Packing for an African Safari

Packing for a Safari to Africa requires a bit more thought than many other excursions. You want to see the animals, first of all, which means not dressing in a way that's going to scare them off. Or dressing in a way that will make a hunter want to take shots at you.

This month, Budget Travel put out a great article, Get the Most out of Your African Safari. There's a nice packing list as part of it, including why you need specific items. If you're heading that way soon or are in planning mode, check this one out. It's not a cheap endeavor to take a safari, so don't mess it up by taking the wrong gear and clothing along.

The handy retractable cable lock

Little locks you put on your luggage or backpack zipper are nice, but what if someone is ready to just pick up your whole bag and go? The best solution is a light retractable lock that can attach your things to something stationary. It makes things quite difficult for a thief and is sure to slow him down. Especially handy when you want to catch some sleep on an overnight bus or train. Just lock your backpack to the luggage rack and have some sweet dreams.

They work kind of like a ski lock, with the cable coming out (up to three feet in some cases) when deployed, then zipping back into the plastic case not needed. You set a combination that you'll remember, so no need to carry around a key.

In about 15 years of traveling, I've only gone through two of these retractable locks, so they win points for durability. There are cheaper ones around, but with a name like "Outpac RetractaSafe 200," this one pictured here has got to be close to bulletproof. Get it for $17.95 at REI.com.

Rolling Duffel Bags

If you're backpacking around the world, you need, well, a backpack. But if you are a working stiff who only gets a week or two off here and there, you need another option.

After getting tired of a backpack not being right but a suitcase not cutting it either, I plopped down a little cash for a rolling duffel bag and I think I've found the perfect compromise. You can roll it when you're cruising through an airport terminal that seems to go on for miles, but then you can pick it up and carry it when you hit a patch of lovely old cobblestones and flights of stairs at your destination. Just don't get one of those huge rolling duffles though or you'll stuff it with too much weight and defeat the purpose.

You can spend 200 bucks or so by buying one at a fancy luggage store or travel gear site, but since I'm a cheap bastard I'd rather spend a fraction and move on when it wears out. "Duffle bag" and "quality craftmanship" don't seem to belong together anyway. If you're not obsessed with quality, you can find some good deals among the castoffs by searching at Overstock.com:

Travel Gear under $100 at Overstock.com!