The Exped story started in the early 1980s, in a basic log cabin deep in the Canadian wilderness. That might seem strange for a brand that is Swiss through and through. But it starts to make sense when you hear founders Heidi and Andi Brun talk about their wanderlust as young, twenty-something dreamers.

They built the cabin with their own hands and survived through the harsh winter by learning essential outdoor skills. Day-to-day existence relied on what nature provided – teaching them to live sustainably and with minimal impact. It also demonstrated clearly and simply that the most valuable thing to take into the great outdoors is knowledge, not equipment.

Their fledgling company started out as a distributor, bringing iconic outdoor brands to Switzerland. But soon, they became dissatisfied with other companies’ products. They felt they could do things better. So, they did, transitioning from distributor to manufacturer in 1997. What followed was a slew of pioneering products, from robust backpacking tents to down-filled sleeping mats. Generations on, many of those products are still part of the current Exped range – more refined, yet still built to work in the wild.