Gear is packed and waiting to go...we are counting the hours till wheels up!

After my last post regarding the test run on packing I made a check list (actually two of them). I found I had left out quite a bit. One list sits on my desk at all times and receives additions and updates on a regular basis (I even forgot shampoo!) It's getting down to the wire now. After months of asking my son to pack things in his bag (and watching it sit empty for month) I finally forced him to stop whatever he was doing and get to it! He is taking this WAY to lightly! I weighed my duffle  and came up 15lbs. shy of my 50lb. weight limit (AWESOME!!! I get to bring more stuff)

I did a trial run on my packing today. On the bottom is my aluminum double gun case. My rolling duffle will have all my clothing and gear, and the pack will have all my carry-on items such as camera, snacks, etc.
The packing thing is driving me crazy cuz I can only bring so much. I was once told how to pack by an old timer that frequented Africa quite often. He quite simply said "Lay out all of your gear on the floor in one pile, and all of your money in another pile, then throw away half of your gear and double your money"
This to me, is becoming more like the truth every day...

I met with my PH last weekend at a Safari Club fundraiser. We discussed my hunt in great detail and I was able to get a ton of questions answered. I inquired about bringing my bow and was told I was more than welcome to bowhunt, but that would entail sitting in a blind 12 hours a day. The downside of this is that hunting a waterhole is kind of a take what you can get type of hunt. In other words, there is higher odds of bagging a trophy while covering more ground via truck and then on foot (spot and stalk). We also discussed my hunt list. My list at this time is:
2 kudu
2 warthog
1 zebra
1 impala
2 springbok
1 steenbuck

I picked up this rolling duffel type bag at Costco. It seems pretty sturdy, has a ton of cool features and was reasonably priced. I may have enough room in here to fit my bow.

I have generated a ton of paperwork while in the planning phase of the safari. I have kept meticulous records of all correspondence between my PH and myself regarding costs, expenses, what is and is-not included during our safari, etc. I believe all of this should travel with us as a "just in case" insurance policy. I ran over to the nearest office supply store and picked up a couple of seven slot binders. I made labels for the following slots:
1) Passport copies (I made double copies of mine & my sons passport, we both have copies of each other plus
     our own)
2) Gun and camera registration (once again, double copies)
3) Safari General (all information pertaining to the safari including pricing, letter of invitation, clothing list, etc)
4) Firearms import permits (double)
5) Correspondence (copies of all E-mails between the PH and myself and also the safe house)
6) Airline info. (ticket booking verification, flight itinerary, sky-miles, ect.) 


I can't stress enough how important it is to have copies of everything (especially each others information) in both hunters folders. In the event that one of your carry-on bags is lost or stolen, this will prove invaluable.


These two folders will fit nicely into a back pack or carry on.

 You can see the well organized paperwork under the correct headings.

Kyle and I went to the customs office at the Windsor tunnel yesterday to fill out the 4457 forms (to declare origin of firearms and camera equip). It went fairly smooth except for the one young jackass customs officer that had to act like a tough guy (no doubt to compensate for a small penis).
Also finished loading up the 40 rounds for the 264 Win mag. Below you can see the powder scale and trickler being used.