WACKY WHEELS
Lifelong campers who enjoyed their luxurious WJ Pacer motorhome, Alta Duvenage from Alberton says they downsized after her husband Gert fell ill.
Gert and I had been camping for all of our 41 years of marriage, and in the later years we used a large motorhome from WJ Pacer, which used a Bedford van’s underpinnings, to spend more time in nature without sacrificing the comforts of home too much.
Gert also used to run the Motorhome Club of South Africa’s website, and we would get out with them at least once a month. Unfortunately, Gert’s health issues meant that he could no longer handle the size of the vehicle and, because I refused to drive it, we started looking at alternatives. We tried a tent for a bit, but that’s not ideal for someone who’s ill, so after one trip we decided against that.
We shopped around and eventually settled on a brand-new 2010 Toyota Quantum 2,7 LWB panel van. We decided to do much of the work ourselves, with Gert seeing to the woodwork and me in charge of the interior upholstery. The raw materials didn’t set us back much, and I think we barely hit the R1 000 mark.
What we did spend money on was having the 2 000 watt inverter, extra batteries and battery charger installed. To this we connected a fridge-freezer combination and a microwave oven, as well as a TV and satellite dish. When the weather played along, we’d cook outside with an induction plate.
Apart from the appliances, we had an Eezi-Awn awning fitted, for which I made sides myself, and we also had an integrated radio/GPS/Bluetooth unit with reverse camera fitted by Toyota. The Quantum’s got WiFi for staying connected where signal allows.
I’ve heard so many people talk about how horrendously thirsty this engine can be, but we have serviced the Quantum every year that we’ve owned it and it’s rewarded us with a low fuel consumption average of around 8 ℓ/100 km. With just 20 400 km, it’s barely even run in properly.
We particularly enjoyed the Satara Rest Camp of the Kruger National Park because it is very central, and you stand a very high chance of seeing a lot of animals.
Unfortunately, Gert eventually died due to the complications with his health and, since I’m 72 and don’t really want to visit resorts and destinations alone, I’m selling it. Not that I’ll ever give up the idea of camping with friends and family, because I still have my trusty tent.