I really wanted to love this backpack. I spent so much time researching it and thought I had found my forever backpack. I really liked the look of the Fjallraven Kankans and I had no clue how popular/trendy they were until I started doing my internet research to determine if it was worth buying one. I just liked the classic Swedish minimalist utilitarian look, retro fox logo, that this backpack seemed high quality. The design had barely changed in my lifetime. And, of course, there was its buy it for life fame. I already have a bigger backpack for travel and camping and wanted something smaller and attractive for using around town to carry, say, a jacket and my laptop, or small purchases, or to bring snacks and water on a day hike, etc. I settled on the most expensive and least common Kanken, the Kanken No. 2 Laptop 15" Black, the completely black version that comes in the G1000 HeavyDuty waxed fabric with leather details and a compartment to hold a laptop (up to a 15 inch size). It also comes with padded straps. The standard Kankan has really narrow thin nylon straps but you can buy small shoulder pads at an additional cost, whereas on this version it's like the pads are preattached to the nylon straps. The listed dimensions are the same as a standard Kankan.
It cost $190.00 Canadian, plus taxes.
Btw my biggest criticism is not going to be specific to this particular model of Kanken–this one is like a regular one just with higher-end materials and a laptop compartment–so read on even if you are considering buying a regular Kanken.
I excitedly marched in to the Vancouver Fjallraven shop and found my desired pack on the Kanken wall. It wasn't quite as beautiful as in the sleek promotional photos, and I also wasn't prepared for how it looked on my back when I looked in the mirror. Only then did it fully register that this was a child's backpack. I am a 5'7" 140 lb woman and it looked disproportionately narrow and high on me. I guess the male bloggers I'd seen photos of it on were on the small side with narrow shoulders or something. Still, this wasn't a dealbreaker, but I mention it in case anyone is considering buying one online and hasn't had the chance to try one on. It's a backpack designed for schoolchildren and it shows. The straps and pads also looked kind of weird from the front, like they would have sat better on a kid.
The salesperson grabbed me a fresh one from the back, and I noticed that the little leather piece that snaps the two top carrying straps together wouldn't close properly. It was too tight, and you had to awkwardly place one strap on top of the other in order to close it, rather than side by side as they're meant to sit. I apologize that this is probably hard to picture. Basically it seemed like the snap had been put in the slightly wrong spot. All the ones they had in stock were that way, so I took the floor model, as it didn't have that problem. This may seem like a minor detail as I'm pretty sure it didn't impair the function, just the look, but when paying $200 for a backpack I expect it to be free of noticeable defects. If you care about stuff like that too, I'd suggest you check before you buy.
To their credit, Fjallraven gave me a 10% discount because the floor model I took was dirty (black is not the best colour choice for this kind of fabric if you like to look clean, but I think black is the most versatile colour and I tend to have an all black everything aesthetic so I couldn't resist). The guy mentioned that Kankans never go on sale and that it is very rare to get a discount, so YMMV.
I would have definitely kept the backpack, except that I decided to take it for a spin by carrying a few things on a 15 minute walk. And... my shoulder/upper back area was in considerable pain by the end of it. Wait, what? Wasn't this pack, according to its marketing, invented specifically to cure Swedish children of their back problems? Hasn't the Kanken "straightened millions of backs across the globe" over the past 35 years? The look of the little straps had been suspicious, but I didn't expect them to be so immediately uncomfortable when I wasn't even carrying anything all that heavy (a 6 pack, phone/wallet/keys/etc, sweater and possibly a water bottle). I dunno, maybe my back just isn't straight enough, maybe the reason it prevents back problems is because it hurts if your posture falls beneath that of a ballerina's, forcing you to stand perfectly straight to prevent the pain? Probably not, but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt. Am I the only one who does not think this pack is at all comfy? Beyond the pain, the straps also chafed my front underarm area when worn with a tank top.
So, back to the store it went, sadly. The return process was super quick and easy, and because it had been less than 30 days I was able to get a full refund, not just a store credit. I'm not sure if Fjallraven is cool with you wearing stuff outdoors before returning it because I didn't tell them I did that. It was still in exactly the same condition I got it in, with no signs of use, and I wasn't in the mood to risk creating any opportunity for someone to try to deny my refund. You could always ask in advance for more details about their policy.
Now, do I think it would be BIFL? Well it certainly looked very durable. But to me, part of BIFL is that the item should be something that you want to use for life. And I also don't think a backpack is an item where it's especially hard to find one that lasts for a long time. I've never had a backpack break. I have another backpack that is about 10 years old and has been to various other countries with me, which cost far less than the Kanken, and it looks practically new.
Any recommendations on something to replace the Fjallraven Kanken? Thanks!
TL;DR I returned my Kanken because it hurt my upper back/shoulder area, presumably due to the little straps (even though these were the upgraded kind with small shoulder pads) digging in and not distributing the weight evenly.
(using a throwaway because this post is too identifying if you know me well)
Submitted July 26, 2020 at 09:58PM by buyitforamonth https://ift.tt/30Sbgnp
