Nordic Excellence

In 2016, we met up with Carl, a Swedish industrial designer, in the Alvord Desert. He introduced us to the Arctic fox (Fjällräven is Swedish for Arctic fox, and the animal is the company’s mascot, logo, and conservation focus). Carl’s Fjällräven trousers were waxed, required infrequent washing, and were the perfect length, shape, size, and colour—both practical and stylish. They were made to last almost as long as Carl himself.

Fjällräven began humbly in 1960 when explorer and Founder Åke Nordin created a light and sturdy aluminum box frame backpack in his basement in Örnsköldsvik. Driven by necessity, he designed a condensation-free tent using a two-layer construction to avoid waking up frozen in a wet sleeping bag. The now-world-famous Greenland jacket and the G-1000 wax material favoured by Swedish industrial designers and Arctic explorers followed soon after. Åke Nordin was on a winning streak driven by passion, creativity, and a love for the great, often extreme, outdoors. In 1974, Mr. Nordin spent a night freezing through a storm. He vowed never to be cold again, leading to the creation of a down jacket constructed of two jackets sewn together (applying the principles learned when creating the condensation-free tent). It was such a revolutionary concept that the Greenland jacket earned an award from Svensk Form (the Swedish Society of Crafts and Design), and the rest is history. Fjällräven is more than mere outdoor gear, it is a form of art. And good art is not cheap. Yes, Fjällräven gear can cost double that of their competitors’ products, but their goods are not examples of a false economy—a young man’s winter jacket bought today will keep his grandchildren warm.

For year-round performance in the most challenging environments, we would choose the Anorak No. 8M Jacket and the Gaiter Trousers No. 1M. These are articles of clothing that will keep you warm in the winter, and cool and protected in summer. Both are constructed from the legendary G-1000 waxable cotton/poly blend and are designed to be easily repaired and maintained. I have a vision of sitting beside a blue lake fishing for trout, washing and waxing my faithful clothing after years in the wild.

Both Fjällräven and Primus are now owned by Swedish company Fenix Outdoor International AG.

Dick Proenneke (mentioned at the beginning of this article) spent many years living alone in the Alaskan wilderness, building a log home with his bare hands. I suspect he and the craftsmen of the Northmen Guild would have long, deep, and meaningful discussions, as they are of like mind (the Birth of a Wooden House video on the Northmen YouTube channel is in part dedicated to Mr. Proenneke).

The Northmen Guild story begins with Jacob, the Estonian carpenter and equally gifted filmmaker who had a dream to build a log home by hand using only traditional tools, methods, and skills. Sourcing the tool patterns from an ancient book, he had a blacksmith friend forge various blades while he crafted the handles. The resulting log home was sublime. A business was born out of the cooperation of tool production. A few years later, the original partners split to form their own companies. Lessons had been learned, and Jacob, the carpenter, established a guild of craftsmen united by a common philosophy—essentially, hands, not machines.

The guild produces some of the most exceptional and unique handmade tools available today, but they also offer courses such as the 10-day Traditional Norwegian Carpentry Course in Norway. “Course participants will learn the historical way of building a house in a timber framing and full scribe log building techniques using only hand tools.” Imagine learning to build your own home with the planet’s most beautiful tools. The cost is $2,400, and includes everything in-country (Norway): tuition, accommodation, all meals (prepared by a professional chef from local ingredients including wild elk, deer, and fish), and organized field trips to museums, Viking longships, and Norway’s oldest log building—count me sold. There is a catch, though. Courses are booked years in advance (but you can learn a lot from the Northmen YouTube channel), and the tools can take up to a year to be handmade and delivered to your door. Perfection is worth waiting for.

If setting off into the wild to build a log home and survive with only the tools I could carry, the Set of Five chisel kit, Finnish Carpenters Axe, and Livonia Shooting Longbow (price/availability in flux) would all be in tow.

The last manufacturer is a relative newcomer. Pronounced haa-lee-ta, Halite is a Norwegian luggage manufacturer founded by ex-military, special forces operatives, and designers with expedition and outdoor expertise. The bags are made for both civilian and military personnel and are intended specifically for use by special forces and explorers, particularly in maritime environments. What does that mean for you? If you need to keep your precious gear dry and clean, you may need luggage designed to withstand the harshest environments. My favorite is the navy blue, 140-liter Kraken waterproof bag, made of 840-denier HT nylon (bombproof ) material. Happily, it has found a home on our Defender’s roof rack as we explore across Africa to Russia.

What I love about this company, other than the excellent gear, is that it is young, and I get to watch it grow and evolve, produce new products, and choose a course. Already their range has expanded to include weapons cases and sleeping bags, and I can’t wait to see what they will release next.