Turas Camping and 4WD Adventures Magazine-Issue 15

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POST COVID-19 TRAVEL BACK GARDEN CAMPING 6 TOP EUROPEAN TRACKS CALIFORNIA CAMP COOKING HISTORY OF SNORKELS & MUCH MORE

ISSUE

15

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W WW E COPY E R F R U O Y R O F SUBSCRIBE

EDITORIAL Welcome everyone, to the pre summer issue of the TURAS Camping and 4WD Magazine.

Well it has been a trying couple of months for us all, and we hope you have been keeping safe during these strange times. Hope- Russ fully we are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. In this issue we focus on some of the things that most of us have been doing of late, including camping in our back gardens and of course coming up with some inventive culinary delights. Or, if you are like some of the TURAS team, burning a Mark couple of sausages.

So, in this packed issue we have a look at what the experts are saying about what is in store for the 4WD touring industry post Covid-19 and it’s not all bad news, we talk about camp hygiene, we have a look a six awesome European tracks that should be Paul considered for those of you planning a future adventure. We do hope that issue 15 will be a bit of a distraction from the recent state of affairs, and that you enjoy what’s inside. A big thanks to our brand partners who make it possible for us to produce this magazine and make it available to you.

Frank

Ali

Trish

EUROPEAN s e r u t n e v Ad INSIDE

Photo: Aleksandar Veljković

WWW.TURAS.TV

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

REMOTE

TRAVEL POST COVID-19 Photos: Aleksandar Veljković & TURAS

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wilderness. The vehicles used are typically built for off-road driving and fitted with Roof Top Tents.

‘Overlanders/4WD tourers’ look for remote locations and campsites, those located at the top of a mountain trail, deep in a forest or hidden in a desert, basically, anywhere out in nature where encountering other humans is unlikely and there is Overlanding is best described as no competition for optimal views ‘off-road campervaning’ where inand campsites from RVs or camper trepid travellers can take a road trip that covers not only the black- vans.Now that we have experienced Covid-19 and with it a destructop, but also the ungroomed and remote tracks leading deep into the tion of the travel industry interefore Covid-19, 4WD touring also commonly known as Overlanding (particularly in the US) has been rapidly growing in popularity amongst adventurers looking to get off the beaten track.

TRAVEL

nationally, with the US reporting approximately $24 billion lost and 825,000 jobs wiped out, according r to Paula Froelich of the New York Post. n In Europe, it is estimated that the t industry, which employs around 13 million people, is estimated to be losing around â‚Ź1 billion in revenue per month as a result of the outr- break of COVID-19. d In many otherwise popular tourist destinations, hotels have been de-

WHAT

NEXT

serted and restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, theme parks and museums closed. Trade fairs like the Abenteuer & Allrad show in Germany have been cancelled or postponed until 2021.

It is interesting to note that many people in the industry believe that once this lockdown fully ends, a pent-up desire to explore after isolation will create a huge need to travel. So what are the likely preferred options?

“We are currently focusing on

#staycations, within-country travel … domestic travel will recover from this crisis first” said Mark Wong, an executive at Small Luxury Hotels of the World in a recent CNBC interview.

“Road trips - the drive market - will be this summer’s trend.

Travellers will be more comfortable hopping into their own cars or rental vehicles than commuting in mass transportation” stated Wong.With plummeting

“The drive market will be this summer’s trend”

oil prices and fuel becoming cheap, he is probably right. If you’ve got kids, ditch the one large trip and schedule a series of three or four road trips to places closer to home. In fact, the likelihood of pretty much anyone taking long holidays after months under lockdown, is slim.

This sentiment was echoed by Samantha Brown, the host of “Places to Live” on PBS. She predicts a huge need to travel, not just to distant places, but on shorter local trips.

Chris Elliott, a contributor to Forbes Magazine and founder of Elliott Advocacy, succinctly summed up how people will travel after the Coronavirus: 1. They’ll stay in their own country and International travel will fall out of favour as people stay closer to the safety of home.

2. They won’t travel far from home. “#Staycation” and road trips will be favoured over flying or cruising.

3. They’ll make it quick. A softer economy will mean the traditional two-week summer holiday could turn into a long weekend.

Finding destinations without crowds and discovering new places to go to will be the new challenge. This is where the small 4WD touring/Overlanding industry could flourish, providing more than just vehicles and

FINDING

DESTINATIONS WITH

NO CROWDS

camping equipment, Overlanding tour companies provide offroad capable vehicles like Jeeps or Land Rovers and equip them with roof top tents, allowing families to travel to remote spots and places they can comfortably explore.

Very few people have off-road capable vehicles sitting in their driveway, ready to go. In fact, most don’t even have a tent or sleeping bag. This is where small 4WD/Overlanding businesses have developed their niche. They can rent out fully equipped 4WD tourers, complete with roof top tents, for much cheaper than you would pay for a small to mid- size RV or campervan. You simply arrive and drive. Companies like Funki Adventures, Rustika Travel, Dream Overland, Overland New Zealand, Highland Defenders,Higher Adventure, and Transylvania Tours in Romania could do very well within their own domestic markets as we all emerge from this pandemic.

The founders of Overlanding New

Zealand, Corey and Andrea, believe that domestic travel will be the vacation type of choice in New Zealand, both for the cost savings as well as the reduced risk profile. “The undoubted benefit of

“Overlanding through a professional company can be a relatively inexpensive few days away from daily life�.

being able to get ‘off the grid’ in a hurry will mean a spike in sales of off-road and overlanding style vehicles” suggested Andrea. She added that many local businesses have built themselves on the tourist dollar, so their products and services may not be at a price point acceptable to the average New Zealander.

In contrast, Overlanding through a professional company can be a relatively inexpensive few days away from daily life.Overlanding in New Zealand will be geared more towards the local tourist, rather than the foreign big spender Highland Defenders, an Overland provider in Scotland, are working with other local businesses to cater for the local tourist. “With an expected drop in international trade, we are working harder than ever to promote and support our local businesses through this difficult time. We are expecting to see a more UK focused customer base for a while as folk begin to travel again, but may be limited to movement within the country.” James at Highland Defenders is also working with local vendors to provide gift vouchers to any upcoming bookings in an effort to draw more tourists to frequent small businesses in Scotland.

“ Overlanding and 4WD touring might just be the tonic needed to cure the post Covid hangover ”

beautiful planet without the limitations of hotels, motels, Popular Overland provider in Northern California, CyRVs, Campervans or really anything that has walls. We think press Overland is run by Alexa Birukova and she firmly long weekend getaway trips believes that ‘Netflix fatigue’ will become the new ‘Netflix will soon affect most of us af- and Chill’ where Netflix will be ter weeks (or months) of lock- replaced by oceans, forests, lakes, deserts and mountains”. down: “Post-Covid 19 reality will most certainly encourage It will be interesting to see how this niche industry will more city dwellers to explore nature and find its heal- evolve in the new normal that will emerge once this virus ing properties. 4WD tourers around the world have known passes. Overlanding and 4WD for decades that it’s one of the touring might just be the tonic needed to cure the post-Covid best ways to experience our

TOURING

TRACKS

IN EUROPE

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re you thinking about a remote 4WD and Camping Adventure in Europe over the coming months? If we are to believe what some of the experts are saying, remote traveling could just be the next biggest thing. In the Southern Hemisphere Australians have been enjoying remote 4WD touring for donkey’s years, packing up their vehicles and tackling iconic tracks all over the Land Down Under, there is no doubt about it, the Aussies are blessed to have so much choice in their vast and sparsely populated continent.

Sure we don’t have the large open spaces and deserts like they have in Australia but that does not mean that Europe has nothing to offer.

Quite the opposite in fact, bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south you could easily spend a lifetime visiting remote campsites and exploring the network of tracks that connect approximately 10,180,000 square kilometers of very diverse terrain. We caught up with some of Europe’s best known 4WD touring operators to check out what gems they have in their own backyards .

ll missed a e v a h hat we This is w recent months in

EUROPE

E’S HIDDEN TRACKS

A N I N A L P A R A T S K TRAC A I B R E S COUNTRY M K 0 5 2 0 0 2 E C N A T S DI

SERBIA Spectacular

We recently caught up with Alek Veljkovic from Rustika Trav-el who specialise in adventure travel throughout the Balkans. A relatively new operation having opened in 2011,they provide a complete range of services associated with adventure travel which includes travel consultation, pre-arranged tours, custom packages, accommodation, and all types of transport.Alek is one of the main go to guys when it comes to 4WD tours in the region, a former journalist and top

class photographer, Alek gives us an insight to some awesome tracks in both Serbia and Montenegro.

This trail follows the main ridge of the Balkan mountain called Stara Planina in Serbia, that stretches along the Serbian-Bulgarian border, reaching about 2110 m at the highest point (from where a 10 minute hike takes you to Midzor, the 2170 m tall highest peak of the mountain). The trail features a

lot of open grassland riding along

OVER 200 KM OF OFF ROAD

HEAVEN

the ridges, but also some

potentially muddy passages through the forest that are difficult to avoid. For the most part it lies above 1000 m, expect some incredible vistas. Several variations of routes are possible for example, you can choose to skip the difficult ascent to Beledje pass and Bratkova Strana peak (parts of this section features some quite heavy water damage on the trail, that stretches into the difficult category), you can take the road from Topli Dol towards the Zavoj lake, you can then climb in the direction of Mramor and Bratkova Strana from that side. Keep in mind that the

trails aren’t marked, and there are many possible variations, taking an organized overlanding tour or getting local guidance is advised.

Features that should not be missed along this route include impressive rocks of Babin Zub (it is possible to drive all the way to the top of the rocks), the Midzor peak (the highest peak of the mountain), some of the many spectacular waterfalls of Stara Planina (the upper Pilj waterfall is, for example, only 150 m from the trail), the Vrtibog grasslands and the spectacular Arbinje valley are awesome.

The red rock riverbeds of the Arbinje valley may be the most beautiful place for wild camping in Serbia. Further attractions include the Zavoj lake (also a great place to camp), the Ponor Cave above Dojkinci village, the ascent to Kopren Peak and the ascent to Kukla Peak ,a great scenic view. Alek recommends that you should also visit the pub in Dojkinci village if you are passing it that brews it’s own beer, or visit the Gostuťa village, which is impressive for it’s ethno architecture preserved through the centuries. The Toplodolska river valley is also an attraction that deserves a few days exploring, with many waterfalls, some of which require a walk to so bring your hiking boots.

Alek highlighted that while driving along the border patrol trail in the south-eastern part of this track (from the Tupanac peak onwards) take great care not to accidentally make an illegal border crossing into Bulgaria, as the border is at some points only metres away.

Although this is a nature park, there are no strict rules for camping, so you can camp practically anywhere you like. Aleks favourites are the red rock river valleys and by the Zavoj lake, you can also find some great camping in the higher altitudes on the endless grassland plains (for example, near the water spring at Vrtibog). For those of you who love wild camping expect to be blown away.

Moving along,you then enter the trail from the direction of the small town of Kalna (several offroad entry points are possible, as well as the paved road in direction of the Babin Zub ski resort), and you finally exit it at the village Krivodol, taking the paved road in the direction of Dimitrovgrad town.

e r o m r o f e r e h k clic n o i t a m r info

CAMPING IN THE HIGHER ALTITUDES IS AWESOME

L I A R T S D N A L H G I H K TRAC O R G E N E T N O M Y R T N U CO M K 0 5 2 E C N DISTA

Image; Alek Veljkovic

This trail is suitable for factory standard vehicles though it is advised not to try and tackle this track in a SUV particularly one with low to mediocre ground clearance mainly because of the very rocky terrain. For the same reason tyres with very strong sidewalls (preferably AT class) are mandatory! This track also incorporates an open grassland trail through some very rare forests. It is easy to avoid any risky parts, even in case of rainy weather, however, do not try to drive it too early in the season (before June), because the high altitude nature of the track can often make it impassable because of snow drifts that can be there deep into the spring.

This is probably one of the trails with the highest average altitude in the Balkans, hovering between 1500 and 1900 metres. You will only descend at the very end of the track as it approaches Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro.

Most of the very attractive wild camp spots are situated around the altitude of 1700 m (so prepare for cold nights, even in mid-summer!). The track starts at the small town of Zabljak, situated at an altitude of 1450 m in the Durmitor national park in the north of Montenegro, and plunges into Sinjajevina, a huge highland plateau which is probably the largest mountainous highland area

of its kind in Europe (about 80 km in diameter). From Sinjajevina it follows the central Montenegrian mountain range southwards, crossing mountains such as Lola, Moraca mountains and Maganik before descending into the sea level valley near Podgorica. This awesome track does not pass through any settlement (either village or town), but you will encounter nomadic shepherd huts where people have preserved the ancient ways of life. It is mostly dirt and gravel track, crossing very short portions of tarmac in two places. In several spots interesting (slightly more technically difficult) shortcuts are possible, but since these are not marked, expert guidance is advised.

Attractions along the route include numerous mountain lakes. One of them is located near Zabljak at the beginning of the trail (Vrazje and Riblje, meaning Devil’s and Fish lake) Zaboj lake is situated in a beautiful pine forest and some 10 km outside the main trail. Captain’s lake (Kapetanovo jezero) is in the second part of the trail, and is possibly the most attractive lake in Montenegro, often called „the centre of Montenegro“, since it’s geographically in the middle of the country. It’s large, it’s high (1700 m) and features lots of shepherd huts, including two improvised cafes. It’s a great place to take a break. The very rugged landscape,

resembling central Asia more than Europe,

Unspoilt

MON

“Attractions along the route include numerous mountain lakes”

NTENEGRO

le views

incredib of ’s m K Endless

gives you a special feeling of remoteness and being outside of the known world.

Take note that, along this trail, there are no hotels and no petrol stations either. So be sure to fill up your fuel tanks in Žabljak before you enter Sinjajevina, be-

cause your next chance to refuel will be Podgorica, some 250 km away. If you’re ok with some very basic, spartan type of accomodation to make a break from camping, you can get rooms offered by the locals at Captain’s lake (no bathroom, toilet outside).

H T I W O R G E N E T N O M G EXPLORIN

L E V A R T A K I T S U R re click he

EXPLORE

MONTENEGRO

Alek Veljokovic from Rustika Travel who specialise in adventure travel throughout the Balkans.

A relatively new operation having opened in 2011,they provide a complete range of services associated with adventure travel which includes travel consultation, pre-arranged tours,who cusAlek Veljkovic from Rustika Travel tom specialise packages,in accommodation, all types adventure traveland throughof transport.Alek is one of the main to guys out the Balkans.

A relatively newgo opwheneration it comes to 4WD toursinin2011,they the region, a forhaving opened mer provide journalist and top class photographer a complete range of services associated with adventure travel which includes travel consultation, pre-arranged tours, custom packages, accommodation, and all types of transport.Alek is one of the main go to guys when it comes to 4WD tours in the region, a former journalist and top class photographer.

Alek Veljkovic

e r o m r o f e r e h click n o i t a m r info

We recently caught up with British expat Marcus Newby Taylor who operates Transylvania Off Road Tours, an off road touring and rescue company that takes you into the heart of Romania’s historic landscape. Marcus has kindly given us the lowdown on one of his favourite tracks just off the Transfagarasan highway.

After enjoying the spectacular views on the famous Transfagarasan highway and before tackling this track, you can take a night’s rest at Ana B+B suggested Marcus. This is run by a

British expat and his lovely Romanian wife, who offer versatile accommodation for single travellers and families alike with the option for evening and morning meals and even a packed lunch to take with you.

Setting off in the morning, use google maps to head for Nou Roman, stop off at the Lukoil garage on the junction of 7C (Transfagarasan)/DN1 (E68) to top up any levels and drinks.

Once you get to Nou Roman you begin your trek though ancient

ROMANIA Scenic

TRACK - TRANSFAGARASAN T0 SIGHISOARA COUNTRY - ROMANIA DISTANCE -80KM

towards h rt o n Heading

Movile

ROMAN

NIA

Saxon villages including what is thought to be the original Saxon settlement in the 13th Century, Sasaus.

Keep following the dirt tracks north to Dealu Frumos where you can visit a renovated (but not publicly open) fortified Saxon church. Just email Marcus Taylor at contact@transylvaniaoffroad.com a day in advance and he can arrange for you to meet the key holder and gain access to explore the medieval building and its grounds.If you feel like a restaurant lunch, there is a nice place just outside of the village called Pensiunea Elisabeta where you can sample some traditional Romanian staples.

Keep heading north through Movile, where you can see hundreds of Neolithic mounds dotting the rolling landscape before reaching a nice little rest spot in the shade at 46.10583, 24.8993. From this point follow the forestry road down to the 106 tarmacked road and then go via Apoldo to Vulcan, once again using google maps before rejoining the track and heading up to Sarpatoc where you can find a nice spot to wild camp or move on down the hills into Sighisoara where there is a wide selection of amazing hotels and restaurants as well as beautiful medieval city walks within the old citadel walls.

In the dry weather there is little to no challenging offroading, some dusty tracks but a lot of grass where you can enjoy a dust free roaming experience.

In wet weather some of the tracks (especially in the forests) can become very boggy very quickly, offering a challenge for even the seasoned offroader.

It is advisable to have at least AT tyres and for at least one of

the vehicles in the group to be equipped with a winch. Should you find yourself in trouble you can contact Marcus Taylor are Transylvania Offroad who can arrange various kinds of assistance from free recovery (though www.rescue4x4.ro) out of a difficult spot to full recovery to a garage and arrange repairs at a reasonable price.

“ In wet weather some of the tracks especially in the forests can become very boggy “

Marcus Taylor Marcus Newby Taylor operates Transylvania Off Road Tours, an off road touring and rescue company that takes you into the heart of Romania’s historic landscape.Marcus is also a specialist in communications and certainly knows his stuff when it comes to remote touring

F O D I V E H T T U O K C E H C

A I N A V L Y TRANS S R U O T D A OFF RO

a

Romani l u f r e d won Wild &

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R U D N A S I G N E R P S TRACK D N A L E C I Y R T N U O C M K 9 1 4 E DISTANC

R

ICELAN

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Iceland is a magnificent place for 4WD touring. The interior of the island is mostly uninhabited, and everywhere you turn there are some amazing, rugged and sometimes desolate vistas.

You can drive for hours and never see another vehicle The Sprengisandur track, in the centre of Iceland takes you right through the highlands, driving between the two mountain glaciers of Hofsjรถkull and Vatnajรถkull.

This rough, dirt track brings travellers through a valley between the two giant glaciers and also requires driving through two deep rivers. The Sprengisandur track,is a route with a total distance of only 419km but with an estimated driving time of 13 hours.

This duration is due to the corrugated and uneven surface of the track and the requirement to ford several rivers en-route. When travelling this route, it is possible to stop near the middle of the route and to spend the night at a mountain hut which is located directly between the two glaciers 800 meters above sea level at Nyidalur.

Sprengisandur is only accessible during summer - like other parts of the inner desert, it is impassable in winter

because of the snow, and in spring because of floods Driving across the Sprengisandur you are presented an utterly alien vista, majestic highland deserts stretching into the distance, lots of strange rock formations and barren landscapes. In addition to the two glaciers you can catch great views of the volcanoes Askja and Herðubreið from the track.

Crossing this track can be challenging driving, the rough corrugated surface of the track can causs a very jarring motion in the vehicles, and the sides of the track are also not always easy to discern, so constant concentration is required in order to prevent accidentally driving off the track.

Having spent the night in Nyidalur, and recovering from the first 7 hours of bumpy driving, the rest of the route as the track descends down from the plateau between the glaciers is equally breathtaking as the first part and equally rugged. Eventually near the east coast, the asphalt road re-appears as you approach the Mývatn area. Mývatn is a shallow lake situated in an area of active volcanism in the north of Iceland, its name (Icelandic mý (“midge”) and vatn (“lake”); the lake of midges) comes from the huge numbers of flies (midges) to be found there in the summer.

ICELAND The land of fire & ice

e r o m r o f e r e h k clic n o i t a m r o inf

Nicolas Genoud Nicolas and Sandra have been traveling the world since they were 15 years old. From Costa Rica to Botswana, from Russia to Madagascar, no continent escapes their thirst for discovery. Since 2003, Geko Expeditions has organized and guided adventure travel, the common denominator of which is an aim for discovery off the beaten track. More than a simple slogan, it is a true philosophy of travel.

M O R F D I V E H T T U O K C HE

S N O I T I D E P X E O GEK

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ICELAND

D A O R 2 N E P I R T D A RO L A G U T R O P Y R T N U CO M K 9 3 7 E C DISTAN

is 739km The N2

long

Portugal has many roads and tracks to appreciate the sheer beauty and diversity of the country, but according to José Almeida one road in particular stands above the rest. The National Road number 2 or simply the EN2 (Estrada Nacional in Portuguese) as it’s known, has a total length of 739.260 Kms (459.355 miles), making it the country’s longest road and one of the longest in the world. The EN2 literally crosses the entire country through the middle connecting the cities of Chaves in the north to Faro in the south edge of the Algarve, just a few hundred yards from the Atlantic ocean.

The road was formally established on May,11th 1945 as a result of an official decree from the government, setting the criteria for the classification of roads under the new National Road Plan. At the time, a big part of its route corresponded to many smaller and older roads, some going as far back as medieval and even roman times.

Over the years the road has suffered several adjustments in terms of layout but in its current format, it crosses 11 districts, 35 counties and 11 cities, not to mention some of the country’s most important rivers and old railways. Driving along the EN2 on the northern half of the country, the traveller will start by appreciating many of Portugal’s mountain ranges, where the road reaches a max

altitude of over 1000 mts, offering travellers breathtaking vistas as far as the eye can see.

On the second half of the trip, south of the Tagus river, the landscape and the character of the land is a world apart, with vast undulating plains and endless fields of cork and olive trees on both sides of the road. The architecture, cuisine and traditions of the south of Portugal is still marked by the influences left by the Arabs during their stay in the Iberian Peninsula for five centuries. On the last section, the road has one of the most winding sections across the mountains of the inner Algarve, before reaching the sunny sea shore of the Algarve.

To really appreciate the experience of driving the EN2, at least 5 to 7 days should be allowed to give you enough time to experience the local culture, savour the cuisine, visit the most important places of interest, and most importantly interact with the locals along the way.

PORT Historic

TUGAL

JOSE ALMEIDA José Almeida of Dream Overland has been running tours of Portugal for over 10 years now.

José’s tours bring participants across the different regions of Portugal where visitors are exposed to the best of what Portugal has to offer, with the tours introducing travellers to Portugese local history, culture , local cuisine and also importantly , the Portugese people. The tours run from March to October and with such a knowledgable guide as José, these tours are a real immersion into Portugese culture and landscapes.

e r o m r o f e r e h click n o i t a m r info

L A G E N O D K C A R T Y A W C I T N WILD ATLA D N A L E R I COUNTRY S E I R A V DISTANCE

One of the counties along the Wild Atlantic Way route, that offers some exceptional 4WD tracks to explore is County Donegal. Donegal located in the North West, is one of largest counties in Ireland at 85 miles long and 41 miles wide with many islands.

It covers an area of 1.2 million acres (c.500,000 hectares).

Two thirds of the land consists of rough pasture and upland bog between 600 and 2000 feet above sea level. You won’t be disappointed.

Donegal is famous for its rugged mountains and rough pasture that cover seventy percent of the county with remote tracks that meander through a

The scenery in Don egal is amazing

Rugged

IRELAN

ND

and rt of Irel a p e ot rem D This is a ty of 4W n e l p h t wi explore tracks to

staggering 1.2 million acres or five hundred hectares of remote land. This stunning part of Ireland with its lake-filled valleys, unpolluted seas, vertical sea cliffs, expansive windswept moorland, craggy coastline, sandy beaches, is an ideal wilderness for exploring in your 4WD.

this touring gem to the rest of the world, simply called The Wild Atlantic Way.Taking in the remote tracks along entire west coast of Ireland, it starts from the picturesque town of Kinsale in County Cork and goes through counties Kerry, Clare, Galway, Mayo, Sligo, Leitrim before ending in County Donegal. AlternativeIf you have not heard about this ly, you can start in Donegal and coastal adventure yet, you proba- work your way down the coast to bly will soon, as the Irish Tourism Kinsale.

Department is actively promoting

DONEGAL

WILD ATLANTIC

Way

ECLIPSE 2.5M SIDE AWNING

with

AWNING TENT

A

n amazing complement to the DARCHE Eclipse 2.5M side awning is the new 2525 Tent Annex.This tent , which attaches neatly under the DARCHE 2.5M awning (or under any 2.5M awning) provides a lot of additional space in your camp setup, and could be used as a place to eat or as a sleeping room with excellent ventilation. All of the tent seams are heat sealed to prevent water ingress, and the 210 denier mould treated rip-

stop polyester oxford material provides durability, and reduces the weight placed on the awning rafter arms and legs when compared to heavier poly cotton canvas options.

We found this material to be a dream to setup and to pack away. The tent comes with a 250gsm PVC zip on/off floor.

The sides of the tent feature a door and gusset window which allows for ventilation in wet conditions and also a generously sized side door. A large 1.9M

O E D I V W G E N I N N W A M 5 .

2 E S P I L C E E H DARC EX

N N A T N E T & 252h5ere click

rear door allows for easy access to your vehicle from inside the tent. We recently took this tent annex on a fishing trip and found it very quick and intuitive to setup, and it provided a covered space for us to work in and to shelter from the very strong sun.

We pitched the awning and the tent in less than 10 minutes, and pitched our Dusk to Dawn swag inside the annex and still had lots of room left over to store gear or to sit inside.

The tent attaches to the awning poles using a number of tough velcro straps, and at the front a special zipped panel is provided

which allows for the panel to be inserted into a channel on the awning and then zipped onto the tent providing a tough and durable seal between the front of the awning and the tent. The tent has its own Integrated Roof which provides a layer of insulation between the tent and awning.

The two side doors double as huge insect free windows, and also provide a 3 way door system for the tent.

The tent and floor come in a quality ripstop bag, and are so light and portable that you will never choose to be without the annex on any trip.

ECLIPSE VEHICLE AWNINGS PROVIDE INSTANT SHELTER

G N I N W A E D I S M .5 2 E S P ECLI

e r u t n e v d A Built for

The robust range of Eclipse vehicle awnings from DARCHE provide instant shelter, and now come with super flex pivoting hinges which help to reduce component stress and failure which are all too common with awnings made with inferior components.

The fabric on the awning is super tough mould treated 12 Oz/ yd² proofed poly/cotton ripstop canvas and a massive 2000mm water head, the Eclipse awnings are engineered to perform and

last. The awning is designed to maximise protection from UV light and direct sunlight, the twin channel alloy profiles allow for the secure and space saving pack away of the two supporting , black anodized alloy twist lock poles.

The tough 600gsm laminated PVC transit cover features a No.10 self-repairing coil zip, eliminating zip jam whilst providing robust protection against road grime, dust, and weather.

1

2

3 4

1. Twin channel alloy profiles allow secure and space saving pole pack away. 2 super tough mould treated 12 Oz/yd² proofed poly/ cotton ripstop canvas 3.Tough velcro straps 4.Super flex pivoting hinges and black anodized alloy twist lock poles

DARCHE

2525 res featu

3-Way entry Doors Double as huge insect free windows

Easy vehicle access - huge 1.9 M wide door

TENT ANNEX Integrated Roof - Provides a layer of insulation between the tent and awning

Tough Construction 210D Polyester Oxford Tent

550GSM Zip-Off PVC Floor

Technical Details 2525 Tent Annex

• Additional protection from the elements • Can be used as an eatery or sleeping room • All seams are heat sealed preventing water ingress • Available in 2.5m wide and ideal when paired with the Eclipse Awnings • 210 denier mould treated rip-stop polyester oxford material provides durability, and reduces the weight placed on the awning rafter arms and legs when compared to heavier poly cotton canvas options.

• 2000mm water head PU coated • 250gsm PVC zip on/off floor • Sides feature a door and gusset window allow for adequate ventilation in wet conditions, and a generously sized side door • Rear door allows easy access to the vehicle • Large front mesh window with roll up blind can be erected for additional shelter • 8 adjustable tension straps • Sturdy No.8 coil self-repairing zip and nickel eyelets • Thick gauge pegs • Pair with Eclipse Annex Adjustable Pole (170- 240cm) - sold separately • 2 year warranty

e r e h k c i l c for moreon i t a m r o f in

SEE YOU

2021 3-6th June

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

U IN 2020

W

ell, we are just going to have to wait until 2021 For those of you who have not already heard the news, an official decision was made by the Federal Government in Germany that due to the Corona Pandemic, no major events are allowed to take place until August 31, 2020.On review of the German Government’s decision It was hoped that the show could pos-

sible take place at a later date in 2020, but it was eventually decided to cancel the expo and plan for the biggest one yet in 2021.The Abenteuer & Allrad Shows statement was as follows; With a heavy heart we will cancel this year’s 22nd Abenteuer & Allrad in Bad Kissingen .Due to recent events we have also abandoned the idea to postpone the show.For us, health concerns are

WORLDS NO 1 OFF-ROAD EXPO

and vigilant”. “Let’s gradually reopen public and economic life - while always keeping an eye on the development of the pandemic,” said the Chancellor during the government survey in the Bundestag. She added that there were still no medicines and no vaccine, and that the virus remained a danger for each and every one of us. “We have not, after all, since March taken upon ourselves all previously unimaginable restrictions in our lives, in our work and economic activities, including temporary restricThis is not unexpected news giv- tions on our rights, only to risk en the current global pandemic a relapse now, because we have and similar to most world leadabandoned caution,” the Chaners in Germany Chancellor Ange- cellor said. In recent weeks and la Merkel has called on citizens months, she said, the spread of to continue to be “courageous the coronavirus had been slowed more important than any economic interests and in the wake of the CORONA crisis it would be too risky to have an event of the size of Abenteuer & Allrad with so many international visitors.It is a great disappointment, for you and for us, but we promise you that we will come back in 2021, true to the motto “Now more than ever!”.Until then we would like to thank you for your loyalty, your patience and your understanding and we wish you to stay healthy.

The now world famous Abenteuer & Allrad camping ground. where tourers congregate from all over Europe to visit the show in Bad Kissingen i,Germany.

down because all citizens had “stuck together during a difficult time and under severe restrictions”. It was “an obligation not to endanger what we have achieved together”, Merkel stressed.

We have no doubt that the deferral of the event until 2021 will not in any way affect people’s loyalty to this Expo that has now been running for the last 22 years.

For many people this is an annual event with many travellers visiting this show ever since it started. Many returning visitors choose to stay in the designated shows campground that is located just outside Bad Kissingen. The campsite is home to possibly the largest gathering of 4WD tourers in the world and is a show all by itself. If you have not seen this gathering of like minded people, put it into your

2021 diary, it’s an experience in itself.You will be amazed by the sheer size and number of 4WD rigs, camper trucks and camping tourers on display at the campsite and the evening atmosphere is always magic with the smell of barbecues, the sound of music and chatter amongst travellers as they share their stories from their adventures around the world, so let’s all look forward to experiencing this again next year.

The Abenteuer & Allrad show will now take place next year on 3 6 June and we look forward to working with our German friends into the future at what is and will continue to be one of the world’s best off-road and adventure travel expos.We wish the expos team all the best in the planning for the 2021 event and look forward to seeing you in June next year.

click here for more information

introducing the

ADVENTURE ROOFTOP TENT from

W

elcome to the billion-star hotel...

No other CAMPWERK tent offers the same level of “starriness”.

In the comfortable berth atop your car or trailer.

The “Adventure” roof top tent is a great solution when it comes to spontaneous road trips to take you away from the everyday hustle and bustle. It’s all about the fun here—and easy handling. With an extremely spacious interior and

easy access to the huge sleeping area with its 8 cm thick mattress is provided via the included ladder. During trips to the countryside (or waterfront), the roof top tent transforms into a slim packet, which has a very low profile atop the vehicle.

A large living quarters is provided via the extension tent, which can used as kitchen, locker room or simply as an additional living room. The integrable floor in the living area and the fully enclosed

walls make sure that damp ground and bad weather are kept at bay.

If your vehicle is a high offroader or a low convertible–the extension tent comes in a variety of different sizes.

The two large windows of the “Adventure” roof-top tent sport an ultra-fine, rugged mosquito net and weather protection that can be closed from the inside, in addition to a gigantic rain shield to allow air into the tent even in strong rain conditions.

Inner tent/Inner cabin

Breathing, sweating, and cooking creates a lot of humidity that may condense on the inner surface of the outer tent, especially at night, this condensation is reduced thanks to the CAMPWERK inner tent.

The CAMPWERK inner tent, which is velcroed to the poles of the roof top tent, creates a double-walled tent. Made of pure cotton, the inner tent has zipper openings on

every entry side and on both window sides for improved ventilation on hot days. The CAMPERK inner tent can be combined with similarly dimensioned roof-top tents from other manufacturers.

The tent cloth consists of a high-end 260g, polyurethane-coated ripstop nylon, resulting in a rugged, breathable fabric with a pleasant feel and great dimensional stability. The cloth, which is also used by the military, is both extremely tear-resistant thanks to the ripstop nylon and waterproof to the extreme (600 den, water column: 9000 mm) due to the coating. The tent base is made of an aluminium composite panel, which is characterised by high bending strength, very low weight, and outstanding planeness— the perfect solution for car tops. Having said that, the tent poles are worth their salt too, packing anodised aluminium tubing and special stainless steel components. This modern finish confers very good corrosion resistance and a pleasant feel.

Ladder

The ladder will get you to your roof top tent without hassle. The extensible, heavy-duty ladder is made of anodised aluminium.

An optional extension is available that lets you access higher vehicles of up to 2.40 m.

Mattress underlay

The mattress underlay protects your mattress from moisture from below. The aluminium floor of the tent may build up condensation when there are temperature differences. CAMPWERK recommend using the mattress underlay to dry this moisture and keep it from encroaching into the mattress. The underlay consists of a high-density mesh fabric that ensures good under-mattress ventilation even under stress.

Extra-strong tarpaulin

The tarpaulin protects your roof top tent when travelling. The tarpaulin is made of a particular rugged, thick PVC material. The heavy-duty zipper and hook and loop fastener provide a maximum of protection against rain and dust.

CAMPWERK ALSO PRODUCES A RANGE OF QUALITY OFFROAD TRAILERS AND TRAILER TENTS e r o m r o f click here n o i t a m r o f in

the joys of

BACK GARDEN

CAMPING

S

o here we are, several months into this Covid-19 pandemic and sadly for many of us across Europe and America in particular it seems that all those plans hatched during the long winter nights for fabulous trips out into the open countryside camping this summer are now fast becoming a distant dream. Indeed here at TURAS we’ve had to cancel several trips we’d booked to Germany, France and Switzerland as well as various others much closer to home around the countryside of England and Ireland. And as the various stages of lockdown continue across the world, the opportunities for us to get out and about doing what we love, sadly look like being curtailed for some time to come.

However all is not lost. Indeed for many of us the lockdown gives us all the opportunity to take part in the ultimate ‘Staycation’ – right outside in your own back garden.Now I know at first, camping 10 metres from your own back door doesn’t sound like the greatest adventure. However, particularly for those of us with children, (who if they are anything like mine after 9 weeks of this craziness are liked caged animals by now), then the chance for a change of scene and being able to get out, sleep under the stars and immerse themselves in the outdoor sounds and smells is still an exciting prospect – in fact if you cast your mind back I’m sure for many of us the very first camping we experienced as a kid was probably in our s chen ha t i K y own backyard and it was from a waw te CHE S to R A use of la D e of h s this your love for it flourished T ot l etting been g

WHO HAS BEEN CAMPING IN THE

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QUALITY

family time

The DARCH E Fire Pit

ng with i k o o C n rde go Back Ga max A ta o r t e P e th

– and your children will be no different.

We have been lucky enough to have several weeks of sunny and warm weather in April and early May and it was just the excuse I needed to throw up the 4 man tent up in the garden and set up camp for the kids with the fire pit in prime position for those evening camp fires, sitting around telling fireside bedtime stories and roasting those all important marshmallows. Don’t underestimate the positive effects this has on young people’s mental wellbeing, and your own too.

It was during a night out in this changed environment, away from the normalities of the house and lying in our sleeping bags chatting as we went to sleep that my youngest lad felt able to open up and share some of his worries and fears around what was happening in the world just now and allowed me the opportunity to talk these through with him and help put his mind more at rest and ease his anxiety.

Children aside, the other obvious benefit of the backyard camp is it presents you with the ideal opportunity to test out kit, both old and new. With the old, a great chance to check out if it still works properly when it doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t, and if needed make those needed repairs or pop it on your ‘birthday list’ if it needs to be replaced.

With the new, an opportunity to treat yourself and order that new piece of kit you’ve been promising yourself. I mean, after the last few months I think you deserve it, right? So whether it’s an awesome DARCHE Swag and stretcher set up, (one of our favourite new pieces of kit here at TURAS for the ultimate nights sleep), a Petromax FT6 Dutch Oven where you can experiment to your hearts content learning to cook everything from a great loaf of bread in the morning for breakfast to the perfect roast leg of lamb and roasted veg for your dinner.

Or one of the amazingly built kitchen boxes from Go-Outside. at and the new Stowaway kitch-

en from DARCHE, there’s a never ending selection of ‘new toys’ you can still order and get delivered to your door to play with.

So don’t be down guys, let’s take advantage of the world’s biggest enforced staycation as great opportunity to use these strange times we find ourselves in, where although physically restricted temporarily, we can still mentally let ourselves fly free, start planning that ultimate road trip you’ve been dreaming of heading off on just as soon as this awful virus is under control and draw a silver lining round this cloud we have over us just now. Stay safe and have fun!

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a as been h g n i k o ied rden Co ds occup i k e Back Ga h t to keep reat way

SKILLET

COOKING

Skillets

W

hen cooking outdoors you definitely want to limit the number of pots and pans you’re using each time. The Petromax cast-iron two handle Fire Skillets are so versatile, either with the lid on for your one-pot wonder or using the base and lids as two separate pans for different elements of your meal.

The Skillets come ready to use with a pre-seasoned surface, all you have to do is give them a thorough clean with hot water. To care for your skillets it is important to read the care and storage instructions carefully, if you care for it correctly you’ll have your skillet for many generations.

We’ve been using ours for some backgarden camping recently and have been experimenting with different types of dishes.

The Petromax cast-iron Fire Skillets with their outstanding heat storage belong into every kitchen. Whether for cooking outdoors over an open fire or at the stove at home, everyone needs a cast-iron skillet. The skillets with the classic pan handle come in several different sizes.

Also, the Petromax fire skillets work on all types of stove (induction/gas/ glass-ceramic)

e r o m r o f click hearteion inform

Fry all vegetables in your Petromax 2 handled Fire Skillet using vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper and add chilli flakes and grated ginger for extra flavour. Boil rice in a separate pot and add to your skillet when cooked.Fry salmon fillets separately.When we are off camping we often chop vegetables in advance and bring them with us in freezer bags.

This cuts down preparation time and ensures you get a nice mixture of vegetables for the different dishes you want

to make. The simpler the better when you’re out and about.

The fire skillet is perfect for a dish like this. You can use both the base and lid for cooking the separate elements.

One of the great things about using your cast iron skillet is the heat storage, you can cook up your meals quickly and keep them warm if you fancy seconds.

The Fire Skillet can become very hot. Protect your hands with heat-resistant gloves or a cloth when you touch the hot Fire Skillet.

Another simple but tasty camping dish

Lots of goodne ss in this dish

Salmon Fillets with Savoury Rice 4 fresh salmon fillets 1 pepper 1 onion 1 courgette 2 carrots 3 cups of rice Vegetable oil Salt & pepper Chilli flakes Grated ginger

tha.ts it

e r o m r o f e click heartion inform

WHEN YOUR FINISHED, THE SKILLET SHOULD BE CLEANED WITH WARM WATER.

This is such a simple and tasty dish and one that you can prepare early in the day and leave simmering in your Skillet with the lid on over a low heat while you get on to do other things. Brown off the chicken drumsticks in vegetable oil to start, then add the vegetables and fry lightly. Then add seasoning and spices and fry for a few minutes. Add coconut milk and let simmer until chicken is cooked. Add water if necessary.This dish tastes even better the second day if you are lucky enough to have leftovers.

We use the Petromax two handled fire skillet with the lid on for this dish, it’s great as it retains the heat and cooks nice and slowly over the day. When you’re finished the Skillet can be cleaned with warm water.

Always let your Skillet cool down before cleaning it thoroughly with warm water and a dishwashing brush or sponge. (Never use dishwashing liquid or soap to clean the Fire Skillet, it can damage or even ruin the patina)Then dry thoroughly and apply a thin layer of fat on the cast-iron parts before storing away in a dry place.

Use a neutral oil, vegetable fat or the Petromax Care and Seasoning Conditioner. Do not use Olive oil as it burns out too quickly.

This is a simple dish to cook when camping

The

Y A W A W O T n e S h c t i K p m Ca

I

have to say I love an organised kitchen and one of my bugbears when camping is not being able to find utensils etc when I need them as they are packed away in a box in the back of the vehicle or some other random place particularly if you have kids that love to help out.

Then along comes the DARCHE Stowaway Camp Kitchen. It’s just what the doctor ordered, lots of space to hang your utensils around your workspace or store in boxes in the shelves below.

The great thing about it for me is that everything is at arms reach and everything has its place.

Previously, during our camping trips we prepared our food on a pull out bench on the side of our vehicle and utensils & cutlery were kept in separate boxes and stored in a separate camp cupboard. This works fine but by the end of the camping trip, utensils went missing, stored in the wrong places, it was only

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Lots of spac e to store your utens ils

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when packing away we’d find the bottle opener we searched high up low down for during the trip.

The DARCHE Stowaway Camp Kitchen has solved this issue for us. You can store everything on display where it’s easily reachable and easily found when needed.

We’ve been cooking outdoors a lot lately, in the back garden of course, and have been testing out the DARCHE Camp Kitchen. It can be set up in a matter of minutes and comes with workspace, shelving, hooks for utensils and even the kitchen sink!

It’s a great height, perfect for both adults and little ones who like to lend a hand.

We set up our camp stove on the neat shelf attached to the side of the kitchen, allowing us to prepare the food on the workspace and literally toss straight into the pan.

Time for a coffee

Dirty utensils/pans etc can be put in the basin ready for washing when your meal is cooked and rubbish can be stored in the mesh storage basket attached to the side.

It even comes with a lamp holder to give your workspace light at night if needed. The whole thing folds down flat and is packed in a neat bag, easy to carry and store in your 4x4. The DARCHE Camp Kitchen will definitely be coming with us on our next camping trip and many more after.

Features & Specifications

Make meals a breeze with the Stowaway Camp Kitchen. Tough and lightweight, it lets you prep everything in one spot and gives you plenty of room for cookware and utensils. Excellent working height means no more sore backs! While washing and cleaning up is easy with the integrated sink and dish racks.

• Integrated plastic sink bucket • Pull out tea towel holder • Foldable camp kitchen ideal for the family • Built-in hooks ideal for hanging utensils • Attachable light pole with hook • Hardwearing aluminum top • 2x wire baskets included with height adjustment options • Mesh storage basket or rubbish bin • Open Dimensions: 1650mm L x 1320mm H x 500mm W (Bench Height 820mm) • Packed Dimensions: 1030mm L x 150mm W x 530mm H • Weight: 13.1kg

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4

5 5

1. The Stowaway kitchen comes with a carrier bag. 2.Undo the latches to open the kitchen. 3.

Open out the kitchen legs and side shelf. 4.Attach the bottom shelf.

5. The side shelf is perfect for placing your burner on. 6. The flat packed design makes it easy to store in the back of your vehicle.

O E D I V W E N

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CUSTOMISE YOUR

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E L C I H E V

SNORKELS A HISTORY

Photo: Nicolas Genoud Geko Expeditions

snorkel Tank wading with

THE FIRST VEHICLE SNORKELS WERE INTRODUCED IN GERMAN SUBMARINES DURING WWII https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leopard_2A4_-_

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he invention of the submarine snorkel is often ascribed to Germany during world war II. However an early submarine snorkel was developed in Scotland as early as 1916 (by James Richardson, an Assistant Manager at Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Company). Though this snorkel was never used by any navy. In 1926 Italian captain Pericle Ferretti of the technical corps of the Italian Navy invented a successful design for a snorkel system which also never made it onto any navy vehicles.In 1940 when Germany defeated the Netherlands, Germany captured the 0-25 and 0-26 submarines, which were both fitted with a device named a snuiver (sniffer) a simple snorkel system that enabled diesel propulsion at periscope depth, and also allowed for simultaneous charging of the batteries.

Initially the German Kriegsmarine saw snorkels solely as a means of providing fresh air

hicle e v d a off-ro eep wat n r e d ugh d A mo o r h t g wadin

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into the boats, however with increasing submarine losses decided to install snorkels onto their U boats, this was tested in 1943 on U-58 and during 1944 about half of the U-boats stationed in France had snorkels fitted.

At the same time snorkels also began to be fitted to other types of military vehicles including tanks, troop carrier and trucks and jeeps. Deep wading British Churchill tanks used snorkels during Allied assaults on German occupied France during 1942.

Tanks generally had watertight crew compartments and so the vehicle could be fully submersed with the maximum depth for a tank being determined by the height of the snorkel. In the case of WWII amphibious jeeps, all of the engine openings and electrics were sealed and the depth of the vehicle was determined by it’s the height of its occupants heads above the water, as crew areas were not watertight.

Today, lots of military vehicles use snorkels or are designed for snorkels to be fitted over the air intake, to allow the vehicles to wade through deep water, limited by the height of the snorkel (and for vehicles with unsealed crew compartments, the height of the occupants heads).

If any water is drawn into the snorkel than this water will also be drawn into the engine, causing it to cut out.

Design of vehicle snorkels has continued to evolve over time and as overland enthusiasts we are all very familiar with the sight of vehicle snorkels attached to overland vehicles. Apart from the ability to enable vehicles to wade , modern snorkel systems also provide other benefits, such as keeping dust and sand out of the engine filter and thus improving engine durability and also of increasing airflow and air intake to the engine and thereby improving engine performance.

Photos: Nicolas Genoud Geko Expeditions

S

NEW MODEL

In such cases, the snorkel supplies air for both the engine and the sealed crew compartment, allowing total submersion. Often, the snorkel pipe is of large diameter and fits over the crew hatch, to provide an escape route for the crew in case the vehicle becomes stuck or disabled while underwater.

SNORKELS from

Military wheeled vehicles, such as a HEMTT transport or a Unimog are often capable of mounting snorkels for the engine air intake only, to allow them to wade through relatively deep water, limited by the height of snorkel intake and the driver’s head (usually slightly less than the height of the roof). Generally, the crew compartment is not watertight, and the crew will be immersed, unlike in tracked vehicles, which are generally totally sealed. The maximum depth is dictated by the height of the snorkel; if the water level should reach the snorkel intake, it will be drawn into the engine, immediately killing it. In the case of a World War II-era amphibious Jeep, all of the engine openings and electrical wiring are sealed, and the driver must first operate a damper that prevents water from entering the intake manifold. After fording, all vehicles wheel bearings must be repacked with new lubricants due to water contamination. Modern military vehicles typically come from the factory with waterproofed wiring sys-

Spanish Company Bravo Snorkel designs and manufacture high performance, modern vehicle snorkel systems. The company launched a new website earlier this year, and has launched several new products that will be of interest to both professional and private customers.

This new website provides a range of product information to an international market and content will be available in Spanish, English, French, German and Italian. This new site replaces the company’s older Snorkel4x4 distribution platform website,

and going forward all sales and interaction between Bravo Snorkel and its customers will be through the new Bravo Snorkel website, including the availability to make online orders.

The company has also worked to make the export of products out of Europe an automated and streamlined process.

Focussing on professional distributors and resellers, Bravo Snorkel offers detailed product information including information about the product, its fabrication and logistics in addition

to the performance and testing results of the kits and various designs.

The website also provides product information videos and other interactive resources. Bravo Snorkel is a top snorkel producer at the European level with

the stated goal of satisfying its customer base of demanding and experienced off-road users who seek a high standard snorkel with the best warranty at an affordable price; a combination that has never existed before.

ion will become available in June 2020, with a standard configuration of a replaceable head for users who hest wading capabilities, or for those that need to install a cyclone pre-filter installation for use in exy conditions.

This new snorkel design was revealed at the end of

t version is specially designed for those Wrangler owners who love to fold down the windscreen on sumlast year in Italy, and now is finally coming to the marstill need to protect the engine, this snorkel option is very capable and still offers the opportunity for ket performance. with both shown, standard and compact. also for great Thisversions option will also be available during summer 2020.

snorkels can be installed in less than 15 minutes, and the bodies and components are designed to be The first version will become available in June 2020, nd so the standard can be swapped out for the compact in 5 minutes and vice versa. The configuration with a standard configuration a effort replaceable head provides the required airflow to the engine.

Bravo has put aof huge into keeping the sections of the as createdfor a configuration that doesn’t require holes or cuts to be made on the vehicle. A Replaceable users who need theany highest wading capabilities, or na will also be included in the kit.

for those that need to install a cyclone pre-filter installation for use in extremely dusty conditions.

The Compact version is specially designed for those Wrangler owners who love to fold down the windscreen on summer’s day but still need to protect the engine, this snorkel option is very capable and still offers the opportunity for fresh air and also for great performance. This option will also be available during summer 2020.

Both of these snorkels can be installed in less than 15 minutes, and the bodies and components are designed to be compatible and so the standard can be swapped out for the compact in 5 minutes and vice versa. The configuration of the ducts provides the required airflow to the engine. Bravo has put a huge effort into keeping the sections of the airflow and has created a configuration that doesn’t require any holes or cuts to be made on the vehicle. A Replaceable shorter antenna will also be included in the kit.

JEEP WRANGLER SNORKEL

The most in-demand snorkel kit since it was revealed is very clearly the Bravo Snorkel SVW6 for Volkswagen T6 and T5. The snorkel is designed for easy installation on 2.0 vehicles and left hand drive, and later this year a variant for 2.5 engines and also suitable for right hand drive and both 2.0 and 2.5 engines will be released.

This snorkel has been tested by the team at Bravo under the very harshest conditions of the Morocco desert. This snorkel noticeably improves the performance of the Volkswagen vans whilst also looking great and having a unique design that differentiates from any other snorkel seen before. Aesthetics are a very important issue for the team at Bravo and the believe in striving to create the

perfect balance between the best performance increase and also providing a modern and good-looking accessory for the most exacting customers. Bravo say that you should ‘Be proud of what you are driving’.

VOLKSWAGEN

L E K R O N S 6 T5/T

rinter p S s e d e c The Mer e lines h t s w o l l fo Snorkel hicle of the ve

MERL MERCEDES E K R O N S 7 SPRINTER 90

L E K R O N S 7 0 SPRINTER 9

Owners of the New Mercedes Sprinter 907’s have been clamouring for a snorkel since the vans have been launched on the market, both for the 4x4 and 4x2 versions.

The new design of the sprinter focussed on the fender and bonnet , and it made this made the design of a snorkel for the vehicle more difficult, as the design made it quite difficult to reach the inner ducts and airbox. However the final design of the Bravo snorkel is a very nice snorkel body that follows the lines of the sprinter design, making it appear very integrated to the vehicle’s shape.

The kit was to have been revealed at the 2020 Abenteuer & Allrad Expo at Bad Kissingen, as we all know the expo had to be cancelled due to the Covid-19 outbreak, however the snorkel is available via the Bravosnorkel.com website and may be presented at other expos before the end of the year.

e r o m r o f e click her n o i t a m r o f n i

e r o m r o f click hearteion inform

Photo: Nicolas Genoud Geko Expeditions

H

umans have been navigation cross vast expanses of land and open seas for at least 4000 years, and probably a lot longer. The first western civilization recorded to have developed methods for navigation at sea was the Phoenicians who from around 2000BC used charts and observations of the sun and stars to find their location and to determine their direction of travel.

The progress of time and history and human ingenuity has brought us a constant stream of innovation as techniques were discovered and technologies developed to continually improve the ability of people to navigate across great and unknown distances.

Early Instruments

Latitude can be discovered reasonably easily by navigation by the stars, in the Northern Hemisphere sailors could find the latitude of their current location by measuring the altitude of the North Star above the horizon, this angle in degrees was the latitude of the ship. The ‘Icelandic sunstone’ is a type of mineral that is reputed to have been used to locate the sun in overcast and snowy conditions, polarising the sunlight when used to look at the sun and determining

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tan A Sex

EARLY

NAVIGATIONAL

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An Icelandic Sunstone

A Mariner ’s astrolabe c .1645

Cutaway of a Gyrocompass

ation

Navig r a d Ra

Loran Navigation Syst em

the azimuth thereby making it easier for early sailors to navigate by the sun in a variety of conditions.

One of the first man made navigation technologies was the Mariner’s compass, which was an ancestor of a modern magnetic compass. These early compass were often considered to be unreliable as the difference between true north and magnetic north, and of magnetic variation was not understood.

During the 13th Century sailors began to record detailed records of their voyages, and transformed these records into charts, thus creating the first nautical charts. Early charts were inaccurate but were still valuable. These charts did not show latitude or longitude but there were markings showing the compass direction of travel between major destinations.

Some of the first instruments used by sailors to determine latitude were the astrolabe and quadrant. The astrolabe was invented in ancient Greece, and was initially used by astronomers to tell the time, it was brought into service by sailors in the fifteenth century to measure the position of the sun and stars an thus to determine latitude. Around the year 1730 two men across the word from each other, English mathematician John Hadley and American inventor Thomas Godfrey , each independently invented the oc-

ite

Satell S P G Early

Photo: Alek Veljkovic

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d’s fi rst p ortab le GP Syste S m

tant, which gave sailors a much more accurate tool for determining the angle between the horizon and the sun, moon or stars, in order to calculate latitude. This instrument was later further developed by Admiral John Campbell who proposed a modified design which produced the first sextant in 1757.

Throughout all this time, the tools were available to determine latitude, but longitude was more difficult, and could only be estimated and not measured, longitude was calculated by comparing the time of day difference between the starting location and new location, but up until the eighteenth century even the most accurate clocks could lose up to 10 minutes per day, which could lead to inaccuracies of up to 150 miles or more in calculating location. However the invention of an accurate chronometer in 1764 finally provided an accurate means of calculating longitude. In 1884, the Prime Meridian (located at 0° longitude) was established internationally as the meridian passing through Greenwich, England.

strolabe A n a i n a An Ir

Photo: Alek Veljkovic

A Moder n Paper Map

MODERN NAVIGATION

The 20th century continued to evolve the ease of use of traditional instruments and also brought some important new technologies to navigation, including radar, radio beacons, gyroscopic compasses and global positioning systems.

The gyro compass was invented in 1907 and was an improvement over a magnetic compass in thatit is unaffected by external magnetic fields and always points to true north. The first radio detection and ranging (Radar) system came into service in 1935 and could be used to locate objects that were beyond the range of vision by bouncing radio waves against them.

Between 1940 and 1943 in the USA a navigational system called the ‘Long Range Navigation (Loran) was developed and used pulsed radio signals between numerous ‘stations’ to determine the position of ships, this was accurate to several hundreds of meters but was limited in coverage by the location of the various stations.

Towards the end of the 20th century, the Global Positioning System came to replace Loran. The

FOX-7 GPS

“THE AMOUNT OF TECHNOLOGY COMPRESSED INTO SUCH A SMALL RUGGED AND RELIABLE DEVICE IS IMPRESSIVE”

GPS system uses the same principle of time difference from separate signals, as with Loran, but with GPS the signals come from satellites orbiting the earth. Today there are a total of 24 satellites in the GPS constellation. There are also 24 operational GLONASS satellites, GLObal NAvigation Satellite System�, is a Russian space-based satellite navigation system. There are also 24 Galileo Navigational satellites, Galileo is the European global navigation satellite system that went live in 2016.

GPS/GLONASS/Galileo is now the most accurate means of global navigation. GPS has up to 1 meter accuracy. Most modern GPS Systems used by both sailors and overland explorers today use signals from GPS and/or GLONASS satellites.

The FOX-7 OFFROAD GPS

Our readers will be familiar with our go-to navigation system much used and relied upon when we are out exploring unfamiliar territory and off road tracks, that is the FOX-7 Offroad Navigation system from Navigattor.com . The Fox 7 has a high-gain GPS receiver which is 10 times more accurate than the positioning available on a phone or tablet.

These units are perfect for offroad navigation, so rugged and relaible they can be used on bikes and quads as well as offroad vehicles. The Offroad Navigation is performed by the OziExplorer app, with a custom made interface developed by Navigattor.

PS from G d a o r ff O The FOX-7 om Navigattor.c

Worldwide topographic maps for OziExplorer are free of charge for the owners of Navigattor GPS devices and are pre-installed on the device by request when ordering from Navigattor.

Like early mariners, marking unknown routes on their charts, the OziExplorer app allows you to load Waypoints and Track files in GPX format and to upload and also to export routes and share with others.

The team at Navigattor will be able to advise you on the available world-wide topographic maps and can also pre-install any maps that you require onto the device before they send the FOX-7 Unit out to you.

Navigation systems have come a long way, and the amount of technology compressed into such a rugged and reliable device is impressive. You can learn more about the FOX-7 at Navigattor.com.

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EURO4X4PARTS

EXPEDITION

s e i r o s s e c c A & t n e m p Equi

E

uro4x4parts.com is the creation of an off-road enthusiast, Franรงoise Graciet Hollender, and a mechanics expert, Georges Graciet.

Franรงoise, from the Alsace region, previously worked as a marketing manager for a food industry multinational.

Georges, a native of south west France, managed an automobile transmission company.

They decided to combine their business experience and their passion for languages and travelling. Franรงoise Graciet Hollender Euro4x4parts.com opened for business on September

4th, 2000. Euro4x4parts.com opened for business on the 4th of September 2000 in France and on the 1st of January 2006 in Spain. Within 10 years the company the team had grown to 20 employees across both offices. Today there are no less than 30 employees on the team, all working together offer the very best level of customer service.

In addition to their management duties, Franรงoise handles marketing, and Georges provides technical support and handles the parts database and purchasing.

The company is known for providing a wide range of vehicle parts and accessories. Its online catalogue includes more than 50,000 part numbers for almost 60 makes of 4x4. This database of parts and accessories, for 95% of 4x4s on the road, is unique in Europe. It enables you to select the precise part you need, avoiding unnecessary returns.

Its rebuild kits (brakes, transmission and transfer, steering, engine, axle, swivel), have helped to forge the company’s reputation. Euro4x4 kits include all

the parts you need to get your 4x4 back in shape. The team at Euro4x4 parts 14 languages between them French, English, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Arabic, German, Dutch, Italian, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Mandarin Chinese and Korean.

And are always there to help, whether you simply need a hand diagnosing a problem, preparing for a journey or just finding the right part for the job. And If a problem arises , they are always on hand to find a solution.

With a team of product manag-

ers which always does its best to get hold of that hard-to-find part your’re searching for.

But is not just about vehicle parts, Euro4x4parts also stock and sell a wide range of expedition accessories and camping gear, from roof top tents, and awnings to tables and chairs, cooksets, fridges and fridge accessories , storage solutions and much more.

You can browse it’s wide range of camping and expedition equipment on its website.

Apart from selling vehicle parts and expedition equipment, the company also provides a wide range of useful information, for free on its website, its product managers regularly write articles to keep you up to date on new products, offer tips for installing parts and general mechanical information on topics that are sure to interest you. And it also publishes a 4x4 Webzine about the life of the worldwide 4x4 community. With updates about meetings, competitions, expeditions and more. Check it all out online.

WWW.EURO4X4PARTS.COM

Euro4x4Parts provides a wide range of good value camping and expedition accessoriesfrom Rooftop Tents to kitchen sinks.

WWW.EURO4X4PARTS.COM Some key figures Overall performance: Double figure growth of turnover every year since 2000

Logistics : 20 000 products in stock 50 000 products in catalogue 60 000 dispatched per year 9 000 new stock deliveries per year

Internet performance: 44% of total revenue 145 000 unique visitors per month Web site visited from over 200 countries every month 2 million pages referenced by Google

Contact France and International 4600, route de Bayonne 40390 STE MARIE DE GOSSE France +33 (0)5 59 45 11 44 +33 (0)5 59 45 11 55 (fax) monday to friday 8h30 - 12h30 / 13h30 - 18h30

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CAMPING

HYGIENE

S taying Healthy

W

ell we have all suffered through this new reality that is Covid-19 and the world is a changed place and it seems like it will remain so for some time to come.

And while camping hygiene has always been an important aspect of a camping and touring lifestyle , now, more than ever this is an essential consideration when enjoying an outdoor lifestyle.

As we now begin to plan our future adventures and as we see that camping holidays are probably going to be the preferred type of vacation for lots of people, at least for a while, we decided to share some tips and guidance on personal and camp hygiene while enjoying the great outdoors.

Hand Sanitiser

This is a bit of a no-brainer, and is an essential part of any camping trip. While we have recently seen a huge spike in de-

mand around the world for hand sanitizer, it has finally started to become widely available in shops around the world again. This clear gel contains a concentration of ethyl alcohol that kills germs (and viruses) on contact , just add a drop to your palm and rub your hands together, ensuring that you clean in all the crevices and folds of your skin as well as your fingertips and fingernails, wait 20 seconds or so for the gel to evaporate and you are good to go. Hand sanitiser is essential for any camping trip , especially if using soap and water is not convenient or perhaps not possible. You can also use hand sanitiser to disinfect eating utensils.

Soap

If you are using soap , use Biodegradable Soap to Preserve the Environment. When you wash your hands at home the soap goes down the drain, but it is usually treated by a municipal facility to ensure that the phosphates and other chemicals contained in soap do not enter the local eco system of lakes and streams. If you use a non-biodegradable soap when camping, you are polluting the water and your actions could promote unwanted algal blooms in waterways. Even when using biodegradable soap, Leave No Trace guidelines assert that you should keep it 200 feet from any water.

Deodorant , perfume and aftershave.

Sweet smelling beauty and hygiene products can attract insects, and depending on where you live, can also attract bears and other visitors that you may not wish to welcome to your campsite. Regular washing in rivers or streams or with baby wipes should be sufficient to keep your natural fragrance from becoming unpleasant. If you do

USE BIODEGRADABLE SOAP TO PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT

need to use deodorant for some reason, try to buy unscented products.

Go Jump in a lake

A cool swim on a hot day can be very refreshing , it also allows you to clean any actual dirt or grime from your body. But be mindful of others, and don’t swim where others are trying to collect water or to fish, and again, don’t use any soap or use only biodegradable soap. If you are travelling in your 4WD you might be lucky enough to have a pressurised road shower or a battery powered shower to freshen up at the end of the day, if not you can clean yourself with a big sponge and a few litres of water (and some biodegradable soap).

change when you get to camp, you should try to change into clean dry clothes before you get into your sleeping bag, which will help to keep your sleeping bag clean (sleeping bag liners are also a good way of keeping your bag clean and are easier to keep clean than sleeping bags).

If you are on a multi-day trip with limited supply of clothing, try to rotate your outfits, washing clothes every other day(with biodegradable soap) so that you always have a supply of clean clothes.

How to use the bathroom.

The most luxurious solution is to bring a camping toilet, these toilets can be lightweight and pack away neatly, they are mainly of Baby wipes can be a good way use for RV campers, car campers of freshening up if your supply and overland campers/ If using of water is limited, but if you camping toilets you must store choose to use baby wipes or your own waste and dispose of it moist towelettes it is imperative properly the next time you reach that you bin them and dispose of a suitable facility at a campsite. them properly or pack them back Other ways to go include burying out with you, as they are not your waste or packing it out with biodegradable and can be very you. Learn more at Leave no harmful to nature.

Trace You should try to change your clothes every evening, especially if you have been sweating during the day. If you don’t

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FUNKI ADVENTURES

n i g n i p m a C d Off-Roa

CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA has plenty to offer 4WD enthuasiasts

W

ith the whole camping with your 4WD craze taking America by storm in recent years, there are more and more people venturing off in their fully kitted out 4WD’s in search of remote areas to explore and camp in. One of the popular US States that has plenty to offer the 4WD adventurist is California. Located on the western seaboard of the US, California is the third largest state in the US covering an area of 163,696 square miles (423,970 km2).

The Pacific Ocean borders the western part of the state, Oregon the north, Arizona and Nevada the east, and Mexico the south. The state’s varied topography covers the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in

ed out tt i k y l l u f e One of th es Jeeps r u t n e v d A Funki

I K N U F

S E R U T N E V AD

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the east, and redwood forests in the north to the Mojave Desert in the south giving plenty of variety in the type of terrain to be explored. With a diverse climate ranging from a wet temperate rainforest in the north, hot, arid desert in the interior, snowy alpine in the mountains, and the warm Mediterranean in the rest of the state, the type of gear and how your vehicle is kitted out really depends on where you are going. It is also interesting to note that approximately 45 percent of the state’s total surface area is covered by forests and California’s diversity of pine species is unmatched by any other state. California contains more forestland than any other state except Alaska.

We recently caught up with Frank Cassidy from Funki Adventures in California who we are delighted to announce has recently joined the TURAS team and will be our US contributor in future issues of the magazine. Frank heads up Funki Adventures which is an Overland 4x4 off-road adventure provider based in San Diego. In recent years they have seen a growth in the number of people from both the US and Europe who are looking to explore all that California has to offer…..

Frank said that ‘‘Moving to California from Ireland really provided a strong appreciation for the massive amount of open,

accessible and explorable space available in the Western States’’. The closest I ever got to Overlanding as an irresponsible teen was following tractor tracks across private land in my Mitsubishi Pajero, quickly learning that street tyres cannot take you where tractors can.

In complete contrast, about an hour and a half drive from San Diego is 164,000 square miles (425,000 square kilometers) of Anza Borrego State Park where you are allowed to pretty much drive anywhere and can camp (for free) on any trail (provided you get a campfire permit, so you are less likely to burn down California … wildfires are a bit of a flashpoint over here).

I’ve spent 10 years trekking into the deserts, exploring the mountains and showing my kids what life outside an iPad looks like.

Over time, friends frequently asked for suggestions on where to go and if they could

op tent for oft o R a n i Sleep e the first tim

“I HAVE SPENT TEN YEARS TREKKING INTO THE DESSERTS, EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS AND SHOWING MY KIDS WHAT LIFE OUTSIDE AN IPAD LOOKS LIKE”.

borrow some of my camping equipment to

make their weekend adventures more comfortable. This is where the idea for Funki Adventures was born, i.e. provide an all-inclusive package that helps pretty much anyone find the hidden spots of California and the surrounding states, without having any previous knowledge or owning so much as a sleeping bag.

Frank told us that they provide epic selfdrive trips and adventures…..‘’We get you ‘off the beaten path’, in luxury, throughout California and neighboring states, by renting you a self-drive 4WD Jeep off-road camper.

Each Jeep has a Roof Top Tent for Overlanding luxury. Whether you want to experience the desert, drive forest trails in the mountains or surf in the Pacific Ocean - we’ve got a tailored trip for you.The Jeeps are simply a tool (but a great tool) to help us ensure our adventurers experience their trip in comfort and in safety.

Funki Adventures goal is to send people to locations and trails they simply wouldn’t find on a regular roadtrip, so they offer custom designed trip plans which factor in time available and adventurer preference for what they want to see and do. Frank highlighted that traditional campervans (or cars) simply cannot access the best canyons, off-road trails and mountain tracks that a properly equipped Overland Jeep can comfortably handle. One major bonus is camping in the wilderness with nobody else around equals peace and quiet! No nearby parties, no generators, no massive RVs… Though for those

NO SHORTAGE OF REMOTE CAMPSITES OUT HERE

who crave sociability, Funki Adventures can also add in some traditional camp-grounds to the trip plan. And now that California is starting to open up after lock down from Covid-19, things are starting to get back to normal.

Routes

ters) larger than all of England.

Now consider the nearby states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah are even less densely populated and you have a massive, open playground with endless trails, routes and options for any Overlander/4WD explorer.

Frank told us that they take full advantage of this open, expanFor those of you who may be interested in dipping your toes sive part of the world with trips into doing some 4WD exploring starting in San Diego heading in California , it is interesting to from the coast to inland feanote that compared to Europe, tures like the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, the Mojave California is sparsely popuDesert, Death Valley and Yolated. For example, the entire population of California is 38.8 semite to name a few. Other trips incorporate the incredibly million. That’s the same popbeautiful Pacific Coast Highway ulation found in the southern drive north through Big Sur and half of England. Bear in mind that California is 70,000 square up to San Francisco. One of the favorite adventurer itineraries is miles (180,000 square kilome-

EXPLORE the road n o s k n i r d Cold

to take a few days camping wild in the desert, followed by a day (or two) trying a different kind of wild in Las Vegas … variety seems to resonate with the adventurous persona! Funki Adventures do their best to keep adventurers off the beaten path, i.e. away from Freeways and spend as much time on the backroads, the trails and the tracks as possible. They understand that the journey, not the destination, is key.

Vehicles and Gear

Frank told us that he thinks the Jeep Wrangler is America’s version of the Land Rov-

er Defender,it’s tough, good off road and easy to maintain. For those reasons, the Funki Adventures fleet are all Jeep Wranglers and are equiped with hardshell iKamper Roof Top Tents. They chose the iKamper Skycamp as it’s not only comfortable, but also easy to operate as they have those adventurers in mind who may never have been on an adventure before’’ …

With ease in mind, each Jeep is equipped with a camp kitchen including the powerful Jetboil Basecamp, tables and chairs.

GEAR , the Flexoe v o m e h t Power on m 444. u i h t i L r e pow

A cooler is included with the option to upgrade to a fridge or add in a Flexopower Lithium 444 for those who want additional power for laptops and other electronics or lighting.

Other extras like solar showers and hammocks are available for those who really take glamping to heart!

As safety is critical, every adventurer will be equipped with a Spot X 2-way satellite messenger, providing the reassurance of an S.O.S. feature where rescuers will find you, no matter how far into the wilderness you’ve ventured. Additionally, each Wrangler has traction boards, a vehicle battery jump-starter, a mini air compressor and a fire extinguisher.

All up this all sounds amazing,the ease of just being able to fly into San Diego and pick up one of the Funki Adventure fully kitted out Jeeps and steer towards the many destinations on offer sure does sound appealing. We certainly would love to make the trip over to the US and explore one of the Funki Adventures customised routes. Stay tuned for some more updates from Funki Adventures in future issues of the

TURAS Camping & 4WD Magazine..

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100%

MADE IN GERMANY s onkey

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High

Quali

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B

avarian Company Offroad Monkeys continues to innovate. The company’s stated mission is to make great vehicles, Land Rover Defenders, even better.

The company does this by producing a range of extremely strong, and high quality Land Rover parts. The range of parts produced by the company continues to grow, and it has just added two new products to its range.

Adding a new highlight to the interior of the Defender is the new Offroad Monkeys interior door handle. If you want to customise the interior of your Defender these handles are just the thing. Made of high-strength aluminum and with a leather strap, this handle replaces the bulky original plastic handles in the interior.

The second new product is the adjustable mirror arms made of highstrength aluminum, and available in

2 lengths. The mirror arms are designed to be a visually perfect match to the high quality aluminium door hinges also produced by the company, but will also fit any original frame.

The arms have a sophisticated folding mechanism with a hardened grid disc which holds the mirror firmly in the direction of travel even at high speeds without fluttering or folding. When traversing narrow passages in the field, the mirror can be folded close to the vehicle and you still have a good view in the rear view mirror. The arms are available in original length and 100mm longer. The long version is ideal for driving with a trailer or box body.

These two new products are just the latest of a range of high quality Landrover parts all designed and 100% manufactured in Germany.

The product catalogue from Offroad Monkeys continues to

Arms r o r r i M w e The All n

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Made

New (very cool) T-Sh irts

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lights D E L y t i al High Qu fixtures and

Machi Aircraft G ned from rade Alum iniu

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grow, and it now produces a range which includes door and rear door hinges, window blocks and window blocks with LED lights, bonnet hinges, sliding window covers, and adjustable mirror arms.

Known for its quality and design, the company has also become something of a lifestyle brand , and also sells a range of quality merchandise around the Offroad Monkeys brand including Petroleum lamps and T-shirts. The newest T-Shirt in the range answers a very important question. Who has the coolest Landy? - You! Of course. The new Off-road Monkey T-Shirt “My landy is cooler than yours� - the name says it all , outfitted with the monkey-strong parts of the Offroad Monkeys, both your Defender and this quality shirt can accompany you on all of your on and offroad adventures.

F

or more than 3-years, National Luna has been developing an entirely new range of fridges equipped with superior insulation and an all-new compressor. They named it ‘The Legacy Range’; and, in October last year, it was officially launched into the market.

The 50 Litre Legacy Stainless Steel is the ideal fridge/freezer combination for recreational users. With separate 38.3-litre fridge and 11-litre freezer com-

partments. These fridges are designed to be tough and to operate in the most demanding environments. Available in Europe via APB Trading Ltd. National Luna has a reputation for being the first, and the best when it comes to producing portable refrigeration systems.

The 50L Legacy features a Dual Compartment Fridge/Freezer and uses a new National Luna designed off-road compressor.

The unit has a dual digital temperature controller allowing for a temperature range of 20c to

fridge-production facility, includ-24c in the right bin and 20c to -18c in the left bin. The unit uses ing product that was destined for 42mm High density polyurethane Australia, the USA, UK, Europe insulation and has a built in bat- and it’s local South African martery monitor with battery protec- ket. Some essential and specialist tion, an internal LED light, stain- machinery pivotal to the production of the fridges was also deless steel latches and a range of optional accessories including a stroyed. mounting plate and protection cover, and all units come with a 3 Fortunately, only two of the plants buildings year warranty THERE IS NOTHING QUITE were destroyed. and a limited LIKE A COLD REFRESHING The manufac8 year compressor warDRINK AT THE END OF A turing of its dual-battery sysranty, LONG DAYS DRIVING tems, battery chargers, porIt is somewhat of a feat that National Luna tage-power packs, LED lighting and Ice Makers remained in full products are available this year, production. as on 22nd November last year a fire broke out in National LuBut despite this enormous setna’s fridge-service and pre-asback the company is now out of sembly unit. The 1 000-sqm the ashes and is swiftly restoring building, and all of its contents, suffered irreparable damage that production capacity, thanks to a caused the total shutdown of it’s new facility close to its head of-

MONITOR YOUR BATTERY AND ITS CHARGE AND DISCHARGING RATES

WWW.DRIFTA.EU

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fice. Production is underway on select models (including the Legacy range) and capacity is expected to be back to normal during the summer. National Luna has been a market leader in the leisure industry for the past 30 years.

Today, it is one of the largest 12v manufactures in South Africa and specialises in the manufacture of refrigeration, lighting and battery management products. National Luna’s wide range of specialist 12-volt products are aimed at the 4×4 and caravan industry. You can learn more about and also purchase its wide range of products in Europe via APB Trading Ltd.

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STAINLESS STEEL

PERCOLATOR

Just because you are camping does not mean that your should be denied a good brew of coffee first thing in the morning.

coffee very well and thanks to a variety of Petromax products now on the market we can now brew and enjoy a nice cup of coffee while sitting around the There is something very special morning campfire. about getting out of your tent after the sun has come up and The Petromax Percolator is a preparing a nice cup of coffee as very stylish piece of kit, made you take in your surroundings. of stainless steel allows you to Coffee lovers don’t do instant prepare aromatic coffee or tea

NEWeo

vid

with a unique aroma. No matter if it is hung over the fire with the practical handle or used classically at home on the electric or gas stove – the stainless steel Petromax Percolator is the perfect jug for making a great coffee.Like all Petromax Camp Cooking gear, this is made to last.

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Photos: Toby Roney

T

he world has changed a lot since the last issue of our magazine, with the international outbreak of the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

Many countries around the world are still under some form of lockdown, and the experts warn us that social distancing and ‘a new normal’ may be with us for a long time to come. Our experiences of international travel and of vacationing will be different, and indeed simply working and shopping will be fundamentally changed for a time. One thing that does seem more certain however, is that when restrictions are relaxed a little bit, and we are again allowed to travel across our countries and across the world, most people would probably prefer holidays that do not involve being in crowded places , sharing crowded facilities with lots of other people.

No doubt most of our readers are 4WD touring travellers or aspir-

ing such travellers, and one of the things about this lifestyle is the appeal of the open road, of finding your own route, and in taking the road less travelled, and in being as self-sufficient

as possible in doing so. Recent reports suggest that camping holidays will shortly undergo a renaissance as people choose to spend a much time out in nature, in fresh air and not in congested buildings , where many have grown an aversion to sharing spaces with large numbers of strangers. With this in mind, there is the real potential that the 4WD Touring and camping lifestyle will continue to grow in popularity.

If you are on the fence about getting properly into 4WD Touring, there are some companies, like Higher Adventure in the UK , that rent out fully ‘expedition equipped’ Landrover Defenders, which can allow you to get a taste for this type of travel. Higher Adventure has both 90 and 110 vehicles which can accommodate 2-5 people and you can hire these vehicles for 2 days or several weeks, to experience the spirit of freedom and adventure embodied by the iconic Land Rover Defender These expedition-equipped vehicles come with roof tents, awning, fridge, stove, table and chairs, utensils and more. Learn more..

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Jose Almeida - Dream Overland

. . w o N n e List

EPISODE #4 l in Portuga On a tour

Camp

fire at the en d of t he da y

Jose’s connection with the outdoors and off-road driving began early in his childhood. Over of the years, his passion for nature and travelling became increasingly bigger. Having started as a simple enthusiast he became a member of clubs and organisations both in Portugal and the UK. Since 2011 he has been a correspondent for Land Rover Owner International magazine (lro.com), and has recently also started

Sand driving

working with Overland Journal Europe magazine.

Over the years Jose has acquired some specialised training and skills, both as an advanced driver and an instructor with Land Rover Experience in the UK. In addition to the technical and driving qualifications, he is also certified in first aid by St. John’s Ambulance in England.

The

PODCAST EPISODE #1 In this first episode we discuss off-road navigation with Ferran Revoltos, Managing Director of Spanish Company Navigattor.

Ferran Revoltos

We discuss the most important aspects of offroad navigation and Ferran also lets us know a little bit about a new GPS Product about to be released by his company.

EPISODE #2

Phillip Bond

In this second episode we chat with Phillip Bond, founder of APB Trading Ltd. Phillip is one of the UK pioneers of 4WD Touring and vehicle expedition preparation and equipping. In this episode Phillip tells us about his time rally racing, he explains how and why he came to found APB Trading and later to launch expedition-equipment.com

EPISODE #3 In this third episode we chat with Francoise Graciet Holllander.

Francoise is one of the founders and owners of Euro4x4parts and is also an avid and very successful offroad racer.

Francoise Graciet Holllander

Francoise grew up in Alsace close to the German border. From an early age she had a yearning to travel and to explore the world.

R E V O R D N A L / R A U G JA

SUPPORT

EMERGENCY

RESPONSE

J

aguar and Land Rover have now deployed 362 vehicles globally to support charitable organisations and front-line workers tackling the spread of coronavirus. Most recently, a fleet of 15 Jaguars has been supplied to support the Help NHS Heroes campaign in the UK – a nationwide effort delivering vital supplies to NHS staff. Boxes containing foodstuffs and other essential supplies can be ordered via a bespoke app before being made ready for collection at their NHS place of work. The

scheme is helping thousands of front-line NHS staff and carers by providing easy access to fresh, nutritious food. The fleet of Jaguars will now allow for convenient home deliveries too In South Africa, the Jaguar Land Rover team has partnered with the South African Red Cross and the Minnie Dlamini Foundation to deliver more than 2,400 food packs to those most vulnerable in their society – enough to last a month – as part of the Feeding South Africa Together initiative

Jaguar Land Rover is also scaling up production of its protective face visors in a continued effort to support the fight against Coronavirus. New tooling, developed by WHS Plastics, will produce a further 14,000 visors each week for key workers across the UK. A further 20 vehicles have been supplied to Red Cross societies across Europe to help reach vulnerable communities Its fair to say that Jaguar Land Rover supports thousands of their employees with volunteering as part of our responsible business strategy. Where possible, they claim to encourage their employees to get involved with national and local community efforts to support the vulnerable and in need, including

during the recent crisis.

In 2019 Jaguar Land Rover sold 557,706 vehicles in 127 countries which is pretty impressive though it will be interesting to see how companies like Jaguar Land Rover fair out after the dust settles post Covid-19.

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