Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2019 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

For the past couple of months, the topic of children and the camping lifestyle has repeatedly popped up. In our previous edition we had the Marias family who are planning on home schooling their children while travelling the world, and I wrote about a study that found that camping can help kids do better in school. Our DigiMag featured an article on how millennials now make up more than half the camping community in certain parts of the world. (If you do not receive our free digital magazine, go to our website and sign up for our newsletter). This month we again find children at the heart of much of our content. There’s the Marais family who share their 3 000 km trip through Namibia (page 52), and our journalist…

The brand new Summit Karenga has arrived at Pretoria Caravans. Caravan & Outdoor Life gave you a sneak peek of the Karenga in our May edition, and now we can reveal more of the rugged off-roader with its unique blend of precision engineering and practical yet stylish functionality. The Karenga is a collaboration between Summit Trailers and Pretoria Caravans dealer principal Adri Conradie. Summit brought their engineering and design expertise, and Adri her many years of practical experience of what a caravanner wants and needs in order to enjoy their caravan to the fullest. Adri says: "The result is an off-road caravan that is comfortable and convenient to use in a caravan park or deep in the bush. "The Karenga comes in with a GVM of 1 800 kg, making…

South Africans love bakkies. Caravanners love bakkies. And you can bet your trousers that Ford fans are going to love the latest Ranger. I’ve had the pleasure of attending the launch of the new Ranger, as well as the Ranger Raptor, and if the experience on these trips are anything to go by, caravanners are in for a treat. Ford made a specific point to inform us in no uncertain terms that new Ranger has improved towing capabilities. As a start, all derivatives on the new Ranger have a towing capacity of 3 500 kg – a massive ton more than previous models. Add to that Dynamic Stability Control that adapts to changing load for more control, this is about as good as it gets in South Africa. Admittedly, we…

Often I only get to know about the flesh and bones of the caravan I’m travelling with by reading the spec sheet. In this case, I had the dedicated team at Loftus to take me through the details. Woody showed me some panels that make up the body of the caravan, saying: “Feel the weight of these… what is unique about the Okto is that these skins are single sheets with no joints on either plane. “The walls are made from a combination of aluminium, GRP (fibreglass) and polystyrene, all glued together in a vacuum press that creates a single panel.” But I’m not here to tell you about the technical stuff, you have read about that in previous magazines, or you can find it all on our website (www.caravansa.…

The one thing I missed from my caravan setup was a practical washbasin compendium. None of the options available at camp stores appealed to me, and most cost far over R 1 000. I started looking around at what others have and worked out the best option for my caravan. I opted to go with a hook-on system onto the caravan, as I wanted to eliminate any additional tables or stands. Material selection and construction method was most important. For light weight, the material had to be 25 mm aluminium square tube. The“Connect-It”plastic corners and T’s were therefore the other option that was used to join the tubulars. Aluminium tubing is soft and can easily be cut with a hacksaw and ensures easy drilling of all holes. The next step…

Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort KwaZulu-Natal 20% discount on any camping and/or self-catering chalet accommodation . From now until 13 June. T: (036) 4681031 E: dpp@dragonpeaks.com w: www.dragonpeaks.com ATKV Buffelspoort North West Great camping special until 14 June. Members pay R625, non-members R825, and pensioners get an additional 10% discount. Special available for midweek camping (Sunday arrival 4pm, to Friday departure 12pm). School holidays and long weekends excluded. T: 014 572 1010 E: buffelspoort@atkv.org.za W: www.atkvresorts.co.za/Resorts/ Buffelspoort Rondeberg Holiday Resort Western Cape June/July School Holiday Special: Camping: 50% off a 7-day stay. Chalets special: Midweek (Mon-Thurs): Stay 4 days, pay only for 2. Subject to availability T: 021 100 3689 C: 079 760 0247 W: www.rondeberg.com Plettenberg, A Forever Resort Western Cape Winter special: Camping for only R100 per person per…

Before I tell you more about Eastco Holiday Resort Magaliesburg – which is now one of my favourite campsites – I want to back up to the start of my trip and one of my other favourites in South Africa: Loftus Caravan City, where I collected my Okto Villa. The dealership, headed by the Loftus brothers Woody, Neil and Joel and their team, makes anyone who steps over their threshold truly welcome. The Loftus team always have everything spick-and-span when one arrives to collect a caravan, and the shining Okto Villa was waiting for me, ready to hit the road. However, hitching up the Okto we found that the lights weren’t working on the caravan. A quick check by a Loftus technician proved the fault to be in the electrical…

I picked up the brand new Grand Sedona SXL from Kia’s head office in Johannesburg. The Grand Sedona, the flagship in the MPV range, is a seven-seater vehicle incorporating every luxury one would expect, including keyless entry and start, as well as the ability to open the large sliding side doors and boot with the press of a button. Opening the sliding side doors you’ll find a huge interior space with really comfortable seating for all the passengers. Directly behind the front seats are two individual seats with a walking space between them. This leads to the three-seater bench seat at the back. Or if you prefer, you can fold the two seats in the second row away, allowing direct access to the bench seat at the back. There’s loads…

I rarely go to the caravan and camping shows, and now and again I get a bit miffed that I miss out on seeing all the exciting new products firsthand. But as I drove up to the Custom Camper factory in Meyerton, I realised it didn’t really matter, since I get a much better deal: I don’t just have to look at the caravans parked at a show, I get to experience them! I get down to the nuts and bolts, I see them being built, and actually trundle away and spend some time camping in these dream machines. Could it get any better? I doubt it. One of the latest caravans I got up close and personal with is the Gray, manufactured by Fred Oosthuizen and his team from…

PROBLEM WITH TRAILER’S LED INDICATOR LIGHT I recently bought an off-road trailer, but none of the lights work when I plug it into my Ford Ranger. I have checked the wiring – twice! The lights work if I connect a 12 V battery to the plug pins, and there is no fault on the car as it works fine with my caravan. Do manufacturers use their own colour coding and different wiring configurations in the trailer plug? The Ford agents blame the trailer manufacturer and the trailer guy says I should get a better car, while the speed cop… well, he writes the traffic fine and gives it to me! Help. Bobbie Vorster Godfrey: There is only one SABS approved wiring diagram, and this specifies the colour of the wire…

PHOTO COMPETITION Want to show off your caravan and camping adventures? Are you a lensman who captures the beauty of nature? Do you have a terrific towing combination? Then show us! Caravan & Outdoor Life want to see your awesome outdoor images and share it with our audience. Whether you are towing a caravan or trailer, heading out in a motorhome, or camping in a tent, take a picture of your travels and share it with us. Each month we’ll publish the best pictures in our magazine, and share your winning snap on our website and social media. WILLIE LOMBARD We had a great time in Namibia under this unbelievable starry heaven. MANDY FELTHAM DANIELS Camping at Malkoppan, Lamberts Bay in December holiday. JAPIE BOTHA Fish Eagle photographed in the…

STEALTH GRAVEL HYBRID IS COMING Stealth Caravans are conducting extensive gravel road tests with their standard first model, the Evo XR. Garry Caody, managing director of Profibre Products, that manufacturer the Stealth, tells Caravan & Outdoor Life that they have taken the Evo XR and put it to the test for limited gravel road use in an endeavour to realise its limitations as well as to understand what is needed for a more suited gravel-road version. Garry says:“During our 800 kilometres of gravel road tests, the microwave came out twice, and we made modifications, but we are still going strong. “Yes, on the standard caravan you will have to live with some dust ingress and will have to be careful with the step, but provided you follow some simple rules…

“The new tough-looking Triton is significantly more competitive and meets the diverse needs of bakkie customers around the world.” These are the words of Nic Campbell, General Manager of Mitsubishi Motors South Africa, at the launch of the new Triton in South Africa. Considering that the latest incarnation of this bakkie, fully imported from Japan, really does have a more rugged exterior and some nice interior improvements as well as performance upgrades, he might be absolutely right. EXTERIOR The Triton has received a bold facelift, giving it an aggressive and muscular form. With less rounded surfaces, a higher hood line, squared headlights located higher up, more pronounced grille and larger front bumper, the new model is an intimidating sight. Extended wheel flares and sculpted body lines scream strength, and new…

Sunset Mountain Caravan Park can be termed an exclusive boutique resort. It is small, discreet and beautifully set against the mountainside, with great care being taken to integrate the campsite flawlessly into its natural surroundings. The caravan park has six just camping sites, and caters only for over-18s. The reason for this is that they market themselves as the quiet couple’s getaway – a place where mom and dad can escape for a peaceful weekend. All the excavations and removal of rocks to form the camping sites were done without disturbing the large trees in the area, so expect lots of shade on those hot summer days. Each of the campsites has its own private bathroom inside a canvas dome tent consisting of a bath, basin and toilet, as well…

On a recent trip to the Riebeek Valley, where I camped at the Fish Eagle River Lodge, I had a couple of days to uncover what this picturesque area filled with magnificent scenery, vineyards as far as the eye can see and some very friendly folk had to offer. Within a diverse community such as this, you’re bound to bump into musicians, artists, farmers and a wide spectrum of highly entertaining people along the way. The owners of Fish Eagle River Lodge are a prime example of what you can expect in the Riebeek Valley. When I asked Steve if I could get a photograph of him and his wife Kay, he called her over to the front of their large guest house, which borders their wonderful riverside campsites and…

Having built our dream 4x4 motorhome, and after several camping trips around the Western Cape, we decided to take the new vehicle on a proper road trip around Namibia. This was the type of trip we had in mind when we designed the body fitted to a 2017 model Fuso FG6-136 4x4 light truck chassis with a GVM of 6 000 kg. A few prior short camping trips had already sorted out the snags of a newly-built vehicle, but a good four weeks of gravel travel would put our house-on-wheels to a good test. My wife Annelise and I had travelled Namibia 25 years earlier, before we had even met each other, and we both felt the strange magnetism of this beautiful land. So the choice of destination for our…

These are not your average outdoor foot gear – FALKE socks are designed with advanced features such as ergonomic left and right construction for the ultimate fit, anti-tick and mosquito treatment, reinforced heel and toe for durability, honeycomb mesh construction for effective ventilation, Drynamix fibre to keep feet cool and dry, supportive cushioning, and more… Our prize pack consist of a pair of Advanced Hiking 4, AH1, AH2, All Terrain and Walkie socks valued at over R700.…