What to take on a 4x4 safari ...

What one takes on a trip like the one we have just completed is quite confusing for the first timer and one ends up taking way too much and this detracts from the enjoyment almost as much as not having something that would really make life much easier.  The more you take the more you have to pack and unpack and the more difficult it is to find anything. The less you take the greater the chance is that you have left something behind that you will really need so packing is bit of a balancing act which sometimes does not have a right and a wrong.

We found that packing lists are highly dependent on at least the following factors:

• Where one is going
• How long one is going for
• Who we are
• What the weather will be like
• What facilities will be available
• How difficult the trip will be
• What the menu is

... and those are just off the top of my head, the point is that each trip will have different mixture of requirements so I don't think that having one packing list is actually possible.  What we have done is to consolidate several packing lists detailing if, in our opinion, something is essential and, after the fact, if we used it as well as some rationale behind the items.

The packing list is published with a disclaimer that at the end of the day what one takes and, just as importantly, leaves behind is ones' own responsibility.  The section on medical is more complicated than necessary but what we tried to do after the fact is break it into supplies that need to be taken on the left hand side and the ailments that they address across the top.  We are not doctors so don't take our word for anything, use common sense and ask your own doctor if you are unsure.

The document is based in part on the following packing lists :

• Map Studio 4x4 routes
• The complete guide to four-wheel drive
• The 4x4 safari cookbook

as well as my own packing lists and common sense.