Having won Wanderlust Magazine’s 2018 Gear of the Year Luggage category, the Splitpack must be doing something right.
The Fjallraven Splitpack is available in two sizes and a selection of colours to suit most tastes. Getting some of the colours in the UK can be quite tricky and depending on your preferences may cost you a little bit more if you want it to match your shoes. The regular Splitpack measures 28x48x28cm making it easily within the carry-on limits of most airlines. The large measures 33x58x33 which puts it just over most allowances. Because it is a soft case you may get away with squeezing it in, depending how full the bag is, if you are lucky. The bag is made from a water resistant, hard wearing and durable polyester and cotton mix that has been “impregnated” with Greenland wax. The straps are padded to make life more comfortable on the move and if you don’t want it on your shoulders the adjustable shoulder strap tassels have poppers on the ends that attach at the top of the straps so it can be carried as duffle bag instead. As a third option each end contains twin handles. All buckles and zips are metal giving it a quality feel and appearance. In the event your larger bag gets caught out at the aiport and put in the hold, the outer zips can be padlocked together for security. The outside of the bag also hosts the Fjallraven fox logo and two zip pockets on the sides perfect for items you need to get at quickly on the go, such as a passport in the airport.
It’s called the splitpack because the outer zip goes straight through the middle of the bag opening it up into two different compartments. Both sections can be separately closed off with a mesh cover. One half has a set of double zips so you can separate your packed items while the other side has an internal zip pocket for smaller items to stop them getting lost amongst everything else.
Because it is a very good looking bag and with a price tag to match it I find it would be difficult to use if for anything other than a nice foreign holiday or placed in the boot of the car to that Air BnB in Surrey or Devon. Your average camping trip in average British weather might make you reconsider your choice of clothes container, especially if you get in in the more bright and interesting colours. Also, because it is split into two longitudinal hemispheres you need to put a bit more thought into how you pack it so you can get an even weight distribution across the shoulder straps. While it is an excellent travel bag I wouldn’t recommend it as a trekking bag. I lacks a hip strap for support during those long walks or easy access pockets for a water bottle or snacks.
I have use both the regular and the large frequently and really like them both. During a recent trip with friends, my bag got voted (unofficially by one person) his favourite bag and because it was Swedish and being red it made it even cooler in his eyes. They are stylish and functional which is a tricky combination to perfect for expedition equipment, and designed to be used and abused and to shrug it all off. For the frequent traveller it is a great bag that will turn a few heads in the hostels and if you are an avid user of packing cubes this does half the job for you. The Splitpack is available in the UK in the full range of colours through Fjallraven’s official website but if the colour doesn’t bother you they are cheaper elsewhere.
