Okavango Delta · seasonal flood & wildlife · 2025
Botswana's Okavango Delta floods every season — home to one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. A spectacular place to test gear.
- Location
- Okavango Delta · Botswana
- Status
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Conditions
- Seasonal flood · cold dawns · rainstorms
- Products
- EP01 · J2 baselayer · Sports Cloak
- Activities
- Boat · 4×4 · Camp · Wildlife
- Result
- Pass — waterproofing well tested
We tested the baselayers in the evenings — around the campfire and in the tents. The all-rounder Sports Cloaks were perfect for the 5am starts, in boats or vehicles; particularly good was the length of the cloak covering cold legs before the sun came up. We caught a few short but heavy rainstorms, and had special permission from the Botswana Defence Force to get off-road.
We bumped a submerged hippo while easing slowly through the reeds — no harm done to the hippo at all — but we tipped sideways, almost capsizing the aluminium dinghy. That would have landed us in hippo- and croc-infested water. Brooke got a little too adventurous with her photography, too: when the wind changed suddenly she found herself downwind of a rhino with calf. It fake-charged, pulling up about 3 m short and engulfing her in a cloud of dust.
Between all the boating and the flooded vehicle crossings, we had no shortage of chances to test the backpack's waterproofing.
The verdictBoats, reeds and flooded crossings — the pack's waterproofing got a thorough workout. Spectacular place.
Easing slowly through the reeds — where we met a submerged hippo.
The delta, by the numbers.
The Okavango, moving.
Clips from the delta — a flooded vehicle crossing, and navigating the reeds by boat.
One of the largest concentrations of wildlife in Africa.
Field notes
Test reports, new releases, and the occasional failure we learned from.