luggage for travel to africa

We will be flying from Cape Town to Victoria Falls, then to Mana Pools Park, Zimbabwe, then to Hwange Park in Zimbabwe (I think those are flights, then fly to Johannesburg.

A standard suitcase has a frame. When I did my first trip to Africa, the company provided a lightweight duffel with two wheels. The small planes for your internal flights has to be able to stuff light in like packing your trunk for camping. Every crevice in the hold filled.
If you return to the same starting city, you can fly over with a suitcase, transfer over necessities to a duffel, and pick up suitcase upon the return. The hotel is most likely happy to store your suitcase during the tour.

What airline?

When I went to South Africa and Botswana, I just took a plain duffel bag (no wheels). We had a couple flights on 12 seater aircraft and were limited to 12 kg, so wheels were pretty much out of the question. If this is part of an arranged safari trip, you probably won’t have to carry your luggage far once you are there, We were picked up right by the airstrip.

My experience though might not be like yours. Who advised you of the soft sided requirement? I would ask them.

Hi mb,

Maybe this might interest you https://www.walmart.com/ip/Traveler-s-Choice-20-Vanguard-Rolling-Carry-on-Duffel-Black/9133941

If you're only allowed 33 lbs in total, a bag like this may help. So you can pack a bag "like this" and a tote to put under your seat for immediate needs.

Good features. It holds a lot. No compartments inside, but you can always use (frame less/soft sided) packing cubes. A downside is that it has a "T-style" handle. But, duffle is very lightweight to begin with - about 4.5 lbs. It has durable material, sturdy straps, good wheels.

Traveler's Choice 20" Vanguard Rolling Carry-on Duffel:
Color: Black
Material: Polyester
FAA approved
Hideaway pull handles
In-line skate wheels
Bottom and rear protectors
Large zippered main compartment and front zippered pocket
Dimensions: 20"W x 12.5"H x 11"D
Model# 1170K

Another bag I'd like to suggest is the https://www.kipling-usa.com/discover-small-carry-on-rolling-luggage-duffel/WL4777.html

It's pricier because it's "Kipling." I have this exact duffle in black. It's fits in the BA overhead nicely. It also fits in Southwest Air's OH too. To give you an idea.

It wheels nicely. It packs a ton, and has many compartments to cut down on packing cubes if you don't like them. When I use this bag, I put my clothes in baggies, flatten out the air. "If" TSA had to open it, my stuff won't get dirty or whatnot being handled. It has a full, sturdy handle, very good wheels, very durable material and (hand) straps.

I got mine long ago on a deep, deep Macy's sale. I thought it was being discontinued because the price was under $60 when all was said and done. Unheard of in Kipling luggage. It was not a second. Not sure why Macy's did that.

Kipling has many other travel totes. You probably know they're known for their lightweight, multi-pocket/compartment bags.At times, Kipling and Macy's will run sales. Macy's will also take on extra discounts on top of sale.

Nylon
Dimensions: 22.5" L x 9.75" H x 14.5" D
Weight: 5.14 lbs
Zipper closure
Three zip pockets at exterior
Interior mesh pouches
Interior zip pockets
Two wheels
Furry monkey key fob
Adjustable, removable shoulder strap
Luggage handle

Both are soft-sided bags.

These are really helpful. Also, would the Rick Steve's 21" rolling carry on work as well. It looks soft sided with just 2 wheels. We are flying Wilderness Air, affiliated with Wilderness Safaris. We are not on a tour, but will have arranged transfers for us as the trip has been customized. We have been told that there is minimal space on the internal flights, as you have indicated, so every inch counts. Thanks so much for your input.

We traveled using Swiss Gear rolling duffle bage. It had a semi ridge bottom, all the sides collapsed. We traveled on 10 internal flights on small airplanes and never had a problem. As long as it can be squished it will work.

Enjoy your trip

You're very welcome, m.

Oh, I forgot, the bags "collapse" when not in use. Both bags have good bottoms.

I'm not familiar with the RS 21" rolling. Hopefully someone who has one and used it, can offer their experience.

I should mention the duffel given to us had no handle and no frame. Essentially a duffel with a wheel in 2 corners and no support. Never used other than that trip.
I see you are not returning to start city so you need to pack a basic duffle or backpack no frame. The challenge won't be on the trip, it will be getting there and back.
Having spent time in Tanzania, I know that a chest of drawers is non existent for some and young men have all their clothes in a cardboard box. If you have an old suitcase, or pick one up at Salvation Army for $5.you can donate it to staff at your hotel before the trip.
An ultra light backpack fro Amazon with some sort of securable top closing is my recommendation. Sarah Murdoch, RS guide and light travel guru, used to suggest this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0151EFHGQ/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=advenwithsara-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0151EFHGQ&linkId=e04a52723573fe62b5764cc03091f188
The price is right.

(I cannot tell from reading the post if your total mass is for your party or for each participant. )

Your total mass allotment is only 33 pounds, about 15kg. Suggest you want to keep your bag to less than 10% of that, two to three pounds. There are literally hundreds of bags that will meet international carryo-on specs, hold 40 liters of gear, and mass between one and three pounds, far less than 2 kg. If you need rollers, your options decrease greatly to only a few dozenIf you don’t care about carry-on size, your options increase many times.

The science and craft of packing ultralightly is well documented all over the intertubes. 14 kg is actually a huge load, you probably won’t really need al that if you are able to do laundry and use only multi-purpose clothing.

Wishing you the best.

The planes for this type of trip are on the smaller side. You really need frameless luggage. The RS rolling backback does not fit in this category as it is quite stiff.

Know this - if the duffle has a collapsible extension handle then it has a frame. A frameless duffle will have a cloth handle.

Are you willing to carry a travel pack? This is what I take and I’ve been happy with it.

A 33 lb limit is very generous. You don’t need that much stuff. All you really need are a couple of long sleeve tops, a sweater, a fleece, and a couple of long pants. At night I use a kaftan that I bought at the markets. It’s dressy and incredibly comfortable.

There will almost always be porters wanting to earn their living by carrying your bags.

Good, durable brands to check out - eagle creek and LL Bean rolling duffles. Use packing cubes. I like Ebags brand classic cubes in bright (easy to see) colors. Stick with a bag around 40 - 45 liters in volume. Too big a bag - you will overpack or your stuff will flop around. Too small a bag - not enough packing space.

We are flying Wilderness Air, affiliated with Wilderness Safaris. We are not on a tour, but will have arranged transfers for us as the trip has been customized.

I did something similar and one of my flights and a stay at a camp were run by Wilderness Safaris. As I mentioned, we were picked up right at the air strip and there was never a need to carry a bag a long way. Our bags were weighed before we got on the flight. My trip was 15 years ago, so things are probably different. Regardless, I think a bag with wheels would be a bad idea in this case. It just makes the bag heavier and there won’t be smooth surfaces to roll it on. I’d suggest the lightest bag you can find and packing light. Our laundry was done daily in the camps with the exception of undergarments, so there was not a lot of need for many outfits.

You say your bag must be soft sided without a full frame. A rolling carry on generally has a frame. I would suggest that you call your agent for Wilderness Safaris and ask for advice. Everyone on this board (including me) will just be speculating.

Eagle creek has 3 bags and that may work well for you. Duffle bags - the "migrate" and "cargo hauler." These two don't have wheels - but do have removable backpack straps for hauling. The "expanse" duffle has wheels and a handle. The size on these bags at 40 - 45 liters is just right. Price is good. Eagle Creek is a quality brand you can trust. You can buy their packing cubes also. You will benefit from packing cubes - regardless of brand.

Check out the ebags.com - ebags brand - etech 3.0 backpack. The straps tuck away and it converts to a soft-sided suitcase. Size is appropriate. I have an older version of this bag which I like and use regularly. Durable, good quality. Only $75! You can strap it over your shoulder as well.

Also, take a look at Sarah’s website, https://adventureswithsarah.net/packing-for-safari-dreaming-of-africa/. This should give you some ideas about how a Guide packs for a Safari.

These suggestions are all really helpful. There appear to be some good options for this trip. We want to carry on to get to Africa, so we will make sure we are 21" or less. The weight will be important when we are flying internally. Thank you all again. I have gotten a lot of good information.

Chiming in on this post as we just returned from our sixth safari in Africa. We have been to Botswana three times, each time staying in Wilderness Safaris camps/lodges. Flew on Wilderness Air to transfer from camp to camp. They really do mean a soft sided bag. We have Eagle Creek backpacks that have gone on every safari. On the light planes, there is minimal room for luggage and often is stuffed into a small cavity under the plane. There is no need for many clothes as each camp has laundry available included or for nominal cost. For a two week trip, my husband and I usually carry three pairs of leg pants and long sleeved shirts. I usually take a couple of camisoles, a skort or shorts and a couple of tees. The camp staff do not wash undies but that is pretty simple to do in the sink. We also carry North face daypacks to carry in the jeep each day to hold binoculars, camera, and personal items.

We just returned last week from a two week custom safari in Uganda ( mountain gorillas!). No light aircraft but long drives. Our guide complimented on our packing light as compared to many of his other travelers. Don't forget to have a pair of binoculars for each traveler along with a camera with zoom to photograph the animals.

Have a wonderful time on your safari! Once you go, you will be addicted!!

Thanks again.. I am refining the search to a rolling bag that doesn't have a pull out handle.. You all have been very helpful

I think your search of a rolling bag without a frame will be like the proverbial needle in a haystack. The only one I have ever seen was the company designed and distributed one. No one found it comfortable for transit to Africa. But hope you have some success
There are YouTube videos of how to add wheels to a normal duffel. I tried it. Still a pain in the back.
Check Eagle Creek, ebags, and rei

Thanks.. looks like eagle creek has the right one, but it's 29" and I was hoping to carry on and not check the bag... I have not come across one that doesn't have a frame and is a carry on size...

If you desire a rolling bag - you really do need a pull out handle. Check out Eagle Creek Expanse rolling international duffel. It has fabric sides and top and is an appropriate size. The LL bean ones are basically a duffle bag with a small frame attached to bottom with wheels and a handle. Only problem is the dimensions. I would rather see you go the Eagle Creek route. EC luggage is better designed for function. With a 40 liter bag or so - your bag will probably weigh about 20 lb.s plus the weight of the bag. (Unless you are carrying heavy boots, bricks, and canned goods). I did Europe with a 40 liter bag and the entire bag (bag + contents) weighed about 13-14 lb.s.
Consider a travel bag with removable backpack straps and no wheels, as mentioned previously.

The EC site can be fickle. Type in "expanse wheeled duffel". It's $169 with two external compression straps.
My vote for a travel backpack is still the Ebags etech 3.0 bag with no wheels.

There's also the Red Oxx safari duffle option not cheap, but you'll never have to buy another one

https://www.redoxx.com/safari-beanos-bag-pr5/91031/product

Part of the success for this sort of packing is to minimize content, thus making non wheeled luggage more comfortable.
Unless every night is a new location, there are bound to be people in camp/hotel to do your laundry. If a remote camp, they might say 'no smalls; particularly women's underwear' but that might have progressed in the past few years.
Common safari practice:
come back from dusty day in the jeep, take a shower
In shower, wash smalls or clothing. hang to dry
Don clean clothes for dinner
Next morning, put on same clothes
Repeat
If laundry is available, it will be done in 24 hours and returned to you
This means 3 changes of clothing are sufficient. perhaps a bit more underwear but even 3 pairs of socks can do. Some places, you wear sandals as you never leave the jeep.
People don't care if you don't have a wardrobe variety.
If you need some 'city' clothing, then wear it on the plane and add a couple of extra tops.
Compact camera and binoculars. Small tablet/ereader. Toiletries. One pair of shoes (worn on plane). One pair of sandals. Hat, day bag.

I bet it is all close to 15 pounds (not including luggage weight) making a travel backpack and (for me) cross body bag doable for many.

It might be easier to aim for minimal packing than a no frame wheeled item.

If you get a red Oxx bag - watch the dimensions. The PR4 is carry on size. The PR5 is not. Many of their bags are not carry on size. Durable bags - good company.

You all have been incredibly helpful. I did get information from Wilderness Safaris and they confirmed the minimal space and the need for a soft bag with no frame. They even had pictures. I am very small (4’8””) so I am thinking about what will work best. You all have had some great suggestions. Thank you

Remember the suggestion to put soft bag into a wheelie bag for trip over ($5 option from second hand store and leave behind) and once on the ground, there will be people to help.
One lady on my first safari was close to your height and a spry 76. She had it down to a fine art. Always looked put together but her bag wasn't even half full, so few clothes well chosen can help.

If you can pack in a super minimal way - the RS Appenzell backpack with a few packing cubes may be your answer or the eagle creek migrate. The fact you are 4'8" is an important factor. You need a smaller bag if going the backpack route. If you get a wheeled bag - stay as small as you can - like the RS Ravenna MINI or EC expanse duffel. 20" length should be your maximum. Look at wheeled "underseat" type bags.
(my daughter is small and uses the RS Appenzell for luggage.)

Ebags.com --- The North Face --- Base Camp duffle --- size extra small. Has backpack straps. Not too long. Durable.

These are really great suggestions. A small duffel stuffed into a cheap roller that I can ditch when we start our safari just might do the trick. Thank you all so much.

Ebags.com - delsey underseat bag - quilted and wheeled.
If you can pack super minimal - wear one set of clothes - pack two, no extra shoes (except flip-flops), packing cubes --- you can do this without trying to stuff a duffel bag inside a charity store rolling bag that you ditch.
With minimal (light weight) packing - you can wear a small duffel/backpack or use a small "underseat" wheeled bag that has soft sides.
Don't overly complicate this.
Ebags.com - Eagle Creek Expanse wheeled Tote - $149.