Sea to Summit and the Problem of Designing Gear for New Zealand

New Zealand Conservation Stories has a long history of connecting New Zealanders with the outdoors. For our upcoming adventures, we've partnered with Sea to Summit to provide equipment for our Conservation Road Trip, Otago adventures, and, if planning permits, even a Fiordland expedition next year.

One of the challenges on our end is finding equipment that works across a wide range of environments, from accessible adventures like our Conservation Road Trip, which took place just an hour from Auckland, through to more demanding expeditions in the mountains of Otago and Fiordland.

To help us navigate that challenge, we sat down with Graeme Todd, Sea to Summit NZ Brand Manager to discuss what equipment would be best suited to our adventures based on his experience in the outdoor industry. Graeme has spent more than twenty years in the outdoor gear industry. 

We broke the interview into three parts. The first focused on understanding the New Zealand landscape and the challenge of designing gear for New Zealand conditions. The second explored building a sleep system for our Conservation Road Trip. The third examined insulation strategies for staying safe in challenging weather, which we'll premiere later in the year as we put this equipment to the test in remote and demanding terrain.

 

Graeme's long involvement with Sea to Summit in New Zealand provides a perspective that spans the transition between older backcountry equipment expectations and the current generation of lightweight modular systems. He has spent more than twenty years in the outdoor gear industry, he has watched shifts in user expectations driven not just by marketing, but by improvements in sleeping mat construction, insulation technology, and shelter reliability. Those shifts help explain why modern backcountry users now expect levels of sleep quality and shelter stability that would have been considered unrealistic only a generation ago.

Graeme explained that outdoor equipment is rarely designed with New Zealand as its primary testing ground. Most global shelter systems, sleep systems, and packable cooking equipment are developed in North America or Europe, where track infrastructure looks very different to New Zealand. In North America, most outdoor users are camping on established and maintained campsites, and vegetation places fewer demands on ultralight materials.

Those assumptions shape everything from tent floor construction to ventilation strategies and fabric selection. When that same equipment is used in New Zealand, however, it is exposed to persistent rainfall, abrasive alpine scrub, irregular campsites, and rapidly shifting weather systems that quickly reveal whether it was designed for specifications or for environments.

That was something that really resonated with me. I'm an Otago boy, and my first outdoor adventures were in the mountains, where matagouri and spaniards, or speargrass, would shred clothing as we climbed through them. To the inexperienced, it must be shocking to move from a North American climate to New Zealand, where I've emerged from climbing small hills bloodied and with poorly designed tents completely torn to bits by the scrub.

New Zealand conditions quickly expose the limits of gear designed overseas. Above the bushline, wind will shred poor equipment, lightweight fabrics will be punished, and campsites do not come pre prepared. These conditions push overseas equipment beyond its intended use. A tent floor that performs well on compacted European campsites may gradually wet through when pitched repeatedly on saturated alpine tussock or river terraces. Likewise, a shelter that relies heavily on mesh ventilation may lose too much retained warmth when used above the bushline in Fiordland. It's one reason some popular overseas gear never gains widespread use here.

Graeme explained that Sea to Summit's product range reflects an assumption that its primary user is carrying equipment rather than transporting it to a campsite. That distinction influences everything from packed volume to inflation methods and shelter geometry. A sleeping mat that is slow to inflate becomes a liability when rain is approaching and shelter must be established quickly. A tent that requires precise folding to repack becomes difficult to manage when fabrics are wet and temperatures are low. Equipment that performs well only under controlled conditions rarely remains useful for users who operate regularly in exposed terrain.

Sea to Summit occupies an unusual position in this landscape because its design philosophy is not centred on competition with other brands. Instead, its product line has historically been shaped by identifying practical problems encountered by backcountry users and resolving them through material selection, structural simplification, and modular system design.

This approach becomes clear in New Zealand, where the difference between possible performance and actual performance appears quickly once equipment is exposed to extended wet weather, high wind loading, or uneven terrain. We've certainly found that to be the case.

One of the reasons I pursued this partnership was because of my own experience with Sea to Summit equipment. I spent a year guiding in Canada in my early twenties, and the only piece of equipment I took with me was my Sea to Summit sleeping bag. I spent many nights in Canadian snowstorms in the Coastal Mountains. To this day, it remains better suited to what I actually encountered than anything I could find in the North American market.

Graeme explained that one of the defining characteristics of Sea to Summit's development process is its resistance to producing what the industry often describes as "me too products". Rather than reproducing features already established by other brands, Sea to Summit tends to identify specific friction points experienced by users in the field and develop solutions that address those problems directly.

One of the clearest examples of change in recent decades has been the transition from closed cell foam sleeping mats to thick inflatable air mats. Closed cell foam provided reliability but limited comfort. Self inflating mats improved insulation but still restricted thickness. Inflatable air mats fundamentally altered expectations by allowing deep cushioning without major increases in pack size. That change made multi day backcountry travel physically easier and significantly improved recovery between days.

I laughed because I could already draw the same conclusion. Last November, on our conservation road trip, I'd used a Sea to Summit sleeping mat while we were trapped on a ledge for two days during a storm in the mountains of the West Coast. We were not on flat ground, and the other blokes in our group had gone for lower cost sleep systems, including one bloke who'd gone for a foam mat.

At the end of the trip, I was the only one who'd gotten a decent night's sleep. It's never perfect when you're at high elevation in a storm, but what I had was head and shoulders above what they were using, despite being roughly the same size and weight.

What surprised me was the depth to which this had impacted the Sea to Summit product journey. Recent improvements in down treatment technology have increased moisture resistance without sacrificing loft (the fluffiness and volume of the insulation), while advances in internal baffle construction have allowed mats to maintain thickness under load without dramatically increasing weight. None of these innovations would have stood out to me without them being pointed out, but I only have to think about the impact they've had on our own adventures to see the benefit.

Taking it a step further, this is what really excites me. Sleep impacts decision making, and a good night's sleep allows for clearer thinking and better decisions in difficult terrain.

But I wanted to understand how the consumer has changed during the time Graeme has been working on sleep systems. Fifteen years ago, I simply looked for functionality. Nowadays, I'm on YouTube exploring product reviews in incredible detail before purchasing equipment. How does that change the way a brand like Sea to Summit designs outdoor gear?

Now it was Graeme's turn to chuckle. Clearly, this was a topic he was deeply invested in. He became animated as he explained that the increasing technical literacy of outdoor users is both a complex challenge and one of the greatest benefits of the information age. He is now working with consumers who understand R values, temperature ratings, packed volumes, and fill weights.

In a sense, it removes much of the superficiality from the conversation. If a product is not producing a measurable point of difference, it simply cannot withstand scrutiny. We both agreed that if there is one thing we have observed, it is that the customer is incredibly smart. There is no room in the New Zealand outdoors for equipment that does not offer genuine value.

It is one of the key reasons many overseas brands struggle to compete with established local companies. They do not really "get it". They often design for broader global markets, whereas New Zealand users expect equipment that performs in demanding conditions and delivers on the promises printed on the label.

My own experience leans heavily into this. We talk about four seasons in a day, forgetting how rare that is elsewhere in the world. The speed at which conditions change is a key factor in my outdoor experience. I've had many trips that were meant to be in warm conditions, or simple day trips, become overnights due to changing weather.

I asked Graeme what tips a new outdoor user should keep in mind in a New Zealand context. He explained that equipment supporting contingency planning plays a central role in risk management. A lightweight tarp, for example, is rarely carried for routine shelter use. Instead, it provides emergency protection if someone becomes immobilised or weather deteriorates unexpectedly. The weight penalty is small compared with the safety margin it provides.

It was fascinating to learn that most experienced backcountry travellers eventually move away from the idea that one sleeping bag, mat, and shelter can suit every trip. Instead, they develop modular systems tailored to terrain, season, and travel style. Sea to Summit's approach reflects this philosophy, allowing components to be combined in different configurations rather than relying on a single solution across all environments.

So where to from here? After two decades in the outdoor space, what remains central to outdoor use? In 2026, what should users be thinking about? And what's next on the horizon for Sea to Summit?

Graeme got a big grin on his face. In his mind, ease of use remains one of the most important aspects of outdoor equipment reliability. After all, what good is equipment that you can't deploy or repack under pressure? Regardless of technical specifications, simplifying setup, improving packing efficiency, and maintaining durability are three long-term themes he intends to keep focusing on.

As he looks towards the future, in a sense the challenges New Zealand outdoor users face remain timeless. Materials will continue to improve, and he's excited for a future where backcountry equipment becomes lighter and more efficient. However, the defining requirement in New Zealand conditions remains unchanged: it must function reliably when conditions deteriorate. And no matter the brand, they have to solve that problem within a New Zealand context to connect with the average Kiwi and keep them safe as they enjoy the outdoors.

I walked away from our conversation really impressed. I've worked with dozens of outdoor brands throughout my career. Many simply don't "get" the outdoor philosophy Kiwis have. Frankly, Sea to Summit stands head and shoulders above any other outdoor tent or camping provider I've ever worked with. I left feeling like this would be the sort of bloke I'd love to spend a night yarning with over a stove in Fiordland, because all I wanted to do was glean more insights from someone who's clearly got an eye for how the outdoors impacts technology use, and whose experience is shaping a brand philosophy and understanding that deeply resonates with who I am as an outdoorsman.

You can read article two on Sleep Systems here. Where we explore and review sleep System for our conservation Roadtrip, but also the picks we've chosen to be used on for our upcoming Fiordland and Otago backcountry trips.