Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

It’s September, and that means Spring is officially here. It also means we are already three-quarters of the way through the year. Is it just me, or did this winter fly by? Already I’m noticing the sun rising earlier in the morning, and setting a bit later at night. Although, it’s still pretty cold at night! And a bit more rain would be great after this dry season. Let’s just hope we at least have good weather later this month – the 24th of September is Heritage Day, or as we have come to call it, Braai Day. It’s a day when we celebrate the diverse heritage of our beautiful country, but also a day every South African and their mother will be lighting the fire to grill some meat.…

PACK YOUR BAG Getting ready for your next holiday, but unsure of how you are going to fit everything into your bag? Get the new K-Way Evo 12 Gearbag from Cape Union Mart. The bag has a volume of 60 litres, so is big enough for more than a day journey. It comes with a tough PU Ripstop outer material and lockable YKK zips. R550 Available from Cape Union Mart stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.capeunionmart.co.za TABLE MATTERS When you are out camping or caravanning, you want enough shelf and table space. With the large folding table from Campworld, you can lay out everything that you need to cook, or place your bowl of chips and your wineglass on this easy-to-use, easy-to-transport table. The folding table is made from…

Where were we? In the August edition of Caravan & Outdoor Life, we had just completed the first leg of our East vs West travel feature with Toyota. Our journalists, Richard van Ryneveld and Nick Yell, had headed for the middle of South Africa in their Fortuner, and had then struck out east for a ‘berg and beer’ tour. Then, they were supposed to swap the Fortuner for a Hilux to take on the mission to the west. But the last we heard of these two, Richard was man down after developing viral bronchitis, recuperating at a friend’s house, and getting ready to be flown back to Cape Town. And Nick wasn’t feeling very well... So, would Nick prove to be as tough as the Hilux he now had to…

BLOEMHOF DAM NATURE RESERVE Comfort, Safety and Environment (CSE) rating: 5.5/10 This campsite is set on the shores of the beautiful Bloemhof Dam, and pretty much in the middle of the 12 000 hectare conservancy which is home to a variety of plains game, jackal, and 250 bird species. And, from what I saw, the fishing is excellent. What spoils the experience, though, is the almost total neglect of the camping facilities. For instance, there was one rusted drum for garbage, one half-working toilet and only one hand-basin in the dirty ablution block. And the electricity point that I used looked positively dangerous. It’s a shame, because this could be one of SA’s premier camping sites if it were just refurbished and maintained well. Costs: R120 per site (6 people)…

The first thing that struck me, as I entered the Spinmet factory where the XCamper is made, was a large white glider hanging from the roof. Within minutes of meeting Dave Mortimer, who designed and manufactures the XCamper, I discovered that he was an aeronautical draughtsman by profession. This explained the BJ4 glider, which he had helped build and design some 40 years before. Dave’s actual business is making contract furniture, specialising in seating. The factory consists of quite a few disciplines: a workshop, a fibreglass shop, a steel shop and an upholstery shop. ‘We had to think laterally,’ said Dave, with a smile. ‘We had already branched out into the building of specialised trailers when a Romanian gentleman, Radu Marinescu, walked into my office and asked, “Do you think…

TANKWA NATIONAL PARK The Tankwa National Park is a magnificent place to visit. There are two formal campsites: Langkloof, which has only two sites; and Perdekloof, which has six sites. These formal campsites are superb – each campsite has its own bathroom and kitchenette, and the sites have gas showers, but no electricity. For access to the campsites, you would need a high-clearance 2x4 vehicle; and, during the rainy season, 4x4 vehicles are advised. There are also five informal camps: Biesjesfontein, Volmoersfontein, Skaapwagterspos, Pyper se Boom and Steenkampshoek. If you are into your camping amenities, stay away! These sites are for fully self-sufficient campers – there are no ablutions and there is no water. A maximum of 15 people is allowed per site. Getting to Skaapwagterspos and Pypers se Boom…

After spending years camping and living in motorhomes and tents, we decided that one last motorhome build was in order, to be enjoyed all over the country as retirees. Two years ago, I picked up a copy of Caravan and Outdoor Life magazine (Issue 727, June 2014) and came upon Howard Langley’s article about his conversion of a Fiat Ducato MH2 panel van. After reading the article, my wife agreed with me that it would be a very interesting project; and that, as I was now retired, it would perhaps keep me from becoming bored around the house. So, the die was cast and I started the long search for a suitable vehicle. Finding a low-mileage van in good condition is a tall order, as I soon found out. Finally,…

JOIN ME AWAY FROM THE CROWDS Having always enjoyed camping in remote areas, I found myself missing it very much now that I am on my own. My husband and I had a camper which fitted onto our 4x4 bakkie so that we could visit places like the Tankwa Karoo Park and the Kgalagadi Park. More locally, we enjoyed Bonamanzi in Zululand. I now have an RV2 OZ Tent which suits me, and I have enjoyed a few camping trips - mainly to the Drakensberg. The tent is simple and quick to erect and dismantle single-handed. The only downside is that it’s heavy and bulky; but it does (just!) fit diagonally into my small bakkie. However, I am a bit nervous about being more adventurous alone, and have searched a…

In February this year, Toyota introduced their eight series Hilux bakkies in South Africa. To say the least, we’d been waiting for a while for this; the previous generation was released over a century ago! This magazine has taken the new Hilux for a spin (July edition), but on this trip I got to drive about 1 700km in the (almost) top-of-the-range 4x4 model – the only bigger model being the V6. The six-speed auto-gearbox married to the 2.8l diesel engine coped well with towing the Conqueror Comfort, which is a pretty solid unit built to “military strength”. The Hilux, with registered towing capacity (braked) of 3 500kg and a GCM of 5 850kg, could easily handle the Conqueror’s GVM of 1 525kg… and, being man alone, I wasn’t near…

I had left Johannesburg late, so I arrived at the River of Joy Country Guest House in the dark. Luckily, the caravan park is easy to find as – it’s just 1km off the N1 highway, some 25 kilometres north of Bloemfontein. I parked on a large grassed stand next to the communal ablution block on a typical, freezing-cold Free State winter’s night… what a pleasure it was to have a piping-hot shower in the neat facilities! After giving two friendly sheep dogs a goodnight pat, I turned in for the night. The next morning proved that River of Joy, situated on the banks of the Modder River, is a small, friendly, rural campsite that I wouldn’t hesitate to revisit. The best spots are close to the river, so I’d…

On 24 September, we celebrate Heritage Day – also known in South Africa as “Braai Day”. It’s the public holiday on which we celebrate the rich heritage of all the people of South Africa, and there is one heritage that stretches across all races, languages, regions and religions in our country: the braai! While the ingredients may differ, one thing that never changes is that when South Africans – and especially we campers and caravanners – have something to celebrate, we light fires and prepare great feasts. Whether we’re out in the bush, up in the mountains, chilling at the beach, or lighting the braai at home, as Saffers we have that ingrained need to have a “vleisie op die kole”. This year, Heritage Day falls on a Saturday, so…

‘Is meneer alone?’ asked the guy helping me to hitch the Jurgens XT-140. His eyebrows were starting to arch, quizzically. When he heard that, Yup, meneer was alone, he shook his head, and said, ‘Meneer is going to sukkel putting the Howling Moon tent up on your own.’ With this “encouraging” news, I headed out to the Tankwa Karoo National Park. After the first ten minutes on the road, the positives started building up on this tough, hardy little trailer. Although the XT-140 is relatively heavy, it’s stable and easy to tow. I had previously driven its bigger brother on a long, back-road trip almost entirely on dirt, following the 32° parallel from Lamberts Bay on the west coast to Coffee Bay on the east coast. I knew these trailers…

With the traffic authorities’ focus on pulling caravanners over for exceeding their van’s payload, Caravan and Outdoor Life has sourced these useful scales for determining towbar weight and the weight of the caravan being towed. These devices are manufactured in Germany and not available locally. However, as A SPECIAL SERVICE to our readers, we are willing to assist those interested by importing these directly from the manufacturer. TOWBAR LOAD CONTROL: This is a simple electronic scale that is placed on top of the towball of the towing vehicle; the caravan is then lowered onto the scale's plastic towball. At the touch of a button, it gives a digital readout of the towball weight. Remember: This is a scale used for measuring weight only, and only when the caravan is stationary.…

Dear Editor, I am a regular reader of your magazine and have planned many holidays using articles and advice from the Caravan & Outdoor Life magazine. During June 2016, my family and I had a bad camping experience at the Mahai Camp. However, thanks to people like Mavis Hadebe and Mzimase Bhungane, the problem was quickly attended to and resolved to my satisfaction. I think the readers of your magazine should know that there are still people out there who care about service delivery. From Henry Terblanche Editor: Henry’s complaint sounds like a real nightmare – he had to camp next to 50 schoolchildren and move camp with no assistance; the dustbins were overflowing, there was loud music early in the morning, and certain routes in the area…

Conqueror trailers are made by a company with a history in the military, and it really shows in this tough off-roader. While I didn’t put the trailer through anything like what I’m sure it can handle, I got a good idea of how capable it would be in rough terrain. The Conqueror Comfort has a solid beam braked axle, fitted with leaf springs, heavy duty shock absorbers, and cast-iron couplers with integrated auto-reverse brakes. But the sturdy base of the van is the chassis (designed in-house) – all parts are hot-dip galvanised, and welding is kept to an absolute minimum since most parts are bolted together. Even though the Conqueror Comfort is a family unit which could sleep 4 people: two on the double bed, and two in the side-room…

Driving up to Diamanté Caravan Park, situated in the bushveld to the east of Pretoria, you are immediately aware of the amount of game in the fenced veld surrounding the establishment. Approaching the camp, I saw a large herd of bontebok and a couple of nyalas. Inside there’s a melange of wildlife and farm animals all living in harmony. Shortly after parking my brand new Hyundai Tucson and setting up my little XCamper, a friendly ostrich pair strolled over to see what this white “space-age bubble” was about. In the background, a bunch of sheep chilled out under the surrounding shady bushveld trees. I quickly got out my braai pap to feed some hens and a cocky little rooster. A pair of turkeys added the bass notes to the bushveld…

Why are most South African caravans coloured white or cream? White exteriors may be cool in our hot African summers, and the shade of khaki blends in well in the bush; but does it make you stand out from the crowd? We don’t all drive white cars. Some of us like colours to make a statement, to show others that we are different, interesting and unique – and having a damn fine time doing so! While taking a look at Down Under, we discovered that the Australian caravan market is doing exceptionally well. Could it be that it’s because their caravans are looking fresh and exciting? Would colourful exteriors work in South Africa, or are we too reserved? Or do you think the Aussies have no class? Okay, we probably…

I bought a 1989 Fleetline L with a "licensed" Tare of ... wait for it... 3 000 kg, and a GVM of zero. How do you fix that, when the sticker on the "A frame" no longer sticks? I took my caravan to a registered weighbridge, but was told at the licensing office that I may not decrease the weights, but only increase them. So, I now try to avoid weighbridges as far as possible. Proof that E-Natis records are not always legit! Red tape is always a time-consumer - it took us over a week of endless phone calls to determine what the fine is for overloading, as none of the authorities knew. You have to keep knocking, and also find the right person to correct this error –…

We have been caravanning for 35 years and have bought this magazine regularly over this time. Our thanks to you, your team and fellow readers for many years of interesting reading and valuable tips. We are retired, and intend to travel southern Africa; we will begin with a short trip to Namibia in August. A) Please advise if we can safely, and without incurring damage, use our Sprite Swing behind the Toyota Hilux on the various gravel roads along our route. The roads of concern are: • Kuruman to Keetmanshoop - the R31 and C16 • Aus to Sesreim - C13 and C27 • Sesreim to Swakopmund - C19 and C14 • Swakopmund to Windhoek - C28 These are the precautions I intend to take: as is recommended in your…