Moving on up

The recent kykNET Buite Expo in Limpopo proved that our caravan industry is going from strength to strength.

While attending this year’s third big caravan show, the kykNET Buite Expo at Sondela outside Bela-Bela, we realised again how spoilt for choice South African campers are.

At the annual Caravan Show earlier this year at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, more than 20 new caravan models were on display and two new manufacturers made their debut.

A month later – at the first kykNET Buite Expo of the year outside Malmesbury – three more new manufacturers showed up and five new models were on display.

This trend continued at the expo outside Bela-Bela: two other new manufacturers were there and about 10 new models were on display.

Here are the newbies we spotted at Bela-Bela.

(not at the back) and the kitchen also on that side, but in front.

The bed (1,9 x 1,4 m) is a permanent fixture and covers most of the interior. The cupboard above the left wheel is new, and behind it in the hull is a worktop with shelves. Next to it, on the sliding frame, is a two-burner gas stove, with space for the fridge/freezer.

In the standard model, you get a mattress, ladder, outdoor light at the kitchen, two drawers inside and one outside, plus a spare wheel. Extras include a 50 ℓ National Luna Legacy fridge/freezer (R13 500), flysheet with springs (R2 875), two-burner gas stove (R3 800), power system with a battery (R15 000), 270° Bundu awning (R15 500), water tank (R5 500), geyser (R5 000), and shower tent (R3 500).

Another model still in the pipeline is the Go 4 – its roof swings completely open until it’s parallel to the ground next to the Moremi. That allows two more people to make themselves at home on a king-size bed. A tent with a pole frame then stretches over the top of both beds, and the roof rack on top of the lid becomes the second bed’s support.

The numbers 2,5 x 1,5 x 0,8 m (hull); tare weight 450 kg; load capacity 300 kg; GVM 750 kg; 1,5 t braked axle; 16” wheels; steel chassis; aluminium hull. Price R135 000

Contact 083 281 7800 customcanopies@mweb.co.za customcanopies4all.co.za

SUMMIT OFFROAD

Summit has made several changes to its two off-road caravans, the Karenga and Kilimanjaro.

The Karenga’s door sits at the back. The roof, which used to lift above the left panel with hinges above the right panel, is now a pop-up roof.

This caravan also gets an outdoor shower cubicle on the right side – a door opens up over the right wheel and turns into the cubicle’s roof, from which the canvas sides hang. Next to this is an open cupboard in the hull for all your toiletries, and the shower head is attached to an extension pipe.

The bathroom extends over the full width of the caravan – to the left is the cassette toilet and the remaining space is the shower – with a bench running alongside the caravan. The space is basically a wet room, as there’s no partition between the toilet and the shower. But that’s a small price to pay, because for a caravan of this size, the bathroom is huge.

The Kilimanjaro sleeps four, and the Karenga two. The new Kilimanjaro’s interior layout has been reversed: the door is now on the right and the main bed in the nose. The dining area – now in the rear section to the right of the door – also leaves enough space if you’d rather have a bathroom here.

New on both caravans is a snorkel similar to the one on off-road vehicles. According to the manufacturer, this ensures positive air pressure in the caravan while you’re towing – a great way to keep the dust out.

Standard items in the Karenga and Kilimanjaro include a shovel, axe, gas cylinders, jerry cans, a dining set, sink and drying rack, a spare wheel, battery, awning and poles, and a fridge/freezer.

The numbers Karenga: 3,95 x 1,9 x 2 m; tare weight 900 kg; load capacity 600 kg; GVM 1500 kg; 2 t axle. Kilimanjaro: 5,6 x 1,9 x 2,35 m; tare weight 1 160 kg; load capacity 640 kg; GVM 1 800 kg; 2,5 t axle. Both have 15” wheels, galvanised chassis, and aluminium bodies.

Prices Karenga R370 000; Kilimanjaro R595 000

Contact 012 803 6535 info@frantelholdings.com

summitoffroad.co.za

PANTHER CARAVANS

Panther is known for its two fibreglass caravans, the Cub and Alpha GTR, and now a full-fledged off-road camper trailer has joined the family.

The Predator is built on a chassis similar to the Cub, but is 400 mm shorter. The fridge/freezer slides on a frame from the front cupboard in the left panel, with a worktop that flattens next to it and takes up the rest of the space next to the trailer. On the far left is a single-burner gas stove mounted on the worktop.

A sliding frame (1,35 m long) on which you can easily fit four ammo crates pulls out at the back, but first you have to swing away the spare wheel that’s attached to its own frame.

The rooftop tent, Custom Leisure Tech’s Explorer, opens from the right. This is also where the ladder fits to climb up to the bed.

The lid lifts almost perpendicularly, and a canvas roof then spans over the entire kitchen area from here.

Standard items include a nose cone, 75 ℓ Flex double-door fridge/freezer, spare wheel with its frame, a single burner gas stove and 5 kg gas cylinder, kitchen equipped for four people, 55 ℓ water tank, rooftop tent with a canopy over the kitchen, and power system that includes a 105 Ah deep-cycle battery, 220 V sockets, multiple 12 V sockets, and LED lights.

The Cub and GTR also got some attention. The Cub’s outer nose cupboard doors have been removed, and you now reach the storage from the inside. The fridge used to slide out from an inner cupboard but has been replaced with a fixed bar fridge next to the left door. Above the fridge there’s now a shelf with enough space for a microwave.

In the GTR, the kitchen has been changed: the fridge/freezer’s sliding frame has been extended to fit the single-burner gas stove as well. (The gas stove was previously in the cupboard above the left wheel.) The door of the cupboard under the bed makes room for sliding frames with four ammo crates. There’s also room for a cassette toilet.

Both models now have awnings that swing open: 180° for the Cub and 270° for the GTR.

The numbers Predator: 4,05 x 2,08 x 1,8 m; tare weight 700 kg; load capacity 500 kg; GVM 1 200 kg; 1,6 t axle; 15” wheels; galvanised chassis; steel and aluminium hull.

Prices Predator R169 500; Cub R230 000; Alpha GTR R270 000

Contact 074 820 6557 pantheroutdoorsa@gmail.com

Panther Caravans

ALPHAGO OFF-ROAD CAMPERS

AlphaGo was one of the new caravan manufacturers at the expo showing off its new product: the S4 Air and the S6 Air. (The numbers refer to how many people each model sleeps, though the basic layout is similar.)

The AlphaGo consists of a fixed hull with a tent section on top. The tent doesn’t have poles but air beams which reminds of the Opus caravans.

On both models, a bed folds out over the A-frame, but the S6 has an extra bed that folds open at the back. The hull from which the beds unfold thus becomes the living area with benches along the sides. These can be converted into another bed.

After opening the beds, a compressor pumps the beams full of air, and the tent is upright within four to six minutes. There are 14 separate beams that vary in diameter from 80 to 100 mm and are interconnected – their interior pressure is around 0,48 bar, and the tent is sturdy. The beams are also designed so you can replace them separately. The roof above the living area is very high (2,5 m), and the windows are enormous – it feels as if you’re standing in a proper living room.

Each bed has a temporary partition, so everyone has their privacy.

The outside kitchen is in the left side, and the door is on the same side in front at the corner. The AlphaGo also has a second door across from the main one where you can set up the bathroom tent.

The fridge/freezer pulls out from the cupboard next to the A-frame, and the frame with the sink and stove slides out at the rear. The S4 gets a two-burner gas stove and the S6 a four-burner (The body of the S4 is 700 mm shorter than that of the S6.)

Standard items on both models include a dining table, LEDs, a roof rack, inflatable tent, 90 ℓ water tank, 6 ℓ geyser, and a 12 V/220 V power system with a 100 Ah battery and charger. Optional items include the Flex 75 ℓ fridge/freezer (R10 000), 200 W solar-panel system (R6 995), bathroom tent (R15 000), and 20 ℓ cassette toilet (R1 600).

The numbers S4 Air: 4,483 x 1,8 x 1,38 m; tare weight 1 000 kg; load capacity 500 kg.

S6 Air: 5,568 x 1,953 x 1,6 m; tare weight 1 100 kg; load capacity 400 kg. Both have a GVM of 1 500 kg, 1,5 t axles, 16” wheels, a galvanised chassis, and an aluminium hybrid hull.

Prices S4 Air R309 995; S6 Air R339 995

Contact 072 362 3175

sales@alphago.co.za

alphago.co.za

CASCADE CARAVANS

Cascade is a new brand in the caravan world, but it’s not entirely unknown: it was previously called the Checkmate series.

The Queen, Knight, and Castle models are now the Cascade Grand and the Cascade Comfort, while the Castle makes way for the new Cascade Roam.

The Roam, which was on display at the expo, is the smallest in the series. Unlike the Grand with its double axle and the option of a double or single axle on the Comfort, the Roam has a single axle.

Other features are the same, though. The bathroom is built into the rear and sits to the right of the door as you get in. The outside kitchen extends from the hull, and consists of a few drawers on the far left, a basin, and your choice of either an induction plate or a gas stove.

The other two models can sleep up to four people, as the dinette can be converted into an extra bed. The Roam has no dining area – this space is used for a fridge, worktop, and cupboards.

The panels of the Checkmate range were 25 mm thick, while those of the Cascade models are 30 mm. The panels still consist of fibreglass on the outside with a synthetic inner.

Standard equipment in the Roam includes the fridge, microwave, 30 ℓ electric geyser, cassette toilet, shower, 110 ℓ water tank, outdoor kitchen, airconditioning, 12 V indoor and outdoor lights, a battery, and tent. Items such as the sliders, a deep-cycle battery, and a solar-power system with a converter are optional.

The numbers Roam: 6,6 x 2,42 x 2,6 m; tare weight 1 450 kg; load capacity 350 kg; GVM 1 800 kg; 2 t axle; 15” wheels; galvanised chassis.

Price R475 000

Contact 082 926 0377/8 info@cascadeleisure.co.za cascadeleisure.co.za

FREELINE CAMPERS

Freeline Campers is another new manufacturer currently making one model, the Maverick. This fibreglass caravan is a gravelroader, and its basic layout and design reminds of that of the Mobi Lodge: the outdoor kitchen is on the left of the caravan, the fridge is in front you as you get in, and the separate bathroom is to the left in the nose. The bed is mounted on the right and sits on a large sliding frame that slides out from the right-hand side panel.

The bathroom extends across the width of the Maverick, with the basin sunk into the worktop that runs along the far end. The toilet is on the right in the room and the shower is on the other side, against the left panel. The door hinge is on the shower side, so that section is separated when you use it.

The fibreglass is 4-5 mm thick, but the roof has a foam layer for better insulation and is 30 mm thick.

Standard items include a spare wheel, 100 ℓ water tank, two jerry cans, a twoburner gas stove, sink,

190 ℓ standing fridge/ freezer, crockery and cutlery, microwave, 12 V indoor and outdoor lights, a awning, cassette toilet, gas geyser, double-bed sponge mattress, and 9 000 BTU air-conditioner. Upgrades such as the independent Alko suspension, 17” wheels, sliders, and a 12 V battery system with a 105 Ah battery are also possible.

The numbers 5,5 x 2,1 x

2,5 m; tare weight 1 150 kg; load capacity 500 kg; GVM 1 650 kg; 2 t axle; 15” wheels; galvanised chassis; fibreglass hull.

Price R475 000

Contact 078 099 4567 freelinecampers@gmail.com Freeline Campers

GREAT TRACK ADVENTURE CAMPERS

GT Campers have upgraded its Libra model and created a second model – the Exclusive. Except for the fridge/freezer, this model is fully equipped.

Several changes have been made: the nose cone doors have been redesigned and get door handles that can lock. The storage space above it is also larger.

The kitchen has also been redesigned and now boasts, among other things, a spice rack, built-in two-burner gas stove (as opposed to a freestanding single-burner stove), and a built-in sink (in the Libra, there’s a loose dish). There’s a mixer for the cold and hot water, and a cupboard with all the cups, glasses, and plates now also forms part of the kitchen (in the Libra, it’s in the nose cone). The three drawers in the kitchen lock when they’re open and shut, and not only when the drawer is shut. The worktop that was previously powder-coated, is now stainless steel.

The power box gets more sockets, as well as a DC-to-DC charger.

The drawers under the bed have been reinforced, and the step has a layer of coarse material that’s easy to clean.

The steel frame to which the spare wheel attaches gets bearings, and all the aluminium checker plates on the trailer now get an additional protective layer.

The 16” wheels have been replaced by 17” ones and get mud flaps. The numbers 4,383 x 1,83 x 1,46 m; tare weight 1 020 kg; load capacity 480 kg; GVM 1 500 kg; 2,5 t rubber axle; 17” wheels; galvanised chassis and hull, also powder-coated. Price R400 000

Contact 012 770 3633 sales@gtoffroadtrailers.co.za gtoffroadtrailers.co.za