Caravan and Outdoor Life August 2017

What an exciting (and exhausting) month it has been! It seems the caravan and camping industry is heating up, despite the country being in the cold grip of winter. Of course, the biggest excitement in the industry is the fact that Caravan & Outdoor Life is now also available in Afrikaans. We hope our Afrikaans readers enjoy Kamp & Karavaan. But we’ve also been hearing a lot of other buzz… with Jurgens Ci still struggling to find its feet under new ownership, it seems other manufacturers are stepping up their game. And it’s not just the established caravan manufacturers... we’ve been hearing about a few new players who are building prototypes, and getting ready to enter the market. The caravan industry has been through a bit of a tough time…

So there I was, standing in my living room in the dark. My wife and I had just returned home after a weekend away, and the entire neighbourhood’s power was off. From what I had gathered from our neighbourhood watch, this wasn’t a small problem: The cables at a substation had been stolen and the power would be out for quite a while. It was a little inconvenient unpacking the car, but (in the end) not too much of a bother. Luckily, my camping gear is easily accessible. Headlamps on, light some candles, fire up the little gas camping stove to boil water for coffee and tea… no problem. But, after we had unpacked and settled in for the night, the power was still off, and I had some work…

Thanks for all the help We have been very lucky that for the past 5 years we have managed to camp just about every second month! And this is still just practising for the day we retire. The Dollhouse, our 1997 Palma, has completely changed our lives for the better. A recent threat to this very important part of our lives presented itself in the much publicised form of weighbridges! The Dollhouse had a registered Tare of 920kg and Gross of 1200kg, and was fitted with a 1400kg rated Al-Ko self-braking axle. A quick trip to the weighbridge (free of charge at SA Metal), showed that, when packed more or less as we would normally travel, the caravan weighed 1540kg! This was 140kg over the axle rating and an astronomical…

STAY CONNECTED Caravan & Outdoor Life readers Peter and Jean Blore are selling their property and will be taking to the road for as long as they can. Their children are overseas, but they stay in contact via Skype and WhatsApp. They wanted advice from readers about the most economical way to have the internet services they have at home with WiFi, while travelling? KEEP ROLLING Standard safety guidelines suggest that you change your tyres every five years. But this can be a costly move. We asked you whether you have a brand that you stick with, no matter the cost, or whether it doesn’t matter and you just shop the sales? CONNECT WITH US ONLINE Website: www.caravansa.co.za  Facebook: @caravanoutdoorlife Instagram @caravanoutdoorlife Twitter: @Caravan_SA…

Make your own biltong If there’s one thing almost everybody packs for a road trip or camping getaway, it’s biltong. But this delicious meat snack can be quite costly... so, why not make your own? It’s easy, with the Roadque Biltong Drier. The small food-processing unit is designed for home use, and generally produces approximately 15kg of dried meat (biltong) in two to three days. Three extractor fans in the roof of the cabinet remove humid air from within, to aid in the drying process. Meat is hung from a rail in the top of the biltong dryer with supplied hooks. R2 300 (incl VAT) Available from Roadque Manufacturers. For more information, visit www.roadque.co.za, email info@roadque or phone 012 804 1967 Stay stabilised When heading out on holiday with the…

Check out the Loftus Cub Loftus Caravan City has added a new member to its caravan family: The Loftus Cub – a small, rugged caravan that can be towed by almost any car, and which will fit into most garages. The inner and outer shell is moulded fiberglass, making it light-weight, and to prevent any wood rot. No EB licence is required as the caravan’s GVM is less than 750kg Based on the popular Panther Caravan, this unit has been modified by Loftus to create a special new unit. Woody Loftus, owner of Loftus Caravans, also told Caravan & Outdoor Life that another light-weight option able to be towed with a B licence will be available later in the year. Loftus Cub features: • Hot galvanised chassis • 2000kg Burquip…