Blog: Africa’s Big Six for Big Camping Adventures

Hey Legends, …. the simple answer is No!

No, we do not need those fabulous top-of-the-range vehicles nor the amazing equipment we see flaunted on all the social media pages every day to have an overlanding and camping experience that in fact will not go viral on our very own social media accounts. Make no mistake, those beastly top-draw 4×4’s and all those brilliant camping gadgets and gizmos are on all of our must have Black Friday lists. Unfortunately, though, most of us are average Joe Soaps living ordinary lives filled with the normal challenges that restrict our free money and our free time so we will never become that free spirited and maverick bush legend that we see on social media every day.

I guess the most important point for all this is that we can have almost the exact same experiences that these maverick legends have and at the very same locations they venture into anywhere in Southern Africa. Understandably though, we do need basic equipment to achieve this and below are my Big Six minimum requirements:

• Any 4×4 Vehicle that has a utility element about it (bakkies or SUV’s but excluding sedans). There are 2 simple reasons why here – firstly we need a bakkie or a SUV because these mostly have a higher axle clearance and secondly, 4×4 traction will assist us in navigating through sandy, rocky and muddy trails. Careful and skillful driving will get us anywhere and everywhere 
• A Jerry Can and a Water Container or 2 to give us that extra driving distance to get to remote places without having to stop at a fuel station for fuel or water. Extra fuel load gives us the freedom to get to desirable remote and wild locations which may be distant. The same is also true for extra water storage containers – water for consumption, hygiene and general cleaning which may not be available in wild campsites 
• A Second or Auxiliary Rechargeable 12v Battery and it makes no difference if this is a portable unit or a permanently fixed unit. We need to preserve our main crank battery for the vehicles functions exclusively and always and so, it is necessary to have a separate power unit that can be isolated from the main/crank battery (so as to not drain the main/crank battery) and to operate our camping lights, fridges and whatever other gadgets and gizmos we need to charge and recharge. Careful and conservative use of auxiliary battery power will keep us going for days
• A Portable 12v fridge or even better a fridge/freezer combination. Keeping food fresh, edible and hygienic for longer extends our uninterrupted stay in the bush without having to make irritating and costly trips to the closest supply store 
• A Tent (whether a ground tent or a roof top tent, it makes no difference). For a ground tent, the type of tent and placement within the campsite is important to lower risk. Shelter, especially at night is not only a survival trait but we all need a good night’s sleep. A tent gives us shelter away from home for unlimited nights 
• A GPS and this not only for directions but also to plan for distances, ETA’s, POI’s and nearest convenience and emergency points 

Obviously ancillary items like tables and chairs, ammo boxes for storage and cooking equipment are all a must but essentially, that’s it – 6 items will get you anywhere and everywhere in Southern Africa and deliver you the best experiences you can imagine. Dare I say I have heard many experienced Overlanders and Campers that have every gadget under the sun and the very best and impressively rigged vehicles say how they yearn to get back to basics and enjoy simple real camping experiences again.  

Enjoy your Big Five Experiences with your Big Six Items 

Harry Nicolaides

Wild Camper Wannabee