Go! Drive & Camp Dec/Jan 2023/2024

EDITOR'S LETTER I find myself a tad envious of Mic after reading his column for this issue. He's comfortably positioned at his usual spot in the back of the magazine, and I suggest you read his piece first then circle back here, as I don't want to jump the gun. And no, my envy doesn't stem from the fact that he's turned a hobby into a career. One could level the same charge at the Drive & Camp team… and many have. Nor is it because Mic and co have kitted out a Suzuki Jimny with every 4x4 gadget imaginable and embarked on an overland trek to Zambia, leaving me feeling a shade of green. By the way, Mic took the Jimny on that journey to test if it could…

INBOX I'm reclining here, flipping through the latest Drive & Camp – marvelling at all the fancy caravans: are all these luxuries in the bush really necessary? Absolutely! This backroad-grandma might be a tad old-fashioned and believes that the fewer things that can rattle, the lower your chances of trouble. After my husband, Koos, passed away in 2004, I exchanged our Jurgens Penta for a brandnew Conqueror Commander. My son Woudter and I looked at various off-road caravan options, but I wanted something I could handle and set up on my own. I'm a shortish grandma and at 71, I still manage fine. Over the past 19 years, I've only had one mishap. The jockey wheel shook loose on the Wildeperdehoek Pass in Namaqualand, and the light coupling also came…

Sophia wins a cooler bag worth R485. Whether you're a camper, fisherman, or sports fan next to a cricket pitch, this cooler bag has room for a lunch box and a 1,5 ℓ cooldrink bottle. The lid also has space for a coffee flask. The interior is lined with PVC, which makes it easy to keep the bag clean and hygienic. The bag has a short strap that reaches over the top and attaches with a Velcro strip, as well as a longer shoulder strap if you're going to carry it over longer distances. It's an ideal picnic accessory or a padkos bag for a road trip. campcover.co.za…

INBOX I nearly sold my drone, a DJI Spark, a few weeks back. We're moving from Vanderbijlpark to Somerset West and need to clear out quite a bit. I've been storing the drone for a while as I've felt too unsure to fly it, fearing I might damage it. But I've decided to keep it and use it for photos and videos. The time came to drive down to Somerset West – coincidentally, the same weekend as the Jimny gathering in Clarens*. I would have loved to attend as I also own a Jimny, but for this trip, I was using my Duster. On the N1 near Matjiesfontein, we were almost overwhelmed by the floral splendour and looked for a turn-off spot to take some pictures and videos. I put…

INBOX Congratulations to Daisy Visser of Kempton Park who is the lucky winner of the prize in our October-November 2023 issue for a National Luna 72 Legacy Smart fridge/freezer worth R16 600! The Vissers are feeling thoroughly spoiled, as they've always carried a separate fridge specially for their meat. Daisy says she initially wasn't a camper, but things changed 13, 14 years ago when she met her husband, Johan. “Johan just said we're going camping… are you coming along or staying behind?” And so Daisy's camping life started and they found a spot at Dube near Brits. It started with a Jurgens Lite, a trailer with a rooftop tent. They later acquired a Jurgens Rascal, and a few months ago, invested in a Gypsey Romany. “We bought a National Luna…

We asked on Facebook what you would pack in a cooler box if you could only choose three items. Ice, brandy and Coke were at the top of the list, but here are a few more. Alta Dusse Coke, chocolate and lip balm. Marthie van Breda Dry white wine, ice and a packet of potato chips. Marie Maritz Meat, water and margarine. Lynette Morgan Three bottles of red wine. Suzette Lambrechts A flask of coffee, a lunch box full of tasty meatball sandwiches with Melrose cheese and a bag full of Lindt chocolate.…