Fjällräven Experience

Expedition Jackets: A love that lasts

Heritage

Reading Time 5 Minutes

Communications student Lisa Bergvall loves all things creative and draws her inspiration from nature. She picked the latter up from her parents, Karin and Göran. Here, she shares their love story with each other, nature and their Expedition Down Jackets.

This is a story about my parents. My mum, Karin, and my dad, Göran. I figured the best way to describe them is to tell you about the things they love.

They love to spend time in our summer house, cook, read and sauna. They both love the outdoors, hiking and skiing. They passed this love onto my sister and I, because instead of relaxing sun holidays, as kids they took us to remote mountain huts without electricity or running water. We used to beg to go to resorts on the beach (we actually did that one time) but eventually we learnt to love it as much as they do.

They also love fika. If you don’t already know the meaning of fika, it’s a break we take in Sweden usually including a cup of coffee and a pastry (often a cinnamon bun). If you ask my parents, the best way to experience fika is outdoors, facing the sun, closing your eyes and mumbling a quiet “mmmm”.

Most importantly, they love each other, and this all started in Västerbotten in the north of Sweden. That’s where they grew up, met and later had my little sister and me. If you haven’t been to the north, let me tell you, it does get very cold. My mum has told me stories of her childhood winters, about freezing days when temperatures dropped below minus 35 degrees.

On those cold winter days, a warm jacket is essential. Around 30 years ago, my parents were both looking for one of those warm jackets. My dad tells me,

“I was placed in Jokkmokk in the northernmost part of Sweden during my studies. It was December, it was freezing cold, and I had been thinking about getting a down jacket from Fjällräven for a long time. So, I went to the local sports store and found the Expedition Down Jacket on sale! It is a little big on me, which turned out to be a good thing because it makes it even warmer.”

At a similar time in Umeå, a different northern Swedish town, mum found the same yellow jacket. It was something of a surprise to her because the yellow ones happened to be rare at the time:

“I needed a warm jacket, and I really liked the Fjällräven Expedition Down Jackets. I had only ever seen them in red and blue, but when I walked into the store, suddenly there was a yellow one right in front of me. I knew straight away it was the one.”

Little did they know that shortly after buying these, they would meet. It was at a birthday party, and I’m pretty sure it was love at first sight, if you believe in those kinds of things. Either way, their mutual love for the outdoors instantly brought them together. In fact, their first-ever trip was camping in the Lyngen Alps in Norway. The music was loud, the air was fresh and in the backseat of the car, each of their bags were packed with the exact same yellow down jackets.

“Göran had told me to bring my warmest jacket, so I brought my yellow puffer. After a day’s hike, we pitched our tent to stay for the night. I remember as we were making dinner on the camping stove, it was getting cold so we decided to bring out our down jackets. That’s when we noticed - we were both wearing the exact same yellow Fjällräven Expedition Down Jackets,” mum recalls with a smile.

Ever since that trip 30 years ago, the jackets have joined my parents for everything from trips at remote mountain huts to their daily winter work commutes. Most recently, they packed their snowmobile full of delicious food, wine and, of course, their Expedition Down Jackets. They spent a week in a hut off the grid with little to no phone service or electricity. They were getting their water from a nearby stream and their fish from the lake, and making fires to keep warm. When they returned home, I called my dad and asked about the trip, and he said it was one of the best of his life. To this day, the jackets continue enabling my parents to do what they love most: spending time outdoors together.

Although, as my dad explains, the jackets don't only evoke good memories:

“Our jackets are a reminder that winter’s are getting warmer. We are not using the jackets as often as we used to.”

This love story also impacts how they treat their jackets. When asked what they like most, aside from warmth, they both said durability. As my dad says,

“My jacket has been around so long and we have so many memories together. It’s like bringing a good old friend that I know I can always trust to keep me protected.”

Only a few years after buying hers, my mum burned the sleeve while taking a blueberry pie out of the oven. She was sent a piece of new fabric from Fjällräven and repaired it herself. My parents inspire me in a lot of ways, but one of the most significant is how they invest in quality, and if something breaks, they fix it.

Today, when I’m visiting my parents up north during the coldest days of the year I always borrow my mum’s yellow puffer. There’s some stains here and there, and the repair from the blueberry pie incident is slightly visible. Still, it’s as bright yellow as ever and feels like wearing a sleeping bag. It keeps me warm like it has kept my mum warm for the last 30 years. When I wear it, I remember all the days we’ve spent together walking, skiing, eating outdoors, or simply just being in nature. When I see her Expedition Down Jacket I see stories and memories. I see a friend that I want to take care of.

To make a long story short, these jackets are not just jackets. They’re a symbol of shared memories and a long-lasting love.

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