Vehicle rentals in New Zealand?

My wife and I are headed to New Zealand in March and I wanted to see if you knew of anybody down there who did vehicle rentals?  We are looking at renting a pop-top camper van to spend our 2 weeks traveling around the south island.  Any leads would be helpful! Thank you for your help.

 ~ Beau Johnston (www.LivingOverland.com Gourmet Cooking * Travel * 4WD) via email

10 Great Last-minute Christmas Suggestions

Whether your preferred mode is motorcycle, truck, bicycle, or foot, Overland Tech & Travel editor Jonathan Hanson offers up great last-minute gift suggestions for the overlanders on your list—or a treat for yourself. 

Fenix E11 LED microlight ($27)

I remember when I thought a halogen flashlight that produced 70 lumens from two expensive lithium batteries (for one hour) was hot stuff. The E11 puts out 105 lumens for almost two hours from a single AA battery—or a walking/reading-level 32 lumens for eight hours on low. Astonishing. Headed to the developing world? Take several—they make genuinely useful trade items or gifts. Fenix

Hasyun merino wool underwear (from $43)

I just tried out this very affordable base layer system in 5º Fahrenheit blizzard conditions on a strenuous elk hunt. Verdict: Scrumptious. Wait, I didn’t mean to write that. What I meant was, “Excellent.” Hasyun underwear—made in Turkey since 1952—uses Woolmark accredited extra-fine merino wool from New Zealand. It’s sensuously soft and warm for its weight, machine-washable, and won’t retain odors like that nasty polyester stuff. The small/medium size in both top and bottom fit my 150-pound, 5’9” frame perfectly. Available in both men’s and women’s, imported by a little company that also sells, um, kid’s bicycles. Go figure. Hasyun

MSR Titan titanium pot ($60)

Pot, kettle, bowl, mug, scoop—MSR’s brilliant 4.2-ounce Titan pot does it all. It’s the only cook kit you need for a solo motorcycle tour, or a compact coffee-making system for your 4x4. An MSR Pocket Rocket stove and fuel canister ride neatly inside. I’d like to have one of these stashed in every vehicle we own. It should be the official MoMA ultralight cooking pot. Simply perfect.MSR Titan

Vintage pocket compass ($60-$140)

You can employ a vintage pocket compass two ways. Produce it with a flourish from a vest pocket, leashed on a leather cord or—better—a silver chain, and flip open the lid to consult it as Selous might have on his way to the Rufiji River. Or, glance at it surreptitiously, then point to the horizon and say sagely, “That should be north.” Either way your companions will be impressed. I carry my WWII-era Wittnauer version everywhere—it’s especially handy for remaining oriented south of the Equator, where the sun always seems to be in the wrong place. This young woman (Kornelia Takacs, who also wrote the book Compass Chronicles), has a wonderful selection: Vintage compasses

Helle Temagami ($170)

Everyone should own at least one really good sheath knife—and if it happens to be beautiful as well, all the better. The Temagami (say teh-mah-gah-mee) from Norway is both. A hand-filling, oiled curly birch handle surrounds a superb laminated steel blade—two resilient 18-8 stainless outer layers sandwiching a high-carbon cutting edge. Like all Helle knives, the Temagami comes razor sharp, in a leather sheath that works equally well for right- or left-handers. I’ve included two suppliers: Feathered Friends, who also make some of the best down sleeping bags in the world, and the delightful Ragweed Forge, which you should visit anyway. Feathered Friends   Ragweed Forge

Overland Expo 2012 Gift Certificate ($265)

Okay, it’s our own event, but after all, think of what you get: Three days of classes & programs (over 80 to choose from); driving instruction from Camel Trophy team members in your own vehicle or a new Land Rover; an all-new Camel Trophy Overland Skills Area where you might, say, learn how to build a bridge to get your 110 across a washed-out ravine; motorcycle instruction from RawHyde Adventures, the official BMW training partner; over 120 vendors & exhibitors of high-quality overlanding products & services; the Adventure Travel Film Festival; happy hours; and a barbecue to wrap it all up. We’ll do up a custom e-Card or printed card. Find out why people come again and again. Overland Expo 

Cerberus (from $499)

The era of one-way “I’m okay” or “Help!” global messaging is over. The Cerberus device twins with your smartphone to allow two-way text messaging from anywhere on earth. If a cell network is not available, Cerberus automatically switches to the Iridium satellite network. You can send up to 160-character messages, and receive up to 1600-character messages. In an emergency it allows detailed two-way communication with a 24/7 command center. You can also drop breadcrumbs, and receive customized regional weather and geo-political alerts. We’ll be testing a unit in the Egyptian desert early next year, so that last feature might come in handy. Cerberus 

ARB CKMTA12 air compressor ($540)

For years, owners of vehicles equipped with ARB’s legendary diff locks have been abusing the tiny little compressors usually supplied to activate them, by adding a connector for filling tires. Surprisingly, they seem to hold up to this quite well, but the process is glacial and the compressors can reach glow-in-the-dark temperatures. The company’s new twin-cylinder compressor will still activate lockers, but its tire-filling and air-tool-operating capacity is in a different universe. It’s fully up to the job of serving as a hard-mounted vehicle-wide air-supply system, with a stout 100-percent duty cycle. (But, really, couldn’t they have just called it the ARB Twin-cylinder Compressor?) ARB

Goal Zero Sherpa 120 Adventure Kit ($670)

Never run out of power again for your laptop, tablet, or phone, with Goal Zero’s 120-watt-hour power pack (AKA lithium iron phosphate battery) and 27-watt folding solar panel—small enough to pack into your panniers. You can also charge the power pack from a wall outlet or cigarette lighter. What impresses me most about Goal Zero is the foolproof plug-and-play nature of their systems, any of which can be effortlessly augmented with additional panels and batteries (or a 120-volt AC inverter). Goal Zero

La Peregrina Natural Pearl Necklace ($3,000,000)

Just seeing if Jonathan is paying attention. (Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry collection is up for auction at Christie’s; a nice little trinket, this, though not suitable for overlanding in all countries). Christie’s

Why I hate Nalgene bottles

When Nalgenes go bad . . .Few outdoor product manufacturers have attained the market dominance enjoyed by the Nalge Company, once an obscure maker of laboratory storage containers, after company president Marsh Hyman discovered his son’s Boy Scout troop was using their one-liter bottles as canteens early in the 1970s. The subsequent rebranding of Nalgene Outdoor Products was successful beyond the wildest dreams of marketing people who had previously relied on guys wearing lab coats and pocket protectors as customers. So successful, in fact, that I seriously doubt anyone reading this has not at some point had a drink of water from a Nalgene.

I drank the water, and the Kool-Aid, early on. The original one-liter white HDPE bottles with the wide cap were light, tough, and fit perfectly in the side pockets of my Camp Trails frame pack. They were easy to fill from a stream or bucket, and didn’t leak. You could chill the contents with ice cubes, or freeze the whole bottle with impunity. The Austrian Olicamp bottles I’d been using were leakproof and tough, too, but had a tiny opening and a fiddly two-piece top, so—despite years of yeoman service, including a backpacking trip spanning southern Arizona and three mountain ranges—I shelved them and shamelessly embraced their replacements.

Smaller Nalgene bottles that soon followed were ideal for toiletries, spices, and first-aid supplies. In fact, so enamored was I of Nalgene products that I spent an absurd sum special-ordering some of the first Nalgene 20-liter jerry cans then available in the U.S. I strapped two of them into my FJ40 and thought it was a pretty stylish setup. 

The facade began to crack—literally—a few years later. Previously I’d noticed that the odd small bottle I used for toiletries or other incidentals had degraded. The translucent plastic would turn dull and opaque, then tiny stress cracks would appear. Forceful pressure with a finger would punch right through the material. At first I blamed this on the stuff I was putting in them (although an internal voice chided me that the containers were originally intended for lab use, and thus presumably should stand up to contents a lot more caustic than Suave Green Apple shampoo). But then one morning on a remote beach in Mexico I reached into the back of the Land Cruiser to pull out one of those stylish jerry cans, and the side split open right under the handle, spewing half my water supply into the sand.

Still I doubted my own doubts. UV exposure certainly could have been at fault in the jerry cans’ demise (inspection had shown the second one to be compromised as well)—although I’d had previous plastic water containers last longer. Regardless, my confidence was now shaken. I switched to Nalgene’s harder Lexan water bottles, but wondered why I should have to. The more oxidized white bottles I found in my pile of assorted Nalgenes, the more annoyed I became. (I have no idea if “oxidation” is the correct term for the problem, but that’s what I called it.) Once I narrowly avoided disaster when a camera bouncing around in my center console punched a small hole in an old six-ounce Nalgene bottle of window cleaner I kept there. Fortunately the hole was above the level of the liquid and I discovered it before it tipped over onto the camera.

Whatever the mechanism might be—UV degradation, shampoo corrosion, planned obsolescence (just kidding, Nalgene)—I’ve concluded that white HDPE Nalgene bottles seem to have a finite, potentially annoying or even hazardous, life expectancy. I can’t be sure what it is—given the hodgepodge of examples I’ve purchased over the years, there’s no way to determine the age of a compromised bottle. The apparent capriciousness of it is odd too—one two-liter square bottle I know I’ve had for ten years is still in fine, pliable shape. But the situation has reached the point where I look at every Nalgene not purchased the week before with suspicion—and that’s no way to have to view one’s outdoor equipment. I still use the small bottles for toiletries, having as yet found no leakproof substitute made in as wide a variety of sizes, but, like any disillusioned disciple, my former accolades have turned to acrimony, and I now spurn every Nalgene product for which I can find a reasonable substitute. Steel Wedco or plastic Scepter jerry cans hold bulk water; and an indestructible NATO canteen carries drinking water on hikes.

30-year-old Olicamp bottles - still good . . .Then again, I just might go back to those Austrian-made Olicamp bottles. You see, out of curiosity, while writing this I dug them out of the recesses of my gear storage—they were right there next to the SVEA stove and Sigg Tourist cook kit. Thirty years after I carried them across southern Arizona, they’re still perfectly usable. 

Anyone at Nalgene listening?

Review: Desert Travels by Chris Scott, Kindle edition

Times have changed when Chris Scott offers a book as a Kindle edition. 

It’s not as though the desert travel veteran is un-tech-savy—his authoritative Sahara Overland Forum has been on the Web for what seems like eons. But Chris’s participation in threads there always had sort of a message-from-the-wilderness mystery to it—one imagined him typing on a gritty Panasonic ToughBook from the top of a sand dune, sending the signal via satellite using a generator powered by a camel harnessed to plod in circles, or maybe hooked up to the rear wheel of a knackered Yamaha XT500.

However, the advent of a Kindle edition of his Desert Travels means he must have snuck back to his flat in London for at least long enough to arrange the appropriate technology transfer. In any case, for the price of a cup of coffee ($2.99) you can now have the book downloaded to your Kindle, or a device that can read Kindle books (such as an iPad).

Desert Travels covers some of Chris’s earliest explorations in the Sahara, beginning with his disastrous initial foray and precipitous retreat on an XT500, ending with a fractious ride alongside a pseudonymed companion from Algeria to Mauritania, and centered around a foray into vehicle-supported (via a dodgy 101 Land Rover) guided motorcycle trips, on which “five set off . . . only one came back riding.” This period in the 1980s, just before the nomad rebellions began to make travel in the central Sahara, and Algeria in particular, hazardous in places for foreigners, is what Chris refers to as the Golden Age of Saharan Exploration, when anyone with the experience and/or commitment could undertake truly epic trans-national journeys across an area the size of the United States.

Of course, every explorer since Mungo Park has felt he participated in “The Golden Age of Saharan Exploration,” but in Chris’s case he might have a point. Especially given recently resurgent violence toward tourists in Mali, the days when all one needed to worry about in the Sahara were minor risks such as dying of thirst or heat stroke are, at least temporarily, over.

One of our Overland Tech & Travel Experts, Sahara expert Chris Scott is also a VIP presenter at Overland Expo each year. Chris is as humble and approachable in person as he is in print, a rare thing for someone with his breadth of experience.Any first-person travelogue runs the risk of self-glorification, or at least self-indulgence—unless it’s written by Chris Scott (or his Saharan compatriot Tom Sheppard). Chris is so modest, the cover of the print edition of Desert Travels shows a motorcycle, period. Nary a sign of the author posing in front and looking off into the distance with steely-eyed determination. The self-effacing attitude pervades the book, and renders it not only insightful but hilarious. There’s one extensive but interesting diversion into the history of the tragicomic Flatters expedition of 1880—it’s almost as if Chris included it to say to the reader, So, just in case you’ve decided I’m inept . . .

No one even close to inept could have survived 30 years of Saharan exploration into some of the most remote regions of the desert, frequently solo. Trust me, for three bucks you’ll get a lot more enjoyment from this book than you will from a cup of Pike Place Roast. Find it here: Desert Travels 

Tested: 2012 Yamaha Super Ténéré

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson

If it’s Tuesday, it must be Timbuktu!

by Ken Freund 

Reprinted with permission, RoadRUNNER MagazineYamaha has been selling this new Super Ténéré adventure-touring model in Europe for several years now and is finally bringing it to North America. Ténéré (pronounced like “tay-nay-ray”) is the word for “desert” in the language of the Tuareg tribe that resides in the region of the Sahara where Timbuktu is located. The first bike to carry the Super Ténéré name was the 1989 XTZ750 twin and it won the trans-Saharan Dakar Rally six times — so this new machine has good DNA!

Powertrain

Power is supplied by a liquid-cooled 1199cc parallel-twin engine unique to this model, which is rated 108.4 hp in Europe (US specs don’t list power). With an 11.0:1 compression ratio, it breathes through four-valves-per-cylinder and has a DOHC shim-under-bucket valve train that boasts 24,000-mile service intervals. Twin 46mm Mikuni EFI throttle bodies feed fuel through 12-hole injection nozzles and two-spark-plugs-per- cylinder light the fires. The Super Ténéré also gets Yamaha’s YCC-T ride-by-wire throttle control that interfaces with an effective traction-control system.

Inside, the motor is fitted with a 270-degree crankshaft, having a staggered firing order that produces a unique exhaust note. Parallel twins are known for their vibrations and to combat this, Yamaha added two primary counter-balancers. These keep vibes completely in check until about 80 mph in sixth gear, when a few tingles get through the handlebar.

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson Redline arrives at 7,750 rpm and the torque curve feels very steady throughout the mid-range. While lacking spirit, the engine has plenty of power for passing and climbing and this docile character makes the bike feel predictable, easy to ride on loose surfaces and unintimidating to less-experienced riders. There are two rider selectable engine-computer maps called D-Mode: Touring and Sport, which simply control the rate of throttle opening and don’t affect peak power. Touring mode is very linear and best on dirt, while Sport mode has an initial strong pull that makes the bike feel more powerful than Touring—even if it’s not.

A hydraulically actuated wet clutch, six-speed transmission and low-maintenance shaft drive bring power to the rear wheel competently, with no missed shifts or false neutrals. Overall gearing is well-matched to the bike and engine, although a slightly lower first-gear ratio would help in rough off road conditions. Sixth gear is tall for relaxed highway riding, turning about 4,000 rpm at 75 mph. The 6.1-gallon tank includes a gallon on reserve and can take you more than 200 miles. 

Chassis and Suspension

The stout tubular-steel frame uses the engine as a stressed member for rigidity. An inverted 43mm fully adjustable fork and the aluminum rear swingarm both offer 7.5 inches of travel for a plush ride. In back, a single shock provides rebound settings and has a knob for quick preload adjustment. 

Yamaha employs a linked Unified Braking System. With UBS, applying the front brake alone also provides some rear-wheel braking, which is handy when you’re riding on dirt standing up, but pressing the rear brake first overrides UBS for separate braking. UBS is unobtrusive and even adjusts the bias percentage, based on how much weight the bike’s carrying.

In front, a pair of 310mm wave rotors clamped by four-pot calipers and a single 282mm disc with one-pot caliper in back provide strong braking — perhaps a little too grabby for off-road. We were skeptical about the standard ABS, which is not switchable, but seemed to work acceptably well on dirt. If you really want it off, run the bike on its centerstand in second gear briefly until the ABS warning light comes on, and ABS will be disabled until a restart.

Traction control, also standard, controls wheelspin by varying ignition timing and injection cutoff, and it has three settings. Setting one intervenes early enough to prevent slides; setting two is for riders who like to get a bit loose on dirt, and there’s an off position for serious off-roaders who really like to power slide. All settings worked as claimed, and setting two was great for letting the back hang out a little on dirt, without worrying about doing a face plant.

Yamaha developed spoked wheels that allow tubeless tires, and our test bike was fitted with 110/80-19 front and 150/70-17 rear Metzeler Tourance EXP rubber (Bridgestone Battle Wing tires are also original fitment). Low-speed maneuvering is easy, grip is good, and even at high speeds, the bike feels planted and stable.

Photos by Tom Riles and Brian Nelson Features and Ergonomics

The manually adjustable standard windscreen does an adequate job, but requires tools to adjust; a larger screen and wind deflectors are offered as accessories. Instrumentation is all in a tidy cluster that includes speedo, tach, dual trip meters, clock, fuel gauge, fuel trip meter with average and instantaneous consumption, coolant and air temperatures, plus D-mode and Traction Control settings.

Super Ténéré has a riding position designed to allow standing for off-road sections, yet offers all-day comfort when seated. Although seat height is adjustable from 33.3 to 34.3 inches it may be a bit tall for some riders, so a 1.4-inch lower seat is available optionally. Passenger seating is spacious and rear footpegs are comfortably positioned.

The aluminum panniers, which have a 61-liter combined capacity, and the 30-liter tail trunk that can hold a full-face helmet, are offered as accessories. They look nice and are keyed with the ignition, but the locking mechanism is fiddly and you always need to use the key. Other accessories include an engine guard that holds two optional fog lamps, an aluminum skid plate, headlight protector, heated grips, case liners, and a tankbag.

Final Thoughts

We found the Super Ténéré to be nicely made and finished. It’s well sorted out, capable, comfortable, fun, and easy to ride all day. It’s a great all-around machine that can take you to work daily, attack the canyons and backroads on the weekends, and then whisk you across vast continents on your vacation.

=================

Technical Specs: 

+ comfortable, good handling, reasonable price

- heavy compared to GS, could lose a few pounds

Distributor Yamaha, www.yamaha-motor.com

MSRP:  $13,900

Engine:  DOHC 4-valve-per-cylinder parallel twin

Displacement:  1199cc

Bore x Stroke:  98x79.5mm

Fuel Delivery:  Mikuni EFI w/ two 46mm throttle bodies

Power:  108.4 (Euro spec)

Cooling:  liquid

Ignition:  digital electronic w/ 2-plugs-per-cylinder

Transmission:  6-speed, hydraulically actuated clutch, shaft drive

Frame:  Tubular steel w/ engine as stressed member

Front Suspension:  KYB inverted 43mm fork, adj. preload, rebound & compression damping, 7.5in travel

Rear Suspension:  aluminum swingarm, YHS single shock w/ adj. rebound & preload, 7.5in travel

Rake/Trail:  28º/5in (126mm)

Brakes: Front/Rear Dual 310mm wave discs w/ 4-piston calipers/ one 282mm disc w/ 1-piston caliper

Tires, Front/Rear:  110/80R17/150/70-17

Wet Weight: 575lbs (306.5kg) (claimed)

Wheelbase:  60.6in (1540mm)

Seat Height:  33.3 – 34.3in. (845/870mm)

Fuel Capacity:  6.1gal (23l) w/1 gallon res.

Fuel Consumption:  42.1mpg

Colors: Impact Blue, Raven 

"Reprinted courtesy of RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel magazine (www.roadrunner.travel)."Not for sale or distribution.  RoadRUNNER Magazine is a bimonthly motorcycle touring publication packed with exciting travel articles, splendid photography, route maps and other features that help ensure wonderful two- wheeled adventures. Subscriptions are available on our website and by calling (866) 343-7623. 

Tested: Kanz Field Kitchen

by Roseann Hanson

When I was little my family had a chuck box for camping. Most of our camping was with the Boy Scouts, for whom my father was a Scoutmaster. His name is Charles, and friends called him Chuck, so I always thought it was his box, spelled with capital letters, as in “Chuck's Box.”

My mind and heart store so many indelible memories associated with that old beat up box . . . cold nights in pine forests (a treat for a desert kid), smoky fires, charred marshmallows, howling coyotes (we pretended they were wolves), tales of the Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Wilderness, and mom serving forth from the chuck box innumerable stews and casseroles, invariably containing Cream of Mushroom Soup. High dining for an 8-year-old. 

Fast-forward to 1987: in our third year of married bliss, knowing how much I loved the old family box, Jonathan built me a wooden chuck box, varnished as lovingly as an Alden schooner. It had a piano-hinged drop-down front, cork lining, silverware drawer, plate slots, shelves, and a secret panel along the back of the drawer, with a row of cutout leaping dolphins. Used on our first and subsequently countless trips to Baja and Sonora, throughout the American West and even the Arctic—first in my ‘78 JF55 and then in several Toyota pickups—it logged 75,000 miles+ of exploration. 

Alas, it was retired when we upscaled to a Four Wheel Camper in the late 1990s. But lately, I had been missing my old chuck box (which is retired to a place of honor in storage, with our original Sigg cook set and brass Svea stove). I'm back to camping out of a classic Land Cruiser, so when I had a chance to test out the Kanz Field Kitchen, I jumped at it. 

I was intimidated at first. Fully half again as large as my old box, the 19" x 25" x 15" Kanz is gleaming burnished aluminum with beautiful satin-finished Baltic birch. I could lift and carry the old box, but the Kanz takes two of us. This is because it is a kitchen, not just a chuck box; included with our kit is the 22" Partner Steel stove and Kanz's own complete cookware / utensil set. The box + stove is 36 pounds (40 with the Coleman dual-fuel), and 52 with cookware etc. (Kanz's set includes a top-line Snow Peak cookset, Kanz' own double-wall mugs, a percolator, enamelware, and flatware). 

It is hard to come up with any engineering complaints about this kitchen. Designed over a 12-year period by industrial designer Harald Kanz, the kitchen is the embodiment of German meticulousness for detail and quality. As a young boy, Harald's imagination was captivated by stories of adventure and exploration, he’s said. Fascinated by how things work in the outdoors, he sketched his first tent designs and fire setups while on camping trips with his parents in Germany.

On a recent science expedition to the Sierra Madre in Mexico, we used the Kanz Field Kitchen to augment the very rudimentary kitchen at the old camp.The Kanz Kitchen’s easily detachable legs (fitted with clever pressure springs that you don’t have to fuss with, they just slide in and out easily but hold tight when they need to) perch the kitchen’s top surface at optimal working height (37"); the lid acts as windscreen, can be laid flat as a shelf (with optional hardware), or can detach as serving tray. A custom cutting board fits into the Partner stove, and the 2 drawers, which look deceptively small, swallow all necessary utensils plus 4 double-walled mugs (and, I found out happily, my Sea to Summit folding bucket). There is a 2" hole for the propane line right where it needs to be (with an included cap, which we’ve needed to seal up the kitchen against mice), and the whole unit can be ordered asThe drawers swallow all our utensils, coffee mugs, and even a folding Sea to Summit bucket. A full-sized cook kit from Snow Peak, an espresso maker, bottle of wine, dish soap, six plates, a full set of spices, coffee making filter, and martini shaker round out the kit, with room to spare. an optional certified-bear-safe unit. The 2 side shelves which are optional are very handy.

The only thing I found curiously lacking was a paper towel holder. A simple holder that would hang under a side shelf would be great. In keeping with Kanz’ environmentally aware design, perhaps this is by design—a gentle reminder I should be using washable towels instead, but I hate smelly kitchen towels when on camping trips.

I used the kitchen out of the back of the Land Cruiser, facing outwards, for fixing lunch on a recent science expedition into the Sierra Madre backcountry in Mexico. Sitting next to the ARB fridge, the top area was very convenient for setting things when they came out of the fridge, and the fold-down work surface perfect for making sandwiches. 

For our camp, it’s easier to pull the kitchen out and use it on its legs, rather than on the tailgate. I like the longer legs, but the height of the stove makes it little harder to use big pots; it’s an adjustment to the usual tailgate-height or height of your at-home stove, but it’s do-able considering the convenience. We use the stove with our aluminum propane cylinder, the same one Kanz sells (he actually got the idea from Jonathan’s article on propane systems in Overland Journal). I have yet to put a mount into the back of my Land Cruiser for the cylinder, but I plan to (Kanz also sells this . . .).

On Tembo Tusk's side-out slide.The Kanz Field Kitchen is large enough that, with the ARB fridge in the back of the Land Cruiser, it fills the back, with no room for our nice stainless steel water tank (we had to resort to using the Rhino plastic jug, the horror!). For ultimate convenience we are working on a layout that would allow us to mount the water tank as well as the fridge and Kanz Field Kitchen on pull-out runners, but we haven’t quite sorted it out.

Kanz does sell Tembo Tusk's superb quality sliders (side-out or front-out) for the Field Kitchen. Though expensive and heavy, they are the best available and really add to the utility of the kitchen. On Tembo Tusk's front-out slide.

Kanz accessories include a matching pantry box and a bridge / work surface that joins the two. Thinking of everything (so German!), Kanz also sells wall mounts, a soft cover for transit-protection, and leather straps for horse outfitters. 

They also sell my favorite food boxes: Zarges K470 aluminum cases (in photo at left, under the cooler), which are light and stack nicely. I currently use one for my own pantry, with a collapsible metal stand (an old Coleman stove stand), and it matches the Kanz Field Kitchen nicely.

I was ready to find the Kanz Kitchen lacking in comparison to my old dear ones, if only out of loyalty, but I could not: it’s a new classic, ready to fill the old shoes with honor. The price is, of course, daunting, and could be off-putting for some. But with absolute top-quality, made-in-America workmanship, exceptional materials, fit, and finish, it is worth every penny. A field kitchen is, after all, more than just a place to store your kitchen gear. With time and use, it will store many wonderful memories, of good times and beautiful places with special friends.

Specifications, Kanz Field Kitchen:

Outside Dimensions (H x W x D): 19.4 in x 25.4 in x 15.00 in, (492 mm x 645 mm x 381 mm)

Inside Dimensions of stove compartment (H x W x D): 6.3 in x 24.8 in x 14.0 in, (160 mm x 630 mm x 355 mm)

Inside Dimensions of silver ware drawer (H x W x D): 4.0 in x 3.8 in x 13.9 in, (100 mm x 97 mm x 353 mm)

Group size + guest: 6+2

Weight (empty): 25 lbs (12 kg)

Weight (with Partner Steel propane stove): 36 lbs (16.3 kg)

Weight (with Coleman 414 dual fuel stove): 40 lbs (18.1 kg)

Weight of optional cookware set): 16 lbs (7.3 kg)

Table top height (on long leg set): 26 in (660 mm)

Counter top height (long leg ; short leg set): 43 in (109 mm); 37 in (940 mm)

Transport: One foldable sprung handle on each side with rubber grip

Material: Baltic birch plywood riveted to marine grade aluminum panels

Finish: Polyurethane clear coat on wood panels inside and outside

Price without stove or cooking set: $595

Price as tested (with Partner Steel Stove and complete cooking set): $1399

Kanz Outdoors

Tembo Tusk