Equipment Outfitters

Dry Foods

The smaller collapsible cupboards that consist of shelf space only are as good for storing canned and dry foods as they are for storing clothes. The same goes for card‑board boxes, and these can be used in the usual way, opening side up.

Wet Foods

If you do not have a fridge or freezer, keep perishables such as milk, meat etc. in a cooler box. If you keep buying ice, you should be able to keep the temperature acceptably low. Pickling or marinating meat was an effective method of preservation before the advent of the freezer: vacuum pack the whole mixture in strong plastic bags (you can buy your own machine that does this) and keep it cool — it will not only last longer but will taste better as well. Vacuum sealable containers are particularly efficient if you exclude as much air as possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Accessories — or ‘extras’, ‘options’, ‘non-essentials’ or pure luxuries — improve either the enjoyment or the efficiency of a particular activity or item. The range and variety is astonishing — as are some of the prices. And what is a luxury will; of course, depend to a large extent on what you are used to. Genuine down sleeping bags, for example, may be considered luxuries only under certain conditions.

Price is often the deciding factor when it comes to accessories — and what you are prepared to pay has _\a great influence on the price!

So take your time, consider each item and don’t buy anything that does not have some real use — that way you’ll amass a collection of useful equipment that will continue to give you pleasure long after you’ve finished paying for it. Read the rest of this entry »

The luxury motorhome must surely represent the ultimate touring vehicle. As a combination of large vehicle and caravan it offers the benefits of both, and allows the traveller the sort of freedoms one would usually find only on a yacht! Passengers, for example, are able to sleep comfortably stretched out while the kilometres speed by.

Modern motorhomes are made for comfort, lightness and aerodynamic efficiency — they’re certainly more evolved than their older relatives. The interior layouts are more sophisticated and well thought out and the specification levels are higher. Although a common complaint is that the smaller versions are underpowered, fuel consumption is an important aspect of touring; while bigger engines have more power and are more exciting to drive, they are very much thirstier. Read the rest of this entry »

When travelling by car, a large family may have a little trouble stowing all its camping gear into the boot or tethering things onto the roof rack. But usually there is still room for one or two luxuries to be included and very few home comforts have to be sacrificed entirely. Space can generally be found for several changes of clothing; for bulky quilt-type sleeping bags; for chairs, stools, full-length mattresses and even for some of the ordinary, fairly heavy pots, pans and cutlery out of the home kitchen cupboard. Even the frame tent in which the family sleeps is quite generous in size. It is large and square and has all the characteristics of a small house, with ample headroom and separate living and sleeping compartments — by no means the minimum space that would be needed just for bedding down for the night. Read the rest of this entry »

Flysheets, groundsheets and A-poles

Although a weight of 4.5 kilos was given in the equipment checklist, some specialist tents weigh as little as half or even a third of that amount. This can be achieved nowadays by making them out of polyurethane- or silicone-proofed nylon, and generally standards of manufacture are very high. But the backpacker or cyclist should think twice before buying a tent without a tough, sewn-in groundsheet. A large protective flysheet which extends right down to the ground is also worth the effort of the extra couple of pounds. As well as making the tent less transparent, warmer and more rain and windproof, a flysheet with a front or side extension provides an undercover space in which to stow your gear or shelter your cooking apparatus during any bad weather. Read the rest of this entry »

Dome Tents

The most popular tent shape is the dome. It is the result of extensive research, and dome tent designers make the best of many modern materials such as carbon fibre and Ventex to produce ranges in all sizes. These materials make use of advanced technology to provide shelters of unparalleled resilience — in many cases they have a strengthto-weight ratio that can only be described as phenomenal. The dome shape is intentionally aerodynamic, and the stiffeners provide a good degree of flex; such tents can survive strong winds, even if these are accompanied by snow, hail and sleet. Many come with a built-in wind-deflector as part of the fly sheet, which, if correctly positioned, provides additional shelter and helps keep gusts away from the main opening. Read the rest of this entry »

Like most things in life, what you get out of an activity is indirect proportion to what you put into it from the start. Vacation time is a precious commodity and it’s worth going that extra mile so that everyone gets the most out of the time spent away from home.

In Search of a Destination

The first decision is obviously where to go. The most important factor here is geography — and how it has been exploited for your advantage. Coastal destinations are fine if you live inland, but people who live close to the sea may hanker after something different. In South Africa we have a wonderful variety of recreational places, and although many offer similar-sounding activities, the experiences can be very different for each one. Read the rest of this entry »

Once you have decided that you would like to try an outdoor holiday, you may be tempted to plunge in at the deep end. You may want to go back to nature, enjoy all the extremes of freedom, explore the wilds of Alaska or, at the very least, witness the first rays of the sunrise from the summit of the Matterhorn. These things can of course be done, but it is essential to gain some experience first, otherwise you might end up like Captain Scott! Read the rest of this entry »

Shock

Shock is present, even if not apparent, in all major and most minor accident situations.

Apart from any injury, the victim has suffered a blow to the nervous system, which can lead to a temporary functional failure of some parts. Shock, together with the injuries, can lead to death. Shock is very serious and is usually present, so always treat for shock, even if the victim seems, or declares himself to be quite all right.

The victim may be pale, grey and sweating, or shivering with an irregular pulse, perhaps hysterical. Make him lie down and rest. Treat the injuries as best you can, cleaning up any blood, acting confidently. Your confidence will do a great deal to help reassure the casualty, and reassurance is what he needs to fight the shock. Clear away all spectators unless they can help. If you can cheer the casualty a little and reassure him by your words and actions that all will soon be well, you have helped him considerably. Here again, a knowledge of first aid will give you the confidence he badly needs. Read the rest of this entry »

A good knowledge of first aid is essential out-of-doors. Accidents in the wild are happily rare, but when they do occur, proper medical assistance is rarely immediately available. Moreover, in the natural course of events, there is liable to be a succession of minor injuries like cuts or blisters, which, with a little knowledge and a first-aid kit, can soon be put right. But first, what exactly is first aid?

First aid is the assistance given to a casualty at or about the time the injury actually occurs. First aid aims to keep the victim alive, prevent the injury from getting worse, help eventual recovery, and last but by no means least, relieve the pain. Read the rest of this entry »

Where are you?

Always know where you are. That is a fundamental rule. Consulting the map every few minutes is irritating, and

will slow you down considerably, so wear your compass around your neck and get into the habit of taking a quick bearing on a couple of features every few hundred yards. Any new landmarks should be identified on the map as they appear, and in difficult country you should have the map in your hand and be ‘thumbing’ the route. This means that the map, in its plastic bag, is held with your thumb firmly at the point of your present position. The area of your thumb on the map covers an area of a square mile or so, but you will have the general location. Read the rest of this entry »

Food storage

If food looks or smells doff’, don’t eat it. Keeping times vary according to the food, the situation, and the weather, but hot or humid weather conditions are bad for storage. Eat your fresh food first, cooking extra portions to eat cold later.

Where wild animals, foxes, raccoon or bears are possible visitors, hang the food out on a thin branch well up in a tree. Bears have been known to come into tents after food, and injure the occupants in trying to obtain it. Read the rest of this entry »

Pre-trip cooking

A large number of dishes, sandwiches, pasties, salads, cold meats, sausages and so on can be cooked at home and taken into the field to be eaten either cold or re-heated.

Many foods can be enjoyed equally well cold, accompanied perhaps by a mug of hot soup or a brew.

Replenishment

Here again, as is so often the case out-of-doors, the value of pre-trip information is apparent. Since the amount you can carry is limited on a long trip, it is usually necessary to find somewhere to stock up every three or four days and these stops are usually at country stores where special outdoor foods, in light, dehydrated form, are rarely available. You must check that the shops will be open, or even that they actually still exist, for quite a number of villages survive with only a church and a pub. Read the rest of this entry »

Cooking stores

There is a world of difference between living to eat and eating to live. Depending on his or her expertise, the outdoor person hovers somewhere between the two extremes and how far you lean one way or another will depend on the competence of your cooking and the degree to which a few useful and tasty spices and herbs are introduced into the cooking.

A small nylon bag containing a selection from the following items can turn the most mundane meal into something appetizing and add that little extra touch which rounds off the day. The quantities need not be large, but the benefits can be terrific! Read the rest of this entry »

Filling stoves

Never fill a stove when it is hot, with a cigarette or fire alight nearby, or inside a tent. Use a small plastic funnel to avoid spillage and mop up any liquid at once. Be fire-conscious.

All good stoves should have a windshield, which helps to prevent the stove flaring in the wind, especially when first lit.

Stoves

The range of stoves is, by now, vast. Any good outdoor shop should be able to show you half a dozen or so, and having decided on the amount of cooking you intend to do, and the most suitable fuel, you should be able to find a suitable stove.

Good stoves are not cheap, but always buy a reliable model from a proven manufacturer. A petrol, or any pressure stove, must be safe, and this is not the area to tolerate cheap goods or shoddy workmanship. Read the rest of this entry »

Many competent cooks quail at the idea of cooking on a single-burner stove. It is true that a meal on the hill can be plagued by wind, rain and the eager arrival of a variety of hungry insects, but as with most outdoor activities, much misery can be avoided by good organization and pre-planning.

The first point which has to be decided is exactly how much cooking you are going to do. For many outdoor activities, cooking is unnecessary and you can manage perfectly well with a vacuum flask of hot soup and a packet of sandwiches. If you do intend to cook, you need to calculate how much and at what times of the year, for this could well affect the fuel you use, and therefore the stove you buy. Read the rest of this entry »

Dehydration

Because of the effect of chill on the body and the need to work hard in order to stay warm, dehydration becomes a possibility at below-zero temperatures. It is important to drink lots of liquids in winter and up to a litre a day may be needed just to keep the body fluids in balance. Tea and hot chocolate may be found to be more refreshing than coffee, but neither tea nor coffee by itself, without the addition of milk and/or sugar, offers any calorific support at all.

Frostbite and wind chill

Both are possible in the winter and must therefore be guarded against.

Movement in winter Read the rest of this entry »

Shell clothing

A full set of ’shell’ clothing, giving protection against wind and water, is essential in winter. People maintain that with the waterproof protection of shell clothing, you can wear down garments and thus keep them dry, and in theory to a certain extent you can. However, I have tried this out in prolonged bad weather, and in practice you still get wet, if not from rain, then from condensation. Condensation is the real enemy of the winter camper.

Porous materials like GORE-TEX may well provide part of the answer to the condensation problem, for they permit body heat to evaporate and yet prevent rain droplets from beating through. Read the rest of this entry »