Deuter's story starts in 1898 with mailbags — Hans Deuter's Augsburg workshop supplied the Royal Bavarian Post before anyone had thought of a technical backpack. That changed in 1930 with the Tauern, the pack mountaineer Hermann Buhl carried on his legendary solo first ascent of Nanga Parbat in 1953.
Deuter kept innovating from there, patenting the ventilated Aircomfort back system in 1984 and inventing the modern child carrier in 1996. More than 125 years on, it's still one of the most trusted names in backpacks anywhere in the world.
That heritage still shows up in the field: Deuter packs remain a common sight on professional expedition teams, more than 125 years after the company's first mailbag left the workshop.
Our DNA
Made by mountain people, for mountain days.
More than 125 years in the Alps, guided by three enduring disciplines.
Mountain sports pioneers
Equipment built by people who are active climbers, skiers and guides first. Every prototype is proven on rock, snow and trail long before it reaches a catalogue.
Freedom to go further
A pack should disappear on your back. Carrying comfort, honest engineering and gear that simply works are what give you the freedom to stay out longer.
360° responsibility
Resource-efficient manufacturing, products built to last for decades and fair conditions for everyone who makes them — a duty taken as seriously as performance.
The deuter Promise
One promise, kept in three parts.
The deuter Promise is the company-wide framework that turns good intentions into measurable work. Progress is published, reviewed and openly reported — including the parts still unfinished.
- 01
Planet
Climate, materials and chemistry.
- Signed up to the UN-backed Race to Zero through the SME Climate Hub
- Carbon footprint measured across the company and the supply chain
- PFAS-free finishes and recycled main fabrics across the range
- Repair service and spare parts to keep packs in use for decades
- 02
People
Fair work, from Augsburg to the factory floor.
- Fair Wear Foundation Leader status for supply-chain labour standards
- A small circle of long-term factories, usually one per product group
- Reliable orders and realistic lead times to avoid forced overtime
- Binding Schwan-STABILO code of conduct for every employee
- 03
Principles
Governance that makes the rest happen.
- Sustainability owned at management level, reviewed in regular meetings
- A dedicated CSR and quality team across environmental and social topics
- "Together for 360° Responsibility" embedded in every department's goals
- Clear rules translated into standards for deuter and its partners
Our history
From mailbags to mountain tops.
1898
A weaving mill in Augsburg
Hans Deuter opens a mechanical canvas and linen mill in Augsburg-Oberhausen. Its first big customer is the Royal Bavarian Post, which orders mailbags by the thousand.
1910
Knapsacks, mess tents and saddlebags
The army becomes a major customer, and Deuter starts making load-carrying equipment rather than simply the cloth it is cut from.
1930
The Tauern
Deuter's first mountaineering pack. Sturdy canvas, leather straps and a shape that expeditions trusted for decades — including Hermann Buhl on Nanga Parbat in 1953.
The Tauern — canvas and leather, built for the Alps 1968
Shoulder straps that follow the body
The S-shaped shoulder strap arrives, the first of many fit refinements that come from watching how people actually carry a load.
1984
Aircomfort
A tensioned mesh suspended away from the back solves the sweaty-back problem for good. Still patented, still copied, still the reason a deuter feels cooler on a climb.
Aircomfort, 1984 — the ventilated mesh back 1996
The modern child carrier
The Kid Comfort turns carrying a child into proper mountain equipment — TÜV-tested, adjustable and safe enough to take onto a real trail.
2006
SL — built for women
The Slim Line fit is developed with female mountain guides and athletes: narrower shoulders, shorter backs, differently shaped hip fins.
Standards & systems
Independent proof behind the promise.
bluesign® / bluepass
Partner since 2008. An independent framework for chemical management, worker and consumer safety and resource use in textile production.
Green Button
Certified since 2021 under the German government's textile label, which combines corporate due diligence with verified product requirements.
Fair Wear Foundation
Independent assessment of working conditions in the supply chain, with deuter rated at Leader status.
ClimatePartner
Emissions measured, reduced and transparently reported with an external partner rather than self-declared.
Partnerships & initiatives
Nobody protects a mountain alone.
DST — Sustainable Textiles
German multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together companies, government, unions and civil society on textile due diligence.
European Outdoor Group
Industry association through which outdoor companies share knowledge and work on shared standards.
EOCA
The European Outdoor Conservation Association, jointly funding nature conservation projects across the continent.
Protect Our Winters
Climate advocacy that mobilises the outdoor community — the mountains deuter builds for are the ones at risk.
1% for the Planet
Supporting One Earth – One Ocean's "Clean Water for the Irrawaddy Dolphins" project through a dedicated product programme.
Nepalhilfe Beilngries
Since 2013, funding schools and social infrastructure in Nepal — the country whose porters and guides carry deuter every day.