This New Online Pro-Deal Marketplace is a Game-Changer for Aussie & Kiwi Outdoor Professionals

When your office is a windswept ridgeline, a sandstone cliff face, or a backcountry trail, your gear isn’t just for comfort or gorpcore kudos – it’s your uniform.

Outdoor professionals don’t just want quality gear, they need it. And let’s be real, they shouldn’t have to pay full price for the tools that help them do what they do best, in an industry that often doesn’t pay… the best. That’s why I created Inside Outdoor.

What’s a pro deal?

I spent a few seasons working as a guide and ski photographer in Japan, which is where I first came across the concept of ‘pro deals’. Fellow guides I worked with from Canada and the US told me how outdoor brands there would hook them up with discounts on gear simply for working in the industry. As someone who had one pair of ski socks at the time, that I had to crack each day before starting work, the idea of getting deals on gear was incredibly appealing. 

In searching for a ski sock pro deal, I ended up getting a job at Lé Bent and worked on the other side of the pro deal equation for six years. I fielded plenty of requests for pro deals from other ski bums in Australia and New Zealand.

The problem was, if you needed socks and base layers, you had to ask one brand. If you needed outerwear, you had to ask a different brand. Each time you were stating your case and providing proof of employment.

Spend less time emailing brands, and more time doing this!

This is Where Inside Outdoor Comes In

Inside Outdoor is an exclusive online marketplace I built specifically for outdoor professionals across Australia and New Zealand. 

It brings a bunch of outdoor brands together in one place. You only need to prove you’re a pro once and you can kit yourself out head to toe and shop a range of categories. 

Similar pro-deal websites have existed in North America and Europe for years, but the comparatively tiny Australian and New Zealand market of outdoor professionals has never had much love… until now!

How does it work?

All you have to do is apply. It’s free, only takes a few minutes, and if you work or contribute to the outdoor industry in any way – whether you’re a commercial guide, a ski instructor, work at a climbing gym, or are an outdoor retailer or educator – chances are, you’re eligible. You can find out if your job category qualifies on the dropdown of the application page. 

There are currently 18 brands offering industry deals on Inside Outdoor, with more joining every week, from camping meals like Radix and On Track, to apparel brands like Roark and Lé Bent, and equipment brands like Tarkine, Red Equipment, Kea Outdoors, Remote Projects and more.

Outdoor industry professionals push their gear to the limit

Why is We Are Explorers backing it?

Aside from personally sitting in the We Are Explorers Gear Editor seat for a hot minute – and Tim doing me a favour publishing this article 😉 – the We Are Explorers team understands the passion involved in being an outdoor pro. 

Most people don’t see what goes into a week of guiding school kids through a national park or rigging ropes on a climbing course. They don’t see the early mornings, the weathered boots, the soaked-through down jackets, or the quiet moments of responsibility when you’re looking after people in the wild.

Inside Outdoor recognises that the outdoor industry runs on passion, purpose, and often… not a lot of pay. For the brands that have signed up, this is their way of saying, ‘We see you’.

So, if you spend your days outside helping others connect with nature, teaching skills, building trails, or simply keeping the wheels turning in the adventure world, Inside Outdoor was built with you in mind.

If you fit the bill, apply now.

‘Hands up if you want a pro deal!’