Put Foot Rally 101

So you’ve decided to do Put Foot Rally and you’ve signed up and paid your entry fee, but you’re not sure what else you need?

Well you’re in luck, because your’s truly did it on 24 hours notice and I managed just fine!

Brundle braved the chilly morning air while on Put Foot Rally to go for a quick swim in the temperate fresh waters of Lake Malawi

Here’s a basic checklist of essentials:

• Tent – Any tent is fine, but for ease of setup and breakdown look at getting an instant or pop -up tent
• Sleeping bag – make sure it’s big enough for you and not a kiddies one like I managed to grab. One with a cowl is great for those freezing Namibian nights. -1 Celcius rating should be ok.
• Camping mattress – You could use either a roll up foam mattress or a self-inflating mattress. Standard inflatable mattresses (like the Intex) are doable, but they tend to deflate during the night to the point where you find yourself actually sleeping on rocks. They also have a penchant for getting stabbed by sharp braai corners after only 4 days of use.

After not being able to find a nice spot to camp for the night, we landed up finding a dry riverbed to camp in. It was surprisingly comfy!

• Superglue and duct tape (because you never know…)
• Nailpolish remover for when you inevitably get your fingers stuck together with superglue
• Kettle (electric is fine as pretty much all the camp sites have plug points, but for true camping style get yourself a camping kettle
• Car chargers and portable battery packs for your phones
• A good range of music with essential AUX cables if your sound system is a little older and doesn’t support Bluetooth for anything other than phone calls. We got stuck with a very limited selection of hard rock and metal for 18 days
• Basic tools, like screw drivers and pliers. A multi-tool is good to have. If you need more, someone on the rally will inevitably have what you’re looking for. A hammer that doesn’t break when trying to get smaller blocks of ice is ideal….. (see image below)

Brandon from the Potbelly Pigs broke his hammer, trying to break ice into smaller pieces. Make sure your hammer doesn’t break!

• A good outlook and a great sense of humour. Don’t be kak. Be lekker!
• The standard list of meds (painkillers, anti-inflammatories, anti-histamines, malaria tablets, maybe a bandage or 2 just to wrap a sprained ankle)
• Headlamps/lanterns are a great idea
• GPS/old-school paper map. Make sure both are up to date.
• US Dollars – I can’t tell you the exact amount, but some places only accept cash (especially in Zambia) and it would have to be in local currency or US Dollars
• Camping chairs

Making new friends on the road. Put Foot is about the friends you’ll make along the journey!

Most people would be worried about their sleeping situation, but there are more than enough camping sites/lodges,etc  along the way, so you really don’t need to worry. The Put Foot HQ team have gone ahead and sorted out deals at all the unofficial checkpoints and food and campsites have been booked out for all the checkpoint parties as well, so you could literally not pre-book anything and still have a place to sleep. Also sleeping in a car is actually very comfortable; more so than you’d think, especially in the bigger cars.

Starry Skies: Just some of the natural beauty you’ll see along the Put Foot Rally Route

There’s a LOT of driving being done on an almost daily basis, so please change drivers at regular intervals and stay fresh. Chat to you passengers, play games, but don’t nod off, especially in the dark. Animals roam freely and can do a lot of damage to you and your car.

While this is most definitely not everything that you’d need, having just these few items are good enough to see you through to the end without too many issues.

Good luck with the last bit of preparations and see you on the road!

Put Foot 2015 Group Photo in Monkey Bay