Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

I was recently on a flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg. It was a very early flight, so it was still dark when we left my home town. I had some tea, and caught a little shut-eye as we headed north. I woke up in the middle of the descent, and looked out of the window. Nothing to see… we were in the clouds. But the next minute, as we dropped below the grey, my jaw also dropped. Below me I saw a lush green landscape. What a sight the bushveld vegetation is during times of rain! I’ve seen Joburg and its surrounds many times, and enjoyed the“urban forest”, so my shock was more because of the contrast between Gauteng and the Cape I had just left. As I write…

ESCAPE THE SUN The Gazebo Netted Inner from Campmor Outdoor is an easy to use inner net providing more protection from the sun and bothersome bugs. 80% of the shade net is used and is simply clipped onto the Gazebo frame. The net inner has 50mm Olive Seam Tape to close the netting, zip sliders and 25mm suspension clips. The netted inner comes with 20cm straight pegs and a lightweight netted carry bag. Available from Campmor Outdoor. For more information, visit www.campmoroutdoor.co.za TOP LOADING The new Off-Grid Roof Rack from Safari Centre is designed with 3 slots on the side profile, which allows for additional accessories and extra strength on the outer edges. There is a complete range of accessories available to match the rack; from gas-bottle holders to recovery…

WIN! TELL US WHERE WE TOOK THIS PICTURE Each month we will place a picture in this new competition, and if you identify where we are correctly, you could win an amazing prize from Suzuki. Our first prize is a slick multi-tool set, with all the extensions you need when going camping, caravanning or 4x4ing. Apart from the main multi-tool fitted in a pair of pliers, you also get a mini keyring multi-tool. Enter the competition now, and make sure you get next month’s Caravan & Outdoor Life, where we will not only reveal the winner and the location, but also give you loads of interesting information about where we are and the surrounding area. Good luck! HOW TO ENTER To win this Suzuki multi-tool set, simply send an email…

We recently decided to go camping for a weekend at Tietiesbaai, but we ended up staying for almost a month! I wanted to share the rich history and indescribable experience with those of your readers who has never been there. The name might catch you off guard if you understand the regional meaning which literally translates to “Breast Bay” from Afrikaans. One might wonder why particularly it was titled with such a name – but it is best explained by the late, famous South African writer, Pieter Pieterse. Pieter chose to spend two years of his life living in this unspoiled piece of paradise found on the West coast of South Africa. Pieter explains, ‘If you look to the North in the direction of the Cape Columbine Lighthouse, there’s a…

Halsema. The name will send shivers down the spine of those who know it. For those who don’t, here a brief description of all you need to know: Halsema is a highway in the Philippines, and is considered to be one of the most dangerous roads in the world. It’s a fitting choice of name for the latest unit to come out of the Motorhome-World factory - a creation built to conquer the toughest the world could throw at it. But conquer it in comfort and luxury... and with some tech to knock your socks off. Yeah, this behemoth will also send shivers down your spine! The project was about a year in the making; although, as Dennis Bauers, managing director at Motorhome-World, tells us, it’s was a bit of…

We have done the full circle in camping – we started off with a caravan, then a tent, followed by a rooftop tent on my bakkie’s canopy (which I’d also built myself), after which we progressed to a camper, then back to a caravan, and finally to a Bush Trotter Piglet off-road trailer. The trailer is the easiest to manoeuvre around by myself and uses less storage space. The main reason for this modification is to save space. An ordinary plastic washbasin and drying rack takes up too much space. The aluminium stand that I made folds away neatly against the door. For the wash-up stand, I used 25x25 aluminium square tubing, plastic couplings, hinges, 2 strands of cabling in plastic, and the collapsible basin and collapsible drying rack. The…

LIFE’S TOO SHORT NOT TO GO CAMPING My wife and I were married a year ago but have been an item for three years. Over the past year or so, we had been putting together a camping equipment collection so that one day we might be brave, pack up, and hit the road for a few weeks. Time ticked along, and my wife was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. This was devastating news, since she had been in remission for 12 years prior to this return. Six months of chemo and medication took a heavy toll on her as a human being, both physically and mentally, but she showed huge progress after the treatments. We decided that it was time to do what we’d wanted to do for so long,…

The Beeld Holiday Show is marketed as “the Annual National Launchpad for leading manufacturers of caravans and the camping industry”. Hosted at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Johannesburg, this year’s show saw people queuing for hours to take a peek at some of the latest products on the market… and, of course, to shop till they dropped with all the specials! Of course, Caravan & Outdoor Life were also in attendance to ensure that we bring you the latest news from the industry. Here’s what caught our eye... THE NEW JURGENS CI RANGE Many of us have been waiting for months to get a good look at the new range of caravans from Jurgens Ci. All four of the models – Exclusive, Penta, Fleetline, Classique – were on display…

The Sensation caravan range with its ethos of“living life sensationally”, has a brand new member, and this caravan has a pop-up roof! It was first revealed at the Beeld Holiday Show in February, when Caravan & Outdoor Life managed to organise a day out with the new unit - taking it off the show floor and parking it in a caravan resort to check it out in the field. When I spoke to Jaco du Toit, one of the team members on the latest project, he assured me that they are sticking to all the quality features that have made this luxury caravan so popular. ‘We will continue with our attention to detail, the sourcing of the best fittings and products world-wide, and maintaining the luxury, quality and the exclusivity…

It is fairly common knowledge amongst campers that it is bad for tyres to stand under load in the same spot for an extended period of time. Having your caravan bouncing along on flat spots is truly no fun. The solution is to transfer the load from the tyres to sturdy supports during periods of storage. There are various ways to do this. You can build a stack of bricks under the caravan’s axle, or you can use paint cans filled with concrete or maybe some stumps cut from a tree trunk. You could also splurge a fair sum on a pair of prefabricated adjustable trestles. All of these would get the job done. But, if you can handle a hacksaw and a hammer, you could easily build a neat…

MITSUBISHI TO RECALL 7 449 PAJEROS Mitsubishi Motors SA (MMSA) has issued a preventative recall on 7 449 Pajeros in the South African market for safety inspections and replacement of the Takata airbags. Mitsubishi is one of several vehicle manufacturers affected by the potentially defective airbag inflators. MMSA is currently busy contacting owners of affected models between 2007 and 2016, to arrange and co-ordinate the timing of the service inspections. Airbags will be replaced at no cost. The inspection and replacement procedure will take approximately one hour. An online VIN-checker is available online at www.bit.ly/ PajeroRecall for owners who want to check if their vehicles are affected. RENAULT KADJAR XP LIMITED EDITION The Renault Kadjar XP Limited Edition is the latest addition to the manufacturer’s Kadjar line-up. The XP 96kW…

I guess it’s not good form to start a caravan and campsite review with a disclaimer, but I’m still going to do it: I am an Overberg klong … which means that I might be a bit biased in favour of anything to do with my stomping ground. However, in the case of Kam’Bati River Resort, you don’t need to be biased to say that this is a first-class caravan and camping site. And, if you are wondering whether this Overberg klong is being honest, just remember that Kam’Bati won the coveted Readers’ Resort of the Year prize in the Great Outdoors Guide 2017. That’s right, of the more than a thousand resorts in South Africa, our readers voted Kam’Bati as the best! So, let me tell you more about…

The December holidays are long forgotten, and the caravan or trailer has been parked back at home. While some of us will be lucky enough to head off again for the school holidays at the end of the month, others will have to leave the van where it is until the midyear break, or even until the next December holidays! If you are one of those who won’t be using your caravan again soon, it’s time to put it into storage, either at home or at a facility. Storing your caravan has to be done properly to avoid damage, so we have compiled a useful checklist to ensure your caravan is ready to roll when the next holiday comes along. STORAGE Whether storing your caravan at home or at a…

While most caravans are designed to tow exceptionally well, there may come a time when outside factors beyond your driving capability come into play and you need to initiate drastic evasion manoeuvres to maintain, or regain, control of your car and caravan. Imagine being stuck behind a slow-moving truck, you finally manage to overtake with your caravan in tow, only to find the truck is now speeding up… and that you are both heading downhill at ever-increasing speed.You are white-knuckled as you grip that steering wheel tightly. And then the high pressure“bow-wave”generated by the vehicle you are overtaking gives your caravan a sudden mighty sideways shove, sending you fishtailing from one side of the road to the other.Your wife and kids check their safety belts and make a desperate grab…

Lamb Curry Sosaties serves 10 Ingredients •  2kg lamb, deboned and cut into cubes• dried apricots• onion• red, green and yellow peppers• 4 to 8 bay leaves Marinade •  2 onions, chopped• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed• ginger, grated (equal volume to the garlic)• 2 tsp masala or curry powder• 1 tsp turmeric• 2 cups brown vinegar• 400g tin of smooth apricot jam• 80ml oil or butter• 1 tsp salt Method 1. For the marinade: Fry the onions in oil for about 4 minutes until they are soft and golden. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder and turmeric, and fry for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, jam and salt and bring mixture to the boil. Remove from the heat and let the marinade cool down to room temperature. 2. Place the deboned and cubed lamb into a large…