Wechsel began its journey in 1987 when Jörg Schulze, an avid outdoorsman, embarked on an expedition from the North Pole to Cape Town. Schulze, dissatisfied with the tents available, started creating his own prototypes using a domestic sewing machine. This led to the founding of Wechsel in 1994. Initially, the company focused on developing seven different tents and accessories, rigorously testing each design to ensure durability and functionality.
By 1996, Wechsel had released its first catalogue, and their tents quickly gained popularity, with Germany's leading outdoor retailer, Globetrotter, stocking them. This success extended internationally, with orders from the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and even the military sector. Wechsel's tents were trusted by organisations like WWF Germany for various projects.
Customer input has always been integral to Wechsel's design process. For instance, the Forum 4 2 tent was developed in collaboration with users from outdoorseiten.net, the largest German-speaking forum for outdoor sports. This customer-centric approach ensures that Wechsel tents meet the needs of real outdoor enthusiasts.
Wechsel prides itself on developing every tent in-house, from initial concept to final product. Their tents feature unique designs like the catenary cut ridge line, ensuring taut sidewalls. Wechsel is committed to quality, sustainability, and reliability, offering professional repair services and maintaining spare parts for older models.
Innovation is at the core of Wechsel's philosophy. They introduced features like the upside-down SR buckle, asymmetric inner tent shapes, and specially designed titanium poles. They were also pioneers in colour-coding tent components to simplify setup.
