- Hey, it's Rebecca from Pack Hacker here,
and in this video we will be taking a look
at the Travel Pack by Fjallraven.
At Pack Hacker, we're a team of frequent travelers
who share our thoughts and ideas
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Fjallraven are a well-known and trusted
Swedish outdoors brand,
and the Travel Pack is their first foray
into a bag designed specifically for travel.
So, a 35 liter bag that's simply called the Travel Pack,
there was no surprise that we were excited
to try this thing out.
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The Fjallraven alludes to its Swedish heritage
with a minimalist and streamlined design,
and the branding is simple and discreet too,
with just a small logo on the bottom corner.
The color of the fox also coordinates
with the lever handle on top.
Simple, stylish and very aesthetically pleasing.
We were happy to see that this bag
is available in a range of unisex colors -
black, green, navy, and red -
which should be enough to suit any taste in any environment.
Now we usually opt for black,
but in this case we went for navy.
And it looks super cool
strolling around the streets of Paris and other urban areas.
With dimensions of 18 inches in height,
12.5 inches in width, and 10.5 inches in depth,
this pack is perfect for one-bag travel.
It will fit comfortably
within most airline carry-on specifications,
and at 35 liters there's plenty of room
to hold everything you need for indefinite travel.
Because of the semi-soft material,
it doesn't matter what is inside this pack,
it will always hold its shape.
Other bags use compression straps
so that when you don't have as much inside,
you can make it smaller,
but that isn't the case for this pack.
Now depending on your use case, this can be a pro or a con,
so we'll leave that up to you.
Now let's get on to the materials of this bag,
because Fjallraven has some pretty cool stuff going on.
The Travel Pack is made from Fjallraven's
cornerstone G-1000 material,
which they have been using in one form or another
for around 40 years.
G-1000 is a densely woven fabric
made from 65% polyester and 35% cotton.
But, there is a lot more to it than that.
Fjallraven impregnates this material
with their magic ingredient - Greenland Wax.
Now this makes it wind-resistant,
durable, and water-resistant,
which is very important because they use cotton.
Over the years, Fjallraven has developed multiple variations
of its G-1000 material -
Original, Air, Silent, Heavy Duty, and Lite.
The Travel Pack is made of the Heavy Duty variety
which is tougher, longer lasting
and much more water-resistant than its counterparts.
In other words, perfect for traveling.
The heavy duty G-1000 features Greenland Wax
on the exterior and interior of this bag,
which makes it extremely durable.
However it does mean that it restricts the airflow
and ventilation,
but that's not too much of an issue.
One of Fjallraven's core principles as a brand
is sustainability.
And the G-1000 fabric on this model is the eco version,
meaning it's made from recycled polyester
and organic cotton,
and gets a big thumbs up from us.
Because of the streamlined and minimalist design,
you're not going to find some of the added accessories
that other travel bags may offer.
There's no side pocket, no compression straps,
and certainly no molly,
but that doesn't mean that you go without.
Fjallraven has some pretty cool stuff up their sleeve.
Padded shoulder straps on this pack
provide a pleasant and comfortable carry,
and the style fits nicely with the rest of the bag.
There are a few things to take note here, though.
There are no load lifter straps, no sternum straps,
and no hip belt.
With that being said though, at 35 liters,
these things are not a necessity.
Regardless, if you're looking for a bag
that you can fill to the brim
and that has loads of extensive load-carrying features,
this bag is probably not the one for you, and that's fine.
You're not going to find one bag for everyone.
Fjallraven has positioned their Travel Pack
as perfect for business trips and short holidays,
so you can understand
why they haven't included these features.
We've tested this pack on a four day city break to Paris,
and in this use case,
we didn't feel the need for load lifter straps,
a sternum strap or a hip belt.
So Fjallraven seems to have gotten this one right.
The Fjallraven Travel Pack features a hideaway strap system
which completely packs away every strap on this bag.
To the point when you can't even see
they add a harness system anyway;
but it's not the simplest transition.
To hideaway the harness system,
first you have to feed the strap
through and out of the buckle,
which can be a bit tricky.
Once you have the straps detached however,
you just slide them into their hiding places,
nice and simple.
This system is a great feature,
and the end product is fantastic,
but don't expect it to be something
that you can do in a rush.
On the top and left-hand side
of the Fjallraven Travel Pack,
you will find lovely lever handles,
which not only feel strong,
but are incredibly comfortable to hold.
All of the zips on this bag are strong,
durable and reliable too.
The main clamshell and laptop compartment zips
have YKK 10RC zippers,
which are pretty big.
Everything else has the smaller
but still reliable YKK 5RC.
For those of you who appreciate the added security,
the main clamshell zips and the laptop compartment zips
can be locked together with a padlock.
And on every zip you'll find a very helpful
and convenient zipper pull.
This may seem like a small thing,
but they really do speed things up when you're on the go.
The saying 'never judge a book by its cover'
springs to mind when you open this bag.
From the outside, this pack is the epitome
of minimalism and simplicity.
But when you open the pack, you are confronted
by so many different sized pockets for every need.
The Fjallraven features three quick grab pockets.
The first one - a thin, fleece-lined pocket
on the top of the bag.
We think this pocket is awesome.
It's barely visible at first glance,
and it the perfect place to put your phone and passport,
and provides really quick and easy access
when going through the airport.
The second quick grab pocket
is located on the front of the pack.
It's a deceivingly large pocket
that is accessible from the exterior
and interior of the pack.
We've used this compartment for chargers and toiletries,
which is super handy.
Within this pocket, you'll also find
a smaller zipped mesh pocket,
which is useful for organizing a few smaller things
in an otherwise large pocket.
You'll find the third and final quick grab pocket
just below the second one.
This slim but relatively large front pocket
is accessed via a zip
that stretches across the front of the pack.
This side pocket is ideal for your slim items
you need quick access to.
Think folded documents, a small notepad maybe.
We didn't find ourselves using this pocket too much.
The first and second quick access pockets
pretty much had us covered,
but this is so discrete and really useful to have.
Upon opening the main clamshell pocket,
you'll be confronted by three different sized compartments -
a large compartment on the right,
medium size on the bottom left,
and finally, a smaller compartment on the top left;
the same one that's accessible from the front.
The internal organization echoes that of a suitcase,
and makes accessing everything inside the pack
easy and straightforward.
Because there are so many different compartments,
packing cubes aren't necessarily needed,
but they are useful, so it's up to you.
The mesh pockets also help you to identify what is where,
as well as providing some extra breathability.
The last compartment at the back of the pack
is where you'll find the storage solutions
for your laptop, notebooks, tablets and pens.
This compartment opens up all the way,
giving you easy access to everything inside.
It's also heavily padded,
giving you that much-needed protection.
The laptop sleeve will easily hold
anything up to 15 inches in size,
and in front of this
is an additional sleeve for your tablet,
plus a pen pocket as well.
On the other side of the compartment
you'll find another large sleeve - perfect for documents,
and a zippered mesh pocket just above.
The folks over at Fjallraven
have really nailed this compartment.
It's so efficient and discreet,
you almost forget it's even there.
In a little over two months,
we've tested the Fjallraven Travel Pack
in the U.K., France and Germany.
And so far it's held up great.
We found this pack to be a great companion
on city breaks and business trips,
precisely what they say it does best.
And, we particularly like
how it doesn't instantly label you as a tourist.
The Fjallraven Travel Pack
delivers a nice, comfortable carry,
but it is important to note
the lack of sternum strap and hip belt.
Now if you're filling this bag to the brim,
then your shoulders will eventually feel the strain,
but it's a trade-off we're willing to make
for the use case of this pack.
Other than the slick Scandinavian style,
we found that the pocket and compartment organization
was one of the best features on this bag.
We all know how stressful traveling can be,
and there's nothing worse than a pack
that adds to that problem.
However, the Fjallraven Travel Pack
lends you a helping hand.
The top fleece-lined, quick-grab pocket
is one of the most useful pockets we've tested to date.
And the way both the laptop
and main compartments are organized
make this pack super efficient,
functional and easy to use.
The G-1000 fabric on the Travel Pack
certainly makes it feel different from others,
but is it any better?
Personally, we're fans of it.
And the ability to top up, its water-resistance,
and toughness by applying extra layers of wax
is a really great feature.
We have found this G-1000 fabric
does pick up fluff very easily;
which isn't a major problem, just a tad annoying.
If you do find the pack particularly fluffy or dirty,
it's effortless to clean.
Grab yourself a damp cloth and just give it a brush.
Everything will come right off.
The only major downside we've found
with the fabric so far, which is a pain,
is that it marked relatively easily.
Because of the layer of wax,
if you catch your fingernail on the material,
or press the bag up against something hard,
it's going to leave a mark.
That being said, blemishes are by no means permanent.
And a new coating of wax
should freshen it up when necessary.
Now onto some pros.
This pack has a really smart and streamlined look.
It's made of eco-friendly materials.
And it has some fantastic pocket
and compartment organization.
Now onto some cons.
It's easy to mark and picks up fluff.
There's no side water bottle pocket.
And it's not suitable for a particularly heavy load.
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With its Scandinavian style and impressive organization,
the Fjallraven Travel Pack is a fantastic companion
for any weekend city break or business trip
you may find yourself on.
For Fjallraven's first bag
outside of their traditional outdoor and hiking realm,
we think they've produced a great pack,
and we're excited to see what's to come
as they move further into the travel market.
Thanks for taking a look at our review
of the Fjallraven Travel Pack.
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Thanks for checking this one out.
We'll see you in the next video.
One of Fjallraven's core principle--
Core?
Fjallraven has put some pretty nifty stuff.
I can't say nifty (laughing).
The semi-soft material....blah, blah, blah.
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