#reviewsdaytuesday: I Love My Kanken

A couple of weeks or so ago, as you may have seen on my twitter, I took the plunge and bought myself a Kanken. For those of you who don’t know, a Kanken is a rucksack made by Swedish brand Fjallraven and it was originally developed to help the backs of schoolchildren. I have suffered from back problems ever since highschool when I had to carry around up to five exercise books, a P.E kit, my lunchbox, my water, pencil case and any additional textbooks my classes might need every single day. Now at university some of the books I have to lug to and from campus are massive, and more often than not I want to take my laptop onto campus too.

My old River Island rucksack has seen me through the last two years relatively successfully, but it is starting to look more than a little disheleved and, as the ties are pulling away from the fabric, I really wouldn’t trust it with my laptop anymore. No to mention that the style of the bag (it sits really low on my back) means that it wasn’t really helping my back problems at all.

I had heard so much hype around the Kanken, but I was really wary of spending so much money on a bag. I spoke to a friend who has the Kanken Classic and she told me it was definitely worth getting. She also confirmed for me that I was going to have to splash out a little extra and get the laptop specific bags, as her biggest problem with the bag is that her laptop doesn’t quite fit in.

So, eventually, I went for it. The bag I got – the 15” KankenLaptop – retails at £85, but luckily for me I timed it right and managed to get 20% off. Ultimately the bag set me back £68, which is more than twice the price of any bag I have ever bought before. However, I can happily say this has been money very well spent.

The bag is made more really durable, waterproof material. The straps feel really solidly attached to the body of the bag and there is a decent amount of padding on the shoulder. It has two water bottle pouches on either side, a front pocket with a zip for little bits and pieces, as well a pouch inside for A4 paper. The rear compartment for the laptop is padded and reinforced at the corners, so I’ve got no worries about it carrying my laptop safely. The label on the front is reflective too – which my mum loves!

I think my only criticism is that there isn’t a smaller pouch inside the bag for my phone. I don’t know how safe it would be to keep in the outside pocket.

Other than that it is perfect. I went for the Forest Green colour – which is a really deep grey-green. I really wanted a dark grey bag, but the only grey option they had was far too light for me, so this colour was the perfect compromise, and I’m really pleased with it. It sits really nicely – and quite high – on my back, so it’s really comfortable to wear. I always used to think my laptop was really heavy, but carrying it in the right place on my back has made me realise that it really isn’t.

In short I can proudly proclaim that I LOVE MY KANKEN! I would really recommend it for anyone who has to carry large amounts on a regular basis, and even though it is a little bit pricey I would even suggest parents buying it for their children to stop them from having the back problems I (and most of my friends) developed over our school careers.

Just as a little disclaimer, this isn't a sponsored post (none of the posts on my blog are), so I don't get anything by linking to the site and recommending it to you guys. I just really love this rucksack.

(HUGE) Back to School/ Autumn Haulbook

It feels like I've been waiting for weeks to post this, but I just kept ordering more bits and bobs and I wanted to wait until everything came through before I showed it off. I never normally go this crazy with buying clothes - I'm very frugal and, though I buy the odd item semi-regularly, my last 'big splurge' was in March when I bought myself 3 dresses and a top from the BooHoo sale (an order which totalled in at less than £40). This whopping haul is made up of 17 items (3 pairs of shoes, 5 shirts, 1 pair of corduroy trousers, 1 pair of flares, 1 skirt, 1 cardigan and 5 dresses) and I don't want to think how much it all cost. I've roughly paired them up in the way I think I'll most likely wear them, though I will be mixing and matching with things I already own. I've let myself go a little crazy in the hope that I won't need to spend money on clothes in the Autumn term, so I don't have to budget it in. Its also worth noting that my grandma and my mum gave me some money to buy new clothes and shoes (thanks guys!), so this wasn't all from my own pocket. I also worked a part time job during the summer and as I love clothes I thought this was an appropriate way to spend some of my extra cash.

For reference, as I find it super helpful when websites write down this kind of information, I am 5ft5" (or 165 cm) and weigh about 55kg (120lb or 8.5st). I mostly wear size 8, but sometimes have to go up to a 10 in shirts to fit my shoulders or a 6 in skirts to fit my waist (I'll let you know what size each item is anyway). My feet muddle between a 5 and 6 UK size.

My hair is dyed using the Directions semi-permanent hair dye in the shade Flamingo Pink. I had dyed it this morning, so it is exceptionally bright! I might write a quick post about hair dying once I've gotten a bit more practised.

Enough chatter, here's the haulbook:

Cardigan - New Look Size 10, Dress - BooHoo Size 10, Shoes - Converse All Stars Size 5

Dress and Shoes as above.

I love this mustard yellow colour, and this dress is a great baggy fit. You can style it with a belt to give a more defined waist or simply wear it loose like I have. I have a similar dress in the same cut in the size 8, but the 10 is noticeably longer whilst only slightly looser. As I work with children this dress has a much more work appropriate feel to it and I'm really happy with it.

Dress - BooHoo Size 8,  Shoes - as above

Dress - BooHoo Size 8,  Shoes - as above

As above

I love the fit of this dress. It skims in all the right places, despite the fact my bust is on the smaller side, and its great to have a dress with long arms. The material of this dress is slightly thicker than all the others too, so this will be great for when it gets a bit cooler.

Shirt - H&M Size 10, Skirt - H&M Size XS, Shoes - as above

As above

 As soon as (I saw the print on this skirt I knew I had to get it. Its made from quilted fabric so is super warm, and I love the curved hemline on the front and back. I got a cropped short sleeved shirt from H&M this summer and loved it, and as a lot of people know I am a huge fan of the white shirt, so this was a match made in heaven for me.

Shirt - as above, Trousers - River Island Size 8, Shoes - M&S Size 5 (last years stock)

As above

I found these trousers in the River Island sale, and as much as I love them I was really worried about getting them. I caved to my desires and I'm so glad I did. These trousers can be dressed up with heels and a shirt like I have here or dressed down with a cropped tee and sandals. A great transition piece between Summer and Autumn. Mum thinks it makes me look very Margo (from The Good Life)!

Dress - BooHoo Size 8, Shoes - New Look Size 5

As above

I love midi length dresses and this one was in a beautiful colour (it almost matches my hair!). The shoes are something I would never normally buy, but I went for it. Thought they aren't exactly the ones I fell in love with in the shop (my fault for not buying them when I saw they were the last pair in the sale) these are as close as I could find. Can I walk in them? It's questionable. Do I love them? Yes.

Dress - Primark Size 10, Shoes - as above

As above

The material this dress is made from is lovely - really silky. It can be dressed up with heels like this or dressed down with tights and converse.

Shirt - H&M Size 10, Trousers - Charity Shop (originally H&M) Size 10, Shoes - Clarks (Busby Fizz in Oxblood) Size 5 1/2

I am a huge fan of shirts, and this is a classic university look for me. I didn't own any trousers like this, and at £4 they were a steal. Like my very wise friend Katie once said, when buying from a charity shop, think of it as donating money and getting a free thing. For example, I donated £4 and got a free pair of trousers!

Shirt - H&M Size 8, Trousers and Shoes - as above

As above

I love the way this shirt hangs. Again this could be dressed up with a smart skirt and heels, and would be perfect for a job interview.

Shirt - Primark Size 10, Trousers and Shoes - as above

Although I'm not entirely convinced by the optical illusion effect this shirt has (the stripes should really get smaller the lower they go rather than the other way) I still really like it.

Shirt - BooHoo Size 10, Jeans - Miss Selfridge Size 8 (last years stock), Shoes -  Converse All Stars Size 5

I love the print on this shirt. I'm slightly concerned it's a tad too oversized on the collar (it was advertised as an oversized shirt), but it looks better than I thought in the photo! I'm not sure I'd wear this with blue jeans, but my dark grey ones are still at uni, and my long black skirt is too!

Shirt - BooHoo Size 10, Jeans and Shoes - as above

As above

Last but not least, this cropped shirt. It's got a lower crop than the other shirt, and I love its pattern. The collar will look great under a thick jumper too!


That's, finally, everything! These sort of posts always feel very self-indulgent and show-offy, but I love reading other people's, so hopefully you've enjoyed mine!