Together with a dozen people in total we arrived in Tumut for a season of tree planting, being new to the job we needed equipment that would meet the demands of hiking 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, in rain, hail or shine, through rough off track terrain, and to top it off through bramble or blackberry bush that shreds unprotected skin. I was awe struck when I first walked into Tom’s Outdoors, in a small country town I did not expect to be at the mercy of such an outstanding retailer. The shop is modern, simplified, and stocked with more premium products than your goto outdoor retailers in the city, be it Pitt St in Sydney or Little Bourke St in Melbourne. I was most astonished to see in real life the range of Snow Peak products from Japan, which until now were just fantasies online. Also ravished to see Fjallraven from Sweden, in their fuller range that has recently hit Australian shores. Until coming into Tom’s, I had never seen hiking boots at a price tag of $649, I had never heard of LOWA boots. I shunned at the idea, until I learnt that they are made in Germany, have replaceable soles, and have a host of qualities that make them the creme of creme of hiking boots. A week later, I convinced myself that life is short and I should only experience the best outdoor gear there is to offer so I bought a pair. The service was amazing. I was informed about their online member signup discount, I wanted to use Afterpay which required a lot of fluffing about and the staff just went above and beyond to make everything happen. This kind of service you would seldom receive. I’ve been in the retail industry for over a decade. I worked for Mountain Designs and The Northface Sydney, outdoor retail shops is where I go just for fun or in preparation for my next adventure. Tom’s Outdoors is an outdoor retailer I highly recommend. Chi.