Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2017 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

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…

When Kamp-Mal started in May 2016, we never in our wildest dreams thought that our Facebook page would attract this kind of passionate following. During the past year, we have seen the numbers grow (sometimes at a staggering 1000 new members per day) to over 94 000 members at the time of writing. This proved that we were right when we said that camping was an “addiction”, and that spending enough time on the Kamp-Mal Facebook page would soon have you camping more, or would turn you into a camper. We hear stories about people who had given up camping, but (thanks to Kamp-Mal) again bought a caravan, a trailer or a tent, and are back camping. We now have Kamp-Mal members far and wide: in Australia, Holland, Canada, Namibia…

I had just under a week to enjoy camping and sleeping in the compact Serai Weekender caravan. Basically, this is a small, entirely-fibreglass cabin which has two single beds with good quality mattresses (storage underneath), and comes standard with a Defy bar fridge. The 1.62 metre roof height inside allowed me to stand tall in the van. It makes a huge difference; many of the other ‘tiny’ vans on the market have pretty low roofs. I liked the thinking behind the Serai – a lightweight caravan that can be towed by almost all small sedans. Serai owners also need only a Code B licence, and the van fits easily into any standard garage. The Weekender is designed to serve as a basic but practical base for caravanners, specifically those out…

If you want to do some rough gravel travel, but still want the luxury of a road caravan, check out the BacTrax conversion range by Kennis Kennis Caravans & Motorhomes. Based on the popular Sprite Sprint and Swing models, the BacTrax caravans have been toughened up with a heavy-duty axle, large 15-inch wheels for increased ground clearance, upgrades to the body protection components, and modifications to ensure dust-proof travel. Outdoor lovers will enjoy the outside kitchen which includes a microwave, two-plate gas stove, wash-up facility with running water, and lots of packing space. The Sprite BacTrax range incorporates a 12V charging system, while outside modification options for 12V and 220V connections and lighting are open-ended options. On the inside you’ll find a unique layout design, with carefully selected fabrics to…

Panang Curry There is a Malay woman named Mouny in Strand (Western Cape), who has a little shop by the same name in the street behind Friedman & Cohen. She makes a spice mix for Malay curry, and that is where I buy my ingredients. I go for medium-heat. This mixture goes with us wherever we camp, and I keep it in the fridge to preserve the flavour. It is the base of my Panang recipe, although one could also use normal masalas or curry powder. Ingredients • 1kg chicken (thighs and drumsticks)• 1 onion, chopped• 5 cloves garlic, chopped• 10ml fresh ginger• 1 small chilli (optional)• 2 pieces pipe cinnamon• 3 cardamom seeds• 15ml curry mix• 2ml turmeric• 5ml fine coriander• 5ml jeera (cumin)• 80ml olive oil• 400g tin Italian tomatoes in sauce• 150g tamarind in 250ml water Method 1. Soak the tamarind…

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…

‘A safari in the traditional style… an unhurried journey.’ This is how Jannie Rykaart described the trip he had planned for us. I met Jannie of Protea 4x4 Adventures last year when I joined him on an adventure to Namibia to tackle Van Zyl’s Pass. It was a helluva lekker trip, but fast and furious – 1200km across the breadth of Botswana in one day, the whole trip some 5200km in total. But this time, our journey would be unhurried, leisurely, laid back’ ‘We have learnt over the years to balance our trips with little touches of luxury added to the true experience of camping with the grunt of hippos close to your camp,’ said Jannie. ‘Campers want time to relax with a drink watching an elephant outlined by a…

I met the owners of Waterberg, Corrie and Brian Williams, when they took over the resort in 2014, and it’s nice to see how the caravan park has grown in the past three years. It’s clear that Corrie and Brian are hands-on in the running of their resort, and take pride in keeping the grounds tidy. In fact, one of the first things you notice as you enter the camp are the neat pathways and well-kept lawns. There’s an air of tranquillity hanging over this bushveld getaway, and this is not just coincidence – Waterberg does not permit caravan rallies, parties, or any intrusive noise that would affect your stay. The resort has something for everyone; if you enjoy lounging away the days next to your caravan, the large sites…

Most of the work on a self-built camper can be done by anyone with general DIY skills. It just takes a lot longer than you anticipate… about 11 months for me, more or less full-time. It is worth it, though. Apart from the satisfaction of actually building it, I've ended up with a van that suits my needs, is better equipped than those “off the shelf”, and considerably cheaper. I wanted a modern-looking van; more like a small apartment than a caravan. INTERIOR - Cupboards, floor, panelling & overhead console I wanted to remove the standard double and single seats from the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van and replace them with two single seats so that I could walk through to the back. Seats that had arm rests were a necessity for…

Caravan Cove Park KwaZulu Natal Long-term pensioner camping special: One pensioner for 1 month at R2376. Two pensioners at R2900 per month. Book for 3 months and pay only R2200 for 1 or 2 pensioners per month. Contact: T: 039 976 1215 Corian’s Pennington Caravan Resort KwaZulu Natal Stay for 10 days or longer and get a 30% discount. Pensioners: Winter months special, only R2400 per month. We also offer Out of Season rates during the October School holidays. Contact: T: 039 975 1107 C: 082 572 3997 E: corians@telkomsa.net  W: www.corians.co.za Morgan Bay Hotel Caravan Park Eastern Cape Winter long stay special: Stay 1 month for R2 700, or 2 months & longer at R2400 per month. Out of season caravan and camping rates: All sites R265…

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…

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…

Last month's WINNER Congratulations to our winner, Petrus van Zyl, who correctly identified the image as the Sani Pass on the border of KZN and Lesotho. The Sani Pass… a dream challenge for any 4x4 enthusiast in South Africa. Situated between KZN and Lesotho, the pass has for years provided travellers with incredible scenery as they braved treacherous conditions to master the drive to the summit altitude of 2876 metres. The pass itself rises 1332 vertical metres, which is an altitude gain of almost 300 metres more than its nearest competitor, Naude's Nek Pass in the Eastern Cape. Because there are long, easy sections at the foothills of the Drakensberg, the Sani's average gradient is 1:20, but certain parts are as steep as 1:4. It is in these that many…

When you bum is blue with cold in your home in the Overberg, the chance of a trip to the “best weather” in South Africa is a heart-warming thought. (Or would that be butt-warming?) A trip to the harbour town of Mossel Bay – a place with 320 sunny days a year – was just what wthe doctor ordered. Snugly ensconced in the cabin of a brand new Renault Kadjar TCE XP, I set out on the 380-odd kilometres from our office in Cape Town to visit Dibiki Holiday Resort and De Bakke Santos. I had heard plenty of “You have to visit Dibiki” on the travellers’ grapevine over the years, and I now had the chance to experience it for myself. And at Dibiki, I was to meet my…

Safety chain and a break-away cable? Thought I should bring this to your attention: someone we know who has a braked trailer – same concept as the braked Skipper Oyster – took the trailer for a Certificate Of Roadworthiness in the town of Jacobs last week. He was refused the COR as it didn’t have a safety chain as well as the brake cable! He was told that if there was no safety chain, the nose of the trailer would actually hit the ground before the brake had a chance to activate! What are your thoughts on this? Mavis Dunn Godfrey: The Jacobs roadworthy establishment is incorrect! It is simply pointless having both a safety chain as well as a break-away brake cable, as the safety chain will prevent…