..."a crazy idea, fabrics from the internet, a lot of patience, two good friends and create something great." Tobi and Piet tell how the idea for 22ender started in 2019.

Piet and Tobi, the two founders of 22ender, have known each other for over 17 years and have always done a lot together - whether hiking, partying or skating. For Piet, nature and hunting is an affair of the heart. Early on he volunteered to help on farms throughout Germany. He then infected Tobi with his enthusiasm for nature, so at the age of 17 they went on a classic "holiday on the farm" near Hamburg together to get hands on there.

In the beginning, the two agree on suede & loden as the main components of the straps based on various reports. They order them online immediately. Following this, it quickly shows that it is not as easy to embroider a decent and visually appealing red deer on the loden as one might think. It takes almost two months before a suitable tailor is found who sews leather and an embroidery company that sews deer on fabric.

However, the first prototype does not look completely convincing. This first result spurs Tobi and Piet on to create the perfect belt. The extremely positive reactions of other hunters inspire both of them so that they can no longer resist of the idea. It is therefore now clear that a suitable producer must be found who represents the same values ​​and also does high-quality work. The search takes the founders through Portugal, Poland and other European countries until they finally find someone in Ukraine.

Igor is likeable to Piet and Tobi right from the start, so the three of them decide together to produce 22ender's next prototype.

The idea was born when 22ender was founded to offer two different colors for the embroidery - orange and pink. As the first prototypes from Igor arrive, we are absolutely amazed by his manual skills and the great quality of the straps! But ambition and perfectionism are also aroused, because now we want to make it into the Champions League of hunting fashion - and to do that, every little detail has to be perfect. All in all, it takes almost a year after the arrival of the very first sling until Tobi and Piet hold the final rifle sling in their hands. The project turned out to be more complex than expected, but the efforts of this challenge were worth it.

"Now we can finally reap the fruits of 2 years of work & passion by our allowed to offer thongs for sale."
- Tobi, co-founder 22ender

After the feedback towards the end of 2021 is so overwhelming that the first delivery is sold out before Christmas, re-orders are made immediately from the producers.

Igor also gets to work straight away, but - you guessed it - the first European war in a long time starts... Difficult times are ahead for Igor. In early 2022, he flees his hometown of Kharkiv, which is severely affected. In the next few weeks, the employees of 22ender will keep in touch with Igor as much as the situation allows it. 
Belt production? - Secondary.

We are discussung various solutions together on how to proceed. When Igor finally says, after several months of war, that he can finally return home and can produce more safely again, everyone is relieved.

22ender kept his producer and can support him financially in difficult times. He has his livelihood back in order to preserve at least some normality in his everyday life. From mid-August 2022 we are finally delivering again - and it is rumored that this year the 2nd generation of rifle slings will be presented in the form of a new design...