The Splitpack is a duffel bag that can be split into two separate bags, making it easy to pack for a trip. It’s made from durable nylon and has a drawstring closure at the top of the main compartment. The fjallraven splitpack 55l is a travel duffel bag that is made by Fjallraven. This review will cover the pros and cons of this product and how it compares to similar products on the market.
In this review, we’ll look at the Fjallraven Splitpack, a 35-liter bag that can be used as a duffel and a backpack. (Did you notice what they did there?)
Following our reviews of the Fjallraven Travel Pack and Kanken Mini, we have a soft spot for this brand. The Splitpack has wowed us with its simple appearance, high-quality materials, and long-lasting sturdiness, and we hope it can continue to do so.
How does the Fjallraven Splitpack function as both a duffel and a backpack? Is it better at one than the other? Could it possibly fall short on both counts—*gulp*? Let’s have a look.
Aesthetics & Materials
The elegant Scandinavian aesthetic of the Fjallraven Splitpack is easy on the eyes with its clean lines and streamlined design. However, since beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we asked our Instagram followers what they thought of this pack’s appearance. Surprisingly, just 33% of respondents indicated they liked the arrival of this bundle.
We do polls like this all the time, so make sure you follow @packhacker on Instagram if you want to be a part of the next one.
The branding on this pack is kept to a minimum and positioned strategically. Fjallraven’s arctic fox emblem on the side is the most prominent. The same arctic fox emblem is engraved onto the snap fasteners, and clamshell zipper pulls—Fjallraven has one of the sleekest logos in the game, so we can’t blame them for using it. The Fjallraven name appears on the shoulder strap buckles, followed by a Swedish flag tab on the back. It may seem to be a large number, but you’ll have to search hard to locate most of them. And we believe they’re fantastic.
Black, dark olive, deep blue, green, navy, and redwood are the six colors offered for the Splitpack. We love the muted, earthy tones, and we’re pleased with how well our dark olive pack works in urban and rural settings.
This pack is constructed of G-1000 Heavy Duty Eco, a unique canvas mix of 65 percent polyester and 35 percent cotton developed by Fjallraven. In our review of the Fjallraven Travel Pack, we went into great depth on this material, so if you’re as obsessed with it as we are, go over there to learn more. In a nutshell, it’s a long-lasting, weather-resistant substance that has shown to be reliable in our tests.
Moving on, this pack’s zippers are all made by YKK. The clamshell zip is made of YKK #10, which is robust and long-lasting, while the others are made of YKK #5. A clamshell bag must have dependable zips because if the main zipper fails, the bag is rendered useless. Fjallraven, thankfully, has you covered in this regard. All of the zippers are reversed coil, which means that the lock is on the inside and the fabric is on the outside of the zipper. It’s a minor detail, but it prevents dirt and grime from accumulating on the coil, and we think they look nice as well—a win-win in our view. (It should be in yours as well!)
Metal zipper pulls, buckles, and snap fasteners are also included in the Splitpack. We like Fjallraven’s choice to use metal rather than plastic since metal is more robust. They also give the bag a more “luxury” appearance.
Components from Outside
We’ll start with the harness system before moving on to the external components. And, to be honest, the Fjallraven Splitpack’s harness mechanism isn’t that good. Only a pair of basic shoulder straps are included, with no hip belt, sternum strap, or load-lifters. Some bags can be carried comfortably without these extra features, but we’re not going to sugarcoat it: that is not the case with this pack. This backpack droops off your back without any external features to hold it to your frame, making even a medium-sized load unpleasant to carry. The shoulder straps and back panel are cushioned, but that’s about it for the positive aspects—the rest is terrible.
You’re probably thinking to yourself, “If the backpack carrier isn’t fantastic, the duffel style carry will certainly make up for it.” You’d be wrong, unfortunately. Fjallraven attempted to kill two birds with a single stone, but they tossed it like 50 Cent threw the first pitch at a Mets game. (Spoiler: that wasn’t a very nice toss.)
By pushing the shoulder straps as far as they will go through the buckle and then fastening the snap fastener, the shoulder straps transform into duffel handles for a #danglefreeexperience. The problem is that, although these straps may be used to carry a duffel, they are still simply shouldering straps. They don’t fit comfortably in your hand, and it may be difficult to keep the straps together when the bag is full.
There are grab-handles on both ends of the bag, in addition to the duffel/shoulder straps. They’re useful for getting the backpack into overhead storage on planes and trains, but that’s about it. We believe that adding a second grab handle to this bag, either on the side or on the back, will greatly enhance the carrying choices.
The Inside of the Pack
This backpack has two exterior compartments on each side. They’re the perfect size for quick-grab essentials like a passport, wallet, and phone, and we even managed to fit a Kindle inside! Just keep in mind that these compartments lack depth, making them a little difficult to reach when the bag is fully loaded. It’s also worth noting that this backpack lacks a water bottle pocket. The severity of this varies depending on your use case, but we consider it a disadvantage.
If you value security, you’ll be happy to know that both the outside pockets and clamshell zippers are located against your back, making it almost difficult for a criminal to get access while wearing this bag.
The main compartment opens completely, much like conventional luggage, thanks to its clamshell construction. The huge YKK #10 clamshell zip has a large metal zipper pull for easy pulling, as well as eyelets for securing the zips together with a padlock—better luck next time, thieves!
There are two equal-sized pockets with zipped mesh separators within the bag. A pair of interior zipped pockets on the right-hand side are helpful for keeping smaller things within.
Although there is no internal organization in the left-hand compartment, it does feature a small zipped pocket on top, which is ideal for flat things like a notebook or different travel papers.
Because the Fjallraven Splitpack’s compartments are divided between left and right, rather than front and back, you must be careful where you pack heavier items. It may be a little difficult at times, and if one side is heavier than the other, the carry becomes asymmetrical.
We’d normally speak about the laptop compartment at this point in most travel backpack reviews, but we won’t since the Fjallraven Splitpack doesn’t have one. For most digital nomads, this is a must-have feature, but it may not be a problem if you’re looking for a pack to go on short city trips—ultimately it’s up to you and your use case. We were able to squeeze a 13-inch laptop inside the thin mesh cover on top of the left-side pocket, but it’s not ideal.
Testing & Durability
For the last month, we’ve been using the Fjallraven Splitpack as a single-bag travel pack on a ten-day trip to Portugal.
The workmanship is excellent, and the quality materials—such as the G-1000 fabric, aluminum components, and YKK zippers—assure us that this backpack is designed to endure, much like the other Fjallraven packs we’ve tested. Our Splitpack still looks new after a month of usage.
The G-1000 material on the Fjallraven Travel Pack was marked quickly, but we’re happy to report that this wasn’t the case with the Splitpack. It did, however, draw a good amount of fluff, similar to the Travel Pack—we are extra careful here, however.
The idea of this pack piqued the interest of the majority of the Pack Hacker crew. Unfortunately, it has fallen short of expectations. Both the backpack and duffel-style carry are inconvenient, and we’re not sure who this bag would be suitable for. It is unsuitable for digital nomads because of the absence of a laptop compartment, and it is also unsuitable for more adventurous travelers due to the weak harness system and lack of a separate water bottle pocket.
Perhaps it would be better suited as a specialized clothing bag for longer-term, multi-bag travel? It’s difficult to tell since that’s not our style. We were able to use this pack as a workout bag with some success… But, needless to say, we had high expectations for this bag.
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