A tear rolled down my cheek as I sat in my lounge-room, glued to Wild, watching Cheryl Strayed walk the Pacific Crest Trail with her pack, ‘Monster’, and all her demons on her back.

The film struck a nerve. Seeing this woman navigate the wilderness alone, relying on only what she carried, was awe-inspiring – and it ignited a hunger for my own wild adventure.

That hunger simmered for over a year, until it reached boiling point in 2019.

Suddenly, my wife and I were climbing out of a small boat onto the shores of Hinchinbrook Island, heavy packs digging into our shoulders and camping mugs and cheap stools clinking at our sides.

For four days, we traversed Hinchinbrook’s rugged mountains, tropical forests and untouched beaches—32-kilometres of raw beauty that left us exhilarated and humbled.

That journey off the coast of North Queensland lit an enduring passion for exploring wild places on foot. It also began our ongoing hunt for gear that would carry us more comfortably and safely into the wild.

Since then, we’ve hiked along Australia’s wild South West shores, through the rugged Red Centre, over the summit’s of Australia’s alpine peaks, and into the heart of Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain wilderness.