My name is Drew Wylie, and I am the owner of Wylie's Outdoor World, an independent outdoor shop based in Thornton, Fife, a small ex-mining village between Glenrothes and Kirkcaldy.
I am also the third generation of Andrew Wylie in my family, and that matters to me. My name connects me to the people who helped shape me, but it also reminds me that how I conduct myself, how I treat people, and how I run this business should reflect the values that were passed down to me.
I built Wylie's Outdoor World around real outdoor experience, honest advice, personal service and a genuine love of helping people choose the right kit. Although we sell online across the UK, I have never wanted the business to feel like a faceless internet retailer. I want it to feel more like the kind of local outdoor shop I would want to buy from myself: personal, practical, trustworthy and run by someone who genuinely cares.
When you contact Wylie's Outdoor World, you come directly to me. I answer the phone, reply to emails, manage the website, add and optimise the products, test as much of the kit as I realistically can, and help customers before, during and after their orders.
That direct relationship with customers is not a temporary stage before the business becomes bigger. It is one of the main reasons Wylie's Outdoor World exists.
A small independent outdoor shop based in Thornton, Fife
I grew up in Glenrothes, later lived in Kirkcaldy and Leven, and eventually settled in Thornton. Fife has shaped a lot of who I am.
Wylie's Outdoor World may be an online outdoor shop, but it is not a brand invented in a boardroom or run by a distant call centre. It is a small Scottish business built from real experience, long working days, hard lessons and a genuine passion for the outdoors.
For me, the goal has never been to become a huge, faceless chain. I enjoy the business being personal. I want customers to know who they are dealing with, what I stand for, and why Wylie's Outdoor World is different.
The family values behind Wylie's Outdoor World
Two of the biggest influences in my life have been my grandfather and my father.
They shaped me in different ways, but both influences are equally important to me.
My grandfather helped nurture my love of the outdoors and taught me a great deal about integrity, character and how to conduct myself as a person. My father helped shape my understanding of work, business, discipline, responsibility and what it means to stand on your own two feet.
Between them, they gave me values that still sit at the heart of Wylie's Outdoor World today.
Andrew Wylie Senior, my grandfather, and my love of the outdoors
My love of the outdoors started long before Wylie's Outdoor World existed.
My grandfather, Andrew Wylie Senior, was a huge part of my formative years. He was a great man, and he is still sadly missed. He was strong, capable and powerful in presence, but also a gentle giant in many ways. He taught me a lot about integrity, how to treat people properly, and what it means to try to be a good man.
Some of my earliest memories are of walking through the woods with my grandad and the family dog, Zara. He had served in the military in his younger years and had a deep interest in foraging, woodwork, home brewing, hiking, camping and the outdoors. As we walked, he would point things out to me: trees, berries, plants and the different uses they had.
As a child, that opened up a whole new world.
The woods became more than somewhere to play. They became somewhere I felt peaceful. That feeling has never really left me. Whether I am alone or with company, I still find a sense of calm outdoors that I have never found anywhere else.
It is difficult to put into words what my grandfather meant to me, and still does. No matter how much I try, I will always feel like I am still trying to live up to the example he set.
My father, business discipline and personal responsibility
My father’s influence is just as important, but it shaped a different part of me.
While my grandfather helped shape my love of the outdoors, my father helped shape the discipline, responsibility and business mindset that I still rely on today. I am fortunate that my father is still very much part of my life, and what he thinks matters to me. I want to acknowledge his influence properly, because so much of the way I approach work, customers and responsibility has been shaped by him.
His influence really took root when I became a young adult and started working with him as a DJ. I have worked with him for almost all of my adult life, and I still do on occasion to this day. Through that, I did not just hear lessons about work and business; I saw them in practice.
I saw the organisation, preparation, planning and discipline that went into doing a job properly. I saw the importance of turning up prepared, thinking ahead, keeping promises, managing pressure and understanding that customers remember how you make them feel.
I also saw the less glamorous side of running a business: the work behind the scenes, the long hours, the responsibility, and the sacrifices most people never see.
One of the biggest lessons my father taught me was personal responsibility. He taught me that nobody was coming to save me. Not in a cold or uncaring way, but as a lesson in self-reliance. If I stumbled, I had to learn how to get back up, stand on my own two feet, take responsibility and find a way forward.
That lesson has stayed with me all my life. It has become part of my personality, but more importantly, it has become part of my character.
My grandfather and my father shaped me in different ways, but neither influence is more important than the other. My grandfather helped give me the roots of my outdoor life. My father helped give me the structure, discipline and resilience to build something from it.
Both of them are a huge part of the person behind Wylie's Outdoor World.
How I found my path into outdoor retail
As a teenager, I already had a deep passion for the outdoors, but I did not have a lot of money. That meant I had to improvise, make do, use my surroundings and learn practical skills along the way. Over time, I became increasingly interested in the survival side of the outdoors: not in a dramatic sense, but in the practical ability to understand kit, conditions and the environment around me.
My first official job was in a local army surplus shop called Franks Army Stores. That experience planted a seed. Even back then, I loved the idea of outdoor equipment, practical kit and specialist shops where customers could get advice from someone who understood what they were selling.
Before Wylie's Outdoor World, I worked in a wide mix of jobs and industries. Like most people, I did what I had to do to pay the bills. I worked in warehouses, factories, retail shops, salmon processing, order packing, website administration and management roles. I also worked professionally as a DJ, sound man, stage crew member, freelance graphic designer, freelance web developer and e-commerce consultant.
Looking back, all of those jobs taught me something. Some taught me discipline. Some taught me how to work under pressure. Some taught me how stock, logistics and customer expectations work behind the scenes. Others gave me the technical skills that would later help me build and manage my own website.
My path into business was not neat or straightforward, but it was real.
From specialist retail to outdoor kit I truly cared about
Before starting Wylie's Outdoor World, I managed a large company in the fishing and shooting trade. That experience taught me a great deal about specialist retail, customer service, logistics and the responsibility that comes with advising people on equipment.
But over time, I realised something important.
I cared deeply about giving customers good service, but I was not personally passionate about every product I was selling. Fishing, for example, was much more my father’s world than mine. He enjoyed the quiet rhythm of sitting by the water, casting a line and relaxing into the stillness. I respected that, but even as a boy I was wired differently. I was usually the one wanting to wander off, explore the woods, follow a path or see what was over the next rise.
That is where I found my connection with the outdoors.
I did not just want to sell products from catalogues or supplier descriptions. I wanted to build a business around kit I understood, used, tested and genuinely cared about. I wanted the advice I gave customers to come from first-hand experience wherever possible.
That was one of the driving forces behind Wylie's Outdoor World.
Building Wylie's Outdoor World as an independent outdoor shop
I started Wylie's Outdoor World in 2014 with a limited budget, very little security and a lot to rebuild. It took years for the business to properly find its feet, and there were plenty of difficult moments along the way.
Like many small UK outdoor retailers, we had to push through the disruption of Brexit, COVID and the wider effects those events had on the outdoor industry. There were times when it would have been easier to walk away, but I believed in what I was building.
A lot of my education has come through hands-on experience. I studied subjects including music production, sound engineering, electronic music systems, PAT testing, technical theatre and web design, but the lessons that shaped me most came from doing the work for real.
One person I will always be grateful to is Brian Mathers. Brian became a mentor, friend and confidant, and over the years he has shared a huge amount of knowledge with me about websites, search, online business and digital marketing. He helped steer me in the right direction at important moments, and some of the success I have had with Wylie's Outdoor World has been shaped by what I learned from him.
Today, I still build, manage and optimise the Wylie's Outdoor World website myself. The site has changed several times over the years as my knowledge and experience have grown, but the purpose has stayed the same: to help customers find outdoor gear they can trust, backed by honest advice and personal service.
In 2026, I also began building DrewWylie.com as a future home for my freelance e-commerce work and DJing. It is still in the early stages, but it represents another part of the same journey: learning by doing, building things properly, and using the skills I have developed over the years to help others where I can.
Testing DD Hammocks and outdoor kit in real conditions
In the earlier years of Wylie's Outdoor World, I was outdoors three to five nights a week, often regardless of the weather, using the same gear night after night so I could understand how it really performed.
One of the product ranges I know most deeply is DD Hammocks. I spent almost seven years working through and testing the DD Hammocks range in real conditions, learning what worked, what suited different users, and where customers could easily make the wrong choice.
It is impossible to personally test every product on the website and still run a sustainable business, but I do my best to build Wylie's Outdoor World around products I understand, trust and can advise on honestly.
These days, I am a little older and I do not go out as often as I once did. For a while, Wylie's Outdoor World took over almost every part of my life: testing, filming, creating content, running the website, helping customers and keeping the business moving forward. A few years ago, I made the decision to keep some of my own adventures private again, simply so I could enjoy the moment and find a healthier balance.
But the experience I built over those years still sits behind the advice I give customers today.
Why personal service matters at Wylie's Outdoor World
I know Wylie's Outdoor World will not always be the cheapest place to buy outdoor gear. I am comfortable being honest about that.
What I aim to offer is something I believe still matters: honest advice, real experience, personal support, and a small independent business that values every customer who chooses to shop with us.
When you buy from Wylie's Outdoor World, you are not only buying a product in a box. You are supporting an independent outdoor shop in Scotland where the owner is directly involved, where advice is based on real experience wherever possible, and where customer service still matters after the order has been placed.
Sometimes I will recommend a less expensive product if I think it is the better option. Sometimes I will steer a customer away from a poor combination of gear, or suggest a more flexible setup that gives them better long-term value.
That is what proper service means to me.
I would rather build long-term trust than chase a quick sale.
Thank you for considering Wylie's Outdoor World
If you have made it this far, thank you.
I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to read a little more about who I am, where Wylie's Outdoor World came from, and what has shaped the way I run the business today.
I know there are plenty of places to buy outdoor gear online. Some are bigger than us, some are cheaper than us, and some have far more resources behind them. But when you choose to shop with Wylie's Outdoor World, you are supporting a small independent business built on real experience, family values, hard work and a genuine love for the outdoors.
That support means more to me than I can properly put into words.
Every order, every returning customer, every kind message and every recommendation helps me continue doing a job that I do not just enjoy, but genuinely love. Without customers choosing to support this business, I would not be fortunate enough to spend my working life doing something I care about so deeply.
So whether you are looking for camping equipment, hammock camping gear, bushcraft kit, outdoor clothing, shelter systems or just a bit of honest advice before choosing your next piece of kit, I hope Wylie's Outdoor World can be of help to you.
And please know that my support does not stop after your order has been placed.
If you need advice before buying, help choosing between products, support after your order arrives, or guidance months later, you are always welcome to get in touch. I will always give you as much of my time as I reasonably can, because I value your custom and I value the trust you place in me.
You can contact me directly on 07566 216472.
That is the Wylie's Outdoor World business number, but it is also my personal mobile. If something is urgent outside normal office hours, please do not be afraid to phone me or reach out by email at info@wyliesoutdoorworld.com. I may not always be able to respond immediately, but I will always get back to you as soon as I am able.
Thank you again for reading, for considering Wylie's Outdoor World, and for supporting a small independent outdoor shop.
It is genuinely appreciated.
Drew Wylie
Owner of Wylie's Outdoor World
