About Steve Cleverdon
I test outdoor gear so you don’t have to!
Hey, I’m Steve
Here’s My Story
I’m based in East Sussex, and I spend a lot of time outdoors. Paddleboarding rivers at dawn, hiking long trails when life allows, and camping in places where the only noise is the wind. This blog is where I write about all of it — honestly, from experience, without the fluff.
I started stevecleverdon.com in 2023, and what began as a general outdoor blog has gradually leaned further and further into paddleboarding. Not because I planned it that way, but because the more I wrote about it, the more I loved it. That’s probably the best recommendation I can give the sport.
The Inspiration
What got me into all of this
Growing up, I didn’t think of myself as someone who’d walk the length of a country or trek through rainforests. That changed when I started reading about people who did. Al Humphreys, who cycles across continents and writes brilliantly about why ordinary people should do extraordinary things. Mark Beaumont, who cycled around the world in record time. And Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman — The Long Way Round — which I watched and immediately thought: I want to do something like that.
That’s the honest answer for why I ended up in New Zealand with a rucksack and a loose plan. Those people made it feel possible.
My first BIG adventure
The New Zealand walk – And What Came Next
In 2010, I walked the length of New Zealand. Not along a set trail — largely roadside, moving as fast as I could, chasing a Guinness World Record attempt. I did it in 66 days. I was completely broke by the end, but I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
The plan after that was to travel overland from Singapore back to London. I got about two weeks in before disaster struck.
On a trip into the Bornean rainforest – Taman Negara, we visited a tribal village by river canoe. We spent the afternoon there, playing in the water, diving into the shallows, but then, I misjudged a dive, hit my forehead on the sand beneath the water, and cracked my C1 vertebrae. A broken neck, in the middle of the jungle.
I was literally in the middle of nowhere, so I had to get back on a dugout canoe and travel back downriver over light rapids, find a local doctor in a small village, then spend 12 hours in an ambulance through the jungle to reach a hospital large enough to confirm what had happened. From there, a transfer to Kuala Lumpur, a week in hospital, a halo vest screwed into my skull, and a flight home to London for five months of recovery.
In a situation like this, you’ve got two choices — let it break you, or find the funny side. I’ve always tried to find the funny side. So the halo vest got a Transformer badge stuck to it, because kids kept pointing at me in the supermarket and calling me one, and I grew a mohawk. At Christmas, my friends decorated me with tinsel and baubles.
I made a full recovery. No recurring issues. And within a year of the injury, I completed the GR20 in Corsica in 2013 — widely considered one of Europe’s toughest long-distance trails. Partly because I wanted to, and partly because I needed to prove to myself that I still could.
Since then, I’ve walked the West Highland Way, the South Downs Way, and more. Long-distance hiking is something I genuinely love — it’s just harder to disappear for weeks at a time once you’ve got a family. So I’ve found other ways to get outdoors more regularly.
My greatest Passion
A word on snowboarding
If I’m being honest, snowboarding is my biggest passion. More than paddleboarding, more than hiking. When I lived in New Zealand, I was on the slopes at Ruapehu in the North Island as much as I could manage. Since breaking my neck and coming home, I only made it out once — France, about eight or nine years ago — and then life kept getting in the way.
This year, I finally got back on the snow, on a ski trip to Bansko in Bulgaria. Absolutely loved every second of it. Getting back into snowboarding properly is firmly on the list.
On the water
How I got into paddleboarding
A few years ago, I borrowed a board from a family member — just to give it a go. That was it. I was hooked immediately.
When I started the blog, a handful of brands were kind enough to gift me boards to review while I was just getting started. Wave sent me the Tourer. Bluefin sent the Cruise. Decathlon gifted me the Itiwit kayak. Without that early support, building the kind of hands-on content I wanted to produce would have taken a lot longer. So genuinely — thank you to those brands.
Since then, I’ve tested a lot of kit, written a lot of reviews, and spent a lot of time on the water. What I didn’t expect was quite how deeply I’d fall for the sport itself. I paddle rivers mostly — I love the sense of moving through a landscape, the feeling that you’re going somewhere. My favourite sessions are solo, early morning, out before sunrise, on the water as the light comes up. There’s nothing quite like it.
But paddleboarding is also one of the most social things I do. Evening paddles with friends. Family days on the river with a picnic strapped to the board. Weekend trips where everyone piles on boards and just messes about. It works for all of it, which is rare.
Life outdoors
What I do now
I’m based in East Sussex, which means I’ve got the South Downs on my doorstep, rivers like the Cuckmere and the Ouse within easy reach, and the coast never far away. I spend time in Cornwall and Dorset in the summer too, plus I get over to Wales or the Lakes whenever possible. There’s no shortage of places to paddle, hike, or camp — and I’m slowly working through all of them.
The blog covers three things: paddleboarding, hiking, and camping. In terms of content, SUP is my main focus right now — board reviews, accessories, destination guides for UK spots. But come winter, when getting on the water every week isn’t always realistic, hiking and camping content picks up. The three topics genuinely reflect how I spend my time outdoors.
I also worked at Macpac — New Zealand’s leading outdoor brand — during my time living there. That’s where I developed a proper understanding of gear: materials, construction, what the specs actually mean in the field versus what the marketing says. It informs how I review everything.
My process
How I review gear
Every review on this site is based on real use. I don’t write about gear I haven’t tested, and I don’t dress up gifted kit as something it’s not. If something’s disappointing, I say so. If something’s genuinely good, I tell you why — with specifics, not superlatives.
Brands I’ve worked with include Wave SUPs, Bluefin, Osprey, Berghaus, Passenger, Grand Trunk, and Active Era, among others. Some relationships are gifted review arrangements. Some are affiliate. I’m transparent about all of it — you’ll find the full disclosure in my editorial guidelines.
Other work
Beyond the blog
Starting this site gave me an unexpected new obsession: SEO. I got genuinely nerdy about how content ranks, how sites are built, and what actually drives organic traffic. That led me to launch Ready Rank — an SEO and web design agency based in East Sussex, where I help small businesses build websites that actually get found.
On the writing side, I’ve contributed to outdoor publications beyond this blog too. I started out writing for Backpackers.com, an American-based outdoor publication, and over a couple of years worked my way up to lead editor. I’ve also written for Go Backpacking. If you’re looking for an experienced outdoor writer who understands SEO and knows how to write for an audience — not just for search engines — that’s something I’m always open to discussing.
Collaborations
Work with me
There are a few ways we can work together:
Sponsored reviews and content — I work with outdoor brands on sponsored articles, gear reviews, and destination content published here on stevecleverdon.com. My audience is UK-based outdoor enthusiasts across paddleboarding, hiking, and camping. Every piece of sponsored content is clearly disclosed and written to the same standard as everything else on this site.
Guest posts and editorial work — I’m open to writing for other outdoor publications, blogs, and brands. I write in British English, I understand SEO, and I know how to make technical gear content readable for a general audience.
UGC and product video — I’ve produced user-generated content and product videos for brands too. If you need authentic on-the-water or on-the-trail footage that doesn’t look like it was filmed in a studio, get in touch.
For full details, stats, and previous work, head to my work with me page or drop me a message directly.
The mission
Why this blog exists
Honestly? Because I got tired of reading gear reviews written by people who’d clearly never used the thing they were writing about. Specs copied from a manufacturer’s page. Vague praise. No sense of whether it’d actually hold up in the real world.
I wanted something different — reviews and guides written by someone who’s actually on the water, on the trail, in the tent. Someone who’ll tell you if the pump is a pain to use, if the board tracks badly in a crosswind, if the sleeping bag isn’t as warm as the label suggests.
That’s what I try to do here. I hope it’s useful.
Brands & collaborations
Brands I’ve worked with
Every brand on this list has been featured through hands-on testing, gifted review arrangements, affiliate partnerships, or sponsored content. My editorial standards apply equally to all of it.
Want to work together?
I work with outdoor brands on sponsored reviews, gear guides, and content creation. If you make gear worth talking about, I’d love to hear from you.