Thanks, great video! I haven't done the Fanie Botha trail yet, but it's definitely on the list! Some extra things that I always take are: a map of the area; camp/river crossing shoes; a power bank of some kind for charging electronics; a pillowcase that I stuff clothes into to sleep on at night; soap; toothpaste/brush and hand sanitizer :)
Great, thanks for the upload. How much attention did you pay to the weight of your gear? Where is the best place with a wide variety of choices to buy from, or where did you buy your gear from? Can a woman hike it alone?
Hi Helen As a rule we always pack in our medical, emergency and communications gear first and then pack the less essentials from there. That way if the pack gets too heavy, we can reduce weight by shedding excess clothing and things like that. All the gear in this video fitted comfortably into a large backpack and I (Bevan) carried it the entire way with no difficulty at all - just make sure your pack has a hip strap! That makes a huge difference. As for our gear - we got our hiking boots and clothing directly from Salomon. They have concept stores around SA, but they are quite widely available in most outdoors stores. The rest we picked up along the way at various places. While we felt the Fanie Botha Trail was very safe from a security point of view, I definitely wouldn't recommend that anyone hike this alone. There are certain sections along the route that can get very wet and slippery and if you take a fall you definitely want someone around from a safety point of view. Even as a guy I (Bevan) wouldn't hike this alone just in case. Hope this helps :)
Nice!! There is a concept store on Nicolway, Bryanston. You could ask them if they have stock. Otherwise you can mail the marketing manager at jackie.moore@salomonsports.co.za and she will be able to assist you further. Where in the Transkei are you hiking?
I am doing this tomorrow - 4 days, 5 nights. Thanks, this is timely.
Doing this hike month end of October.
Super excited!🎉
Ah!! That's awesome. You're going to love it. Please let us know how you get on...
Thanks, great video! I haven't done the Fanie Botha trail yet, but it's definitely on the list! Some extra things that I always take are: a map of the area; camp/river crossing shoes; a power bank of some kind for charging electronics; a pillowcase that I stuff clothes into to sleep on at night; soap; toothpaste/brush and hand sanitizer :)
Thanks Ruth - I've just added those items to our list :) Power bank is a really good one!!
A handgun... because south Africa?
What time did you start walking in the mornings?
Great, thanks for the upload. How much attention did you pay to the weight of your gear? Where is the best place with a wide variety of choices to buy from, or where did you buy your gear from? Can a woman hike it alone?
Hi Helen
As a rule we always pack in our medical, emergency and communications gear first and then pack the less essentials from there. That way if the pack gets too heavy, we can reduce weight by shedding excess clothing and things like that. All the gear in this video fitted comfortably into a large backpack and I (Bevan) carried it the entire way with no difficulty at all - just make sure your pack has a hip strap! That makes a huge difference.
As for our gear - we got our hiking boots and clothing directly from Salomon. They have concept stores around SA, but they are quite widely available in most outdoors stores. The rest we picked up along the way at various places.
While we felt the Fanie Botha Trail was very safe from a security point of view, I definitely wouldn't recommend that anyone hike this alone. There are certain sections along the route that can get very wet and slippery and if you take a fall you definitely want someone around from a safety point of view. Even as a guy I (Bevan) wouldn't hike this alone just in case.
Hope this helps :)
Great video! Where did you get your gaiters from? They look a lot less bulky than the ones I've seen.
Thanks Chris - we got ours from a Salomon concept store in Durban. What area are you from?
Stray Along The Way thanks for your reply. I'm in Johannesburg and I'm preparing for a 5 day hike in the Transkei.
Nice!! There is a concept store on Nicolway, Bryanston. You could ask them if they have stock. Otherwise you can mail the marketing manager at jackie.moore@salomonsports.co.za and she will be able to assist you further.
Where in the Transkei are you hiking?
Here's a link to their store finder: salomonsports.co.za/find-store
Awesome, thanks. I'll be doing a 5 day hike from Port st. Johns to Coffee Bay.
Solomon fan through and through.
They are fantastic!