Sundowner II Sleeper 4x4 Off-Road Caravan

Ons het op die Bushwaka – Sundowner besluit omdat hy baie maklik opslaan, ‘n lekker groot kombuis het, goed afgewerk is, en daar ook meer as genoeg pakplek, veral ook vir die los goed is. Die ouens wat die Sundowner ontwerp het, het rerig goed gedink. Jasper en sy span het uit hul pad gegaan om seker te maak ons is gelukkig met ons Sundowner (alhoewel hy bietjie skepties met ons keuse van ‘n hele wit karavaan was). Ons het nou al so 5 keer met die Sundowner gaan kamp, en was nog nie ‘n dag spyt nie. Ons was die laaste keer 5 dames wat ‘n fees gaan bywoon het en besluit het om sommer op die terein te kamp, ons het baie maklik reggekom met die sleep, op en afslaan, en ons almal kon tot ‘n lekker warm stort neem! Die Sundowner is ons 7nde karavaan en ek glo ons laaste.

We have been camping in our new Sundowner for seven weeks while touring Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Now in our seventies and with experience of trailer camping in these countries for the last twenty years, my blond companion, and I, consider ourselves veterans of the bush. Our decision to take your advice and get the caravan has filled us with the enthusiasm we need to tackle more routes.

You may remember that we began with a Rooftop Tent mounted on our Defender Land Rover. It was easy then to scramble from the bull-bar to the ladder and into a rather high double bed. To make our days in the bush more comfortable we bought a Bushwakka Fargo off-road trailer, and put the rooftop tent on top with a ladder to the ground. The swing-out kitchen, storage and recovery features of the trailer reduced the monotony of un-packing and re-packing the Defender.

We later traded the Fargo for a Safari Scout with independent coil-spring suspension, and fitted with a drop-down tent with canvas room to walk into. However, it took a while to erect, and there was still the long ladder for us to climb into bed. The trailer was a joy to tow because the quick acting suspension ironed out any pothole.

As we got older, it took longer to break camp. There were windbreaks, awnings, ground sheets, bags of clothing, not forgetting the actual tent, guy ropes and pegs, and sometimes the dog with all his stuff. If the tent was wet from rain or dew there were more delays. Years of accumulated paraphernalia, which came with us for no other reason than the day that would surely arrive when it would be found essential to our survival, rather than adding to our packing frustrations.

As you know, I found it difficult to part with the advanced features of the Scout, particularly the coil spring suspension that smoothed out potholes. For ten years, we camped with the Scout, becoming very attached to it. The wonderful adventures, not to mention the photographic records we have kept will remain a major part of our lives.

Notwithstanding the past, we have fallen in love once more, this time, and for the last time, with the Sundowner. The caravan is light, takes punishment, quick to operate, with lots of space and storage. We find it is much better to camp off-ground, allowing one to choose uneven sites. It takes me less than a minute to swing the steps to the ground, pop the roof, open the door, and walk in. I then drop the double bed on the side of the caravan. My blond companion, in the mean time has opened the kitchen on the opposite side, and got busy with setting up the kitchen sink. All our clothes and bedding are stored in three ample cupboards, and still there is just as much packing space to spare.

We developed a routine for setting up camp and our best time, including putting out two chairs, the kettle on the stove, was four and a half minutes. Even so, my blond companion, as usual had the last word; camping is not about speed, it is about slowness, and the deep feeling of satisfaction that comes at the end of a day in the bush. Good luck guys

We took the Bushwakka Sundowner on a month-long off-road trip through South Africa, Namibia and Botswana, putting it through its paces on some pretty rough roads and it came out unscathed! The engineering is second to none and the luxury and comfort of the fittings and accessories makes living in the Sundowner like a true home from home. Quick and easy to set up and take down, Bushwakka really have thought of everything and it totally transformed our camping experience – we have been spoilt and will never be able to go back to camping in a tent again! Kind regards Natalie White