Creators & Characters – Ian Maley
Ian Maley
Wilderness Equipment provides some of the highest quality Australian outdoor equipment and is tried and trusted in Australian conditions before hitting the market. Ian works closely with his son Henry out of Perth and they continue to lead the market in innovative product designs and equipment built to stand the test of time.
Position:
Founder / Director / Designer – Wilderness Equipment
Have you done any formal education since high school and if so, what in?
I have unfinished engineering and physics degrees.
What sparked your interesting creating your business or entering the outdoor industry?
A combination of starting in the ‘rope & rucksack’ pursuits at the UWA outdoor club in 1971 coupled with a complete lack of gear in Perth, and an incurable need to make stuff brought me to where I am today.
How long have you spent in the outdoor industry working, guiding designing etc.?
Over 45 years I have been in the industry! (since I made my first tent).
What are the top 3 things you cannot leave home without no matter what the trip?
A camera, map and a friend who can carry everything else.
What was the most enjoyable trip you have been on? Give us some details on what you were doing and why it was so great.
This question is far too hard. On foot, let’s say the Haut Randonee Pyrenee (HRP), the high route from the Atlantic to the med along the Pyrenees. A 7 week long trip that was amazing. My wife Peta gave me the guide book for my birthday, or something. Challenging mountains, spectacular scenery and two cultures which I will never forget.
How many countries have you travelled to?
This is still a work in progress. For outdoor trips, about 10 to date.
What is your favourite Australian outdoors location?
Too hard again. But Karijini in Western Australia would be towards the top of the list. Only two days by road from my front gate!
Do you have a favourite quote that resonates well with you?
“There is only one great thing and that one great thing is just to live, to open our eyes to the great light of dawn moving across the land and the beginning of the day” (Inuit).
If you could start your career over again, what’s one thing you would do differently?
Ask my wife!!
What advice would you have for someone who is interested in following a similar path to you in this industry?
Too much has changed for my path to be relevant today. If I was starting now I would take a qualification in industrial design, join a brand company already in the market (and manufacturing in Asia), learn on the job and after five or so years you will have the contacts and know what it takes to go it alone. In the nineteen seventies it wasn’t hard to improve on the equipment and service available then. That has definitely changed now.