Category file · outdoor

Buy Swiss alpine gear
in the Swiss range.

Mammut, Ortovox, Scarpa, Suunto and the technical assortment Swiss mountain retailers actually carry.

Classified HS 4202.92 / 6211Rucksacks, technical clothing and alpine gear
The constraint is air, not weight

Alpine equipment is light and enormously bulky, so freight is charged on the volume rather than the mass — a 1.8 kg rucksack can be billed at over 4 kg. Compressible items pack down and ship well. Rigid ones do not, and anything with a gas cartridge or a lithium cell needs handling before it can fly at all.

4.2 kgVolumetric weight of a 1.8 kg rucksack. This is what you are charged for
81 CHF/kgValue density against chargeable weight, not actual weight
Repacked freeWe remove retail cardboard and compress, which routinely cuts a size band
No cartridgesGas canisters and avalanche airbag cylinders cannot fly on standard services

Where it can go

Swiss outdoor equipment,
destination by destination.

Admissibility is decided by what the goods are, not by what they cost. This is the row of the grid for Swiss outdoor equipment — every cell links to the full country file behind it.

Can it arrive · HS 4202.92 / 621111 clear · 5 conditional
United Statesclear

Admissible. Duty applies from the first franc since de-minimis ended.

 Japanclear

Admissible and duty free on most lines under the CH–JP EPA.

 United Arab Emiratesclear

Admissible. Standard 5% duty and 5% VAT.

 Singaporeclear

Admissible and duty free. GST at 9% on the landed value.

 Australiaconditional

Admissible, but used equipment with soil or plant matter on it is a biosecurity risk. New only.

 United Kingdomclear

Admissible and duty free with proof of Swiss origin.

 Canadaclear

Admissible and duty free of Swiss origin. Used kit carrying soil or plant matter is a CFIA concern, so we ship new only.

 Germanyclear

Admissible and duty free of Swiss origin. Cheapest freight on the board.

 Franceclear

Admissible and duty free of Swiss origin.

 Chinaclear

Admissible. Duty free on most lines under the CH–CN agreement.

 Indiaconditional

Admissible, but bulky equipment plus layered duty makes the landed cost high. Value density matters here.

 Saudi Arabiaclear

Admissible. 5% GCC tariff and 15% VAT.

 South Koreaclear

Duty free on originating goods under the EFTA–Korea FTA. PCCC required.

 South Africaconditional

Admissible but no origin relief. Used equipment carrying soil or plant matter is refused; we ship new only.

 New Zealandconditional

Admissible and new only. Biosecurity inspects for soil and plant matter, and we repack in compliant materials.

 Brazilconditional

Admissible, but bulk plus cascading tax makes most of this category uneconomic.
Clothing and equipment. Avalanche airbags, gas cartridges and lithium-cell devices are handled separately as dangerous goods. Showing 16 of 190 destinations — the full table is searchable, and every rule here is the same record that prices your quote.

Is it worth moving

Weight decides
more than duty does.

Air freight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, so what matters is value per chargeable kilo rather than value alone. A watch and a wheel of cheese are taxed similarly and shipped completely differently.

Freight as a share of goods valuetypical order → Japan
Swiss watches one watch3%
Swiss electronics one device6%
Swiss cosmetics two sets10%
Swiss coffee machines one machine11%
Swiss outdoor equipment a pack and a jacket22%
Swiss chocolate 20 boxes24%
Swiss cheese six pieces, 6.6 kg59%

At 81 CHF per chargeable kilo, Swiss outdoor equipment carries a moderate freight share on a realistic order. Sensible on its own, and better still consolidated with something denser.

Worth ordering

What is worth shipping.

Ranked by how well it compresses, because that is what you are actually paying to move.

  • ✓Technical clothing and downCompresses to a fraction of its retail packaging. The best freight economics in the category.
  • ✓Climbing hardwareDense, small and valuable. Carabiners, cams and protection ship almost free relative to their value.
  • ✓Ski touring bindings and skinsSwiss retailers carry a depth of touring equipment that most foreign shops do not.
  • ✓Mammut and Ortovox in the Swiss rangeThe domestic assortment is materially wider than the export one, particularly in fit and colourway.
  • ✓Avalanche transceiversA category where Swiss retail expertise and stock genuinely lead. Batteries removed for shipping.
  • ✓Boots, if you know your lastScarpa and La Sportiva in Swiss sizing. Rigid and bulky, so ship two pairs or none.

Not worth ordering

What does not work.

Mostly volume and dangerous goods. Both are predictable, so neither should be a surprise at quote.

  • ✕Gas cartridges and fuelProhibited on air services. Buy them where you will use them.
  • ✕Avalanche airbag cylindersCompressed gas. Cannot fly on standard services; the pack ships without the cylinder.
  • ✕Rigid bulky items on their ownA single helmet or one pair of boots cubes out badly. Pair them with compressible items.
  • ✕Used equipment to AustraliaSoil and plant matter on used gear is a biosecurity risk. New only for that destination.
  • ✕Anything with a large lithium cellSome headlamps and heated garments exceed air limits. We check the watt-hour rating first.
  • ✕Tents, unless you really cannot get themAmong the worst volume-to-value ratios we handle. We will quote it, and we will tell you it is poor value.

Handling

How we pack
and move it.

Category-specific handling, applied as standard rather than sold as an upgrade.

Repacking is freeRetail boxes are removed and soft goods compressed. This routinely drops a chargeable size band.
Volumetric arithmeticFreight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight. On this category volume nearly always wins.
Batteries outTransceivers and headlamps ship with cells removed or declared under UN 3481.
SizingSwiss and European sizing throughout. We will check a size chart against your usual size before buying.
SeasonalitySwiss season stock runs opposite to the southern hemisphere, which is precisely why Australian customers order here.

Where we buy it

The Swiss retailers
behind this category.

Each one has its own checkout wall, its own lead time and its own quirks. We hold accounts at all of them.

Galaxus

3/5 blocked
Sitegalaxus.ch
Broad alpine range with dependable stock data.

Digitec

3/5 blocked
Sitedigitec.ch
Electronics-adjacent gear: transceivers, watches, navigation.

Victorinox

3/5 blocked
Sitevictorinox.com
Knives and multi-tools for the same trips.

Questions

Buying Swiss outdoor equipment, answered.

Why is my rucksack quoted at more than it weighs?

Because air freight is charged on the greater of actual and volumetric weight, and outdoor equipment is mostly air. A 1.8 kg rucksack occupies enough space to be billed at about 4.2 kg. This is normal and it is not us adding margin — the carrier charges the same way. Our repacking removes retail cardboard and compresses soft goods, which frequently drops it a size band at no charge to you.

Can you ship a gas cartridge with my stove?

No. Compressed and flammable gas cannot travel on air services, and that includes the small screw-top canisters. Buy the stove from us and the fuel where you will use it. The same applies to avalanche airbag cylinders — we ship the pack, you source the cylinder locally.

Is the Swiss range really different?

Yes, and more than in most categories. Swiss mountain retailers carry depth in ski touring, alpine climbing and avalanche safety that general outdoor shops elsewhere do not, and Mammut and Ortovox both release fits and colourways domestically that never reach export distribution. Seasonality helps too — Swiss winter stock lands in the southern hemisphere's summer, which is exactly when Australian and New Zealand customers are planning.

Will my avalanche transceiver work abroad?

Yes. Transceivers operate on the international 457 kHz standard, so a Swiss unit is compatible everywhere. We ship it with the batteries removed, which is both a carriage requirement and better for the device.

Send your kit list. We will quote it packed down.

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