Equipment Outfitters

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 »

Camping and Caravanning Equipment

The variety of outdoor equipment on offer can be bewildering. You may find yourself amazed by how little you can get away with, but you may be equally amazed to find how little you are prepared to do without. Your levels of enjoyment will be determined largely by your tolerances, and this doesn’t apply only to campers, who live ‘closer to the edge’ in their tents. Read the rest of this entry »

More commonly, many people have their own bicycle and by undertaking a lightweight camping tour at Easter or midsummer can explore further afield than on individual day trips. On such tours it is not sensible to carry anything on your back while cycling — why burden yourself with the weight and make yourself dangerously top heavy? Read the rest of this entry »

Free-falling from an aircraft is one of the extreme sports that millions around the world take part in every year. The excitement of plummeting to earth with the time to think and enjoy the view is what attracts so many to jump from what most would consider a perfectly good airplane. Over the years, sky diving has evolved from what was once a necessary skill of self preservation to the source of inspiration for other sports like sky surfing and B.A.S.E. jumping. 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 »

Swimming into the deepest reaches of the ocean is a feat that many divers have experienced to a degree. Some may go below 200 feet (60m), others deeper. All would be lost without the air they bring with them. There is a special breed of diver who can go deeper than most, without air tanks. These freedivers have pushed the limits of unassisted breathing dives to below 400 feet.

Tofreedive to depths of even 50 feet (15m) is an unsettling prospect for all but the strongest swimmers. To dive much deeper requires holding a breath for minutes. In fact, the world’s best freedivers hold their breath for periods that rival many marine mammals. Read the rest of this entry »

Singlehanded racing is the aquatic version of marathon running, where the skipper has to draw from resources deep within himself for the endurance and stamina necessary to sail 30 days or more alone at sea. Unlike the marathon runner, whose most important equipment is his shoes, a singlehanded sailor’s equipment is a sailboat often as large as 60 feet (18m) and its accompanying systems—and it all has to be maintained continuously.

JOSHUA SLOCUM is considered the grandfather of singlehanded sailors. Between 1895 and 1898, Slocum singlehandedly circumnavigated the globe in a wooden boat, making several stops along the way. Another 69 years elapsed before Francis Chichester completed a one-stop, singlehanded circumnavigation. Then, in 1969, Robin Knox- Johnston completed the first non-stop, singlehanded circumnavigation to win the Golden Globe Challenge. Read the rest of this entry »

Blisters

Blisters are the bane of outdoor people and as with most problems, prevention is far better than cure.

Break your boots in until they are completely comfortable and always wear well-washed, well-fitting socks. Pamper your feet, keeping the nails trim, the feet clean and the socks dusted with powder. Hot feet blister more easily than feet in dry, cool socks.

If, or rather, when, you get a blister, act as follows: At the first sensation of an imminent blister, or a ‘hot spot’ on the foot, remove the boot and sock. If the skin is merely red and tender, cut a square of ‘Moleskin’ and cover the area, which may prevent further trouble. 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 »

Stories of fishing spring creeks, with their selective rainbows, slow, clear water and heavy insecthatches, have always captivated me. I have dreamt of fishing one spring creek in particular, the Harriman State Park water on the Henry’s Fork in Idaho. While South Africa is not blessed with spring creeks, the Witte River in Bain’s Kloof Pass, although a freestone river, possesses so many spring creek characteristics that it could well be called a freestone spring creek. It lacks the heavy insect hatches that make other spring creeks world famous, but holds trout that, at times, can be infuriatingly selective. Its waters are as clear as any other blue-ribbon stream and it has slow, flat- water sections that will tax an angler’s casting and presentation abilities to the fullest.

Some time ago Ed Herbst and I were wading the Witte’s quiet waters; by late afternoon we reached a section known to me as ‘Guy’s Glide‘. This slow-water section ends in a deep tailout, which poses presentation and concealment problems. The river’s wary browns almost always hold at the tailout in the shadow cast by the bank and, since the glide must be approached at close quarters concealment is always a problem. Coupled with this is the fact that the trout have ample time in which to scrutinise the angler’s offering during the fly’s drift through the slow water. Read the rest of this entry »

The Stimulator is a favourite dry-fly pattern, which, coming from someone with vastfishing experience across the globe, says much for its effectiveness. It will take fish under varying conditions and Randall uses it on lakes and streams, but is at its best in fast water. The Stimulator is a combination of several attractor and exciter patterns and imitates caddisflies, stoneflies and, at a pinch, grasshoppers.

What makes the Stimulator so effective? Like many successful dry flies, the Stimulator imitates several food forms in general, yet nothing in particular. By varying tail, hackle, body and wing colours a variety of insects — both terrestrial and aquatic — can be matched. The Stimulator combines the general shape and characteristics of patterns such as the Trude series of flies with the attributes of more established downwing patterns such as the Sofa Pillow, all of which were designed initially to imitate the adult stoneflies found on rivers in the western United States. Kaufmann’s Stimulator, however, is not limited to the imitation of stone- fly adults: it is used with great success to imitate other aquatic and terrestrial insects, including adult caddisflies and terrestrials such as grasshoppers and cicadas. The Stimulator has all the characteristics of a western-style dry fly designed for fast-flowing freestone waters and consequently is ideally suited to the fast pocket-water stretches of South African rivers and streams. Read the rest of this entry »

The unparalleled DDD is without question the most famous dry fly in use on South African stillwaters today. The DDD was created by the now legendary South African fly-fisherman Tom Sutcliffe, a person who has channelled all his free time and energy into the pursuit of trout and all activities allied to fly-fishing. Tom graduated with a medical degree from the University of Stellenbosch, and it was on the streams surrounding Stellenboschthat he was taught the skills of fly-fishing by the late Mark Mackereth, an angler well known for his abilities to deceive trout with a fly. Tom’s occupation later took him to KwaZulu-Natal, a province renowned for its lake fishing, and it was on the lakes in the Impendhle and Dargle areas that the DDD quickly established its reputation. Read the rest of this entry »

Ants, which play an important part in the diet of trout, occur in every terrestrial ecosystem except in Antarctica. Because they forage for food in bankside vegetation they are easily blown into the water where they form an abundant food source for trout. When falls of flying ants occur on streams and lakes (this is not common) trout will usually feed selectively on them to the exclusion of all else, making for particularly frustrating fishing. While most anglers encounter ants at some point while fishing, and despite the fact that ant imitations often fool wary fish that may shun better-known and more widely used flies, almost all fly-fishers neglect the role of the ant in fly-fishing. Fly- fishers will find that it pays to carry a selection of bothwinged and non-winged ant varieties. These tiny imitations may save the day when fish begin to take ants that are trapped helplessly in the film. The best falls of the winged ants occur on hot, humid days, either during or after a spell of rain, whereas the terrestrial ants encountered along streambanks can be found on the water during any warm month of the year, especially when strong winds are blowing. Read the rest of this entry »