The story of Grüezi bag

How Grüezi bag® was created

Markus Wiesböck is the founder, owner, and product developer of Grüezi bag®. Entrepreneurs like him have become rare: taking personal risks, possessing diverse talents, and always on the lookout for unique innovations.

In 1987 he completed his training as a retail salesman in the sleeping bag department of a large sports store and, as an enthusiastic outdoor fan, opened his own outdoor shop in 1996. 

He began with the vision of the perfect sleeping bag. first for other brands, to develop sleeping bags. But eventually, Markus wanted to implement the wishes and suggestions of his customers and his own ideas: in 2010, his first own synthetic fiber sleeping bags came onto the market under the company name "Kultschlafsack GmbH" - with a striking pattern - and a striking song!

The vision of the perfect sleeping bag

Now was the opportunity to develop his dream sleeping bag: made from natural materials with a comfortable cut. So, almost 30 years ago, he started with a brilliant business idea and a great deal of innovation and willingness to take risks. He founded the brand "Grüezi bag®" and in 2015 developed the "Biopod Wool Zero" sleeping bag. With this, he won the prestigious ISPO Industry Award 2015, and further awards followed.

The first Grüezi bag products will be launched in 2016, followed by the first DownWool in 2017.®Sleeping bag. In 2018, the first sleeping bag made from 100% natural raw materials was developed. In 2019, the home collection expanded the outdoor range with a heated feature and a climate-regulating wool blanket. In 2020, the heated DownWool hybrid collection expanded the sleeping bag collection, and from 2022 onwards, the DownWool®-Jackets on the market.

And here is Markus’s personal experience report:

Almost 40 years of sleeping bag experience

During my apprenticeship, naturally in the sleeping bag department of a large sportswear store with almost every brand, I learned a lot about sleeping bags. But the best teachers were the customers. They expressed their wishes and opinions, and I memorized them. Later, in my own outdoor shop, I was able to gather further information over the course of 20 years. During this time, I also began developing sleeping bags for other brands. But then I wanted to tackle the task of implementing my customers' wishes and suggestions to finally create the perfect sleeping bag.

How it all began

First the idea, then it all went wrong! My first attempt in 2012 to realize my idea and have custom sleeping bags produced by a large sleeping bag company was a flop. It was all about profit, and that made it virtually impossible to implement my ideas. As so often happens, it ended in arguments and court cases. Now I was left wondering: "Should I give up? Hmmm, no, I don't give up that easily!" So I googled like crazy and looked for a sleeping bag company. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a suitable manufacturer in Germany or the surrounding countries. So I continued looking in Asia. I was a bit nervous. After a long search, I found three companies. Okay, I gathered up all my courage, got on the plane, and off to Asia. 

Adventure China

After a 14-hour flight and at least three checks at security stations to see if I had a fever (the Chinese like to do that), I was in Shanghai. Oh dear, a bit bigger than Munich – and a bit confusing. I had three manufacturers' addresses that I wanted to visit on the very first day.
We got into a taxi and went to the first one. But it wasn't so easy to find. We went down a small side street, and the taxi stopped in front of a kind of garage. Hey, what's that, are we right? Oh dear, a garage company—it looked bigger online. After two minutes of small talk, it was clear they couldn't do it.
On to the next address, high-rise building, floor 10, room 50000001. Hmm, the room is small, but full of food and two sleepy Chinese people. Nobody sews sleeping bags here, so that's out of the question.
Off to the third address. Wow, a huge company – they'd be okay. They've been making sleeping bags for decades. I was also greeted by the boss. However, my order volume was too small for them. I wanted many models, not just one. Mmph – discouraged, I went to the hotel.

Give up or keep going? I had a good friend in Germany with ties to China. Okay, I'll call him, after all, I'm here for a week. And what else am I supposed to do? I was lucky: He knew the manager of a large German computer company that produces there. My friend even arranged a meeting right away.
So I drove into the huge new office and found myself face to face with a very high-ranking employee. And—he was actually really nice! Wow! He had some employees pick out companies that could make sleeping bags, and then we drove to the companies in his limousine. That made a completely different impression, heheheh! And sure enough, a large company that also produces for other sleeping bag brands accepted.

Wow: The cult sleeping bag was born! And nothing was a problem. I was able to implement all the designs and cuts. And they even made the materials I wanted for me. That's how it works. (They just need to rework the food thing in China. Man, I felt sick. They eat some really good stuff: chicken claws, eels, and other unidentifiable things, yuck!)
The hardest part was implementing my designs. I had to develop and print every fabric myself. Something like that had never been done before. And sometimes I was shocked by how much work it would take. If a sleeping bag design has 10 colors, you need 10 giant aluminum rolls, each 5 meters long and 60 centimeters in diameter, as negatives. And they're expensive. But that's what makes my sleeping bags special. Many, many samples were made, cuts were adjusted, more filling was added, and different materials were selected.

On to TÜV SÜD in Shanghai (yes, they have one there, and they're Bavarian, too). They test it to the max to ensure your sleeping bag not only feels good, but also complies with all regulations.

Finally finished: A synthetic sleeping bag you won't want to let go of. So soft and cozy, technically sophisticated, and simply the kind you just have to lie down in. And the design is cool!

The first down sleeping bag - Spider Down

My masterpiece in 2014 was a down sleeping bag. I'd been planning it for almost 20 years. A new chamber system, new materials. That was really difficult! Again, a friend from Germany did the groundwork, and I was able to meet with a down sleeping bag expert in China. I showed her my new concept. She was very critical. Very, very critical, and calculated everything: thermal performance, weight, material costs, etc. And she actually had a sample made.

I couldn't believe it: It was better than I had imagined! I had copied the chamber system from nature; it was structured like a spider's web, so the down wouldn't slip. And they had embroidered my spider in the middle. I wanted merino wool in the foot area, which keeps feet dry and warm and prevents odors. High-quality outer and inner materials, a 90/10 down ratio, and a small pack size were also what made the Spider Down stand out. It had everything. I was able to return to Germany.

My conclusion about China: The Chinese are very nice. You just have to understand them: They're people like us, only they think a little differently. But after a few beers, we're all the same.

From 2016: Grüezi bag® is born and wool is part of it

We finally had a foothold with specialist retailers, and I was able to achieve the volumes needed to develop even better sleeping bags. Naturally, I wanted to use a natural material. I've always loved wool. I've slept much better in bed since using wool bedding and wool underpads. Plus, Merino wool clothing has always been much more comfortable for mountain sports.

Why shouldn't the many great properties of wool also work in a sleeping bag?

So just fill your sleeping bag with wool and see what happens. :-)

But unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. The first wool sleeping bag was much too heavy, and after washing, the filling disappeared and the washing machine clogged. But who gives up so easily? I tried many different patterns with different cuts, chambers, wool blends... It didn't work. The sleeping bag either didn't keep you warm, was too heavy, couldn't be washed, or was all of the above. I was close to giving up. But I don't give up that easily.

The problem was that you need a lot of wool in a sleeping bag, and that a lot of wool can shrink significantly when washed. Then came the idea of ​​stabilizing the wool with cornstarch and incorporating a new type of wool into the sleeping bag.

Now it was time to get testing underway. Thermal imaging, test subjects, and lab tests (all of which cost a lot of money) were carried out. Money was slowly becoming terribly tight, as we had to do a lot of testing beforehand, and a lab test can cost up to €2.000. Even though it was quite cost-effective, I didn't let that dissuade me.

And after what felt like the hundredth sleeping bag pattern, the ultimate wool sleeping bag was finally born. Small, lightweight, washable. Just as it should be: The Biopod Wool Zero. So I finally had my dream sleeping bag.

The reactions to the first wool sleeping bag were enthusiastic. Our Biopod Wool Zero was awarded a Outdoor Industry Award, 2016 with the Editor's Choice from Outdoor Magazine and in 2017 with the German Design Award awarded.

Grüezi bag in a show

After a long evening of watching TV, I came up with the idea of ​​applying for the TV show "Mit den Löwen." Imagine my surprise when I received an invitation. And how excited I was when, on the day of the recording, it was finally my turn to pitch after hours of waiting.

I shouldn't have been so nervous: The lions loved my sleeping bags and wanted to join in. Ralf Dummel even doubled its offer.

We thank you very much for the offer. But since I want to continue developing innovative sleeping bags (sometimes unprofitably, but with great passion), I've decided to drive the company forward on my own.

2017: The comfort miracle - Biopod Hybrid Wool/Down

After we finally got a wool sleeping bag, there was still one problem. Wool is great down to just above zero degrees Celsius, but below that you need down to keep the sleeping bag from getting too heavy. The next problem was that down tends to slip and is difficult to wash and dry. So we started all over again. Test, try, test, try.

The solution was to turn the down into down fleece in a single process. This down fleece could no longer slip. And the highlight: The sleeping bag is super easy to wash and dry without the down clumping together. The new Biopod Hybrid Wool/Down - our new star in the sky. This was another great success for Outdoor Magazine. Editor's Choice This is how we won the coveted Sleeping Bag of the Year award for the second time in a row.

But as with all good things, there was a problem. The production costs of down fleece are very high. That's why we've only made one model with it so far. For me, however, the Biopod Hybrid Wool/Down is one of the best and easiest-care down sleeping bags on the market.

2018: The next wool innovation tackles low temperatures

To improve insulation performance below zero degrees while maintaining a lightweight construction, we conducted extensive testing with down and wool. How can we optimally combine down and wool so that the sleeping bag is washable, climate-regulating, and warm even down to 0°C? The results of this series of tests won the 2017 Outdoor Industry Award: Our Biopod DownWool SeriesWhat sounds so easy turned out to be incredibly difficult: At first, the down wouldn't bond with the wool, and I thought the more wool, the better. Through numerous tests, I discovered, first, the optimal amount of wool, and second, how to mechanically bond the wool to the down.

The future is wool!

Many new models have been added in recent years. DownWool® is our proprietary insulation material; it acts like a lightweight, natural air conditioner, creating a wonderful sleeping environment. It's lightweight and packs down small.

We've bucked the trend by optimizing our products for an excellent sleeping environment. The trend is toward ever lighter sleeping bags that soon become as tight as sausage skins. We're not going along with that. Our sleeping bags are lightweight and pack small, but not the lightest. However, they're comfortably cut, and you'll sleep well.

We also use DownWool® filling in our DownWool jackets to create a dry, comfortable wearing climate inside the jacket.

We're not standing still, we're continuing to develop. Stay tuned for what's to come!

We also always care about the environment, more here.