Innholdsfortegnelse for August 2019 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

After just over three years at the wheel of Caravan & Outdoor Life, I am sad to say that I am heading in another direction. This edition will be the last with me as editor. Over the past 39 magazines (maybe I should have camped one more month to make it an even 40?), I’ve come to love this entire industry – my team, the readers, the manufacturers… To say that the past three years have been an interesting time in the caravan and camping industry would be an understatement. I had barely started as editor when the Jurgens saga kicked off: It started with South Africa’s then biggest caravan manufacturer launching their first new models in 14 years; this was shortly followed by Jurgens Ci being sold, and in…

Workshop heroes Many overlanders are tinkers by nature, and it’s important to have the correct tools on hand to ensure your vehicle is running at 100%. This 6-piece Automotive Tester Kit from Mac-Afric includes an electronic stethoscope, infrared thermometer, tyre pressure gauge, spark indicator, open short finder, and a digital automotive pen probe. No malfunction will escape your sight with this comprehensive range of gadgets. R2 995 For more information, contact 0861 23 36 36, email info@adendorff.co.za, or visit www.adendorff.co.za. Double caravan step Getting in and out of a caravan should not be a hassle. Crestline’s double caravan step is large; Two extra wide steps each 460W x 290D, Low step 200H and high step 380H; can carry up to 150kg and accommodates single or dual handles for extra personal…

After thousands of kilometres of testing, Profibre Products have launched the hybrid gravelroader versions of their Stealth Caravans. Known as the Evolution XHR594 and XHR533, these caravans are a cross-over version of the Evo XR range of Stealth products. The hybrid is a cross-over caravan to accommodate users that want a gravel road capable van in the Evolution (Evo) range of caravans produced under the Stealth brand by Profibre Products Pty Ltd. The Stealth EVO XHR range was officially unveiled at the East Coast Radio House and Garden Show at the Durban Exhibition Centre, where it was on display at the Natal Caravans & Marine stand. WHAT’S IN A NAME? The H denotes the Hybrid nature of this caravan for on-road and off-road use. For the XHR594, the 59 is…

They’ve been in the caravan industry for less than a year, but Motor King & Marine (MKM) are quickly expanding their offering. The Pretoria-based dealership – a family business that has been trading in boats and outboard motors for over 44 years – introduced their first three caravans in February 2019 under the Crown Caravans brand name. At the Caravan, Camp & Destination Show they launched the Crown Trax, Venture and Trail. Expanding on their range, MKM also became a dealership for the luxury Checkmate caravans, and have now also started selling the new UniPod 'toy haulers'. Nico Barnard, Sales Manager at MKM, tells Caravan & Outdoor Life: “We are very excited about our new adventure. Our shop is really getting a nice caravan character with all the models available…

On the other side of the globe there is a nation of people quite different from South Africans… and there are a lot of them. But there seems to be one thing we have in common: Camping! Believe it or not, in China – the worlds most populated country, with 1.4 billion people – there is a growing demand for the outdoor lifestyle. Although the market is quite small at the moment, there exists a huge potential for the leisure industry. It’s always interesting to visit different countries and to experience, and really sense, that what we think is normal, is not normal to everybody. I am fortunate that my participation in the local leisure market compels me to travel to different countries. From visiting Europe, doing research and purchasing…

A visit to the iconic Ou Skip Holiday Resort is always a welcome break from the bustle of city life. Set along the Cape West Coast just outside Cape Town, the resort offers camping and caravan stands, tented camping and chalets, event and function facilities and a variety of activities to suit the entire family in search of the perfect holiday. Ou Skip with its 206 level grassed sites is one of the largest resorts on the West Coast. There are five neat ablution blocks at Ou Skip offer hot and cold water, showers, baths, a scullery and a laundry. The resort also offers 86 permanent tented campsites that are also fully self-catering, and has fully equipped self-catering chalets if camping is not your thing. The chalets are neat and…

CAMPING WITH ELECTRIC BLANKETS We love our winter country camping! Crisp country air, pink cheeks and noses, warm gloves, beanies and woollen hiking socks – and to make it even more enjoyable we now want to include electric blankets on the beds, so that we can enjoy all the pleasures of home in our caravan. Will an inverter on the battery be capable of powering electric blankets? Melanie du Toit Godfrey: Susan in our accounts department tells me her family uses an electric blanket, as well as a small heater fan in their caravan at night, so it should not be a problem of drawing too much electricity when connected to a caravan park’s hook-up. But 220V via an inverter and a battery may present new problems, you will need…

MAGICAL MOMENTS A group of us recently spent a holiday in the Kruger National Park. After a few days at Letaba we moved to Skukuza where, although the park was almost full to bursting, we managed to find a site to fit all nine of us – and we formed a laager. Our set-ups ranged from a top-of-the-range Afrispoor Cheeta off-road caravan (with every conceivable convenience), to a simple pop-up tent with air mattresses. We fell somewhere in-between with our Skipper Oyster. Evening meals were generally shared, as were washing up chores, with the tenting folk using any washing up bowl available. On the Saturday evening, along with everyone else in the park, we lit our braai fires and sat around with a glass of wine in hand, in utter…

Making food goes hand in hand with the caravan and camping lifestyle, and we’re not just talking about having a braai every night. Whether it’s on the fire or on gas, you outdoor cooking set is never complete without a good pot and frying pan. And these items need to be versatile, easy to clean, and have the ability to take repeated knocks when being transported. On top of that, the pot or pan must take up the minimum of space and be as light as possible. That’s where the Smartspace Cookware range enters the frame. We recently field-tested the 10-piece Stackable Pot Set, and the Smartspace Frypan, which are of made heavy-duty cast aluminium construction (with 3mm walls), and feature a sturdy non-stick Teflon surface coating. A couple things…

Leon Ras gave us a sneak preview of his new Arizona X. The compact touring camper for two persons has been designed for long distance travel in Africa and Australia or places like Patagonia or even, you guessed it, destinations like Arizona and North Carolina. The vehicle can fit inside a 2.2m-high garage, and will fit into a shipping container for the adventurous who want to take their home-on-wheels all over the globe. When not on tour, the customer can mount the seats in the second row for daily use and then remove them before going camping, to enable access to the inside kitchen and bathroom. Access from the inside was one of Leon’s critical design elements. This enables you direct use of the inside kitchen, bathroom and queen bed…

The success of Okto’s road models has made this manufacturer look at expanding their range, giving the public a larger range of products to choose from. The next exciting new development is a gravel road version of the Okto Cabana. Okto will continue using the tried and tested imported Al-Ko chassis. The chassis for the new model caravan is very similar to the road Okto, but has been modified for off-road use. The chassis boasts a heavy-duty axle and the changes give the caravan more clearance. This light-weight chassis concept from Al-Ko also helps provide more payload. The chassis is constructed from high tensile steels, providing high tensile and yield strength, is hot-dip galvanised and comes with life-time corrosion protection. Other changes to the road caravan include: • Improved dust-proofing…

We are an adventurous family of four, constantly looking for a new adventure far away from the mad rush of city life. My wife Desna and I have been married for 15 years and are blessed with two young, lively boys. For years our family had joyful tours with our off-road caravan through Southern Africa. But in 2017 we lost our beloved home-away-from-home after an unfortunate accident in Namibia. So starts the story of BorderX – because we could not find a caravan that suited our specific needs, we decided to develop and build our own. By August 2018 we had our prototype, and it turned out better than we ever dreamed. We have already had a few adventures with it, and countless enquiries from other campers who have wanted…

Our Namibian trip started in earnest at our first camp at Norotshama on the Orange River. In the July issue I had taken you along on the first part of the adventure, ending at Aus, with side adventures including the wild horses of the Namib and the lovely, small seaside town of Luderitz. Two highlights for me were the Fish River Canyon at full moon and the eerily deserted mining town of Kolmanskop. The usual travel ‘magic’ had already kicked in – a bunch of relative strangers at the start of the trip were now a happy, tight bunch of friends as we turned off the main B4 Luderitz/Keetmanshoop onto the C13, a smaller subsidiary road heading north for some 105 kilometres towards Helmeringhausen. Turning left literally just before Helmeringhausen,…

I discovered that it was named after Paul Wlotzka, quite a character it would appear. According to www.wlotzka.com.na he was a Prussian coachman to German Senator Pridas’ survey party, which capitulated to the invading South African Forces in 1915. Pridas’ party was appointed by the arbitrator, King Alphonso of Spain, to delimit the disputed boundary line between Walvis Bay, under British rule, and the former German South West Africa. As a German, Wlotzka was very fortunate to be able to join this party, probably due to his intimate knowledge of the coastal area. The wily entrepreneur needed to store water and feed for his horses, so he built a rudimentary shed out of his own home-made clay bricks close to a beacon at a halfway point between Swakopmund and the…

Car launches are, more often than not, carefully manicured events that serve to show off a vehicle’s best qualities. While they do usually take place in spectacular locations, the emphasis is nearly always on the car, with little thought given to the travel experience. But for the launch of the new Everest, Ford managed to blend the best of both worlds into one heck of an experience in Botswana. The journey began with a flight to Maun, the go-to jump-off point for many a traveller heading into the Okavango Delta. We’d be spending two nights exploring the highlights of the region, all from the comfort of Ford’s plush new bi-turbo Everest. PAN-TASTIC The first chapter of our journey took us some 200km along the A3 road, towards one of Mother…

NEW OFF-ROAD CARAVAN COMING: BORDERX After about two years of research, planning and development, BorderX is ready to bring their off-road caravan to the market. Caravan & Outdoor Life spoke to Werner and Desna Pretorius, the brains behind this exciting new product, to find out more about the history (and future) of their caravans. The story of BorderX started in mid-2017 when the Pretorius family – Werner, Desna and their two boys – were travelling in the northern part of Namibia with their 4x4 caravan. On the curving roads on the way back from the Epupa Falls, another vehicle kicked up dust and obscured Werner’s vision, resulting in him not seeing the next drift. Werner and Desna said: “Let’s just say the caravan was not the same afterwards, as we…

We’ve been waiting for the latest addition to the Sherpa family since the prototype was designed and manufactured at the end of 2018. The 4-berth Wanderer Gravel-roader has gone through weeks of intensive testing, and Sherpa found it to be totally suitable. The Wanderer is the new larger brother of the Sherpa Rambler, which has been a great success and is also manufactured entirely out of fibreglass (no wood), with a hot-dipped galvanised chassis (no rust). Set to be officially launched at the kykNET Buite Ekspo at Sondela Nature Reserve & Spa in Bela Bela between 2 and 4 August. Sherpa Leisure owners Neville and Karen de Meillon tell Caravan & Outdoor Life: “The Wanderer will be available in three different configurations – a side-to-side double bed, an island bed,…

CARAVAN & OUTDOOR LIFE IS HIRING, AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS LIKE YOU! Whether you’re a writer, photographer, editor, social media guru or salesman, we would like to know more about you, so we can get in contact should any relevant job opportunities become available in our team. Do you have a passion for the outdoors? Do you have skills that could benefit our team/company? Then send us your CV and a short introduction letter. One of our core beliefs is a love for this industry and lifestyle. So if you are passionate about doing what you love, then visit our website (www.caravansa.co.za/we-are-hiring) and upload a copy of your CV and a short introduction letter telling us how you feel that you can add value to our company…

It was sad leaving our magical campsite and the fascinating town of Swakopmund, but we were on our way to one of my favourite spots in Namibia: Spitzkoppe. Known as the ‘Matterhorn of Namibia’, these inselbergs (the highest being 1 728m above sea level) can be seen for miles across the flat semi-desert scrub plains as you head up the tar B2 from Swakopmund to Usakos. The mountains are reckoned to be some 700 million years old, and the aeons have certainly created some of the most stunning landscapes on the surface of the earth. The Spitzkoppe is known to contain at least 37 rock art sites. Evidence from excavations include a wide range of stone…

Never worry about your tent, awning or gazebo blowing away, with Tentco’s new and improved spring pegs. The 8mm chrome-plated steel spring pegs with a stainless steel spring are designed to convert 'shock force' into 'pulling force' to help ensure your pegs do not come out of the ground, and to protect your camping gear from tearing and blowing away. When the springs get pulled up with your guy ropes, the tension on your seams and poles is proportionally spread and, since each spring is working against the others to get back its original form, it holds your tent firmly in place. The Tentco Spring Pegs set comes with stainless steel guy rope clips and stainless steel spring. Combine this with Tentco’s Storm Straps for even more efficient anchorage in…

Caravan Cove Resort KwaZulu-Natal Long term pensioners: R3 500 per month. No need to move in December! Low Season Weekend Special: 2-sleeper chalets: R540 per night. Campsites: 4 people – R605 per night. Plett Rental: R5 000 per month, except December. T: 039 976 1215 E: caravancove@scottburgh.co.za W: www.caravancove.co.za Plettenberg, A Forever Resort Western Cape Winter special: Camping for only R100 per person per night until 31 August 2019. Chalet accommodation only R830 per night. T 044 535 9309 plett@foreversa.co.za www.foreverplettenberg.co.za Richards Bay Caravan Park KwaZulu-Natal Pensioners: R1 212 for 2 people for 2 weeks. Or 2 people for 1 month just R2 385. Low Season: Book 4 nights, pay for 3. Mid Season: Book 8 nights, pay for 7. T: 035 753 1971 E: info@richardsbaycaravanpark.co.za W: www.richardsbaycaravanpark.co.za Paradise Holiday Resort KwaZulu-Natal…