by My first pair of “good” binoculars was from Maven. I took a pair of their 8×30 binoculars with me to the Eastern Cape of Africa last year. While not quite to the standard of Leica or Swarovski, they were excellent little binos.
Amazon Prime Days has some excellent pricing on the Maven C1 binoculars. The Maven C1 8×42 is $280 while the 10×42 C1’s are $297.50. These prices are $20 less than what is being offered to hunting guides and almost $150 less than MSRP. If I were going to Limpopo in the north of South Africa, I’d go with the 8×42 while I would want the 10x42s in the Eastern Cape as distances are longer there. In my opinion, these are some of the best buys out there for Prime Days. You can never go wrong with a good set of binoculars.
If you are looking for an ultra lightweight binocular harness, I can recommend the Rick Young Outdoors bino harness. It can be worn over one shoulder or it can be worn so that the binoculars are center on your chest. Both ways work. I use mine actually as a camera strap. I wanted to be able to take pictures at the SHOT Show and have my camera readily available. It definitely works.
There are some good deals on Magpul products. The Daka Kit Bag (3.5 liter) is one of them at $22.75
The Magpul Daka Flat Zippered Pouches in a variety of sizes are also on sale starting at $15.97 for the smallest.
The Magpul MS1 Two-Point Quick-Adjust Sling in basic black is available for only $17.04 which is 57% off.
When you need a good flashlight, you need a good flashlight. The Streamlight MicroStream is available in both AAA battery and USB rechargeable versions. I like the idea of a rechargeable flashlight but I also know what it is like to be without power for days which would give the nod to AAA battery version. What the heck, get one of each! The AAA battery version in red is $24.26 while the USB rechargeable version in black is $25.82. Prices vary by color so make sure to look for the lowest cost version. I don’t think the color of a small flashlight stuck in your pocket really matters that much.
Next up is for any one traveling and especially if traveling with a firearm on a plane. I put an Apple AirTag in both my gun case and my primary suitcase when I went to Africa. I was able to see on my iPhone that my guns had been transferred from one terminal to the next and would make it on my flight. It would have sucked to have arrived in Johannesburg with ammo and no rifle. I will say from my own experience that the AirTag works and it works well. Additionally, the battery is easily replaceable so the AirTag is not like those old flashlights where the battery couldn’t be replaced. The price is $19.99 for one or even greater savings on a four-pack at $64.99. The normal price is $25 or so per AirTag.
A good first aid kit is always needed. This one comes with many of things you will need from band-aids to bandage scissors. For $23.96, you get the beginnings of a good kit for the price of a pouch.
As I noted, it comes with the beginnings of a good kit. There are some things I would add to complete it. These Israeli compression bandages would come in handy.
It goes without saying that you should have a tourniquet. I took the Swat-T tourniquet with me to Africa in my first aid kit as it took up so little space. Alternatively, a tourniquet with a windlass is never a bad choice if you have the room.
Chest seals would be helpful as well.
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UPDATE: Today is the last day of Amazon Prime Days.
Here is something I wish I had last night. I was in the middle of a conversation with a friend at 9p and boom – everything went black. Duke Energy said it was an equipment issue. I had a flashlight on my desk so I wasn’t stumbling around. That said, something like these little lanterns would have been easier to light whole areas. Places like the bathroom! With the Etekcity Camping Lanterns for Power Outages 4 Pack you can light multiple places around the house.
If you travel and have any sort of electronic devices, keeping track of cords, connectors, and chargers can be a hassle. I saw this case just minutes ago and ordered the medium sized one.
“It would have sucked to have arrived in Johannesburg with ammo and no rifle. I will say from my own experience that the AirTag works and it works well.”
I can see that the AirTag might let you know where it (but not necessarily your stuff) is, but I fail to see how it ensures that your checked stuff gets on the plane. It seems to me that it would still suck to arrive in Jo’berg without your rifle, which you would then know was in Cleveland.
It doesn’t let you know for sure that your stuff is onboard but it does let you know it has been transferred from where you landed in Atlanta to the international terminal. Given I allow at least four hours in between, if I didn’t see my rifle case and/or suitcase moved to my current terminal in Atlanta within an hour or two before take-off, I could start asking questions. More importantly, in Africa in the airport I know where in the terminal my rifles are located. If my tag puts my rifle in the police station or the terminal and someone from the airline says it hasn’t arrived, I can call BS on it.