best bag to get for fly in safari in kenya
 

family is taking first safari next july. I know there are weight limits on the small planes so wondering what duffle or luggage is preferred? thanks

A duffel without wheels is ideal. I swear by LL Bean Adventure duffle bags. I have two: one is a whopping 17 years old and looks as good as new. One is 12 years old and looks great. They have never had to be repaired, and when empty they are light.

If you must take a rolling suitcase, go small and light.

large or extra large?

plambers, I used this on my last safari for 2 weeks and it was perfect. http://www.lipault-usa.com/original-...colate#start=9 I went with a wheel-less LL Bean duffle the first two safaris and it was hard to organize and a pain to carry.

If you do a search on safaritalk for "lipault" you'll see it's a popular bag among veteran safarigoers, which is why I got it, especially if you're going carry-on only, which I did successfully! Most camps will do laundry for you, with same day return of clothes as long as they're not hard-to-dry fabrics, so you don't need to take nearly as much as you think.

amy, thanks. the ll bean duffles look like they would be a pain to carry. all our camps do laundry. it is a small bag for 2 weeks!

You really don't need to worry too much about "fashion" on safari. Comfort and wash-ability is key.

I used that Lipault bag with Ziploc bags that compress (and organize!) piles of clothes and still had room. I'm taking even fewer clothes next time. It's not a fashion show so I don't care if I wear the same shirt 3 or 4 times if I can get it cleaned once along the way.

Another vote for LL Bean Adventure duffles. I love that they can be personalized and come in many colors for easy identification. Mine have been around the world (literally) several times and are still in great shape.

As said, you certainly don't have to worry about fashion on safari. With daily laundry, we take very little. You also don't have to worry about carrying your bags. Once you land, they will be handled for you everywhere. We rarely touched ours.

Choose a not-black bag and it's easier. You can easily see your luggage from the plane and it's easy to say the orange bag instead of the 3rd black bag from the right.

I love my Eagle Creek duffle. You only need three outfits (pants/shirt)--one to wear, one to wash and another. My first trip I thought I couldn't manage either, but the second one I took even less.

I have an Eagle Creek duffle I love. I thought the same thing my first time--but you really don't need much. Three outfits is right. Two pairs of shoes--wear one. On the plane ride home after the first trip, we wrote out a packing list for the second--much trimmed. Most of the room was taken up with medical/first aid and toiletries since you cannot get anything you might need. Clothes --you really don't need much of.

Very helpful replies, but here's my dilemma: we are thinking of a trip late October/early November, that would be about a week in Amsterdam, then a week in Kenya.....so how to plan for cool city weather and warm/hot safari weather? And the shoes.......oh my. :~)

I had to take a week's worth of clothes for safari in Kenya and 5 days' worth for gorilla trekking in the rainforest, very different wardrobes and a second pair of shoes, and I still used the Lipault I linked above. If your camp does laundry in Kenya, you only need a few things. And I could get by with 2 pairs of jeans in Amsterdam for a week. If you're smart about it, you can do it!

what size Ziploc bags do you use to organize?

There are two sizes at the Container Store and I use both
https://www.containerstore.com/s/tra...uctId=10006747

Thanks amyb! I already use the Eagle Creek Pack It System, but have never tried the compression ziploc bags. Love them! They will be so helpful for packing my daughter for an upcoming 18 day service trip to Peru where she is using one small duffle. Last year she did a similar program in Thailand and through her bag fit the limit she wants to go smaller.

I am also an avid traveler to Africa and have done safari multiple times in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana. I am one who loves clothes and can figure out a way to be fashionable on safari, especially for dinner at some of the lodges. With that said, even though over packing is my middle name, it is not desirable on safari at all. You really cannot be overweight at all and even in the largest of rooms, closet space is at a minimum. As many have said, laundry service is really, really good and I have never had a problem getting my stuff back in perfect condition each evening of the day I put it in to be washed. Layers are key and having a few warm accessories / outer layers can go a long way in helping you to take a minimal number of pants and tops. Throw in an easy skirt, top, fashionable scarf if you want, but make sure you can wear the top with pants too. I am telling you safari is the one trip where I really regretted over packing the first time and never made that mistake again. I too, use of most of my space/weight on toiletries I cannot live without, travel and other essential meds, camera stuff and cords to keep the whole family powered up. Shoes are a comfortable walking / hiking shoe (not boots), a light weight (fashionable) bendable sneaker (like a colorful Nike mesh sneaker) and a pair of flip flops that I throw on during the day around camp. All easily packable and can transfer to the city after safari. I am telling you this over packer can take one duffel on safari/vacation which is no small feat for me but so smart and liberating! Good luck and have a lot of fun!

I take the LL Bean duffel.

This time I am taking school supplies from this list; look up your camp and see what the local communities/schools might need; many things are light and inexpensive and can be purchased on Amazon. For example:

https://www.packforapurpose.org/dest...a/zarafa-camp/

Here are the locations/camps in Kenya, and what they request:

https://www.packforapurpose.org/dest.../africa/kenya/

>>You really cannot be overweight at all <<

So true. And what is "bad" about the compression bags is you can fit more into your small duffle, but the compressed stuff still weighs the same!

Each successive safari I have taken less. On the last 2 week safari I took three pairs of pants, my trail sneakers (which I wore in transit so they took up no space) and a pair of flip flops I tossed as I left.

I have zero desire to look anything even remotely fashionable on safari, even at dinner. Without a hairdryer I'm a lost cause from the head down, so I don't mind not being 100% clean (covered in dirt, insect repellant, sunblock and sweat from the minute you wake up!) because everyone else isn't either. It's a really nice departure from how presentable I have to be at work! Just put on a hat and go. The animals have no idea that your clothes are the same from yesterday or don't necessarily match.

amyb, would you mind sharing your packing list? I am the same with the hair! can I just wear my nike sneakers and will bring flip flops. we are doing a walking safari one day-are my nikes ok or do I need hiking boots?