Regulars - SA 4x4

Overland Images

Our September Overland Images Winner

Congratulations to Gareth Thomas (@gareth_maverick_thomas), the third winner of our fantastic #SA4x4OverlandImages competition! His stunning photo captures the essence of Southern African overlanding perfectly: blue skies, lush, green waterways and makeshift crossings! His photo garnered the most likes, and he walks away with an awesome camping gear hamper from Ironman 4×4, including camping chairs, head lamps and collapsible containers. Check out some of our other entries below: Sunset over the Masai Mara 🌅 – – – 📸 Gordon Stewart 📸 – – – It’s almost time to select our next #sa4x4overlandimages winner! Who will it be? 😯 – – -…

The Wild Guide

The Wild Guide: Survival 101… the wild way!

Mention the words ‘survival expert’ and the first name that comes to mind for most people is Bear Grylls or Sir Ranulph Fiennes. Whilst both men have demonstrated remarkable survival skills in extreme conditions, I would dare to suggest that the ultimate survivalists are found in nature. The dictionary defines survival as “the state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of difficult circumstances or adverse conditions”. As environments have changed over the millennia, animals and plants have had to adapt to challenging circumstances; and nowhere more so than in the arid savanna. The Kalahari, a…

Trail Savvy: Emergency puncture repair

This month’s column may be a bit controversial and against the advice of some of the tyre experts, as it includes some tricks that should really only be used in the case of a dire emergency. Fact is, countless times we’ve been stuck on the roadside with a torn sidewall, or marooned in a dune with a tyre off its rim. What do you do in these situations, and how can you get home safely? Torn sidewall Let me first be clear that once a tyre has a torn sidewall, it is ruined and must be replaced. However, the problem…

Bush Craft

Bush Craft: Bush Hygeine

It amazes me how disrespectful some people are. I use the bush for my work, and I can’t believe how many times I come across human waste lying on the surface. Much of this is obviously a result of the ignorant belief that ‘no one will ever come this way’. Yes, we do! Soggy lumps of used toilet paper strewn all over the place are one of the most disgusting sights you can find in the bush or at a wild campsite; I’ve even encountered these in campsites with toilets. They are a mecca for flies, which land on these…

Overland Images

See our latest #SA4x4OverlandImages winner!

Congratulations to our third winner, @rolbos_overland_za! They’ve been sending plenty of submissions in, and this month, it all paid off! Enjoy your camping gear hamper courtesy of Ironman 4×4. On top of Matroosberg. It was pouring with rain but the drive was still amazing. Will be going back once the snow starts. #Toyotafreaks #overlandbound #Outfitandexplore #Offroadadventure #Deserttrip #Offroader #Osmomobile #Borntoroam #Frontrunneroutfitters #Overlanding #Outdoorgear #Adventuring #ARB #Letsgoplaces #Offroad4x4 #Survive #Rockcrawler #Overland #River #Scout #Offroad #matroosberg #Explore #Getoutdoors #Travelmore #Mavicpro #sa4x4overlandimages A post shared by Rolbos_Overland_ZA (@rolbos_overland_za) on Jun 13, 2018 at 2:39am PDT Check out some of our other entries below!…

Trail Savvy

Trail Savvy: Mud Driving

The dark and slippery art of mud driving is a difficult subject to tackle, primarily because there are so many different types of mud. Sandy mud, black cotton soil, layered clay and waterlogged mud all have different characteristics and require a different approach, so this article will cover the basic techniques required for most instances, but can’t hope to cover every situation. Look before you leap Mud must be approached with caution, just like any other challenging surface. It’s best to stop before entering a deep bog rather than ploughing into it without knowing its depth or length. Check to…

Bush Craft: Tampons

In any survival situation, we often have to be creative, and put things to uses for which they were not originally intended. Let’s forget for a few minutes about the personal hygienic properties of a Tampon, and look at it in another light. As a multi-purpose survival aid. The word “tampon” comes from the French word tapon, which loosely translated means “a little plug or stopper”. Rather surprisingly, you can do more things with it than its French name suggests. One of the earliest uses for the tampon as a survival aid (perhaps the more correct term is ‘first-aid device’)…

The Wild Guide

The Wild Guide: Why the zebra got its stripes

In the next of our ‘often seen but largely under-appreciated’ group of animals, I would like to share with you something of the singularity and amazing environmental adaptation of ‘horses in striped pyjamas’. So convinced was I as a child that zebras were indeed horses in striped pyjamas, that I recall asking my mother why they were allowed to stay in their pyjamas all day but I was not! To my five-year-old mind, this seemed grossly unfair. An answer, if there was one forthcoming, is lost in the mists of time, and the etiquette of attire for zebras and me…

Trail Savvy

Trail Savvy: Steep, rocky inclines

At the Rust De Winter Jamboree (see elsewhere in this issue), steep rocky inclines were the name of the game − and more than a couple of folk came short. There are several fundamentals that are vital in climbing a steep, rocky slope safely: traction, momentum and line choice. The first and most important aspect of hill climbing is maintaining traction. This is achieved in two ways: line choice and tyre pressure. On rocks, especially, it’s a balancing act between deflating tyres for traction and maintaining clearance. Where clearance is not an issue, you may drop as much as 50%…

Shop Talk: Wheel Alignment

Simply put, wheel alignment refers to the adjustment of the wheels angle perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. Well aligned wheels will ensure stability and a vehicle that tracks straight along a flat road. To ensure maximum stability and tyre life, wheel alignment must be adjusted relatively frequently and can be affected by bad road surfaces or a hard knock. Below, we have listed some factors of relating to wheel alignment and their effects. Camber: This is the angle of the wheel, measured in degrees, when viewed from the front of the vehicle. If the top of…

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