Versatile outdoor & safari trousers, shorts, & zip-offs

Stay bite-free. Not being bitten is your best protection against disease-carrying flying and biting insects. Protect yourself with our choice of anti-insect products. As part of your anti-insect strategy combine our best-selling BUGTech™ range of clothing with the ultimate protection afforded by Australian-made repellents. Bushman™ repellent is available to all of our clients, while RID™ is only available to clients outside of the UK.

Safari Trousers & Shorts Read our Safari Trousers & Shorts Advice Guide

  • Pack safari trousers and safari shorts which are made in safari-suitable colours such as shades of khaki, brown, and green.
  • Safari zip-off/convertible trousers are often the safari trousers of choice simply due to their versatility - no matter how hot or cold it is on safari: use them as trousers when cool, shorts when hot - and they save on valuable packing space by being two garments in one. The legs on safari convertible pants also give added protection from the sun and defence from most biting insects, especially when treated with built-in SPF and anti-insect finish. For walking safaris, having separate leg sections which provide insect defence and are waterproof work well given the morning dew on early morning walks - ensuring your legs stay drier and reducing bites (although you should always apply insect repellent for ticks and other insects).
  • If you prefer to wear stand-alone safari trousers and safari shorts, then make sure you work out the duration of the activity you are going on and wear either trousers or the shorts depending on the weather. There is no use starting off warm when its cold in the morning only to sweat in the heat later on in the day. Another option if you prefer separate safari trousers and safari shorts would be to take shorts or trousers with you on each safari activity in a satchel or daypack and change while on the activity.
  • The ideal safari trousers and shorts should offer you a good level of safari style with built in functionality. They should also be lightweight, strong, provide a high level of sun protection (SPF50+ is best), and have an anti-insect finish. Wicking is less important from a sweat point of view as your legs don't sweat as much as your upper body, but still consider wicking as an important feature to ensure that, should your trousers get wet from the rain or a water-based activity - or even just the morning dew while walking - that they dry very quickly.
  • While your lower body does not feel the heat as much as your upper body, always consider safari trousers which are made from man-made fibres (such as polyamide) over those made from natural fibres (such as cotton). Safari trousers and safari shorts made from man-made fibres will also crease less and dry faster when you wash them on your safari and travels.

    Number of men's, women's, and kid's safari trousers and safari shorts to pack for your safari:
    Up to 4-day safari: x 2 (1+1); Up to 8-day safari: x 3 (2+1); Up to 12-day safari: x 4 (2+2)
    We have shown the number of safari trouser zip-offs/convertibles as the first number - "x 3"- and the safari trousers plus safari shorts combination in brackets - e.g. (2+1). Always make sure that you pack the total number whether you opt for safari zip-offs, safari trousers, or safari shorts, but always have a combination of safari shorts and trousers. As an example, for an 8-day safari, you could take one pair of zip-offs, one pair of trousers, and one pair of shorts - or 3 pairs of zip-offs, or two pairs of safari shorts and one pair of safari trousers - or vice versa.

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