This is a review for the Fjallraven Kanken pack in the Classic size, Graphite color.
++++
I've wanted one of these packs for over a year, after I found out about them while researching
a backpack that wouldn't make me feel like a turtle stretching my neck out (Jansport I love you
but I'm looking right at you).
Most students in the states have the good old Jansport backpack, I actually still have the one I used throughout high school. They come w/ a nifty lifetime guarantee and they're weather resistant, etc. and they are VERY hardy - there's only one tiny hole at the bottom of my red JS, and that's
because I was a bit careless on a school trip & scraped it on various rocky surfaces
(fyi we went to Death Valley so rocky surfaces were a given).
Overall a good backpack but personally I wanted something with a boxier, smaller appearance that would maintain its shape (Jansports tend to really bag and sag when you put something in them).
++++
The Fjallraven Kanken is like the Swedish version of the Jansport.
Little kids get them for school & they're designed to last forever - the cute little nametag on the inside
of mine says that some of the original Kanken from 1978 are STILL in use today!
They're made of a special material that makes the pack VERY lightweight - therefore avoiding any
unnecessary extra weight, as well as being rain-proof (not that we need that in San Diego).
They're not very common in SD - at least the area I live in, but there are quite a lot of
bloggers/photographers/travelers who've written reviews online as well.
I was able to find it on AMAZON for 54.00 USD (pre-tax) for this specific color.
Different colors cost more or less on Ebay and Amazon as I've noticed.
(All colors cost the same on the Fjallraven site but they're often soldout of the more popular ones.)
GRAPHITE looks a lot darker and more grey in the photo from the website (see top of post).
In reality it's much more of a deep blue-grey, very attractive & universal. I was looking for this one
specifically to avoid dirt showing up, and it goes well with my outfits/style.
The little fox circular label on the front doubles as a light reflector (probs for kids crossing streets).
This pack looks small but that's hardly the case!
I was able to cram a ton of things in there, and it STILL zipped up well and kept
a nice, boxlike shape (exactly what I wanted).
It also has a sitting pad - a thick square of foam padding that's in a pocket inside
the back of the bag. That helps it keep shape, and I suppose it's also
good for picnics or if you want to sit somewhere that's not exactly the cleanest.
I was able to fit: sunglasses, 1" width hair straightener, makeup pouch, pencil pouch, mac n' cheese cup, 14" laptop (had to take that out to make this post though), laptop cord, mouse, phone charger cord & wallplug, 3DS XL, headphones, wallet, sportsbra, Nook ebook, Moleskine blk notebook, Moleskin dayplanner, 2 bananas, breakfast bagel, grapes in a ziplock, my phone, and my Tervis cup.
....and there was STILL room left at the top.
Note though that a 14" laptop is probably the largest size laptop you can carry in this; it fit nearly exactly, with just enough wiggle room at the top that it wasn't hard to get my laptop out later.
Granted these things are quite heavy and in a totebag they do make my shoulder sore, but
I carried my pack around for 30 mins as a testrun (and a donut/snacks run).
The straps ARE thin and so I expected it might hurt (even though the pack's supposed to be
designed to prevent that).... and it didn't hurt, like it said it wouldn't.
In my opinion it's on par with the Longchamp bag's handle design - I don't really understand how the Kanken's straps are less straining than the padded, thick Jansport straps but I'll go with it!
RATING: 4.5/5 STARS!
The only reason I took .5 off is because I wish these were made in leather, or with leather straps,
not necessarily for the sake of lasting long (the bag's already designed to do that!) but more
for the appearance/contrast of leather with the bag's main cloth.
Hey, just wanted to say Kanken do have a No.2 or something edition which is a little pricier but has leather on the edges if you wanted to give that a go :)
ReplyDeleteHey, just wanted to say Kanken do have a No.2 or something edition which is a little pricier but has leather on the edges if you wanted to give that a go :)
ReplyDelete