Overview
If you're tired of standing in massive outdoor gear stores, trying to sort the cheaply made stuff from the high-quality goods, Sydney's new adventure store is for you. Founded by local explorer Brendan Ives, The Adventure Collective in Annandale offers a tightly curated selection of equipment.
Each and every item on the shelves is there because it does its job well and is made to last. Forget racks and racks of microfibre towels, packing pods and and torches. Instead, you'll be presented with a very limited choice and, for some items, no choice at all. If the sales assistant offers you just one pocket knife, you can assume that, in Ives' experience, it's the best pocket knife for the price in the world.
The Adventure Collective also aims to provide gear that suits your adventure style. Whether you're a coffee cruiser who likes an easy bush walk ending at a wine bar or a Bear Grylls who sets off into the bush, hoping to avoid all another humans for weeks, you can expect to be kitted up just right. And you won't be pushed into buying items you don't need.
Brendan Ives spent several years adventuring around the world before landing in London, where he worked in a travel agency's sales department. Frustrated by the use of unreliable, inefficient gear, he returned to Australia, where, in 2012, he established Bear Rentals, a fleet of Land Rover 4WD campers, which he set up and test drove before renting out.
While kitting out the cars, Ives collected and tested out a massive range of outdoor products — and then decided to share the very best of the best with Sydneysiders. So next time you plan to head of on an overnight or multi-day hike, or an ambitious camping trip, pop your head into The Adventure Collective before you head off.