There’s nothing we like more than spouting out travel tips. Tin, our resident nomad, is usually the king of them, but more often than not our community holds the best advice.
It had been a while since we had touched base with any of our girl gang, so we thought we better change that. Last year they all got hold of our first women's-first backpack, the Freya - a bag that was consciously designed for women, by women. It’s pretty crazy to think that the majority of the packs and bags out there are all modeled off the male frame. They’re fitted to their length backs, their shoulders, their pecs and sternum structure and as women, we’ve kind of just been expected to get on with it and make those proportions work for us. To be honest, this hasn’t caused any major issues because I think few of us considered it could go another way.
Enter: Bennis.
Bennis is one of our senior designers. She’s a Mom, a very cool Mom... and is known for her crazy collection of sneakers and love of bright colors in the office. She’s also the mastermind behind the Freya pack and spent a good few years interviewing hundreds of women about what they’d want from a ergonomic daily runaround bag. Since its drop last year, the Freya has made its way to all corners of the globe. Two gals that got their hands on them are Sarah Muir Kemp, the founder of natural skincare brand Palm & Pine, and Ebba Jacobsson - a running girlie from Sweden.
Hey Sarah! Long time no speak, where in the world are you at the moment?
Hey! I’m in Morzine right now but we live between here and Ericeria.
What have you been doing since we last spoke?
I’ve mostly been working on Palm & Pine, growing the brand and planning new products and packaging. In between times I’ve been riding my road bike, hiking, and enjoying mountain life.
This blog post is all about travel tips, so go on - let us have your best ones!
Pack light, always. I never take more than I need but for some reason still feel the need to take hundreds of pairs of underwear .
A soft bag usually means you can get away with taking a little bit more and still being able to squish it under the seat in front of you to avoid easyJet luggage charges
How are you getting on with our girl, Freya?
I LOOOVE the Freya, thank you! She comes everywhere with me
It’s the perfect grown up work backpack - stylish but also practical. Initially I didn’t realize it was designed specifically for women but this makes sense because it’s really comfortable and fits my back perfectly. I ride a bike to work and it’s the perfect length. I also have really small shoulders and it sits perfectly on them, never sliding down my arms or digging into the bottom of my neck, which happens sometimes on other bags when the straps are wider/designed for men. It’s my work bag so I use it every day. I haven’t traveled with it yet but I will for sure. The size, full zip opening, and the laptop pullout function are my favorite features.
Finally, if we let you lose in our Db aisles with an unlimited budget, what would be coming home with you?
All of them Ok here goes - Ramverk Pro front access or not, both are for city break travel.
Ramverk large for shared check-in luggage for myself and my husband and a Roamer split duffel for adventure travel on my back. The Essential C. Anderson Wallet to have DB in my pocket and a Snowroller for winter travel and I would gift my husband the mid length surfboard bag
After dialing in Sarah from Morzine, we headed to the West Coast of Sweden to catch up with serious runner, Ebba Jacobsson. Ebba is connected to Db from our own Ebba, who also runs a lot. We’re going to refer to her as Db Ebba for ease in this article.
Running Ebba bought herself the Freya last year so we decided she would be a good person to check in with. This wasn’t a branded arrangement or product promotion, so she was under no obligation to fib and tell us anything but her 100% honest opinions on the Freya backpack.
Hey girl! What have you been up to since we last spoke?
I ran with Ebba Olsson (Db Ebba) and talked far too much nonsense with her.
Oh, that happens with her.
You’ve had your Freya pack for about a year now. How are you getting on with it - give it to us straight.
Oh I love the bag! It’s probably the best bag to use when you train a lot as you can fit what you need and it’s great with all the small compartments. It’s also great if you have to carry your laptop to/from work.
This bag was designed for women, by women - can you notice a big difference?
Yes absolutely. For example, the Freya bag is a little smaller, which I think is great, then it sits a little higher on me, which suits me perfectly.
Travel hacks. You must have loads - are you willing to share them?
Yes! My biggest travel hack is to always bring your running shoes!! People who don’t bring running shoes when they travel can’t be trusted. Comfortable shoes are life and a pair of shoes does not take up much space.
Going back to our girl Freya, do you take it abroad or is it a ‘home’ bag?
Definitely mostly a home bag. I use it daily, which is suitable both for training as I said, but also if you are going further in the evening because it is so nice and stylish fits Sthlm’s life. I love all the compartments in it and that it has a structured top so that all your things don’t get mashed.
Love to here it. Last question - your fantasy Db shopping spree - tell us everything you would treat yourself to and why.
I’d have the Freya as an everyday bag, then a small Ramverk Carry On for all unnecessary weekend trips, a soft weekend bag for all non-unnecessary weekend trips (read: ski trips), then a bigger one for all epic longer ski trips and then an even bigger one to possibly go around the world. And finally a Snowroller. Do you have bike bags? I know you used to. So ideally, I’d make you bring back the bike bag and have one of those too.
You’re a legend. Thanks for sitting with us today!
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