Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa voltage/charging question for Limpopo area

My 14 y.o. Son and I are a month away from our very first trip to RSA. My question: Will standard chargers work for the I Phone and camera chargers or will I have to get a special adapter?
Thanks in advance
Mike and Ryan

Yes, but I would verify this by reading the voltage and frequency ranges listed on the charger.

Yes they will work in about double quick time. We use 220 V which works great on phones, cameras and laptops. Only use local hair driers though.

You will need a special adaptor for your plugs to fit ours which you can get at Joburg airport on arrival. I have only ever had 1 hunter arrive with an adaptor that fit. All the rest were assured it was the correct one and then of course it was not. I always have a spare adaptor available.

Our two prong plugs accept round pins only.

I'm always surprised to see questions like this. Does your outfitter not cover details like this while booking or planning?

This particular question is not so bad, but so many folks read on the Internet what the outfitter they are paying should be helping or doing for them. This is a big trip, for most it's the biggest most complex trip of a lifetime. Yet it seems outfitters are chosen and the "customer" is left to figure out so much on their own.

How could anyone trust the anonymous personalities of the Internet over the professionals they are paying big buck to for the trip of a life time? I cannot imagine bailing out on my clients like this and expecting to stay afloat!

Here is the site to solve your concerns and put this behind you.
www.walkabouttravelgear.com/elect.htm

It's simple. Take your car charger and avoid all of this mess. Either that or take a converter that plugs into a cigarette lighter. Either will be great and is hassle free.

In my 20 plus years now in RSA, I would say about 1/2 or less of the automobile plugs work. Although in fairness it's a lot better in the last ten. With the advent of mobile phones most PH's have a vehicle plug that works now.

However, many of the hunting rigs are not equipped as well as street vehicles. Many camps have farm trucks which never see tar roads and don't have all the functional amenities of a daily driver. I was very stringent about these plugs working because we did so many night drives and needed them for the spot lights.

Each camp will vary with this source of charging power. Remember though you will likely want to charge video cameras and still cameras as well.

Here is the solution to the power situation, I have these in camp and they work flawlessly.
http://www.walkabouttravelgear.com/301a.htm?gclid=CN6wmsDb6LYCFWNxQgodnTcAiA

Something like this is what I use:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3927461

+1

And furthermore, with the number of clients coming from America each year, one would think the PH/Outfitter would have adapters readily available in camp as a service and convenience for their hunters.

Between Hack and FOs all I have to add is: zip, zero and squat. You said it.

I am amazed at the questions on an open forum like this one which are standard questions an African outfitter should volunteer the answers to once a deal is struck. Between Hack and myself we even have a hair drier for the ladies visiting. It's one we bought and stays in the hunting gear bag along with the adaptors.

Pieter, The Princess was very happy about the hair dryer, and I appreciated you loaning me the adapter because the one that Brookstone stocks for South Africa did not fit.

Most chargers are 95V to 250V so you probably just need an adapter.

The charger for your iphone will work fine. My Sony video cam battery charger also worked on 220v, and my wife's hair dryer has a switch which allowed it to also work on 220. Just need the outlet plug adapter to fit into their funky shaped outlets, and you are good to go!

The Princess is more than welcome.

To all else who are coming this way, we have a standard plug system nation wide. One adaptor will fit all plugs. These plugs are commonly found at the airport but apart from being excited on getting here, you will be rather tired. Have your PH get one on your behalf.