Roland Tyson started making outdoor gear on an old industrial sewing machine in his childhood bedroom in 1983, at the age of 17. As a young outdoor enthusiast, Roland realized that he had a passion and a talent for creating cutting-edge outdoor equipment. Soon, he was designing and manufacturing equipment for other Australian adventurers. By 1991, after outfitting an unusual first ascent of Mt. Everest (a 1126+ kilometer, 8848 meters in elevation trek from sea level to a solo summit), Sea to Summit was born. Roland’s drive to design the best, lightest, and most durable equipment would take him farther into the remote Australian outback and eventually into the Himalayas. In these wild places, he could put his inventions to the ultimate test.
In 1993, Roland was joined by Penny Sanderson, who had spent six years at Australian Geographic. Her passion for exploration and innovation was a perfect fit for Sea to Summit. She and Roland began travelling several months out of each year, spending time climbing, sailing, trekking, overlanding, and biking. Everywhere they went, they tested products and iterated design. Sea to Summit quickly grew into a successful global brand, with Penny and Roland’s love of travel and design as the foundation. Together, they own and manage Sea to Summit, still taking part in every step of the journey from developing raw materials to putting perfected gear into the hands of customers worldwide.
