Questions: What’s the one thing no traveler goes without?
Answer: A travel bag.
It is one of the essential items which is almost always in the background – or thrown on a bed or the floor after a long journey – but it makes up a very important part of your travels.
So what is your favorite type of luggage you use to explore Africa?
What's your favorite luggage?
1. The hard suitcase
Great for an extended business trip to Cape Town or when staying in one place for the duration of your holiday such as a beach resort in Zanzibar where one of the staff members whisk your suitcase from the taxi/tuc-tuc/bus to your air-conditioned suite without you lifting a finger; but an absolute pain-in-the-behind when confronted with pathways made of loose gravel or a tiny luggage space on a light aircraft (and the possibility of your luggage being left behind ‘coz you didn’t read your trip dossier’ – I know of travelers that were given the choice to leave it behind or pay for an extra seat where they had to put the solid, hard cased travel accessory!).
There are many benefits to a hard suitcase – it’s safe with a secure lock, it’s sturdy to protect the contents against abuse at airports, your clothes are generally in good condition when you get to your destination and it can be used for both business and pleasure. You can also ‘mark’ it with a brightly colored strap that makes it stand out from the rest on the airport conveyor belt (except if everyone else has the same idea)! But there are times when the hard option should rather be left at home…especially when it comes to Africa travel.
2. The soft duffel bag (leather, canvas, and other space-age materials)
The next on our list is the soft luggage bag made of leather, canvas, polyester or a combination of all.
Firstly, choose the correct fabric. Leather is obviously an excellent choice! It doesn’t just shout ‘Africa’ to anyone who’d listen, but it’s also durable and strong. Another favorite is a good ripstop fabric (canvas or polyester will do) in combination with quality stitching – this should last you many years.
Then choose an appropriate color. Think ‘Saturday morning garden chores’ when you choose your luggage. Africa is dusty (in an array of shades), so white will not be the best for your African safari. Dark colors work well as well as neutral beige and camel/tan fabrics. Some fabric bags are manufactured with a solid base that incorporates a telescopic handle ideal for pulling your bag instead of carrying it. And it gives a bit of sturdiness to an otherwise ‘soft’ travel bag. Other deciding factors to keep an eye out for is the strength of the handles and a good quality zip that can lock. There are some bags that come with built in shoulder straps (hidden in a pouch at the bottom of the bag) to make it a type of backpack/travel bag combo. These are nice for making the odd short stretch between the train station and the backpackers a bit easier, but it won’t do for the a true backpacking trip around Africa.
3. This brings us to the backpack (worn by many adventurous travelers across the globe)
There are many makes and sizes of backpacks on market with all sorts of applications in mind. Choose one that will suit your style of travel, but more importantly pick a backpack that can take the hardships of a backpacking trip around Africa.
4. The day pack
This is a travelers closest companion that will be on your back almost every second of your trip (except when you snorkel off a tropical island, enjoy a helicopter flip over the Victoria Falls or jump off a bridge shouting ‘bungiiieeeeeeee’). It must be able to carry a wide range of items like your camera, travel guides (or an ipad), binoculars, something warm, sunglasses, suntan lotion, earplugs, an ipod, a water bottle, a small note book, and a basic medical kit to name but a few. Choose one that will suit your travel style but make sure it has strong straps as it will be handle a lot. It is also good to get one that fits on your back for those exploratory trips into colorful markets or a walking safari in one of Africa’s wilderness areas.
Our choice?
I have a few soft luggage bags of various sizes in my top cupboard. And 2 day packs. The bags we use really depend on the type of trip we are planning. Our choice has largely been determined by our Africa travels which mostly demand soft bags that can fit into tiny light aircraft luggage spaces, packed into a boat taking us across Lake Malawi, yet comfortably fits on a luggage rack in a luxury tented camp in the wilds of the African bush.
My perfect travel bag is a combination of leather and canvas…in authentic African safari style.