Equipment Outfitters

No matter how large your boat, finding enough storage will be a constant challenge and you’ll soon find you have more items than space to store them in. This gives rise to one of the first rules of boating: “A place for everything and everything in its place.” After using an item stow it in its proper place. A corollary rule states “less is more” aboard a boat. Stick to essentials and you’ll reduce fuel-guzzling weight. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

Clothing

In a caravan there’s usually plenty of storage place — the problem is deciding what to leave behind. But don’t leave behind your plastic laundry basket, especially if you are going to do a lot of hiking or have a small family and need to launder clothing every day. The basket can always be used to keep things from falling about while you’re travelling.

Plastic hangers are a good choice, as they can be left permanently in the caravan and won’t attract mildew. They are light and can be bought in packs of 10 or 20. 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 living area of the motorhome tends to be built around the front end of the vehicle — the engine needs to be accessible from various angles for servicing, and one of these may be from inside the cab. Access to the cab is made easier by the fact that there is already a side entrance, and in these cases access to the driver’s seat will be via the living area. Some cabs do not depart much from their industrial origins and access here is gained via an ordinary door on each side. Depending on the country of origin, many imported motorhomes have the steering wheel and door on the ‘wrong’ side for South African roads. While this is not illegal, it does mean that the driver will have to make allowances for restricted vision. If you don’t like the idea, rather buy a locally made vehicle. 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 »

The rucksack in which you are going to carry all your equipment should be chosen with care. There are a great many different sizes and designs on the market, so have a good look at catalogues describing them. It is also a good idea to go along to a specialist camping shop and actually try a few to see if they fit comfortably on your back.

You will want to choose a sack which is large enough to hold all your equipment inside it, with the exception perhaps of your tent which on some models is meant to be strapped on underneath the sack. Read the rest of this entry »

Preparation

Whether the distance you intend to travel is a few hundred or several thousand miles it is essential that you are fully prepared before you leave. Service the motorcycle from the front to the back, carry enough tools (adjustables take up less room than several kinds), carry a few essential spares, and most important: make sure you have enough warm and dry clothing. Don’t be uncomfortable on a long journey, you’ll regret it. Read the rest of this entry »

With or without its own toilet, a caravan is quite like a house in that it stays warm for a while after the sun has gone down. Caravanners therefore tend to remain up, talking and reading after dark for much longer than their friends who are camping in tents. When choosing a van, you should check whether it has a lighting system and power supply that will enable you to do this. Read the rest of this entry »

As your collection of equipment or — more likely — the collection of people you take with you on holiday starts to grow, everything that cannot or will not fit into or onto your car is going to have to go somewhere. The best place for it all is a trailer. Read the rest of this entry »

These are considered the ultimate experience for the more adventurous and less fainthearted among us. If you’re to enjoy yourself in these harsh environments — for example in the remoter parts of the country or in the mountainous regions accessible only on foot — you need some knowledge of the bush and a good level of physical fitness. Venues such as these almost always require special vehicles — not to mention special people!

Conditions in these camps can be severe, especially if they’re situated in the desert or at high altitude, and in many cases there are no facilities at all. Visitors to the Richtersveld National Park in Southern Namibia, for instance, are expected to arrive in more than one 4×4 vehicle (you may need one to rescue the other) and be totally self-sufficient — you even have to supply your own water and firewood, and make sure you leave absolutely nothing behind. Read the rest of this entry »

As an alternative to staying in a ready-erected tent, it is possible to hire the tent and other equipment before setting off from home. This has the advantage that you are not tied to staying at a particular campsite and it also disciplines first-time campers into cutting down on the amount of baggage that they take with them.

Considering the huge packing problems that the beginner faces, he might wonder exactly where the advantage of the latter lies, but it is an odd fact that above a certain basic level the family’s comfort and happiness on holiday do not increase in proportion to the weight of paraphernalia that has been dragged along. 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 »