Swanndri & Feldon Shelter: Do what you love, love what you do

We caught up with Joel Hedges, co-founder, ideas-man, engineer and all-round legend behind Feldon Shelter for a chat about missions, kit, and the importance of timeless quality.

Joel Hedges is a surfer. That’s who he is. That’s what he loves. Travelling, surfing, living it up. He’s also the co-founder behind the phenomenon that is Feldon Shelter.

“Now, I get to go on surf trips for work. It’s great.”

He’s not boasting. He’s just genuinely stoked. Because his passion, his hobby, and his job are one and the same thing. For many of us, those things are mutually exclusive. Is he lucky? Without a doubt. But if we’re calling it luck, he’s certainly made his own. Here’s why.

Joel pictures his perfect mission: hitting the road for a few days searching for waves. All he needs is his truck, Feldon Shelter, surfboards and a few other essentials (partner and co-founder Beth included of course). Then it’s a simple case of park up, fold out the Feldon, pick one from the quiver, and get into it.

Thing is, it wasn’t always that easy. Before the Feldon Shelter, it was less about the journey, less about the destination, and more about the faff of searching for pegs while putting up a tent in the dark or booking accommodation so far from the beach you couldn’t see the break.

There had to be a better way. Joel & Beth thought back to their mates in Australia sleeping on top of trucks to stay clear of snakes and the million other creatures that are out to get you over there. Why couldn’t that work here?

There wasn’t really anything available in New Zealand at the time, so they decided to make their own. As someone with a background in motorsport, fabrication and textiles, this idea wasn’t as outrageous to Joel as it would be to many of us.

The rest, you could say, is history. Now it’s almost impossible to drive down a road in New Zealand without seeing a Feldon Shelter fly past on top of a ute. They’ve even been spotted on sedans and keen hatchbacks.

So what makes it work? Joel’s adamant it’s not because a rooftop tent is something everyone wants or needs. That’s part of it, but it’s secondary. The most important thing, Joel reckons, is that it’s something he wants for himself – it’s something he’s passionate about in a personal sense. As Joel says, great products kind of come naturally that way.

“We make products that work well because we’re also the target customers.”

Of course, the quality of the design and craftsmanship has helped. A lot. Joel, Beth, and the whole Feldon crew are big on gear that doesn’t wear out and never goes out of style. It’s an ethos of timeless quality that’s evident in their products. Feldon Shelters are without a doubt made for New Zealand conditions and New Zealand missions. They’re made to work, made to last, and made to look epic.

“We love timeless gear – like Swanndri.”

He actually did say that, unprompted. For context: partnerships are important for Feldon. But they’ve always been very selective about who they partner with because a shared ethos of timeless quality is so important. And that’s why Swanndri makes sense. Swanndri is a prime example of timeless quality and style. More importantly, it’s the kind of timeless quality that Joel loves to wear.

“I just love picking up a sick old Swanny in a second-hand shop and wearing it every day on a week-long surf trip.”

Aside from a Swanndri and a Feldon Shelter, we ask Joel what other kit he recommends for missions like this. “Keep it simple” he responds. He reckons it’s more fun that way. And more fulfilling. Particularly these days, when it’s so easy to get caught up in buying all the bells and whistles and just ending up with more ‘stuff.’

“Just get the essentials” he says, “and go.”

“Have fun – and leave as small a footprint as possible.”

At Swanndri, we’re proud to be partnering with Joel, Beth and the team at Feldon Shelter. We’ve got some epic stuff in the pipeline. So watch this space!