To celebrate the holidays, we’ve rounded up cool gadgets that will make great gifts at any time of the year. Happy shopping!
iGrip anything
The Joby GorillaMobile Yogi is a musthave for iPad 2 users. It’s a sleek protective casing with adaptable and flexible ball-andsocket legs to mount your iPad 2 on just about anything. R499. Wintec Solutions, tel 011-467-2360, www.wintecsolutions.co.za.
Bag it
The 100-litre PVC K-Way Sherpa Expedition Gear Bag proved its mettle on the Put Foot Rally by successfully keeping dust and rain at bay through 17 days of hard travel through seven countries. It’s big enough to put everything into – even my camera gear – and it’s more than adequate for all the clothing my family of three takes along on weekends away. One bag, camping gear and we’re gone. I like it so much it’s become my default travel bag. Evan Haussmann. R899. K-Way, tel 021-464-5800, www.kway.co.za.
H20 +++
We all love bottled water, but let’s be honest, it’s expensive and damaging to the environment. The answer is a reusable water bottle that filters water as you drink. bobble’s ingenious carbon-filter design removes chlorine and organic contaminants from municipal tap water for a cleaner, crisper taste. The filters should be replaced every two months or after filtering about 150 litres of water. R119. Available at @home, Due South, Makro, Game, Sportsmans Warehouse, Outdoor Warehouse and selected Woolworths stores.
Picture perfect
The Best of Getaway Gallery is a coffee-table book which won’t collect dust. It’s a selection of amazing wildlife, landscape and portrait images, taken by our readers, that capture the essence of Africa. Well-known photographer, Roger de la Harpe, says, ‘One would normally say a book of this quality is a page-turner, but this one is not. The wonderful images make you linger.’ R275. Getaway, tel 021-530-3116, www.getaway.co.za.
Steady
You may not consider taking a tripod on your travels because of its bulkiness and the fact that it takes a while to set up, meaning you could miss those fleeting moments. The Cube from Velbon provides a solution. It’s lightweight, packs flat, sets-up in a single action and has an adjustable head that locks into position with a simple squeeze of the levers. R499. Tudortech, tel 021-424-2978, www.tudortech.co.za.
Buzz off
Malaria is one of Africa’s biggest killers and every precaution should be taken against contracting this disease if you’re planning to visit a malaria-endemic area. Available in single, double and queen sizes, these ceilinghung Travel Quip mozzie nets are great if you want a good night’s rest without the drone of mozzies and are easily stowed in the tough carry bag included. From R176 (single). 4×4 Mega World, www.4x4megaworld.co.za.
Torch to lantern
The Ultratec flashlight lantern converts any D-cell Maglite flashlight into a lantern. It fits securely onto a D-cell torch, enabling you to stand it upright or hang it from the clip on the underside of the rubberised base. R65. Liteoptec, www.liteoptec.co.za.
No more stinky shoes
Stuffitts shoe savers are soft, foot-shaped forms, which are inserted into shoes to dry them out and eliminate odours and bacteria. The Stuffitts use 100 per cent-natural, aromatic eastern red cedar replaceable inserts, which absorb moisture upon contact, and a machine-washable dual-wick fabric shell exterior. They work effectively in all types and sizes of shoes, boots and cleats and come with a convenient, detachable carry strap. Available in blue, red and black. R249. Stuffitts South Africa, tel 021-981-6444, www.stuffitts.co.za.
On the table
Some camping accessories add a level of useful convenience you simply can’t live without. The Desert Cool four-foot folding table falls into this category. It packs away neatly to 2×2 feet with a clever, retractable handle for easy carrying. If you have more space, there are also six- and eight-foot versions available, which store flat, but don’t fold. Tip: spray the table legs with mosquito repellent to stop ants and other crawling insects reaching your food. R435 (4ft), R569 (6ft), R769 (8ft). 4×4 Mega World, www.4x4megaworld.co.za.
Grrrrr
The Bear Grylls Ultimate Multi-tool is designed and manufactured with serious adventure in mind. The handles are finished with a textured rubber grip and it features a one-handed opening design, which enables quick, wrist-flick pliers deployment. The stainless-steel, weather-resistant components include a fine-edge blade, large flat-head screwdriver, serrated blade, bottle and can opener, saw, scissors, needle-nose and regular pliers and pinchcut wire cutters. R760. Gerber Bear Grylls, www.beargrylls.co.za.
Power to you
The Powertraveller Minigorilla is a 265-gram, highcapacity lithium polymer rechargeable battery with variable power output. It’s designed to deliver back-up power to recharge anything from a five-volt USB device to a 19-volt (two-amp) netbook. It comes with eight plug heads for cellphones (called Monkey nuts) and 11 netbook plugs (Gorilla nuts) plus wall charger (with four international connector heads), USB cables and a neoprene case. It’s the heart of a pretty comprehensive gadget power back-up solution which includes a (separate) solar panel, Solargorilla. As a backup for all the gadgets we carry around these days, this compact Gorilla system is tough to beat. Evan Haussmann. Minigorilla R1 399. Cameranut R249. Wintec Solutions, tel 011-467-2360, www.powertraveller.co.za.
The power of sun
The Powertraveller Power Monkey explorer is a genius little solar panel and battery kit that comes with connectors for just about any phone, MP3 player and more. The solar panel takes only two to three almost cloudless days to fully charge the battery pack. It’s robust, water-resistant and I recommend it as a great peaceof- mind instant power solution for bikers, hikers and off-the-grid travellers. Evan Haussmann. R900. Wintec Solutions, tel 011-467-2360, www.powertraveller.co.za.
Safe and sound
Campers and caravanners can finally sleep easy with the extra security offered by the new LED light lumeno. This genius piece of equipment has a sensor that detects movement within eight metres and through 120 degrees. Once triggered, 18 LED lights turn on and an alarm can be programmed to sound for four minutes, notifying you of any intruders. They can be mounted on your vehicle, caravan or hung from a tree and run off 12-volt DC, with a combination of connector cables available. R269. Fox and Sons, tel 011-452-2855, www.foxandsons.co.za.
