OUT OF AFRICAMP - A Tale of Friendship and Adventure

Nov 01, 2022

What do you get when you bring friendship and passion together? A new adventure starts...

Out of AfriCamp is a collective of two friends of two brands with a mutual love for Africa, for adventure and for the road less travelled.

Where Deus Ex Machina doesn’t need an introduction, ROF needs one. ROF is the South African word for rough. ROF boots are inspired by the need for a pair of timeless, unisex boots that could be worn in every casual setting. ROF’s are 100% handmade, vegetable tanned leather boots. This leather develops a rich and beautiful patina and gets better with time and use. Did you know it takes two weeks to make one pair of ROF’s?

With ROF’s being sold in Deus Cape Town and in Deus Amsterdam and with Hanna (Head of Deus Amsterdam) and Laura (Founder ROF) being friends ànd running the coolest business, it was about time to have more adventure together! ‘Cuz that’s what friends do.

Hanna has entrepreneured in South Africa and - like Laura - has an immense love for Africa, adventure, and travel. Naturally, when you put two adventure enthusiasts together, fun things immerse...

What started as an idea to go camping with a bunch of friends & bring some Africa vibes to the Lowlands, escalated quickly (blame it on enthusiasm) and became the perfect recipe for an old school friends & family reverie with a “let’s play outside” kind of vibe.

Sparked by a lot of enthusiasm and a mutual love for Africa & the outdoors, we organized a 2-day camp-out, set in a beautiful lake side venue. A collective of creative, adventurous people & rides, camping nostalgia, delicious fire cooked meals by @deuscantina, live music by @maxpoolmanmusic & bonfires. With no real set program, people naturally mingled over their passion for classic cars, bikes, Africa, great food, and the outdoors. While the sunset and rain were fighting to put on a show, the night slowly set and an energetic celebration of creativity pursued into the early hours of the morning, sharing stories, laughs, food and many, many beverages.

The next morning, we kickstarted our bodies and bikes with quality fuel in order to move on to the next part of our AfriCamp: a ride out to the beautiful forest where the headquarters of ROF resides. Off we went, in a convoy of adventurous and beautiful (camping) vehicles and motorcycles, taking the paved road into the forests’ dirtroad leading to a true hidden gem in the middle of the woods: a forest house and the most beautiful horse stable ‘turned into a warehouse’. Upon arrival a delicious lunch was served to devour, as our stomachs needed a little extra support – as they do on ‘the day after’.

Another fire was lit – because why the hell not. We dare to say the whole camp was lit. It was time to celebrate and thank all the legends who contributed to our first camp out and to reveal the winner of the swankiest ride of them all. With so many beautiful rides showing up, this wasn’t an easy choice. But hey, easy is just... so easy.
The winners prize went to Vincent & Denise and their 1988 Mercedes Truck that took them 2 years to re-build. It’s more than a truck, it’s a modern beach shack on wheels and has everything a (wo)man needs for a long time adventure. The fact that it had the written Deus Ex Machina script on the back of the truck had nothing to do with it. It only made it look even more sexy, but maybe we are biased. The happy campers took home a Deus outfit and a complementing pair of ROF boots. May they forever travel in style.

A magical weekend that leaves us with a feeling that’s hard to describe and easier to be felt by the heart. We never expected that a camp out could turn into something so magical. If friendships for life are made, you know it was a success. And with that (bon) fire still burning in our heart, we are brewing on a 2nd edition. Coming to you this summer. Or winter. Depends what side of the planet you are on... Stay tuned, good things taste for more!

Thanks to all our amazing partners & friends for making Out of AfriCamp happen