Bit late to this - in Zim we had 2 pairs of Bata vellies - one for farm and one for town....
Boots for Africa
- Thread starter sy247
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Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Bloody hell thats stretching it. Most just had one pair for town, bare foot otherwise till you got to town.
Rhodesianjess
Well-Known Member
Use the same boots / shoes as you do at home
That is my plan
Posh safari suit plus vellies,rich guys
In the bundu,shorts and a catty
You ain’t fooling me
We all went barefoot
Then we came here and got ‘English feet’
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NIght club in Avondale wouldn't let me in in my farm ones - too many toes sticking through......
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Yup, arrived in freezing cold England and had to wear long trousers and shoes to school.You ain’t fooling me
We all went barefoot
Then we came here and got ‘English feet’
Still to this day can feel the stinging feeling of dry grass on my knees and sandy soil between my toes as I followed my Pa around the farm chasing guinea fowl and qualies.
Then falling to sleep to the humm of Pa’s Renault 4 on the dirt roads back home, me in the middle of the bench seat with lab learning out the sliding window ears flapping and Pa driving fast to get home before ambush hour.
Coq d'Or let you in toes or not.
Made in Africa for Africa and worn by overseas visitors on "safari".
What were they wearing? Don't buy them and expect to wear them all day immediately. The buffalo hide making the toe box takes forever to break in.
I really don’t understand why people think you need something magical or special for Africa. Those of us who grew up there wore whatever we were forced to by those in authority. I spent most of my childhood barefoot or in flip flops. At school, we wore Bata tackies or safari boots - essentially a canvas upper stitched to a bit of rubber. One was died white. One was died brown and went up your ankle a bit.
Even into the mid 2000s as a PhD student in western Uganda, I spent most of the time in cheap sandals from Owino market in Kampala. That was doing 10 months a year wandering around the thickets of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After that, I did 10 years of fieldwork in the Northern Cape of South Africa. I had a bit more money then, so I blew it on a posh pair of Meindles. My primary concern was walking in Scotland: I wanted something with good ankle support that was reasonably waterproof. They became my everyday boots in the Kalahari, replaced several times over.
After all that, my observation is that Scotland is much, MUCH more demanding on boots than anywhere I’ve been in Africa.
Not that anyone wants to hear that…
Even into the mid 2000s as a PhD student in western Uganda, I spent most of the time in cheap sandals from Owino market in Kampala. That was doing 10 months a year wandering around the thickets of Queen Elizabeth National Park.
After that, I did 10 years of fieldwork in the Northern Cape of South Africa. I had a bit more money then, so I blew it on a posh pair of Meindles. My primary concern was walking in Scotland: I wanted something with good ankle support that was reasonably waterproof. They became my everyday boots in the Kalahari, replaced several times over.
After all that, my observation is that Scotland is much, MUCH more demanding on boots than anywhere I’ve been in Africa.
Not that anyone wants to hear that…
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This is exactly my thoughts.
I have a pair of Courtney Safaris and a pair of the most basic Rogue boots. I really like the Rogue boots.
My wife has the trans Africas as well.
Might be worth looking at the Jim Green Boots. You can buy them here now. I have a friend who runs a farm in South Africa near the factory and he is a big fan.
The PHs I have seen have mostly worn Courtney Boots (I have been told repeatedly that they are the quietest), one wore crocs and one Shilongo Vellies.
Personally, I really like the Rogue boots.
They were wearing Courtney’s and advised me to buy them and break them in before coming back. I never wear them going highland stalking as they are no use for that
Rogue are a brilliant fit for me with my plat pote but have been hit and miss with quality. I buy the lemons, my boet buys the good ones.
I like the look of the Jim Green and are next on my list for the dusty plains of Suffolk.
I picked up these boots in Namibia from Swakopmund Vellies. They are super lightweight. A good grippy sole. Not in the slightest bit waterproof but I haven’t experienced much rain in Namibia. Very comfortable to wear and require zero breaking in. They were about €70 
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