Mountain Equipment: Highly Innovative Outdoor Equipment in Top Quality since 1961
In 1961, thirteen of the fourteen 8000-meter peaks were climbed, all high walls in the Alps were conquered, and both poles were reached. Mankind was looking for new goals and untouched peaks. Pete Hutchinson, the founder of Mountain Equipment, realized very early that in mountaineering the extreme cold and thin air were a great challenge. In a barn near Manchester, he developed lightweight, small-packable but very warm down overalls, down jackets and the first sleeping bags. Today, the brand, which was also among the first to use GORE-TEX®, fleece and softshell, is among the experts for reliable equipment in the most inhospitable regions of the earth.
Focus On Sustainability, Social Responsibility & Animal Welfare
Mountain Equipment never loses sight of one aspect: social responsibility. Mountain Equipment is a member of the independent Fair Wear Foundation, which promotes fair working conditions worldwide. In summer 2016, the company was one of only a few brands to be awarded "Leader Status" when 93% of all its producers were already subject to FWF monitoring. The Fair Wear Foundation certified Mountain Equipment's "high commitment to implementing social standards and fair purchasing conditions in the textile supply chain." In May 2019, the British company received the "Leader Status" award for the third time.
The company also focuses on environmental protection and animal welfare. In 2009, Mountain Equipment was the first outdoor brand to establish the DOWN CODEX®. Since 2012, each of the company's down sleeping bags has a 12-digit numerical code for down tracking. The information-rich report, which is obtained after entering it on the Mountain Equipment website, includes data on the origin, quality and nature of the down in the product. After a process lasting several years, the company has been in the fortunate position of being able to certify all down products with the high DOWN CODEX® standard since 2014. This guarantees, among other things, animal welfare that excludes stuffing and live plucking.
The DOWN CYCLE™ project is the next logical step for Mountain Equipment. The clothing and sleeping bags in this series are made from 100% recycled down and 100% recycled inner and outer material. The ultimate goal is to build a completely self-sufficient recycling system where every used Mountain Equipment down product is sustainably recycled and used to make new products. This leaves a sustainable footprint without a huge carbon footprint.
High Quality Clothing & Outdoor Equipment – Everything for Your Adventure
Success, know-how and the many tours you still want to go yourself spur the employees of Mountain Equipment on every day to further develop their products. In addition to down jackets, hardshells, softshell jackets, climbing pants, fleece clothing, functional shirts and accessories, the collection also includes down and synthetic fiber sleeping bags, backpacks and comfortable sleeping mats. On them you sleep almost as well as in your own bed!