Fjällräven Kånken - review
Whether or not you are a member of Tumblr, there is a 90% chance you're very familiar with the Swedish Fjällräven Kånken backpack, which has recently gotten so very popular, it seems there is one in every place you look. As it is, they have been appearing in my line of sight for a while now (both on Tumblr and in public), and as a teenage girl I had to see what all the fuss is about. Needless to say, after checking out the official site, I was hooked. Nevertheless, I refused to purchase the said Kånken without making an extensive research of its functionality. In the end, after only hesitating once, I bought the Fjällraven Kånken in the color Putty. Amongst other things, one of the reasons for my purchase of the said backpack is that my Herschel Little America backpack is too large for my pleasure when it comes to shorter trips. Plus, the main pocket that opens up all the way on my Kånken sure does make grabbing things a lot easier.
Contrary to popular opinion of all Fjällräven Kånken owners and my mom upon opening the parcel and getting the first look at the backpack inside, Kånkens do allow an incredibly large amount of space for all your necessities and more. As seen below, I packed my backpack with all items I could possibly need, and there was still 50% of free space in both the main and front pocket. Believe it or not, I ran out of things to put in there, which means only one thing: free space for snacks and maybe a hoodie (you never know).
As it is with most things, if something is too good to be true, it probably isn't real. However, the Fjällräven Kånken is very much real, which consequently means it isn't perfect (deep, right?). This paragraph is written with the intention of pointing out 3 faults I discovered before and after purchase.
1. STRAPS: In case you don't know yet, the Kånken straps are thin. However, that is an insoluble problem, unless you invest in thicker and padded add-on straps sold by the very same company. The fault I noticed somewhere in the first 15 minutes after getting the Kånken is that once the straps are adjusted to the preferred length, they just resort to hanging in a quite disruptive and annoying manner. My solution to that is a tiny system composed of a clothespin and a small elastic band. Simply insert the band inside the pin at one end, wrap it around both straps (mindful of the button), and secure it inside the clothespin at the other end. Close the pin.
2. SIDE POCKETS: Whilst doing my research, I noticed many users complained about the size (or lack of it) of the side pockets, mainly because they just can't seem to fit a normal sized waterbottle. If water is an absolute necessity to you and your Kånken annoys you, I suggest you buy a Voss waterbottle (the small one); its thinnesss enables it to fit into the side pocket + you are more environmentally conscious due to its glass packaging.
3. PADDING AND DEFORMATION: This problem was a dealbreaker for me. If it wasn't for the lone review of a certain blogger whom I don't remember, who strongly advised to keep the foam/seatpad in to prevent the Kånken from deforming too much, I wouldn't have bought it. After first filling the backpack up with all I could possibly need, I quickly pranced off to the first mirror to see how much it has deformed - too much for my liking. If you are as conscious about the form of your Kånken as much as I am, I suggest you create an extra padding of your own. I did so by gluing together 2 layers of a 3mm thick foam-x/foam-k/kapa-fix board. Keep in mind to round off the DIY padding to the form of the original one in order to prevent causing unnecessary harm to your Kånken. Also, keep in mind to not make the padding too thick, or else it won't fit alongside the original padding, and all your troubles will be pointless.
So far, this is all I have to specifically point out about the Fjällräven Kånken. I haven't yet worn it for a longer period of time, so I can't say how the straps hold up. A notable mention should be given to the vinylon fabric, which expands in rainy conditions and thus becomes waterproof. Speaking of fabric, I am quite intrigued by the idea of decorating the backpack with pins, however given the sturdiness of the fabric I am left in doubt and contemplation.
Have you already got/are planning or considering of getting a Fjällräven Kånken backpack? Was this information useful to you? Feedback is always welcome!
x, Valens
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