Fjallraven Kanken

First, some background: I purchased my first Kanken on a trip to Canada in 2015. At first I was skeptical of the narrow unpadded straps, but the sales person told me she had thought that as well and that they work better than one might think. Ten years and several more Kankens later, I can say that she was right! The Kanken Original 16L is a fantastic choice for me. I recommend it for anyone who is short both in overall height and in the torso.I am 5’2, narrow shouldered and with a short torso. It is hard to find packs that carry a reasonable load and do not bother my neck or lower back. I find the Kanken capacity ideal for daily, casual use as well as a carry-on for flights. The open ended design means the bag can be packed and organized for a variety of purposes. It makes a fantastic camera bag, grocery bag and day pack for moderate excursions.I find the sternum straps that Fjallraven sells make the Kanken even more functional. I have a few in different colors and swap them out to change the look of the bag.I finally decided to leave a review because I am SO TIRED of reviews that fault the two side pockets for not fitting water bottles. A little research of the product, found on their website, makes clear that this bag was created in 1978. I for one am old enough to recall the 70s. No one, and I do mean no one, was carrying water, much less in personal bottles, in 1978. You were lucky to have soda or an old canteen that was your grandfather’s in the car on long trips. We used water fountains at school and moms who liked to splurge kept tiny paper cups by the sink.Doubtless that makes me sound old, but I hate seeing such a fantastic product maligned because some people do not understand the context in which it was created.I also admit that the straps will not feel good for some people. It’s important to remember with backpacks that they are not a one size fits all item. Everybody’s shoulders and necks are different. For example, one of my daughters loves the design of the Kanken, but it does not suit her neck and shoulders. My son, meanwhile, loves carrying one.The Original 16L Kanken is a high quality product. Its versatility and function have gotten me all around town and even around the world more than once. I have yet to wear one out and I look forward to many more years of use.

I got this backpack for my daughter and we love it! It’s made with super strong material and the color is gorgeous.It’s like a TARDIS—bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside. It looks small but is extra roomy. My daughter stuffs the backpack to the gills, as it easily holds stuffed animals, markers, her sketchbook, books and even clothes, without ever looking too full.At first I thought it was an expensive purchase, but I am pleasantly surprised by its quality and durability. Definitely worth every time penny. I completely recommend it. You will not be disappointed! 10/10.

I got this little backpack to use while attending an exec education program. It is a powerhouse! I fit my laptop, pens, notebook, snacks, water bottle, coffee mug, sweatshirt and small purse plus my phone into this bag daily. The size is perfect for a laptop that is 17” or smaller and you get an amazing array of colors to chose from which I appreciated. The zippers are sturdy and the fabric is a type of canvas, has a thick feel that holds up well and also washes well. Just make sure to remove the foam pad in the inner pocket used to cushion the pack when it’s on your back. I don’t think this pad would survive a washer/dryer cycle without damage. Cool European style and makes a great weekend travel bag to haul all your stuff at the winery or while biking the waterfront. Definitely recommend!

I feel like it’s important to see the reviews photos for theirs because it doesn’t really look like the photo is more of a blue grey. I had this for the school years and I loved it a lot. It isn’t as big as other school bags and makes it so you can’t just stuff a ton of stuff that’ll hurt your bag. It’s super convenient I would buy again- for the amount of time I used it the wear and tear is really good it’s still in really good shape

For pretty much all intents and purposes, this is a great bag. I'm a city bicycle commuter and student that regularly bikes between 5 and 10 miles a day with lots of books, and I'm really impressed (and frankly somewhat baffled) by how well the flimsy looking straps distribute weight. As others have mentioned, the side pockets are far too small for any normal sized water bottle, but I find that they're great for holding an umbrella on one side and my iPod on the other, without any fear that either will fall out. Even when stuffed, this bag is quite slim (great if you ride lots of crowded, rush hour buses or metros) and it really does fit a lot more than you would expect. I've attached a photo of my Kanken with a fairly standard day's worth of stuff: umbrella + iPod (side pockets), keys, pepper spray, headphones, phone charger, and lip balm (front pocket, along with other small miscellany), wallet, light jacket, scarf, deodorant, water bottle, snacks, six books of varying sizes, and a small sketchbook (main compartment). If necessary I could also slide my 13" laptop into the designated compartment, and the bag would still feel pretty weightless, somehow. In the past I've found that my standard $40 Target backpack felt quite heavy with the same amount of stuff in it, but the Kanken somehow pulls its weight, and doesn't bother me even while scaling big hills on my bike. There are just two issues that I don't by any means consider deal-breakers, but wish I had seen them mentioned in other reviews prior to purchasing:1. Scuffing - As you can see from the photo, my Warm Yellow Kanken is quite dirty, just after roughly one month of use. That said, I am very active and use the bag daily, so it's somewhat expected. Even so, my very first outing with this bag was an evening of barhopping, and I was pretty shocked by how many inexplicable black marks it picked up by the time I got home. I haven't yet tried running it through a gentle wash cycle, as some sites have recommended, though dabbing plain water with a little bit of gentle detergent was helpful for bad spots the first and only time I tried it. After using it a bit more, the dirt has blended in better with the regular wear and tear, meaning it's not nearly as shocking as it first was, but nevertheless it's still sadly noticeable. Long story short: don't go with the light colors. I think I would love this bag twice as much if I had opted for a darker color, but alas. Don't make the same mistake I did.2. Lack of interior pockets - Though the bag holds a lot, you're kind of out of luck if you're trying to quickly grab your wallet from the bottom of your packed bag without holding up the bus fare line. Besides the laptop slot closest to your back, the large compartment is a free-for-all, and you kind of have no choice but to unzip it all the way, and maybe even remove most of the contents, in order to find things that aren't right on top. This probably wouldn't be much of an issue if you were using this bag as more of a purse full of lots of small things instead of a book bag, but because it has a zipper that extends down both sides (as opposed to an opening on top) you need to lay it down on its back and shift things around instead of casually rifling through to find what you need.All in all, I really do like this bag. It's so far proved very sturdy, waterproof, and perfect for serious bike commuting as well as casual daytime use. If you're ready to move up in the world from generic backpacks that barely last a season before falling apart, or just want a way to carry your things without killing your back and shoulders, I'd definitely recommend this to you!