These are very handy for converting AA batteries to be used instead of Cs or Ds.
Alva camping shower
Shower power
There are a number of things we like about this new camping shower from Alva.
It’s user-friendly: You don’t need to fiddle with matches or plug cables into cars. Set up the 12V pump, flick the switch to start the water flowing and click the ignition to light the burner.
It’s really warm: Alva promises 60 ºC. When we tested it, the water got so toasty we actually had to turn the temperature down.
It’s safe: If the water supply is cut off, the burner automatically shuts off to prevent overheating.
And it packs easily: All cables, pipes, shower head and pump fit into the burner case, the size of a small suitcase (with its own carry handle!). It weighs just 7,5 kg. The unit is compatible with Alva 3 kg and 4,5 kg gas cylinders (and any other small domestic canister, including Cadac size 7 and 10 bottles).
The gas pipe and regulator come with the kit, but they don’t fit in the box. Price: R1695 from camping stores such as Outdoor Warehouse and Campworld. Contact: Stingray 021 442 1540; www.stingray.co.za Go! says: It’s a winner. Just remember, like all gas appliances, it should only be used in a well-ventilated area.
Uniross Battery Converters
Supersize me
So, you’ve done the green, eco-friendly thing and bought a set of rechargeable AA batteries? Good. You’re saving the environment and money. But what happens when you need to power a torch or a radio that uses the larger C or D size batteries?
If you can’t immediately find rechargeables in the bigger batteries, you can try this Uniross battery converter as a cheap stopgap. It’s like a little holder, with terminals, the size of the bigger battery, into which you slot your charged AA battery. This up-sizes it to either a C- or a D-cell. Clever. Price: R9,50 for a pair. Contact: Uniross 011 312 0016; www.uniross.com Go! says: Drawback: Because the AA battery is smaller, it cannot give the same lifespan as a regular C or D battery. Expect run times of about a third of this.
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Coghlan’s tissue on the go!
White gold for the cool cat
A toilet roll deserves its own patent, and could be mentioned in the same breath as the wheel and instant coffee.
But it also takes up a lot of space in a backpack and after three days it looks like a mysterious object dug up by your pet pig. Also, nobody can walk with dignity through a public campsite carrying a toilet roll.
Tissue on the Go! solves all these problems. It’s a tiny roll without a cardboard tube in the middle and it packs in a light, hard plastic casing, a bit like a bandage roll. So it can’t get squashed or crumpled in a suitcase – and it stays dry.
It’ll easily fit in your trouser pocket so you can nonchalantly walk through the Tshipise campsite to the ablution blocks, as if you’re on your way to the camp shop to buy a packet of Jelly Tots and a Coke Lite. Price: R39 for two from Due South shops Go! says: At almost R20 a roll you’ll have to count the sheets, or limit the number of sittings.
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Coghlan’s tent repair kit
Fix it yourself
It’s small, but this tent repair kit can make a big difference. Ask anyone who has had to sit through a thunderstorm in a leaky tent.
Whatever breaks, here’s the answer. There are two big “plasters” (20 cm long) with which you can simply patch up a tear in a nylon tent. It also has a needle, two rolls of strong nylon yarn and two gauze flaps for tears in the windows.
And then it has a tube of glue for leaking seams, an elastic that fits inside tent poles to hold them together at joints and various sizes of metal socks with which you can patch up a broken dome-tent pole. All you do is slide it over the broken part and roll a strip of sticky-tape around it. Voila! Price: R70 from Due South shops Go! says: This set can make you the big hero in an emergency.
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