CAMPING WINDBREAKER

A camping windbreaker, windbreak or Lapa is a fence that campers put up to shield their caravans and tents from strong winds and gusts.

Windbreakers break the force of the wind and gusts inside the fence or enclosure. It also provides privacy for campers who want that.

Windbreakers or windcheaters are jackets that people wear, but a camping windbreaker is a different thing.

When choosing a windbreaker you should keep in mind what the purpose of the windbreaker is, what you want it to do and what type of weather you expect to encounter.

Purpose of a camping windbreaker

The main purpose of a camping windbreak is to protect property and people from severe winds and possible wind damage.

Campers often find it unpleasant to camp in strong winds as it limits their outdoor time and forces them inside caravans and tents.

On the South African coastline and on the highveld plains of the Free State, Mpumalanga and North West, there is a noticeable increase in the strength and unpredictability of the wind.

In December (mid-summer) of 2021 campers experienced unusually unpredictable winds in the North West province. In 2022 campers on the Cape and KZN coastlines had to deal with winds and gusts up to 100k/h.

Such unpredictable weather could negatively affect your camping experience.

What do you want the camping windbreak to do?

When you buy a camping windbreaker you need to understand what you expect from it.

It is what the name says, a breaker of the wind. It is not meant to be nor is it designed to withstand wind like the wall of a house.

The purpose of the windbreaker is to break the force of the wind by dispersing the wind as it passes through the windbreaker material or net. Wind, like water, can be extremely strong when it is focused, which is what happens when the wind follows the path of least resistance between buildings, trees, caravans, tents and vehicles.

A wind that finds only a narrow path between buildings or structures such as caravans parked in a row, can create havoc when it collides with a weaker structure such as a tent. The same strong wind blowing through a narrow space is also more unpleasant than when it is dispersed over a wide area.

The camping windbreaker reduces the force of the wind by dispersing it when it cannot withstand it.

What kind of weather do you expect the camping windbreaker to withstand?

In South Africa, unless you camp in the bushveld areas of the North you can expect to encounter strong winds.

Bushveld camping is made easier by the trees dispersing the wind, although there have been instances of twister-like winds. Those are generally not so prevalent that it poses a constant risk to campers.

Camping on the coast or on the highveld demands that campers be prepared for highveld thunderstorms and unexpected moody winds.

At the time of writing, winds of 40 -60k/h with gusts up to 110k/h or even higher, have become a common occurrence over the exposed areas of the highveld and coast.

The wise camper will prepare for that.

What are camping windbreakers made of?

Shade net

The main part of a camping windbreaker is the canvas or “solid” wall material which must be shade cloth or net.

Experienced campers advise that they prefer around 80% shade netting because it allows for the wind to pass through and be dispersed.

Using a solid canvas is instinctively the first choice, but as the experienced designers at Maxcon Outdoor and Camping have known for a long time, following your instinct is often the wrong choice. That is why the Maxcon anchoring system is based on yielding to the forces of nature rather than fighting them.

Maxcons windbreakers are made from 85% Sonic Silver Shade Net.

Poles

Windbreaker poles are the main source of frustration for campers.

You will often find a camper complaining that the poles of his windbreaker bent or snapped in strong wind. The reason for that is that the poles are the weakest link in their camping windbreaker set-up.

Let’s make it clear that the minimum requirement, aluminium, 10mm poles that usually come with (especially) imported windbreakers, are just not up to the task of dealing with our unpredictable gusts. You need 19mm poles.

Windbreaker anchor poles should be the same quality as tent poles. That means that the poles need to be of the same dimensions as the tent poles and they should be erected and anchored in the same way.

Maxcons windbreaks are 8m long and 1,5m high and come with 5 poles of 1,5m x 19mm all with quality spigots.

Sheltering from the wind should not be a camping afterthought. The wind is just not that forgiving.

Anchoring your windbreaker

Just like anchoring a tent, anchoring a windbreak is often the place where campers create their own weak spot.

The best way is to treat the anchoring of your windbreak as you would approach anchoring your tent. That is to do it right from the beginning to make sure you are not going to have to do costly repairs while camping.

I saw that with a few weekend campers at Rocky Bay in the winter of 2022. They buy the windbreak at a good price at the cheap shop and accept that the manufacturer in China knows what flimsy nylon cords, 10 mm poles and anchors work best with their product. That argument does not fit in well with the argument of the manufacturer that the use of the minimum standards is the best way to save costs and make the product affordable.

We saw a number of campers who rolled up their windbreakers after the first night’s wind and collected the crumpled poles and the minimum standard soft steel 7 shape spring pegs. They were not impressed!

Pegs

Anchor your windbreaker with proper tent pegs.

Most of the time your small pegs will be adequate. It only becomes a problem when the wind exceeds the normal boundaries.

If you have quality tent pegs that are reliable and can handle the strongest winds you will not be a victim of a nasty surprise.

Max-Windbreaker is sold with 10 x 250mm Max-Pegs.

Guy ropes

Guy ropes made of nylon ski rope are an affordable alternative but braided anchor ropes do not stretch even in strong winds and they ensure a reliable anchor system.

The Max-Windbreaker set includes quality Maxcons anchor ropes.

What length windbreaker should I get?

When deciding on how long your camping windbreaker should be, you need to calculate the length needed to shield your caravan, tent (or both) from the wind.

Also, keep in mind the dimensions of the camping sites you will probably use. Large caravans require large camping sites where an 8m windbreaker may only cover one side. A small caravan and setup could use one windbreaker to protect two sides of the camping setup.

The Maxcons windbreaker is 8m long and generally enough to protect a caravan, tent and rally tent on one side.