Why we love...Sandqvist!

Who is Sandqvist?

Sandqvist was founded in 2004 by three childhood friends, Anton, Daniel and Sebastian. As lovers of the great outdoors living in Stockholm, they felt the need for bags that could be used both in the city and in the forest. From the start, Sandqvist has combined extremely useful features and stylish, minimalist design with a clear focus on sustainable, environmentally-friendly materials.

How we discovered Sandqvist.

Full disclosure- Leslie has a backpack problem... the main problem is that she doesn't own every backpack out there!  When we lived in Norway we first saw Sandqvist on a weekend trip to Stockholm. Leslie saw a smaller pack in a storefront and was fixated but we were traveling and didn't have space for another backpack. When we returned to Oslo Leslie continued to see Sandqvist backpacks while on the metro and at the University. She finally broke down (it might have been 5 days later) and bought a canvas Stig pack and we still use it!

When we were putting together our wishlist of brands to start Aktiv, Sandqvist was at the very top of the list.

Why we love them.

Sandqvist embodies everything we love about Scandinavian style. The design and construction of the backpack is flawless and the sleek, minimalistic look is perfect for darting through the city, trekking the trail or hustling to make your connection. Sandqvist employs a roll-top in many of there packs and this allows you to access the entirety of the pack quickly while protecting the valuables inside. In addition, the good folks at Sandqvist understand that technology tends to travel with you and they design separate and accessible compartments for all of your gadgets and doohickeys. 

One of our favorite Aktiv memories was this past summer while traveling in Paris. We were a little bleary from jet-lag and stepped onto the Metro where another rider was wearing the Bernt backpack on their daily commute. Leslie and I saw the pack at the same time and then looked at each other and laughed, we love to see Aktiv in the wild!