Backpacker trip to South Africa - which knife'nd more?

ikkyo

ikkyo

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
808
Hi,

If everything sort out well., I will escape to South Africa with my GF to a one-month backpacking trip in Dec.
as a knife nut, I must carry some of my knifes...as this trip includes carrying backpacks, and I MUST carry some flyfishing equipment:rolleyes:, too, common sense says, lighter the better...but, erm...you know, how it goes.

the trip should include a few day outings to wild areas, fishing, city-trips, using any transport what is available.

so what would you carry knifevise?

Scrapyard SS4
+ light, perfect overall size, strong, and it's INFI:D
- I'm struggling to get a decent edge on it (quite thick)

Swamp Rat Ratmandu
+ perfect overall size, balance, comfortable, tough, and good slicer
- maybe a bit big(?)

Fallknifen F1
+ you know it well, and it doesn't rust
- ...i'm an INFI addict, but no minuses, really

Busse BATAC
+ it's my favourite.
- too big and heavy...(?)

except a fixed blade I will carry a Leatherman chargeTi, and maybe a BM710

what do you think?
(if some of you knows some knife regs in the area, please share...)

thanks,
Peter
 
Advise you hire a couple bodyguards w/ ak's so you don't end up mia. Two-legs and/or four-legs pose a substantial danger there.
 
First:
you're quite likely not to find any of your knives when you open your luggage:
the amount of theft from luggage over here is notorious: there are syndicates in operation at SA airports and they x-ray your luggage to know just which ones to open and where to look for goodies.

Second:
you mention using "any transport that is available"
stay off the minibus taxi's!
especially with your girlfriend along
I'm serious: this is the quickest way to throw your lives away

stay off the trains at night or on weekends, only use them if they are pretty full, and then keep in mind they are unreliable and likely to get stuck for long times (sometimes in unsavoury areas)

Don't hitchhike!!!

be careful on the roads here: road fatalities are crazy and you don't want to end up in a South African hospital


third:
for outing to wild areas or city trips:
don't go anywhere on your own, stay aware, trust no-one, if somebody tries to mug you: fight all out to get away, muggers typical kill their victims over here even if you do co-operate and give them what they want


what do i carry?
depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going, a combination of the following:
2 firearms, ballistic body armour, ASP baton, pepper spray, tazer, various knives, Surefire torch

does that make me safe? hell no!
and i still won't go near minibus taxi's...


keep your big knives concealed, but still accessible


enjoy your holiday, but remember: over here there is no such thing as too paranoid!
 
Ha ha, how is he going to enjoy his holiday after that post? :eek:

OK, the advice is all good, but thousands of tourists come here every month and they don't all end up dead in a ditch. Use your common sense and you'll be fine. Try not to look like a tourist, though. And don't have cameras dangling everywhere. Or cellphones.

Put a padlock on your luggage, and your knives will be cool.

I would suggest the 710 for daily carry and the BATAC or Ratmandu for camping/hiking will be perfect.

Where are you gonna be staying? I'm in the KZN area, with some fantastic and very affordable game reserves. If you need any more info/advice shoot me a mail.

lohengrin said:
enjoy your holiday, but remember: over here there is no such thing as too paranoid!
Click to expand...
 
Well I would suggest maybe a Bushman from CS. They are cheap,good size, tough, and really good quality. If you loose it, you won't feel as bad about it.
 
Buffalohump said:
Ha ha, how is he going to enjoy his holiday after that post? :eek:

OK, the advice is all good, but thousands of tourists come here every month and they don't all end up dead in a ditch. Use your common sense and you'll be fine. Try not to look like a tourist, though. And don't have cameras dangling everywhere. Or cellphones.

Put a padlock on your luggage, and your knives will be cool.

I would suggest the 710 for daily carry and the BATAC or Ratmandu for camping/hiking will be perfect.

Where are you gonna be staying? I'm in the KZN area, with some fantastic and very affordable game reserves. If you need any more info/advice shoot me a mail.
Click to expand...


yeah, thanks for the good advice.:rolleyes:
I have two friends living there, in Jo'burg, so they will "backup" me, but we will see..
BHump, I don't have an exact plan yet, but I would head to the east-shore, Kosi-bay, KZN, so I would plan the trip more nature-oriented.
We "survived" Venezuela last year, and actually it was a positive experience.
but we - as you stated- used our common sense...we arrived there in a bit of paranoid state of mind, though.
I think what happens to somebody is depends on his/her state of mind mainly.

we will rent a car for some days/week, and I just checked the "bazbus", too(?) http://www.bazbus.com/

BHump, I'll shoot a mail when I know our starting date, and exact plans, etc..

thank you, gentlemen
 
Good choice! The East Coast is the best, bro. You can see world-class beaches, mountains and awesome wildlife (big five).

Kosi Bay is pretty isolated and a fair haul from the main centre of KZN(Durban). So, you might want to take a local with you when venturing that far up the coast.

The trick is to avoid the isolated parts of the country. This is unfortunately when things can go bad.

I would recommend starting in Jhb, then fly to Durban on a budget airline, check into a good Bed and Breakfast or similar accommodation and take it from there. The B&B people are geared up for visitors and will be able to help you with finding places, getting transport, etc.

Hiring a car is a good call as distances are fairly considerable here. If you are exchanging Euros, the value will be good. Bear in mind, we drive on the left hand side of the road though. All part of the fun :D
 
lohengrin said:
First:
you're quite likely not to find any of your knives when you open your luggage:
the amount of theft from luggage over here is notorious: there are syndicates in operation at SA airports and they x-ray your luggage to know just which ones to open and where to look for goodies.

Second:
you mention using "any transport that is available"
stay off the minibus taxi's!
especially with your girlfriend along
I'm serious: this is the quickest way to throw your lives away

stay off the trains at night or on weekends, only use them if they are pretty full, and then keep in mind they are unreliable and likely to get stuck for long times (sometimes in unsavoury areas)

Don't hitchhike!!!

be careful on the roads here: road fatalities are crazy and you don't want to end up in a South African hospital


third:
for outing to wild areas or city trips:
don't go anywhere on your own, stay aware, trust no-one, if somebody tries to mug you: fight all out to get away, muggers typical kill their victims over here even if you do co-operate and give them what they want


what do i carry?
depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going, a combination of the following:
2 firearms, ballistic body armour, ASP baton, pepper spray, tazer, various knives, Surefire torch

does that make me safe? hell no!
and i still won't go near minibus taxi's...


keep your big knives concealed, but still accessible


enjoy your holiday, but remember: over here there is no such thing as too paranoid!
Click to expand...


Holy crap. Note to self: backpack in Spain or Italy, not South Africa.


ikkyo said:
I have two friends living there, in Jo'burg, so they will "backup" me, but we will see..
Click to expand...

If customs and shipping aren't too much of a hassle, could you ship the knives to them in advance and then have them ship the knives home to you?
 
Its really not a problem to bring your knives in. As long as you secure them in your hold luggage and don't try to take them on the plane (same as anywhere).

I would suggest padlocking yr luggage to any traveller going abroad. Just common sense really.

Yeah, we have crime here, but there are worse places.... Juarez, for example :D


Mark
 
I'm worrying about my flyfishing-rods more...:rolleyes:
...I think F1 will be the ONE.
 
lohengrin said:
First:
you're quite likely not to find any of your knives when you open your luggage:
the amount of theft from luggage over here is notorious: there are syndicates in operation at SA airports and they x-ray your luggage to know just which ones to open and where to look for goodies.

Second:
you mention using "any transport that is available"
stay off the minibus taxi's!
especially with your girlfriend along
I'm serious: this is the quickest way to throw your lives away

stay off the trains at night or on weekends, only use them if they are pretty full, and then keep in mind they are unreliable and likely to get stuck for long times (sometimes in unsavoury areas)

Don't hitchhike!!!

be careful on the roads here: road fatalities are crazy and you don't want to end up in a South African hospital

third:
for outing to wild areas or city trips:
don't go anywhere on your own, stay aware, trust no-one, if somebody tries to mug you: fight all out to get away, muggers typical kill their victims over here even if you do co-operate and give them what they want

what do i carry?
depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going, a combination of the following:
2 firearms, ballistic body armour, ASP baton, pepper spray, tazer, various knives, Surefire torch

does that make me safe? hell no!
and i still won't go near minibus taxi's...

keep your big knives concealed, but still accessible

enjoy your holiday, but remember: over here there is no such thing as too paranoid!
Click to expand...

Ikkyo, I sincerely hope you heed the advice given above by someone who obviously knows the situation there!
 
DrMudd,

yes, I think over the whole thing seriously, and responsible.
seriously.
my brother and his girlfriend was travelling around SA two times in a month long period. they came home completely satisfied, and happy because of what they experienced there.
maybe the situation changed in the last years:confused:...but I am in a daily contact with two of my friends, who live there, too.
so I try to merge ALL of the infos into one, and decide based on that...
maybe we will change our minds, but I'm trying not to be overparanoid...
hm...
(I didn't want to sound as somebody who underestimates the dark pic. what lohengrin was painting in his response...)
 
Never been to south africa. But i got customers that grow up there and did talk to them. All of them said one thing you dont want to go there. If you dont live there you just dont always know how to get around. You got more of a chance to get killed then anything else. I got a guy that moved to to the US a few years ago. Went for a visit this year. To see his family, they didnt let him go anywhere alone. They all carry guns. In the car they all had shootguns. He said all his family including women know how to shoot. They even had to give him pointers and he thought he was good at it... Anywhere in the city and within 50 miles of the city its unsafe. You get safe when you go way way out into the bush where the 4 leged animals are. He said he would never go back there as it got very bad the last few years. He cant remember it being so bad ever. I just cant remember what city his family is from. He was a witness to a few attackes and there were some shoots fired from his family side.. If i see him again i would ask him more about it.

Sasha
 
Good advice here: worry not so much about the knives as guns. You will need guns. Big ones. And a lot of them. For yourself, and your girlfriend. And you need to be ready to pull the trigger. The last time I was over there, I damn near wanted to drop a nuke behind after I left. Yes, it is that bad. It's worse still for a woman, and you're going to have one with you. In fact, I don't think there are many places in the world more unpleasant than SA. Actually, in all honesty, I would recommend staying the hell away from that place. Even better, that whole continent. A shame really, as the natural environment is quite gorgeous, but...
 
Woah... strong language there friend.

I honestly don't know what sort of experience you had to make you feel that way, but the reality is there are a goodly number of people who visit here every year and I'm fairly certain they don't all leave with feelings like yours.

Apart from anything else, don't you think you should think twice before you trash an entire country?

Hell, I'm no raving patriot but I think its a little out of line...

Mark
 
From what I've seen and read, the Fallkniven F1. And from what I have *Seen* and read (we've all seen Blood Diamond I hope) I wouldn't go there unless I was part of the Discovery channel or something like that. Good luck on the trip and keep your girl close.
 
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