Go waterproof with Duraflex

Yes, that’s Duraflex, with an ‘afl’ in the middle [which I mention because I have several rude friends]; it’s a fully-waterproof, plasticized material that doesn’t tear easily [unless you split it]. It is damaged by hydrocarbons like petrol, paraffin and [surprise surprise] sun-tan lotion.



Been so busy with mapping the Cederberg hiking map and sorting the fantastic inputs that have come in that I’ve been neglecting my blog. Promise to do something soon about New Year’s Eve at Smitswinkel Bay, even though it’s getting a bit historical already.


In the meantime, one of the hazards of this game [there are lots, believe me] is finding a printer who can do a decent job. We had a great printer for ten years, then they sold out to a Big Corporate Bunch and suddenly those guys couldn’t print anymore. We went small, to a local around the corner. They printed beautifully but they just couldn’t get the folding right ...

You can jump over this
waterfall with this map
and it won’t suffer at all!

Meantime there were lots of complaints from our Valued Customers because the paper quality has deteriorated [it has – it’s made by one of the five Big Corporates who own South Africa, what’d you expect?].


Back in 1973 the first firm who printed my maps was an outfit called Creda Press, in Bree Street Cape Town, so we went back to Creda and they have, I’m delirious to say, relatively successfully reprinted three favourites on hard wearing waterproof Duraflex pampier. This stuff costs lots and lots more than it used to, but it’s still affordable.


So there you are. Now you can buy Cederberg [touring], Swartberg/Klein-Karoo and the Wild Coast in very good waterproof versions – but only online. They’ve got different covers to distinguish them from the paper, but the maps inside are exactly the same. Well, updated by about two months because I couldn’t resist it, but otherwise exactly the same.

You can dive into this duck-pond with this map and it won’t even sneeze

You can drop this map into this Cederberg pool and use it to skep water if you wish!

Meantime Viv Horler did a great review for us in the Weekend Argus, and here it is, in all its glory. Bit of a blogging cheat, saving me all that writing, but there it is!

More bloggy stuff soon, I promise, sowaar.
Kaartman 31 January 2012