Month: April 2018

Kånken – the Swedish Spine Saving Backpack

Posted on by Tove Haavisto

My Kånken and I have been companions for a good few years now and it hasn’t let me down once. I bought it in my late teenage years, but growing up in Sweden, the iconic backpack has always been present – one way or another.

In the late 70’s statistics showed that 80% of the Swedish population had back problems, partially due to the not-so-very-ergonomic shoulder bags that were popular at the time. Experts and school nurses all over the country expressed their worry about the future of the school kids backs. And so, in swoops the founder of Fjallraven, Åke Nordin, and saves the day. Together with the Swedish Scout Association  he designed the back-saving Kånken.

Ya boy Åke Nordin.

With the weight distributed evenly on the shoulders, the spines of Swedish school kids were saved! Kånka means carrying something heavy so it comes to no surprise that a backpack called Kånken was made to do just that. And as well as being comfortable and ergonomic, it’s made from the super hard-wearing Vinylon F fabric and has got lots of handy features; such as pockets on the side, a reflective badge, and a seat pad for when you’re feeling like having a picnic in the forest.

The concept of having a seat pad in your backpack doesn’t seem to be much of a thing here in the UK,  but when I was a kid in playschool we would very often go on day trips to the woods, and we would never leave without the teachers making sure that each and everyone of us had a seat pad of our own to take on the trip. I still find this feature incredibly handy, the seat pad has saved me countless times from having to sit on the wet ground.

Ever since the launch of the backpack in 1978, the Kånken has been one to stir up many emotions. The eco-friendly and functional design made it popular among liberal thinkers, which made it a bit of a left wing symbol and inspired to the nickname “the communist pack”. I think this notion has been left behind today, but I grew up knowing a Kånken was definetly a synonym to being left wing.

The Kånken has been a popular choice for both children and adults since the start. Today, over
200 000 of the bags are sold every year. The design is still the same  – the only thing that’s really happened is that they’ve complemented it with a few more models (the Kånken Big, and the Kånken Laptop to name a few) and colours, so there is a Kånken suitable for everyone – whether you want a subtle Forest Green or a bright Burnt Orange.

My own Kånken

40 years later some of the first backpacks are still going strong. My own trusty Kånken is only 7 years old, but I know it’s got a long life ahead of itself. An example of this is my friends backpack, which she inherited from her grandmother  – purchased nearly 40 years ago! The reflective logo has worn off giving it a unique look, but it still stands the test.  The Kånken is really a backpack you can trust!

Check out our Kånken range here

puss och kram,

Tove

Save the Blue Heart of Europe

Posted on by Adam Charlesworth

May 24th we’ll be screening the documentary ‘Blue Heart’ in-store. The documentary, presented by Patagonia, is part of the ongoing campaign to protect the last free flowing rivers in Europe. If you want a much more detailed account, you should check out Patagonia’s latest blog post ‘The Dam Truth’ but the devastation of dams is well documented across multiple sites. Signing the petition stands with them, as well as the endangered species that cannot stand up for themselves. Ultimately, it puts immense pressure on banks and investors and stops them from commissioning the construction of more dams.

There are already over 6000 dams in Europe; Save the Blue Heart just wants to prevent a further 1500 dams being built on exhausted landscapes. Many reservoirs become unsafe for drinking water through contamination and the landscape around them, the capillaries of the earth, are left with nothing to feed it. Nothing to carry. In the UK alone, there are over 400 dams built and hydro-power has always been sold to us as a clean, renewable form of energy. The reality is the destruction of habitat and environment, as well as the displacement of people, have always been conveniently left out.

We stand behind the campaign because of the cause, and because of the dedication of those on the front lines and those bringing attention to it. It’s important to have a constant assessment of what’s good for us and the land we live on- it’s important to debate. In the search for alternatives there will always be good and bad; but dams aren’t anything new and have become rapidly popular since the 18th century. The issue is that they’ve been sold as clean energy when they’re far from it.

We hope the screening will enlighten us to people’s struggles, as well as inform us on the situation. Is there an alternative? If you take away one form of energy, surely there should be another? A quick search will show that both wind and solar power set-ups create more jobs, are less destructive to the environment and produce much less carbon contributing to climate change. Personally, I’d go with what’s better for the economy and for the air I have to breathe.

Check out the trailer below and if we don’t see you in-store then be sure to grab a copy of the documentary on itunes in August. There’s a link if you want to see what’s what’s happening: here.

 

 

Adios,
Adam