{"id":163141,"date":"2020-10-02T14:20:30","date_gmt":"2020-10-02T21:20:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=163141"},"modified":"2020-11-02T13:14:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-02T21:14:11","slug":"fjallraven-kanken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/fjallraven-kanken","title":{"rendered":"How Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven Right-sized the Bookbag"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the Heritage content series<\/a>, sponsored by Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

As it turns out, bigger isn\u2019t always better\u2014especially when it comes to backpacks. A bigger load can result in a heavier one that leaves you aching after just a few steps. So when Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven<\/a> founder \u00c5ke Nordin decided to design a bookbag for schoolchildren, he made something so small and unassuming that it hardly looked likely to become the iconic backpack it is today.<\/p>\n

It was the K\u00e5nken<\/a>, named after the Swedish word k\u00e5nka<\/em>, meaning to lug something around. And in 1978, when Nordin hatched his idea for a children\u2019s school pack, Swedes were fed up with load-lugging.<\/p>\n

Back then, Swedish kids typically carried their books in messenger bags that weighted one shoulder only. \u201cBackpacks did exist,\u201d but only hikers used them, explains Henrik Andersson, head of innovation and design at Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven (pronounced \u201cfyell reven\u201d<\/a>), a Swedish company with North American headquarters in Louisville, Colorado. Backpacks weren\u2019t trendy among school-goers or commuters, he says.<\/p>\n

As a hiker, Nordin knew that a well-designed backpack could haul stuff without causing the kind of back pain that Sweden\u2019s citizens were experiencing. After all, he\u2019d launched Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven in 1960 with a simple, aluminum-frame hiking pack. After reading a newspaper article reporting 80 percent of Swedish adults and children admitted to experiencing back pain from using shoulder bags, Nordin hatched his solution: a backcountry backpack for use at school and around town.<\/p>\n

\"Fjallraven

Photo courtesy of Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven.<\/p><\/div>\n

Then and now, Swedish kids didn\u2019t always stick to paved sidewalks. The country\u2019s tradition of skogsmulle<\/em>\u2014an outdoor preschool with a nature-based curriculum\u2014encouraged Swedish youth to play outside. Consequently, Nordin designed his K\u00e5nken with a removable foam back panel cushion that doubled as a comfy seat when the child sat in the woods or on a wet bus stop bench.<\/p>\n

That removable foam pad was the K\u00e5nken\u2019s standout feature. Beyond that, the pack\u2019s appearance was plain: it included just one pocket\u2014a roomy exterior pouch with a zipper, two webbing shoulder straps and a carrying handle. The square shape mimicked that of the three-ring binders that kids typically carried. With limited capacity, there was only enough room for just two binders, plus maybe a book or a jacket. The backpack\u2019s modest capacity compelled the wearer to bring only what they truly needed.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because the backpack lacked a distinct personality, it let Swedes embrace it as their own. By 1980, after just two years on the market, more than 30,000 K\u00e5nkens had been sold. Skogsmulle<\/em> children adopted them, and students found them to be much more comfortable than messenger totes and more practical for bicycle commuting.<\/p>\n

\"Fjallraven

Photo courtesy of Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven.<\/p><\/div>\n

As a model of Scandinavian efficiency and practicality, this humble backpack became a beloved Swedish icon.<\/p>\n

In 2008, Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven refreshed the K\u00e5nken by releasing it in a dazzling array of colors that offered more pop and pizazz than the basic reds, greens and blues that had made it a classic. The expanded palette broadened the pack\u2019s global appeal and attracted devotees in Japan, the U.S. and South Korea (where a popular boy band embraced it and spiked demand, the brand says).<\/p>\n

Over four decades, the K\u00e5nken\u2019s design has remained largely unchanged, though the line<\/a> now includes mini versions for toddlers, laptop-carriers for techies and a version made of plastic bottles.<\/p>\n

And its original emphasis on efficiency and longevity seems even more relevant now, as people around the world look for ways to live and shop more sustainably. The pack\u2019s square shape reduces fabric waste during production, Andersson explains, because \u201ccutting a lot of round shapes into square-edged sheets of fabric creates a lot of scraps.\u201d And the same water-resistant material (called vinylon) that was chosen for the very first K\u00e5nkens still handles rain today without the need for chemical water-repellent coatings; it feels like waxed cotton, but the fabric is made up of synthetic fibers that swell when wet, making the weave tighter.<\/p>\n

Part of the backpack\u2019s appeal, then and now, is its durability. Hand-me-down K\u00e5nkens remain in service long beyond their original purchase date. And many owners elect to hold onto them and keep using them through several phases of life.<\/p>\n

For some, that\u2019s an environmental choice. Consumers increasingly understand that discarding gear has negative environmental impacts, while keeping it in use is the more sustainable option. That\u2019s why the co-op and other major retailers now urge manufacturers to make gear that lasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For many K\u00e5nken owners, the pack starts to feel like an old friend that\u2019s worth keeping. \u201cThat\u2019s our ambition,\u201d says Andersson. \u201cWe want to create a bond, an emotional attachment to a product that ages nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This article is a part of the Heritage content series, sponsored by Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven. As it turns out, bigger isn\u2019t always better\u2014especially when it comes to backpacks. A bigger load can result in a heavier one that leaves you aching after just a few steps. So when Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven founder \u00c5ke Nordin decided to design […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12183,"featured_media":163144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[387],"tags":[724],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-163141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hike","tag-gear"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/hike\/fjallraven-kanken","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How Fj\u00e4llr\u00e4ven Right-sized the Bookbag","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/fjallraven-kanken","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/hike\/fjallraven-kanken"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/00-kanken.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/09\/00-kanken.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Hike","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maren Horjus"}],"creator":["Maren Horjus"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear"],"dateCreated":"2020-10-02T21:20:30Z","datePublished":"2020-10-02T21:20:30Z","dateModified":"2020-11-02T21:14:11Z"},"rendered":"