All summer long, from Stockholm to Switzerland and points beyond, I was seeing Fjallraven Kanken Backpacks on everyone. Boys and girls, the young, the old, the in between all carrying this iconic bag. I had some serious Kanken envy.
I’ve long been a fan of Fjallraven Kanken backpacks.
It doesn’t hurt that there is a fox emblem and that the brand is committed to preserving the arctic fox (my son is “Fox”). But the reason I keep coming back to and using and loving these products is their simplicity and durability. They are made well and made to last forever. In fact, many of the line’s original 1978 bags are still in use today.
My daughter chose one the classic Fjallraven Kanken backpacks as her daypack for our European summer trip which had the added benefit of causing us to blend in, like natives. People were so sure that we were really Swedish, in Sweden, that they argued with us.
Fjallraven Kanken Backpack envy is a real thing!
Walking through assorted European capitals I found myself envious of Ani’s Fjallraven Kanken backpack. I’d brought an oversized, colorful nylon backpack that made me stand out as a tourist. It attracted bees and the rolling of eyes. The zipper on the front panel broke.
I vowed that I would get myself a Fjallraven Kanken backpack of my own for future travels! I just need to pick a color!
Why Fjallraven Kanken Backpacks are the real deal:
There’s nothing not to like about these classic water resistant canvas packs, especially now that they have been updated to accommodate laptops. That’s the Kanken #2 15 inch laptop bag pictured above, which my daughter is enjoying and we are reviewing for the 2016/17 school year. I love the leather hand straps and extra padding on the backpack straps on this one. It comfortably fits a 15 inch Macbook pro in the padded compartment.
The company also just introduced the Re-Kanken which is colorful and made from recycled materials.
My daughter is going back to school with the No. 2 laptop bag in her arsenal, though to be fair the original Kanken she’s carried through 15 countries, on a half dozen flights and thru the last year of high school is still in fine shape.
The only reason for an upgrade for her is to accommodate a laptop. Her new bag has a separate padded compartment for a laptop and a little more interior room for more/bigger books. It’s also got padded straps that make it more comfortable when there is more weight inside.
Of course, like the last one, it also has the top handles and this special edition has leather ones.
We are so in love with our Fjallraven Kanken bags. The bags hold a ton!
The company makes a padded insert for photographers as well, so I am excited to adapt a bag for my cameras. I’m just torn about what color to order up next for myself.
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