Fjallraven Kanken Outlong Review

Ahhh, Kankens. There are about as many flavors of them in Fjallraven’s lineup as their avid fans would want. Whether you like it for its iconic style or how reputable the brand is, given how long they’ve been in the game, there’s bound to be a Kanken for you. However, we’ve often encountered a glaring weakness in their functionality, specifically their water bottle pockets. To be blunt, they’re usually too small to fit anything bigger than a baby bottle or those single-use plastic water bottles sold at airport convenience stores that cost too much (in our opinion).

Fortunately, that’s a problem that the Kanken Outlong seems to be addressing specifically. Yes, as you can see from the picture above, the water bottle pockets stick out prominently, so they should hold a reasonably sized insulated bottle, right? Spoiler alert: yes, and there are other aspects we approve of, too—let’s check them out!

External Components

What’s there to say about a Kanken that hasn’t been said before? The shape looks very familiar, with its rectangular silhouette and proportions already a dead giveaway for this being a Kanken. The tote-style handles are where they should be, and so is the circular logo, displayed front and center to let everyone who doesn’t already know what Fjallraven is all about: unique-looking heritage-style gear.

There are a handful of colorway options, such as Ochre (arguably the most recognizable Fjallraven color) and Frost Green (which is what we’re sampling in this review). For those who want something more subdued, there’s also Fog, Black, and Navy. Let’s be honest, though: you’ll wanna go with the former colorways if you’re looking to maximize the heritage styling; the standout colors simply bring out a Kanken’s signature style more.

Of course, Kanken backpacks wouldn’t be complete without Vinylon F, and the Outlong Kanken is no exception. It’s a fabric that feels like a waxed canvas that’s flexible and not very crunchy-sounding when you squeeze it around. It’s not the toughest fabric out there, but it’s tougher than its somewhat paper-like creases and wrinkles would suggest; definitely enough to withstand the rigors of daily commutes, to say the least.

Admittedly, the large water bottle pockets disturb the Kanken Outlong’s otherwise clean silhouette. Even if you cinch down the elastics, the rest of the pockets still jut out, creating bulges. That said, it’s a price worth paying just so we can fit a bottle like the Owala FreeSip we’re usually traveling with. Standing at a whopping humble 24 ounces, it’s typical of insulated bottles we like to use daily. The cinch cord design is rather simple, though apt given the Kanken’s heritage styling. Fortunately, it does a decent job firmly holding the smooth-sided Owala FreeSip in place even when the bag tips over.

For context, here’s the Kanken Laptop Backpack’s and Kanken Outlong’s water bottle pockets side by side. This should give you an idea of how much of a struggle it is to find a suitable bottle to fit in other Kankens.

The Kanken Outlong’s harness system is comparatively sophisticated to other Kanken backpacks. The shoulder straps look narrow, but they have sufficient padding for comfort, plus they’re covered in mesh for breathability. Interestingly, the back panel is also covered in mesh, which, if you think about it, makes sense. For a backpack equipped with two water bottle pockets, Fjallraven expects you to be out there adventuring under the sun for quite some time, so an aerated back panel should help you stay cool.

The shoulder straps come with a sliding sternum strap so you can better pull the bag’s weight forward. However, the sliders are tight and somewhat tough to move up and down. It takes considerable effort to dial in the ideal adjustment, but it’s thankfully a one-and-done deal once you’ve got it right. Pull the straps to their tightest adjustment, and the slack can be snap-fastened to the top. This is a welcome feature for us when we travel since it prevents the straps from dangling too much and—potentially—getting tangled with other bags in overhead bins. It also lets you use the straps as a luggage pass-through in case you’re traveling with a rolling carry-on luggage.

Last but not least are the iconic handles—a Kanken just isn’t a Kanken without a pair of these. While they’re thin and not that comfortable to hold for very long periods, they at least come with a snap fastener so you can keep them together and prevent them from drooping over to your neck or over the logo.

Fit Notes

The shoulder straps may look thin, but they’re comfortable enough despite the Kanken Outlong’s relatively portly 18-liter size. We could tighten the straps to pull more of the bag’s weight forward, but we’ve settled with the adjustment we had. At times, it just feels too tedious to tighten the straps, though the opposite is true; loosening them is easier. Regardless, carrying comfort is still quite good despite our struggles with the adjustment.

We do have a smaller issue worth bringing up. While wearing the Kanken Outlong, we could feel the shoulder straps’ top snap fasteners and the rear handle’s stitching rubbing against the shoulder. It’s hard not to notice once you notice them, but they’re not deal-breakers in terms of comfort. What might be a deal-breaker for some users is that the mesh feels itchy on bare skin. So if you like wearing tank tops, this might not be the ideal daypack for you.

Inside The Daypack

The Kanken Outlong follows the basics of a Kanken backpack’s layout, firstly with the front pocket. Inside, there are no additional pockets for organizing, but the amount of space is just enough that you really don’t want any of it partitioned further. We packed the usual everyday carry items here, such as a pair of wireless earbuds, hand sanitizer, lip balm, house keys, and a slim wallet. Opening the zippers is relatively easy, but it’s honestly the easiest zipper to operate on the entire Kanken Outlong.

See, a distinct feature of Kankens is the fabric welts that cover the exterior zipper tracks. Combined with Kankens’ sharp corners, zipping is really tricky because there’s so much in the way. We have to guide the zippers around corners while the welts limit our ability to maneuver them. This issue is most evident in the Kanken Outlong’s bottom compartment, whose zipper covers three sides and has a bottom-facing welt.

Access is a bit tricky, as we found it necessary to fold the welt over to get the shoes we’ve packed inside. To be fair, we don’t need frequent access to this bottom shoe compartment since we don’t change footwear that often throughout the day. The compartment itself is spacious enough for a pair of everyday sneakers. And, of course, you’re not strictly limited to using this compartment for your shoes.

Alternatively, you could use it to store dirty clothing separately or to keep a rainfly in case of a sudden downpour. Just be aware that whatever you pack in here can cut into the main compartment. Additionally, though this is a separate compartment, the liner isn’t exactly waterproof, so odors and moisture can still eventually seep into the main compartment.

Getting into the main compartment can also be tricky because of the fabric welt. Silver lining: the opening’s clamshell style is pretty easy to pack since it presents almost the entire interior in one view—almost. If you don’t have anything packed in the bottom shoe compartment, then the main compartment goes all the way to the bottom, even lower than where the opening folds.

With 18 liters of space, we’re able to pack two nights’ worth of clothing in packing cubes, plus a toiletry bag. Your mileage may vary, of course, depending on how much clothing you go through on trips. At the back, there is a laptop sleeve that is big enough for a 13-inch MacBook, but it’s just a bit too tight for a 16-inch MacBook Pro. On that note, one of our key struggles with the Kanken Outlong remembering to pack the laptop first before packing the rest of our gear. With the laptop sleeve at the back, it’s nearly impossible to get to once there’s gear in the way.

This being a Kanken backpack, there’s a foam insert within the laptop sleeve which you can use as a seat when you’re outdoors. It’s quite handy, especially since the two-water-bottle-pocket-having Kanken Outlong is fairly functional as a casual outdoor activity backpack. Additionally, we also like how there’s a zippered pocket on the front side opening of the main compartment. Ironically, this makes access to our laptop charging adapter easy since it’s at the front, whereas the laptop sleeve is behind the rest of our gear.