Men's Safari Clothing Advice

• Men's Safari Clothes in the Right Colors - Neutral hues of khaki, beige, tan, and olive are best for safari because they blend in with the environment, which is better for game-viewing. Dark colors attract insects - especially tsetse flies, which have a painful bite.

• Why We Recommend Long-Sleeved Men's Safari Shirts - A long-sleeved men's safari shirt is a must to cover your arms at peak heat during midday. Don't let the idea of long sleeves in hot weather worry you - our BUGTech+ fabric is ultra-lightweight and perfect for warm-weather conditions, with wicking properties to keep you cool. Our men's safari shirts also have roll-up sleeve tabs so you can shorten the sleeves as required during the day.

• Dress in Layers - Early starts and drives that extend into the evening mean you will need to dress for changing conditions throughout the day on safari. The trick on what to wear for safari is to layer your clothing so you can add or remove layers to adapt to the different temperatures during the day - from even freezing temperatures on the back of windy open game viewers to the fierce African sun.

• A Warm Layer is a Safari Essential - With the best predator viewing in the early morning and evening, you need to be prepared for very cold conditions out in the open on game-viewers. Altitude and winter months play a role in this, but we always advise our clients to pack a warm layer to be prepared for cold conditions.

• Cover Up For Sun Protection - It can get very hot during safari activities and you'll often be out in the open. This makes sun protection an essential consideration. Choosing sun protective clothing is the best way to cover up and to prevent sunburn and protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays. Our BUGTech+ men's safari clothes and our Vintage Print Head&Neck Scarves have built in UPF50+ sun protection - the highest rating a garment can offer.

• Choose Clothing With Features For Versatility - With strict luggage limitations on many safaris, you'll need to pack as lightly as possible. Versatile men's safari clothes give you options as you dress for the day. Convertible pants give you longs and shorts in a single garment, with zip-off legs so you can change without hassle while you're out in the bush. Long-sleeved safari shirts with roll-up sleeve tabs also give you the option of long and short sleeves to adapt to the day's conditions.

• Take a Hat - A men's safari outfit is incomplete without a stylish safari hat. This is a practical addition to your men's safari packing list. Choose a 365-degree wide brim rather than a peak cap for all-round protection for the face and neck, without compromising visibility. Our range includes packable options for convenience, so you can make sure you have a hat on hand for boat rides, game drives, and bush walks.

• Invest in Built-In Insect Protection - From malaria and the pain of bug bites to the irritation of buzzing insects, insect protection is a top consideration when preparing for a safari. Your first line of defense is always going to be a reliable bug spray and we recommend applying and reapplying regularly to be safe. Your safari clothing also makes a difference here. Cover up in BUGTech+, which has been treated with an anti-insect finish, as an extra layer of protection.

• What Shoes To Wear on Safari - Pack practical, comfortable, closed shoes for your safari. Whether you're going on a full walking safari or a short bush walk, make sure your shoes are up to off-roading. Blister-free socks with wicking yarns and ankle gaiters are also great additions to keep you comfortable on every leg of your travels.

• Pack Light - Strict luggage restrictions mean you will have to plan your safari wardrobe carefully. Our lightweight men's safari clothing is quick drying, so you can wash and wear on the go. The versatility of our convertible pants and roll-up sleeve tabs on long-sleeved safari shirts is also helpful when suitcase space is limited.
  
  

• Camouflage - In some countries, this is reserved for wear by military personnel only.

• Dark, white, and bright colors -Black, white, and bright colors stand out in the bush and may affect game viewing. Dark blue and black are also a bad idea in tsetse areas, attracting the fly, which has a very painful bite.

• Cotton - Many safari packing advice pages recommend cotton as a top fabric for a safari. However, cotton on its own is not a great fabric in terms of its performance in warmer climates (or in cold ones, for that matter, if you are active). The reason for this is that 100% cotton is a is very a poor wicking material, which hinders temperature regulation and cooling.
  Wicking is the movement of moisture away from the skin and this wicking action is essential to cooling. The faster the wicking action of a fabric, the cooler you will feel. The problem with 100% cotton is that it retains too much moisture (about 20% of its volume) before releasing the moisture through the fabric and into the outside environment. This is why you will get sweat patches on 100% cotton garments, as the cotton is holding onto the moisture. For cotton blends, and even more so for technical fabrics such as our BUGTech+ Stretch fabric, the amount of moisture the fabric holds is much lower (approximately 4% of its volume) and so moisture - your sweat - is moved much faster away from your skin and you feel cooler much faster.
  Wicking also plays a key role in how quickly fabric releases wrinkles. For example, when you iron a shirt (as an example), you often use the spray on the iron to wet the garment before applying heat. This quickly moves the moisture out of the fabric and the wrinkles are released. This is wicking in action.
  What this means is that lightweight technical fabrics - and with added sun protective and insect repellent properties - are the best choice for moisture wicking, cooling, and protection on safari. They are also the best option for reducing wrinkling of your garments when you travel, and make them much faster to wash and dry too. The same can be said for some cotton blends, such as our T-Liteful Polycotton T-shirt material. With T-Liteful, we have blended a technical yarn (65%) with cotton (35%). The technical yarn vastly improves the wicking and anti-wrinkle characteristic of the fabric in comparison to a pure cotton fabric. This make T-Liteful t-shirts a way better option for safaris, the outdoors - and everyday living - than 100% cotton t-shirts.

Use the following men's safari clothing list as a safari packing list - and take a look at our comprehensive safari packing list for a more detailed safari packing checklist that includes essential accessories.