This guys makes it look really easy and he even adds in a little flip to show off.  

We're 6 years old! Well I certainly do feel like a 6 year old on Christmas with all these awesome outdoor products constantly surrounding us!

April 2010 saw the opening of Action Gear (then Action Cameras) and we've been on a fun journey ever since! When we started up we were the first in SA to sell GoPros, Drift and other action cam brands which have grown in popularity over the years as well as other brands which have come and gone over the years. It's been said that luck is when preparation meets opportunity so I guess we were very lucky be at the forefront of the growth of the action cam industry and I like to think that we played a massive role in introducing South Africa to this range of products.

Obviously we no longer just sell the cameras as we evolved our name to Action Gear in 2013 and widened our product range to include Drones, GPS's, Sports Watches, Power Solutions, Binoculars, Night Vision Scopes and any other interesting outdoor tech that we could get our hands on. But here's something you might not have known, it was actually you, our friends and customers who convinced us to make this change and widen our range. We had so many of our loyal GoPro customers asking for us to get them other gear that they wanted because, as they said, we offer the best service of any retailer in SA (yes, we actually have that comment and others framed on our Raving Fan Wall).

My business partner and co-founder of the Action Gear brand Dave Davies has been a driving force behind the growth which we've had over the years. Between him and I we've come up with great ideas which worked brilliantly (like becoming leaders in the drone industry) and other ideas which were spectacular failures (like the TV show which we ran with for a few months!) but all in all we seem to do more right than wrong as, together with our team we've grown Action Gear into one of South Africa's leading eCommerce companies. We can actually say that now with confidence as we won a 1st prize for Best Customer Service in last year's eCommerce Awards!

Over the years we've proudly won a number of awards (which you can read about here) but we really believe that the best is yet to come as we continue to improve our product offering and the delivery services. We know that there's statistics about how many companies make it to 6 years but without knowing the exact stats we know that we've had good times and bad but we've stuck it out and we're here to stay. We want to become a household name and a favourite online shop and destination for outdoorsy, sporty and adventurous people. We look forward to sharing this journey with you!

By the way, did you know that we've just launched an updated version of the Action Gear website? Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

South African adventure enthusiasts, Warrick and Camilla Kernes, Gareth Pickering and Derrick Fourie will be cycling Qhubeka buffalo bicycles from Johannesburg, South Africa to Moshi, Tanzania covering 4630km over a 10 week period. Setting off on July 30th, these four plan to climb Mount Kilimanjaro once they reach Moshi in Tanzania. The goal is to raise R100 000 for the Qhubeka charity, which delivers specially designed, locally assembled bicycles to people in need;

CYCLISTS

WARRICK KERNES 

Founder & Director of ActionGear (Winners of Best Customer Service in SA eCommerce for 2015)

• Outdoor Tech Guru
• BCom Strategic Management Honours (2005)
• BCom Intrapreneurship (2004)
• Outstanding Young Businessman of the Year 2009 (HSBC Business Awards – London)
• Completed Ironman SA in 2015
• Completed Comrades Marathon (2013 & 2015)

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT THE #JOBURG2KILI EXPEDITION?

Travelling slowly up Africa and having the time to get to meet people along the way

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION?

Riding our Qhubeka single-speed bikes through the Eastern Highlands of Zambia

CAMILLA KERNES

• Marketing & Licensing Professional
• BA Marketing Communications (Cum Laude from UJ – 2005)
• Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing (Vega – 2013)
• Completed Ironman SA in 2015
• Running 1st Comrades on 29 May 2016

Summiting Mt Kilimanjaro which has been a lifelong dream of mine. The plan is also to summit on our 5th wedding anniversary.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION?

Riding our Qhubeka single-speed bikes over 4630km.

GARETH PICKERING 

• Completed two Comrades Marathons, Ironman South Africa, a few half Ironman events and some cool trail runs.

I’ve been given a great opportunity to ride with Warrick and Camilla and this trip will provide me the chance to tick two things off my bucket list: A long bicycle trip in Africa and climbing the highest peak on my home continent. I’m also excited about the chance to meet some amazing people en route and capturing our experience through photography and video.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION? 

Having to get off the bike and stop riding after 10 amazing weeks of cycling.

DERRICK FOURIE

• Hiker and lover of the African bush

I’ve been given a great opportunity to ride with Warrick, Camilla, and Gareth this trip will provide me the chance to see my home continent from a different angle – I’m usually the one in the 4×4 off to my next destination. I can’t wait to see Kili for the first time and then to summit the mountain will be another adventure of its own!

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION? 

The first 10 days of riding I don’t have much riding experience!

JEEP SUPPORT CREW

Our support crew will be driving the Jeep Wrangler & our off-road trailer behind us whilst we are cycling along the roads from Johannesburg to Moshi.

BRYAN FAWCETT 

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION?

BOBBY FULLER 

• Raised near Atlanta, Georgia, USA.  Currently calls Colorado home
• Has traveled to 49 of the 50 states of America (all except Hawaii)
• Climbed all 53 Colorado 14ers (peaks over 14,000 feet (4267 meters))
• Summited Kilimanjaro in 2014

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST ABOUT THE #JOBURG2KILI EXPEDITION? 

Returning to Africa. Seeing new places. Meeting new people.

WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST PART OF THE EXPEDITION?

Driving a Jeep at the speed of a bicycle for 10 weeks