Gear |
Travel in Africa is adventurous and
you need equipment that you would not normally consider
for a conventional holiday. Some items are essential, such as a sleeping
bag, water bottle and torch.
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Sleeping bag |
Sleeping mat |
Torch |
Water bottle |
Clothes washing gear
Mosquito net |
Pen knife |
Music |
Other gear |
| Sleeping
bag |
Depending on the time of year and the
countries you are visiting, a medium warmth sleeping bag is sufficient. Quite
often it’s too hot to climb into your sleeping bag, so get a bag that has a zip
all the way around so you can open it up and lie on top. If it is
really cold then just wear more clothes to bed. You may want to consider
a sleep sheet as well, either to use on its own or to put inside your sleeping
bag to keep it clean. You then only need to wash the sheet.
Make sure your sleeping bag fits snugly into a bag. This makes storage
much easier in the overland vehicle.
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| Sleeping
mat |
Most trips require you
to bring a sleeping mat, though on some shorter tours these are included.
Check your pre-departure information. They can also be used as general ground cover when you are around the campfire
or on the beach. The purpose of the sleeping mat is to provide you with some
comfort and to insulate your sleeping bag. By creating a barrier
between the ground and your sleeping bag, the sleeping mat helps retain
heat and protects your sleeping bag from cold spots and rising
damp.
The most expensive and most comfortable kind is the self-inflating mat
which expands when rolled out. You will need to take along
a repair kit for those unavoidable punctures.
For: Very comfortable, compact and light
Against: Expensive, possible punctures
Foam roll mats are extremely lightweight, can bend and squeeze into
confined spaces and are the cheapest type of sleeping mat. You can
buy different quality foam roll mats, but some tear very easily. However
they will generally last for a whole trip with a minimal amount of
care.
For: Cheap, flexible, disposable, and good for wrapping
up fragile souvenirs at the end of a trip
Against: Not very comfortable, poor durability
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| Torch |
Absolutely essential if
you’re camping – you need to be able to see where you
are going in the dark. We urge you to carry your torch everywhere
at night. There are a range of durable torches available at camping
shops. Remember to bring sufficient spare batteries. Some overland
passengers bring head torches. These may lack style but they are
mighty handy when putting up a tent or cooking, as they leave your
hands free. Most vehicles have interior and exterior lights, but excessive
use of these drains the vehicle’s batteries.
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| Water
bottle |
A durable plastic water
bottle can be filled from the vehicle’s water tank or jerry
cans, which carry safe, often purified drinking water. Bottled water
is available but it is expensive and throwing away several plastic
bottles a day is also not very eco-friendly.
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| Clothes
washing gear |
On most trips there will
be the opportunity to pay for a laundry service somewhere along the
way. In East Africa many campsites offer washing services that involve
the primitive washing-on-stones-in the-river method. Your clothes
will be wonderfully clean though this method wears them out quickly -
so leave the designer gear at home. In southern Africa you may be
able to use a Laundromat and some campsites have washing machines.
At some point you will have to hand wash your own clothes. Washing
soap is cheap and plentiful in Africa, but you may want to consider
bringing a clothes line and scrubbing brush.
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| Mosquito
net |
Sleeping out under the
stars in Africa is a wonderful experience, but you will need a mosquito net. In most campsites there will be a tree or fence
from which to hang your net, or you can simply hang the mosquito net
from the truck. There will be some campsites where it is necessary
to sleep in a tent, especially those in national parks where animals
roam free. Mosquito nets can be bought in camping shops though they
tend to be quite expensive. It’s worth remembering that if you
are starting a tour in Nairobi, they can be bought there very
cheaply. If this is something that appeals to you, make time before
your trip starts to do some shopping. In southern Africa they are
about the same price as back home.
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| Pen
knife |
Always handy - especially
if it has a bottle opener or corkscrew!
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| Music |
You may want to bring an
inexpensive personal stereo. Most vehicles have stereos that play
tapes, and increasingly CDs. Bring a few of each.
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| Other
gear |
Bring a towel, camera and
film. (Film can be expensive and difficult to obtain in some places.) Also pack spare camera batteries, binoculars and an alarm clock. It is a surprising
little known fact that toilet roll is
available for sale all over Africa. So you don't need to bring
two months' supply!
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