Some people ease their way into adventure. For Angus Collins, it has shaped almost every chapter of his life. An ultra-endurance athlete and founder of Beyond Endurance, he has rowed the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans—with two Atlantic crossings to his name—and broken records each time. It’s a body of work that has led many to consider him the most successful ocean rower of his generation. Alongside those feats sits a quieter strength: his commitment to speaking openly about mental health and encouraging men to share their own stories.
For our latest edition of our Classic Men’s Looks, ‘The Adventurer’, we spent time with Angus to talk about life on the water, the lessons learned along the way and the new Corbett walking boot in Peanut Reverse Suede, worn here with clothing from our friends at Yarmouth Oilskins.
Where Adventure Begins
Angus speaks about the ocean with the kind of familiarity that only comes from growing up beside it. The water has been a constant through every stage of his life, shaping the way he sees the world and the way he moves through it.
“My attraction to demanding ocean environments stems from a combination of deep personal heritage and an appreciation for the natural world's dynamic power. Growing up, the sea was central to my life. With parents who were scuba diving instructors and a grandfather who achieved world champion status in sailing, a nautical life was essentially inherited.”
What pulls him back now is not just the place he grew up, but the temperament of the sea itself. Calm one moment, brutal the next, it forces him into complete presence.
“The rapid shift from serene, calm water at sunrise to battling surging waves during a thunderstorm forces immediate, total awareness. In this respect, confronting the demands of the sea is a genuine and effective form of meditation for me.”
Record-breaking ocean expeditions followed in the years ahead, each one testing him in new ways and sharpening his confidence at sea. By the time he looked toward his next challenge, he had spent more than 200 unsupported days on the water on a 9m rowing boat — experience that set the path toward something very different, and something that would demand more from him than distance alone.
A Challenge That Changed Everything
With the record-breaking ocean rows already behind him, Angus set his sights on a challenge no one had completed before: rowing around Great Britain solo and unsupported. It proved very different to the open-ocean crossings he knew so well.
Unpredictable weather systems pinned him down along the coastline, halting progress and forcing him to confront something he’d never faced in a boat: the possibility of not finishing.
“I was furious that I couldn’t move forward… angry with myself that I was unable to complete what I had set out to achieve.”
But the experience revealed something more valuable than another record. It brought into focus the gap between the advice he shared with other men and the pressure he placed on himself.
“I realised I wasn’t acting on the advice I give men about asking for help. I was confusing resilience with stubbornness… Once I accepted I wasn’t able to row further up the coast, I felt a form of peace.”
That shift — recognising when to stop and ask for help rather than push on — has shaped the way he thinks about challenge and resilience. Those lessons stayed with him long after he returned home.
Resilience, Purpose and Speaking Honestly
Angus speaks about resilience with a rare honesty. For years he believed his ability to push through extreme conditions without hesitation made him resilient. Over time, he realised it wasn’t always strength — sometimes it was avoidance.
“When I first started my expeditions, it really was for the love of adventure. However this did change, and it took me a long time to realise that the ‘freedom’ I felt when out at sea was turning into escape from issues I was facing on land.”
That understanding came only after a long, difficult period that forced him to take stock of what was really happening beneath the surface.
“Once I realised this, after a big mental breakdown over a number of years, I now choose to go on these adventures to tell my story, to show that even those who seem the most mentally resilient can mentally suffer in other circumstances, and that is what we need to talk about.”
It reshaped his sense of purpose. What once felt like solitude has become a platform for connection.
“I’ve always found it hard to tell the difference between resilience and stubbornness. For many of my challenges I didn’t have a purpose, other than to escape. Now I know what my purpose is: to help other men who struggle, to show that vulnerability is the way forward, that what we think of as weakness can be a form of strength, and that this is where true resilience is born.”
From that purpose comes a simple hope: that more men feel able to speak openly about what they’re carrying.
“I do feel that we as men are ready to have conversations about mental health, but very few of us are ready to actually start that conversation. We ask ‘How are you?’ every day, but we never think ‘How am I?’ We can only be resilient if we acknowledge how we’re feeling.”
“I’ve also learned that we shouldn’t feel pressure to give answers to those who talk to us about their problems. Being there and listening is often enough.”
Gear That’s Earned Its Place
Years of long-distance expeditions have taught Angus to choose kit that earns its place rather than fills space. He keeps things simple and relies on pieces that have proved themselves.
“Less is more. Get the basics right, find what’s comfortable, wear it in. If there’s one item I wouldn’t leave the house without, it’s a good sleeping bag.”
When conditions turn hard, two items stand out for him: that sleeping bag, and his Henri Lloyd Elite Ocean Smock — a piece he trusts when weather becomes unforgiving.
“I put this on rounding Land’s End when the weather changed… the waves doubled in size and the wind was howling. When I got into this foul-weather top, I felt invincible.”
Quality of manufacturing underpins all of it. “Craftsmanship is everything. I feel like it’s something we are missing in a lot of elements of clothing, including footwear. When I look for my expedition shoes, whether that be for an ocean rowing expedition, ultramarathons in the Namibian desert, or a few miles of hiking in the Scottish highlands, I want to know that my footwear is going to be comfortable and going to last. Knowing that I can rely on every stitch is vital to allowing me to thrive in the outdoors.”
A More Grounded Approach to Style
Angus credits his wife with shifting his everyday style towards something more considered, built around good materials and pieces that last.
“Before meeting Elsa, I would wear my expedition clothing all day, every day… I’m now more aware of choosing styles based on the day ahead. I love a thick knit wool jumper, a well-made T-shirt and a basic pair of jeans.”
He sees practicality and timelessness as two sides of the same coin. “For something to be timeless, it must be practical… Rarely do you see timeless clothing that isn’t built for use.”
The Corbett Boot
Trying the new Corbett in Peanut Reverse Suede, Angus immediately picked up on the details — the balance of the leather with the bright stitching and laces, and the outdoor associations that colour brings. “Orange is the colour of adventure… seeing it alongside the beautiful leather was awesome.”
Out on mixed terrain, the boot proved itself quickly. “The grip was awesome… and more importantly, the comfort. Stiff in the right places with good ankle support, but the suede was soft enough to walk in for hours.”
One detail in particular stood out. “The Gusseted Half Bellows Tongue shows this is a boot you can wear in town but also take through rough, wet terrain. You rarely see this with leather boots.”
His summary is straightforward: “Rarely does a boot hit both performance and style at the same time, but Tricker’s nailed it. I will be taking these for a hike in the Brecon Beacons in January next year and cannot wait.”
Looking Ahead
After years of demanding expeditions, Angus’s focus is shifting toward bringing men together outdoors — creating space to talk, reflect and steady themselves.
“My next chapter is to take men into the outdoors and talk to them about mental health. It’s where I find peace and think clearly, so I hope to pass that on.”
He now runs a quarterly Men’s Walk & Talk, built around steady miles and open conversation.
His biggest lesson from recent years is a simple one.
“You don’t have to row an ocean to be proud of yourself… Pride can come from the smallest of things.”
And his message to readers is firm:
“We all need time to stop, think, acknowledge and act. It’s not selfish, it’s necessary.”
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Follow Angus on Instagram and LinkedIn, or learn more at beyondendurance.co.uk
Shop the Corbett Walking Boot in Peanut Reverse Suede
