A woman with her arms raised in joy, wearing a Kanken backpack, stands on the Great Wall of China with autumn foliage in the distance.

I Love My Kanken – How Did it All Start?

In the late 1970s, the Fjällräven clothing company noticed that many school children were suffering from back problems when carrying heavy, unwieldy backpacks on their commute to and from school. In 1978, that problem was solved with the trusty Kanken! Its unique and ergonomic style of straps aided children when carrying their heavy books; the word quickly spread, and soon the Kanken became a household name across Sweden.

Two images side by side: on the left, a magazine spread with children wearing Kanken backpacks; on the right, a smiling woman wearing sunglasses and a light blue Kanken backpack.

In 2000, The Sporting Lodge identified this gem of a backpack and, so impressed by its unique design and impressive range of colours, decided this fantastic bag deserved a website of its own – I Love My Kanken was born!

Since then, Fjallraven’s range has grown to provide a Kanken backpack to suit the whole family, ranging from Kanken Kids to the Kanken No. 2 (the posh one!).

I Love my Kanken’s era is now over but we still have the full range for you to enjoy at The Sporting Lodge.

The Kanken bags are now popular worldwide, and a common sight in any city!

Where will you take yours?

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