What To Pack?

Jambo! You are off on the greatest adventure ever. It is 15,000 miles away and there are no corner convenience stores, gunsmiths, medical clinics or hardware stores. If you did not pack it... oh well! It is the little things that make or break a trip. Here is a list of suggestions that may make it all work a bit better. There are also a couple of damn stout warnings too.

In order to pack better maybe you should take 24 pills instead of the 36 in the box. Tear off the instructions and put it and the pills in a zip lock bag. If something leaks, it does it in the bag and not on your other goods.

Consider these items. (Bold items I consider very important)

Matches. Any kind is better than none if you get caught out and need a fire. Benadryl tablets and cream. Zinc Ointment. Aspirin. Drixoral. Aleve, great for bad necks, back pain etc. Q Vel (for muscle cramps).

Surfak (stool softener). Imodium AD (anti diarrhea). Preparation H. Mylanta II (heartburn & indigestion)

Wash & Dry Moist Towelettes (for the trip to the timber etc.!) Lambs wool. Moleskin.

Spenco Blister Gel Kit. Foot powder. Corn cushions. (If you can not walk you can not hunt.)

Ace bandage. Q tips. Tweezers. Kleenex tissue packs. Sunscreen. Bactine Hydrocortisone. Mentholatum. Eyewash, Band-Aids (all sizes & shapes), eye patches, Iodine & Iodine swabs, Ambesol (toothache), nasal spray, cough drops (no noise in the leopard blind), Unscented liquid soap for body, hair & clothing if needed.

Dental floss & sewing needle (dental floss makes great thread). Swiss Army knife (Hunter model) has tweezers, game saw, corkscrew and bottle cap opener (there are no pop-top or twist off tops in third world countries). Leatherman Tool. With the Hunter model Swiss Army and a Leatherman you can ‘fix’ the world! Leave your sheath knife at home.

Any eyewear you might need plus extra pair. Small magnifying glass (in case you lose / break your glasses).

Various size 4 mil Zip Lock bags, rubber bands, safety pins, electrical tie straps, and a couple of 39 gal. trash bags. (I put my luggage in a trash bag to keep out bull dust and spilled diesel fuel on one trip.) Roll of nylon strapping tape (not silver duct tape) which will fix nearly anything.

Lens cleaner fluid and tissues for various optical lenses. Take down rifle cleaning rod (#1120 Rapid Rod from Atsko Inc.) Small whetstone, compass, orange surveying tape (mark your way or location of kill), screwdrivers & wrenches necessary for screws on firearms and scopes.

Bug spray with Deet. Leather gloves and full brim hat (not a baseball cap). 3 pair of everything... long pants, long sleeve shirts, long socks, underwear etc. Laundry is done every day in camp. You can always cut off legs and sleeves. (Remember, if it is summer here, it is winter there.) Two of broken in footwear and extra laces (I wore running shoes). Shower thong shoes. The most important clothing item I took was a Shannon Bug Tamer Jacket. This saved me from bugs and flies. You can tape the bottom of your pants around your leg or use a rubber band to do the same thing. Down jacket. Bandannas. Rain poncho. Sweater (One with the product called Windstopper inside is great.).

Take a zillion batteries for any thing that runs on batteries. Electrical converter (nothing is 110 volts over there). Two good flashlights. A great canteen (I like the 2 qt. Bladder type as used in Viet Nam. As water goes down so does size) Have water purification tablets on your person in case you are a long way from the truck and need to refill from the local source. Do Not Share Your Water With Anyone! I repeat... do not share your water!!!!!

All information courtesy of: