Young Explorers will:

" Only ever sell outdoor clothing and equipment that works well for purpose.

" Only sell products if we have first hand knowledge of the activity for which they are intended.

" Endeavour to cut through the jargon. For example, there are many trade names for fleece fabric but in truth all fleece which we sell is made of polyester. What you need to know is whether every polyester weave is of the same quality, rather than be blinded by the jargon used by some manufacturers and in some shops. We have led with this principle from Day 1 of trading.

" Give you background information about the manufacturers to help you make an informed decision.

" Never oversell. If you want to use just one set of thermals for a week of skiing we will not try and sell you a set for each day of the week.

" Not buy in a range, however impressive the brand name, if we are not satisfied with the technical standards of their range for young people.

" Never mislead our customers with bad advice, a particular bug-bear of ours. It continues to this day within both the retailing industry and amongst some 'respected' national consumer and travel journalists, potentially putting your own children at risk.

" Never sell just at the expensive end of the product range. If a product works well for purpose for a reasonable price, it will be included in our range.

" Not sell gimmicks or new concepts that have not been tried or tested over time or by ourselves first. We do not expect our customers to be the guinea pigs for a manufacturers' bright idea. For this reason you have not been offered a balaclava which does not let the user breathe, webbed gloves for swimming, other strange swimming devices and travel games which result in many pieces capable of being scattered.

" Not sell branded goods which for that reason alone result in a price rise.