Go! Drive & Camp Dec/Jan 2024/2025

Perhaps the time has come for even those ostriches with their heads buried deepest in the sand to start conceding that the climate-change crowd might be onto something. Let me start by saying I'm not in any way an expert on the subject. Heck, I'm not even all that interested. If I happen to catch a video, hear something on the radio, or see an eyecatching headline, I'll usually stop to watch, listen or read to get a sense of what's going on. Climate change is also not a topic I'd use to reignite a conversation around the campfire if it starts to die down for a moment. I almost feel like this touchy topic, with its impassioned supporters and fervent sceptics – each as painfully convinced of their own…

We'd love to hear what's on your mind! Write to us at drivecamp@gomag.co.za, and please remember to include your full address and contact details. Drive & Camp reserves the right to edit and shorten letters – and to use them at its discretion in the magazine, on the website, and elsewhere. In 1991, I was in matric at Victoria Girls' High School and would love to comment on Charles Foster's reader story in the August-September 2024 issue. Charles was the deputy head when we were at school in what was then Grahamstown (now Makhanda) and certainly the best history teacher any of us had. I got a message on our Class of '91 WhatsApp group saying that one of our classmates had spotted an article by Mr Foster in Drive…

I'd like to share a recent rough experience with a simple solution that fellow caravan owners might find useful. But first, let me say how much I look forward to each new issue of your wonderful magazine. We live in Durbanville and were eagerly awaiting our first camping trip after a long, wet, and gloomy Cape winter. With the caravan hitched, we set out early northward on the N1, planning to drive through the Huguenot Tunnel. With summer on the way, the wind was blowing as it usually does. At the tunnel, we were advised to drive over the pass instead. As you might know, lorries have been blown over on the bridge before the tunnel, and a caravan even recently went over the railing. Keen to continue on our…

It's the morning of Sunday, 11 August. My husband, Hein, and I are here at our caravan beside the beautiful Blyde River at the Forever Swadini resort, and I'm reflecting on the long weekend. The weather is fantastic – 30 ºC and warmer. Ever since Thursday, caravans have been entering. From morning till evening, cheerful children are on bicycles. Smiling families stroll past, heading for the swimming pools. In the road in front of us, a 10-year-old boy loses control of his bike and falls. My neighbour and I immediately rush over to help. Fortunately, nothing is broken, and there's no grazed skin or blood, but I can see tears welling up in his eyes. My neighbour picks up his bike, and he slowly pushes it back to his campsite.…

A 20 ℓ fridge/freezer may sound too small to be practical, but it does have its uses. Compact SUVs like the Suzuki Jimny often don't have space in the luggage compartment for a full-size fridge/freezer. The idea behind National Luna's TB20 model isn't only to fit in a small boot; it's aimed at someone wanting one fridge for various uses. Do you need a cooler for a fishing weekend? A mobile bar fridge for your white wine? Or perhaps a fridge for a golf weekend with friends? The TB20 was developed for all these purposes. What initially seemed like an impractical size for a fridge/freezer has ironically become the one you'll use most often because it fits in any vehicle and is light enough to carry on your own. In…

BFGoodrich recently launched its latest all-terrain tyre, the T/A KO3, in South Africa. The KO3 is an improved version of the popular KO2 and now has a sharper focus on dirt roads, sand, rocks and mud. At the launch held at the Lion & Safari Park outside Johannesburg, guests were invited to put the new tyres to the test by driving on various challenging trails – from muddy paths to steep, rocky slopes and uneven dirt roads. The KO3 introduces several innovations, especially in rugged and varied landscapes. The advanced tread design provides stronger grip on surfaces like soft sand, loose gravel and rocky terrain, making it a suitable tyre for the kinds of environments South African drivers frequently encounter. Whether you're tackling rural dirt roads or rough mountain paths,…