Touring with the Ram Kappie
Words: Tony Yeo
When we moved away from the Fortuner and acquired the Hilux bakkie, a range of accessories had to be fitted to complement our overland tours. One of the most important – and the first we looked for – was a canopy.
This would not only protect all our valuable equipment but also be a massive safety feature.
The hunt began. And as we all know, there’s a huge range of canopies available on the market. After speaking to many of the manufacturers, I had no success with a possible deal – and besides the pricing, it was clear that most options simply wouldn’t fit our budget.
This led me to the second-hand market. But again, the pricing was not far off new. Then I came across a manufacturer in Boksburg and took a chance on a visit to investigate their product.
On arrival, I was met by the friendliest and most helpful team of people you can imagine. They took me on a walk around the factory while we discussed options and possibilities. Well, before I knew it, our bakkie was reversed into the fitting bay and – bingo – a Ram Kappie canopy was fitted.
What we had installed was what they referred to as the “first generation” canopy. I was happy – firstly, because the price was extremely attractive, and secondly, because I now had the protection I was after.
The canopy wasn’t 100% to my liking, as it had side windows in the gull-wing doors, which I hadn’t really been looking for. But as the old cliché goes: beggars can’t be choosers. I was still extremely excited that I now had a canopy – which meant I could load up and depart on our first adventure tour with my new addition just two days later.
A few short months down the line, I received a call to say my new canopy was ready.
Surprised, confused and excited all at once, I rushed back to the Ram Kappie factory in Boksburg. Anton from Adventure Afrika had graciously arranged the upgrade, and without any delay, the old canopy was off, our rooftop tent was transferred, and the “new generation” Ram Kappie canopy was mounted.
If you thought I was happy the first time around, looking at the new canopy had me giggling like a two-year-old with a large box of Smarties. This was, as the saying goes, the bee’s knees.
This canopy wasn’t just what I wanted – the colour and the solid side doors – it was also, well… sexy. The door edges have great lines, and the gull-wing doors (fitted with gas struts for easy opening) have minimal flex, which is rather surprising for such a long door – ours is fitted to an Xtra Cab.
This canopy looks expensive, and the quality is exceptional. Made from stainless steel, my eye was immediately drawn to the neat, professional weld lines. Solid and rugged was the first impression. It weighs in at 75kg and has a carrying capacity of 500kg. There’s no concern whatsoever when it comes to carrying a massive clamshell rooftop tent – even over long and rough roads.
The cab window is a standard sliding type, and the rear door window has a safety guard to protect all the goodies loaded inside. One key fits all the locks, and adding accessories is simple and easy. Ramkappie has a large range of additional fitments, such as sliders, table mounts, gas and fuel holders, and so on.
It’s now been close on a year of touring with our canopy, and it has simply been a joy to have. There are no signs of wear and no issues to report.
However, we all have one common issue when fitting a canopy – and that is dust ingress. It does take a bit of ingenuity to seal up a few holes, but to be fair, it’s not the canopy that needs the work – it’s the bakkie itself. Between the rear taillights and the many holes in the load bin, dust has plenty of entry points. These have since been sealed, and with the two genius (yet wonderfully simple) air vents in the canopy for positive pressure, we now have none – or at worst, minimal – dust ingress.
The Ram Kappie phrase – “Jou jag en kampmaat” – is perfectly suited and true to all our needs.
For more information contact Ram Kappie – https://ramkappie.co.za/
