New Fjallraven shop in Manchester

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baggins

Full Member
Apr 20, 2005
1,563
300
49
Coventry (and surveying trees uk wide)
Hi Folks,
just thought i'd mention that Fjallraven have, at long last opened a flag store in the UK, specifically in Manchester around the Royal Exchange (no idea where that is, but i'll find it).
Be great to try on all the kit i only ever see on the website and lighten my bank account.
 

daveO

Native
Jun 22, 2009
1,453
513
South Wales
I won't get myself too excited. Fjallraven isn't cut to fit the Welsh. Their knee pads sit like shin guards on me. I look like I've been dressed for my first day at school with the promise I'll grow into my new clothes. But oddly my head is too big for most of their hats.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,151
1,544
Cumbria
When you find stores like that it's a good thing. I discovered a few months back that Alpkit opened a store where the old Marmot store was in Ambleside. I knew they had opened in Heathersage but I never saw it on their website.
 

DrT

New Member
Feb 26, 2019
1
0
61
UK
My wife bought me a pair of trousers there on a Thursday. I was not present and she pointed out to the salesperson that they were a gift. They did not fit, could not be altered, and an alternative size was not available. When she tried to return them on the following Tuesday (all labels present and a valid receipt) she was told that they would only provide a credit note. There is a small notice by the till stating this, but in our view it was dishonest of the salesperson not to have pointed this out at the time of purchase, given that my wife made it clear that this was a gift. I’m astonished that any major retailer thinks that it is acceptable to behave like this, these days. I consider their customer service to be shabby and bordering on dishonest. They will not be receiving our custom in the future and I suggest that they should not receive yours.
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
It isn't the fault of the seller!
It's the system behind him!

When they tell you, the Fjällräven trousers would last a decade, I recommend to show them a little contract, that they will take them back and give you your money back, if they should fall in pieces within the next three years.

Why?

Because the trousers my brother bought from Fjällräven in their Flagship store in Berlin survived only round about 365 days of use. And he used two in different colours! Both survived each only one year!

My Decathlon Solognac Steppe 300 hunting Trousers survived only one year too, but they cost only 17 € and not 150 €.

And I used the cheap Decathlon trousers really every day, and I walked really 20 km every day, and I used them really when I cut down the berry hedge and for camping.

Very interesting: It is a very similar fabric.
Decathlon produces the stuff in India, Fjällräven a bit more north-eastern.

But of course:

The fox logo is worth the 130 € price difference!

;0)

Good luck!
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
@DrT

I recommend you to change this paper to Primus Stainless Steel pots and gas bottles, perhaps a gas stove!

That is the only high quality stuff a Fjällräven owned factory produce in my opinion.
 
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GuestD

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 10, 2019
1,445
700
I've got a jacket. I've also got one that looks pretty similar out of H&M, it's better.
 
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GuestD

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 10, 2019
1,445
700
Seriously? A jacket from H&M is better quality than fjallraven?

Genuine question since I've never owned any of their stuff

well I prefer wearing it, and as it cost a lot less I'm not so precious about it. Also, the H&M jacket isn't masquerading some pseudo Scandinavian heritage. The label on my fjallraven Greenland jacket indicates it's origins to be the part of Vietnam that is Greenland.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
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Berlin
About H& M I wouldn't be so sure.
I bought some rubbish there, some better stuff too.

But seriously: My brother bought a jacket there, somehow mixed wool and synthetic fibres, and used it for minimum 4 years every day in the colder month in school and every where else. Than he used it in university, and for traveling of course and than in the garden and in free time to go to the pub and meet some friends.

I really was shocked, when I saw this 30 years old jacket a couple of weeks ago hanging over his chair in his farm house! Now he uses it for working on the farm, where other clothing usually survives a year!
(The FR trousers usually he didn't use there for heavy work, by the way)

This jacket looks like 25 years ago!
A miracle!

But that isn't normal. I'm sure they by from different factories. That stuff normally is made for the town and not good enough for outdoor use. But as we see: Mix of wool and synthetic can survive very long, if it is stiched well together!

And that's exactly the point with Fjällräven: They use a thread, that isn't strong enough for outdoor use. And they know it!
And they know it since a couple of years!

My Decathlon trousers lost sometimes the button, and in the end the small zipper of the pocket broke. I didn't replace it, I just bought the same trousers once more.
No, better: Currently I have 4 of them.
And some similar shorts from Decathlon, and two pairs of convertible zipp off trousers, and the rest of the lighter Solognac collection.

From the money, I saved here I bought custom made hiking boots in my individual measures. Very out of fashion, very traditional, with the perfect fit in the highest quality that is available.
And I bought the Snugpak Special Forces sleeping bag system and some Ortlieb ultra light dry bags and a bit of NATO and Austrian Army surplus stuff.

I prefere high quality equipment. The cheap but good Solognac stuff (especially clothing) saves so much money, that I can buy exclusively high quality stuff.
I am very lucky, that I found this way!

;0)
 
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GuestD

Need to contact Admin...
Feb 10, 2019
1,445
700
I prefere high quality equipment.

So do I, but unfortunately a lot of stuff where the name was once synonymous with quality, does not exist in its original quality of manufacture. Obviously, this is my personal opinion based on what I've owned and used over the years. Stuff like "Stormy Kromer" and "Filson" seems to be consistent, but a lot of this stuff is now targeted at "urban dudes", where the price has greatly increased to cover the overheads of flagship stores.
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
Yes, I own a fantastic 90 litres Fjällräven ruck sack since round about 25 years. It looks like new!
But unfortunately it was the last model they made in Sweden!

But doesn't matter: Savotta produces still high quality stuff in Finland, Berghaus ruck sacks seem to be quiet good. Carinthia produces in Austria NATO quality and sells it to everybody, Snugpack still makes some good stuff in Britain. Ortlieb produces in Germany, Ochsenkopf and Bison Axes from Germany are as good as Fiskars tools or Gränsfors Bruks, large and small knife makers everywhere in Europe, Feuerhand petroleum lamps from Germany, Victorinox in Switzerland, Hollow Fibre fillings from Austria and Switzerland too, Steinkogler, Geiger, Völkl, Trabert and Meindl Boots are double stiched in Austria and Germany, if they are double stiched, what is easily visible.
Tschum lavvus are custom made in Germany, Hilleberg tents made in Estonia. Wisport produces in Poland in NATO quality, Heim is still making stuff in Germany too. The Opinel Carbone knives, fabriqué en France, are the best camping kitchen choice in my opinion, and usable for bushcraft as well, but cheap as chips.
MADE IN BRITAIN fills a whole thread in this forum. And a lot more of similar stuff made in Europe exists as well.

Eurocentrism?
No! Silky saws I recommend too!

Swandry and Arms of Andes seam to be nice as well for example.

European wool usually is a bit itchy, and yes, we don't have so many cotton fields here around. The others need to work and sell something too.
It isn't necessary to study in Oxford to stich some clothing together. Nothing against that, if it's well done!

And sometimes we find good stuff from northern America. Really!

There is more high quality equipment in the world, than we could carry around in a Toyota Hillux, a Mercedes G Professional, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a Range Rover together.

Yes, that are tiny cars.
Fix and Foxy products unfortunately don't fit in there any more!

;0)
 
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Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
Sorry!
I forgot a really interesting Rucksack manufacturer in Austria, who also has a factory in Czechia and production in Switzerland.

How could I forget him???

Essl delivers this model here for example to the Austrian Army:

https://www.essl-rucksack.at/produkt/essl-ru5026-kader-rucksack-large-40-liter/

In the side pouches fit easily 1,5 litres plastic bottles from the supermarket.
In the central outer pouch fits easily the mess kit of Austrian, German and Dutch army.
 
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