I can recall the days when this site was in its baby shoes - nothing fancy, just a lot of enthusiasts. Those were the days when one would use every opportunity to go camping with the little equipment that we could afford.

At first there were no caravan or camping facilities with electrical points. Our first Jurgens came with gas lamps inside as standard equipment, with a huge 19 kg gas bottle up front. The fridge was also gas only. What absolute luxury compared to that with which tent campers had to put up with. Tents with big poles in the middle and no floors. What wonderful times we had!

The only constraint we had in those days was of a financial nature - never the lack of enthusiasm or equipment.

Today we have all the means one could only have dreamt of at first but lacks the enthusiasm, especially during winter - We became a fair-weather fisherman, so to speak. Twice a year, weather permitting!

We have to date camped in more than 130 different venues.

My wife blames our little camping activity on the fact that none of our camping mates are left. Makes one think!

True words, Pieter.

I think the majority campers dissapear due to the economic stress.

We however gave up camping due to health, but still do chalets and hire caravans where they do have hire caravans.

Our living costs as permanent campers were much less than the current city life.

Unfortunately, we had no other option as to move closer to good hospitals and Dr's.

DK, our 6 regular camping mates with whom we undertook most of our extended camping trips are no longer around, simply because we outlived them. The thing is, when a camping couple loses a spouse the camping days are over.

We are thankful for the time we were afforded together camping, not many were that privileged, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and all over our country. 

When we started camping 21- years ago as beginners, excluding my "Army time", we met many campers.

Two x fellow campers we met and much older than us and camped always together, which we called our Camping Parents passed away.

My brother inlaw stepped in, but also they have to gave up camping due to health.

If I was strong enough, I will give it another 5 - 7 years.

Yes folks it is very sad when one has to give up a life style that gave you much pleasure in life 

For many years my wife and I travelled thi s country and camped all over together with familly who also had motorhomes and enjoyed the outdoor life to the full

Unfortunately as the years went by folks started passing on to better parstures although my wife and I still carried on on our own untill sadly my wife passed away 12 years ago 

I continiued travelling and camping on my own for a few years visiting familly in the freestate and Eastern Cape and camping at my favourite camp site at The Point Mossel Bay

Unfortunatelly as all good things came to an end I was forced to sell my Beloved Motorhome due to finantials 4 years ago and so ended my camping days

I am nearly 83 years old and i sit and plan every day whether I should build a camper on the back of my double cab bakkie so that i can at least do a few road trips to visit the places I used to camp at 

Anyway here comes the big problem   I have 4 children all over the age of 50 who are dead against me doing this Firstly DAD you are too old to travell on youre own secondly it is too dangerous on the roads ,what if you get sick etc etc etc 

I have drawn up the plans for the camper so in the mean time all I can do now is to sit and look at them and dream 

The moral of the story is to do as much as you can in life when you are still capable because when you are old you regret not doing it when you could 

Benkie, my thoughts on the matter. If you want to build a camper on the back of a double-cab, I agree with your children's disapproval. I am also in my eighties, and one of the worrying aspects of this age is balance. If you had a single cab, you could have a bed inside without the danger of height, but with a double cab, one needs to go up to roof top height for the bed, and that calls for some balanced climbing and manoeuvring ability, which shortly you may no longer have.

An acquaintance of ours missed a step on the roof-top arrangement, fell, and had a helicopter flight to the nearest facility to get the bone sticking out through the skin sorted out. 

I had a friend, my age, who, in preference to sleeping on the roof, devised a very comfortable sleeping arrangement in the back of their HiLux, and him and his wife even went to Namibia in it.

Good luck with your venture.

Goeie more mede kampeerders, ek  is nie nuut hier nie, maar kon vir baie jare nie op die stelsel in kom nie.

Ja Kanneman, soos hulle sê, "those were the days my friend". 

Ek en my vroutjie kamp ook nou maar eers 45 jaar, maar het darem die voorreg gehad om eers saam met haar ouers te kampeer en dit is waar die gogga my gebyt het.

Ons gesels nog baie oor daai dae se regte gas en lamp olie ligte kampe.

Ek is nou eers in my vroeë sewintigs, en as die Here wil, het ons nog so paar jaar van kamp oor. 

Ek beskou dit alles as bevoregte tye.

Ek en my wederhelfte beplan ook om as die Vader dit toelaat met ons karavaan die land plat te ry wanneer pensioen tyd aanbreek. (Nie meer lank nie).  Maar voor dit wil ons nog baie gaan kamp.  Ons het ook Kamp vriende gehad wat altyd saam met ons gekamp het.  My kamp maat is intussen oorlede en het ons maar voort gegaan om op ons eie te kamp. Onlangs nuwe vriende gemaak en hulle het sonder groot issues vir hulle ook 'n wa aangeskaf.  So die kring groei vinnig wat beide my Seun en Dogter het ook kamp waens gekoop.

Ons kamp lewe en aftree beplanning, was drasties tot 'n halt geroep met die wat ek by Denel vir 3jaar nie salaris gekry het nie. 

Maar ja, Ons is terug op die been het weer Wa aangeskaf en sleep voertuig. Ons hoop maar dat ons beplanning  ook die Liewe Vader se beplanning vir ons is.

Vir die wat tans al die lank kamp ding doen........................ geniet dit! ! ! ! ! ons is oppad.

Stem saam Benkie kamp terwyl jou gesondheid dit toelaat

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Do what you enjoy for as long as you can.

My dentists receptionist who is 65 contracted Shingles 6 weeks ago in her left ear. It left her with a complete colapse (paralised) of her left side of her face. She can't even open her left eye.

We love traveling and camping and exploring. About 8 years ago when I retired we started touring. As a result I had to give up recreational flying. One can not do both for extended periods.

Ons is van die 16de Julie weer weg uit Pretoria na die Wildtuin toe tot ten minste the 18de September.