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Recent K&T Classic travelers: please advise re duffel
I'm new here; our K&T Classic Safari is in 2025. Please advise if the duffels issued by Tauck are wheeled, also the dimensions.
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They are not wheeled. They are basically a large gym bag. Call Tauck for details.
We have the same bags on the family safari, we are using them right now for three nights and they easily fit everything you need and no wheels
Meaning if it is fully stuffed, the duffel will be difficult to move around.
Unless something has changed Tauck does all the handling of luggage between all locations so no need to worry abut being heavy for you t carry.
Yes, they carry the luggage for you
Thanks for the input. Sounds like we'll have to experiment a little with "packing methods".
I know this info gets lost in the ‘history’ file, but I will try once again. You need very little for this trip. Three sets of safari clothes … one you area wearing, one for tomorrow, and one in the laundry. We have done K&T
four times and we always overpack. I brought five safari shirts and never wore two of them. Five sets of underwear and socks, and two pair of shoes. One pair will need cleaning after the Maasai village visit. You need a warm jacket for the early mornings. If you get cold easily, a hat and gloves might be good. I would not have enjoyed our last trip as much without binoculars. Those are all the clothes you ‘need’. Everything else is extra, and may never leave your luggage. The pace of this trip is a level five. You go from very early in the morning until bedtime non-stop. You will rarely have time to change clothes. You do get an opportunity for a little rest at the Mt. Kenya Safari Club.
I apologize because I'm sure this info is buried around here somewhere, but is this duffel the bag you pack from home and that is all the space you get for your whole trip? I was hoping to do long layovers for a couple of days each way.
No, the duffel is just for certain parts of the tour. Your big suitcase catches up with you at the end of the tour.
Sealord, we’re doing K&T Classic in September. Can you expound on the shoes needing cleaning after the village visit. Is this just washing off in sink, need attention by hotel staff, lost for the trip? Thanks for the binoculars recommendation. Was torn on bringing ours. Now they’re on the list. Appreciate your insights!
There may be more animal droppings around. Our village visit was fine last week. We always wear the same old sturdy shoes for safari vacations. We take them off at the door of our tent or hotel room to keep it clean just like at home, we don’t wear shoes inside. We have a pair of other shoes and use those to wear within the hotel areas and for traveling home. We have special shoe bags to put the old shoes in and wash them when we get home until next time. Everything you take gets so dusty that you have to wash everything when you get home. Just done that. You get used to getting back from a game drive amd your face being dirty. So much fun!
When we did K&T Classic in 2022, our TD arranged for everyone’s shoes to be cleaned at the Serena in Amboseli which was where the village visit was.
That is correct for Amboseli on the K&T trip. The hotel will clean your shoes at no charge. They do take a while to dry out in the sun next to your front door. That is one of the reasons I said you need two pair of shoes. The Maasai village at Amboseli surrounds their stable so there is crap everywhere. If you are not very careful you will step in it. The drivers provide material to wipe off your shoes before you get back into the safari trucks.
Is there somewhere to donate the duffle prior to the airport in Nairobi? Thank you to everyone who has been posting on this site. Very helpful!
Yes, we just came back from Tanzania. Ask your TD. Ours said he had a list of around 20 drivers or hotel employees who wanted them. Our family gave him three. We also had a pair of safari pants that were too big for my husband. He tried them on and they fit. If not he would have passed them on to suitable locals. We also gave him the nice pj’s that we got on Qatar air as the tops make great sweatshirts for local people. It’s better to ask the TD because just leaving things in the room can cause confusion even if you might leave a note on things.
Re the duffle: it was described as a large gym bag, but I think the material is very sturdy, and the carrying case the duffle arrived in would be suitable for packing damp clothes in, or dusty shoes. I was pleased to get such a sturdy bag for the few nights we have to leave our suitcase in storage.
Interesting, it must be a different model than we got as there was no carrying case.
The old Eagle Creek duffles came with small carrying cases. We've got a few in the closet.
SFDouglas. It sounds like you may have gotten the Eagle Creek duffel that was used in the past. It comes in a bag. The new ‘gym bag’ duffel does not. In my opinion the Eagle creek duffel is better and that is what we use. Who made the duffel.that you got?
We are leaving on a K&T safari next week. Do I pack the duffle as a second checked bag to Africa?
No, not really, once you get to the part of the tour where you are just allowed the duffel, the big suitcase goes on until you meet it again at the end of the tour.
If you are new to Tauck, they only ever allow one checked piece of luggage for any of their tours. The K and T tour, you need less clothing than most tours and laundry is very cheap.
Also, regarding plastic bags in K&T.......can silicone reuseable bags be used in your luggage?
Yes
Sorry for another duffel question-but we are new to Tauck. Has anyone used a partially filled duffel as their personal item on the flight from home to Africa? The dimensions I am reading on the Tauck website state that it's going to be a tiny bit bigger than a personal item on a commercial airliner is supposed to be. Or, do people just pack them lightly and check them?
We usually check one with dirty clothing to make more room for souvenirs in our other bag
We packed ours lightly and checked them both ways. Some on our tour put the duffle in their suitcase
Sorry also. I never tire of offering this advice. We have done K&T four times. You need very little clothing for his tour. Use the duffels as your primary luggage. Share each piece with your partner. Take one as a carry on, and use a roll aboard as a cart. Check the other one with your liquids. If you don’t stuff the duffel it meets carry on requirements. Two Tauck duffels plus a roll aboard are more than enough space for your stuff … plus two back packs that also go aboard with you. If you bring more than that, you will not use it.
Thanks--these comments are very helpful.