day pack
A compact and flexible duffel bag is perfect for stashing into a locker or an overhead shelf
Using a small combination lock will mean that you won’t have to continuously hunt for your keys!

Wheelie / frame bags are not advisable:

As the wheelie / trolley bags have a solid frame, they don’t squeeze into spaces the same way a backpack or duffel bag does, some of the lockers are as narrow as 38cms and some of the shelves as narrow as 20cms. If the frame does not fit these diameters, there aren’t many other places to put your bag and it will inconvenience everyone else on tour. Also, by day two, the mud and stones will get into the little wheels on your wheelie bag and the novelty will be over and you’ll be carrying it from A to B. They aren’t as comfortable to carry as a duffel bag and as you know you don’t have to carry it, you end up packing a lot more than you normally would.

Not a good idea to bring this kind of bag on tour!
This is what the lockers look like at the back of the truck, this is why you need to be considerate of your fellow travellers and remember…. less is more!

Make sure you pack these into your luggage:

If you remember to pack these few items into your bag, you will be so much more comfortable on tour:

– Wet wipes
– A pillow
– Ziplock bags
– Head torch
– Extra batteries
– A small combination padlock
– Small first aid kit – plasters, eye drops, spray or cream for bites and stings

 

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