RYGGSร CK N:o 1 The Haglรถfs story is a Swedish story, so for our anniversary, we really wanted to focus on our Swedish heritage. Every part was produced here in our home country. We have chosen to create only one thousand, and each of them begins its journey here. How the rest of the story is written is up to you.
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HAGLÖFS HISTORY p.6 p.8 p.10 p.12 p.14 p.16 p.18 p.20 p.22 p.24 p.26
1886 - Wiktor Haglöf 1914 - The First Bag 1919 - Dalstugan 1935 - The Tylla Factory 1948 - A New Frame 1955 - Rolf and Hans 1975 - The New Era 1980 - Compass, 1985 Climber 1993 - A New Attitude 1995 - To Go 2002 - Kallhäll
SUPPLIERS Produced by - Sacci Ryggsäckar AB TENSIONLOCKS - Dala Plåtteknik D-RING AND HOOK - Forshedaverken MAIN FABRIC - F.O.V BUTTONS AND RIVETS - Nominit LABELS - Nordiska Etikettbolaget WEBBING AND CORDS - Bandi FELT OF RECYCLED WOOL - Woolpower VEGETABLE-TANNED LEATHER - Tärnsjö Garveri
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HAGLÖFS HISTORY
“Just imagine if my father Wiktor could have lived to see what his first stitches in Drängstugan would one day lead to.” ROLF HAGLÖF - WIKTORS SON
1886 WIKTOR HAGLÖF
In a remote village in the forests of Torsång Sweden, our journey began with the birth of Wiktor Haglöf. There, as everywhere in those times, farming and forestry was hard work, and gear was often carried long distances. His spirit was one of an inventor, not a farmer, and he was born into a place that needed him.
DRÄNGSTUGAN The farmhand’s cabin “Drängstugan” where the whole business of backpack manufacturing once started, is situated 50 metres from the Tjösgården. 6
TJÖSGÅRDEN in TORSÅNG Wiktor's childhood home
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THE FIRST BAG “N:o 6. Backpack with two outer pockets, with leather lined flap. Bluish grey or brown waterproof fabric. Size 33x35 cm. Price per doz. 10.80 SEK. Price per piece: 0.90 SEK (Fabric No 3677).” 8
1914 THE FIRST BAG
Inspired by the requirements of those around him, Wiktor designed and made the first pack to wear the Haglöfs name. A simple bag, it was cut by Wiktor and sewn by his next-door neighbor, Maria Långberg, who continued working with him for many years.
WIKTOR HAGLÖF
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1919 DALSTUGAN
Early successes meant Wiktor needed more space than the farmhand’s cabin he had been using, so he built his first workshop and called it Dalstugan. Even today, it remains a part of HaglÜfs. There, Wiktor and his team cut the cloth, and weekly he traveled home to deliver the components to Maria, who quickly expanded her own operation to five sewers.
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DALSTUGAN
WIKTOR HAGLÖF
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TYLLA FACTORY
Interior of the sewing department in the Tylla factory
1935 THE TYLLA FACTORY With demand growing from all over Sweden, Wiktor needed a new factory, and he built it just 100 meters from Dalstugan. Bringing all production in-house, he now employed 20 people, including his son Rolf. Expanded capacity meant new products: framed packs, gaiters, masks, and eventually clothing and footwear. HaglÜfs’s journey is about identifying the needs of journeyers, workers and adventurers, and designing products to meet their needs.
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1948 A NEW FRAME
In 1945, Hans Haglöf joined his brother and father at the company. In 1948, while traveling in France, Hans was inspired to create a radical new frame design. He called the four backpacks based on this design “Trapper,” and they were immediately loved by adventurers everywhere. Haglöfs also began a friendship with the new Scout movement. We developed a light tent with direct input from them, starting a tradition that continues with today’s adventuring professionals: Haglöfs Friends!
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1955 ROLF AND HANS
This year saw Wiktor leave the business to his sons, but the spirit of our founder remained strong, as it does today. Products of superior quality, strong attention to choice of material and robust constructions with high durability were and remain core values. The Haglรถfs family continued to make the best goods they could for those who live and work in the outdoors.
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1975 THE NEW ERA
In this year, Rolf and Hans sold the company, and Haglรถfs transitioned from a family-owned company to one that could draw on the experience of larger industrial players, in much the same way that we draw upon our own expertise, and that of our Friends,to deliver the best outdoor products we can.
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1980 COMPASS
This year, Mats Hedblom joined Haglöfs to seriously expand our life jackets, known as Compass. In an echo of Wiktor’s early sales travels, Mats traveled the country, learned what mariners needed, and developed the models to reflect what he heard. Mats would draw upon his experiences from this time to provide significant leadership over the next decades, eventually helming the company as Haglöfs found its way into the modern era.
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1985 CLIMBER
The aptly named Climber backpack was a key waypoint on our journey. Before it, our line was a little too green and mountains for the trendy types, and not quite sharp enough for hard-core users. The Climber was the point where we really elevated our game, and while it wasn’t a tremendous breakthrough, we showed both ourselves and the world where HaglÜfs was headed.
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1993 A NEW ATTITUDE
This year saw a new independence at Haglรถfs, and we made the most of it. We established ourselves as an outdoor company, and really began to attract new attention, not only with our trend-setting and highly technical products, but also with our innovative displays at trade shows. Haglรถfs was on the new path!
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1995 TO GO
When we released the To-Go, a line of hiking boots, it showed the way for the future: our designers collaborating with users, as well as scientific minds. We worked directly with an orthopedist to create design that compensated for nearly all unnatural foot angles, something every hiker experiences. Not only that, but its storage bag was printed with stretching exercises, just a little extra knowledge we could pass on.
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2002 KALLHĂ„LL
To focus even more on delivering the products outdoor professionals require, we opened a new design office outside of Stockholm. Here, classics like Rugged Mountain Pant, Couloir Jacket and our trekking boot Grym were designed. We also began to realize more environmental responsibility, and so our Take Care effort began. HaglĂśfs joined bluesign@ in 2008. We love the outdoors, and so do our friends and customers, Together we are doing all we can to help preserve it.
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SUPPLIERS The HaglÜfs story is a Swedish story, so for our anniversary backpack we really wanted to focus on our Swedish heritage. Every part was produced here in our home country; the fabric and the straps, the buttons and the labels, all from Sweden. In our search for the right partners, we’ve gone back into our own history to revisit favorite points and partnerships. We also found some new production friends along the way.
PRODUCED BY
SACCI
For the final production of the Ryggsäck N:o 1, we turned to Sacci Ryggsäckar, a company with a very special relationship to Haglöfs. The two brothers who own the company are none other than the grandsons of Wiktor himself! In 1987, 12 years after Rolf and Hans Haglöf sold Haglöfs, Hans purchased back a workshop in Borlänge to provide the military, the medics and industry with rucksacks, bags and other carrier equipment. The brothers continue to run this company to the present day; in a way, they are keeping a family tradition alive. Today, they develop and manufacture carrying equipment for professional use, specializing in ergonomic and custom designs since the beginning of the century. From the beginning, we knew we wanted Wiktor’s successors to produce the backpack at their factory in Borlänge Sweden, and we collaborated on the design details from the start. At the start of a new century, we are proud to work directly with the Haglöf family again to produce a fantastic backpack, and we think Victor would be happy, too.
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”Victor’s son Hans Haglöf, 84 years old, beats in all the rivets in the backpack by himself.”
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DALA PLÅTTEKNIK Founded fairly recently in 1984, Dala Plåtteknik finds its heritage in its location north of Stockholm: Bergslagen, where steel and metal work has been a significant part of the community for decades. We turned to them because we recognize a familiar outlook; for Dala Plåtteknik: “Everything starts with an idea and a drawing. Nothing is impossible, just another challenge.” They are a small company of specialists, only twenty employees, concentrating on high-precision laser cutting, bending, and welding. Dala Plåtteknik believes that specialization allows you to be the best, and the best is what they strive to be. We appreciate their technological savvy and reduction in waste, and that they get it right on the first try. Haglöfs turned to Dala Plåtteknik for the tension locks of the Ryggsäck N:o 1, unglamorous but critical components. With their advanced machines manned by skilled experts, they were our choice for this highly technical work.
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FORSHEDAVERKET Small in size but crucial in function, the D-rings and hooks of our Ryggsäck N:o 1 were produced by AB Forshedaverken. Owned by the third generation of the Peterson family, they are located just to our south, in the small village of Forsheda. Specialists in wire forming, Forshedaverken has long been known for the quality of its metal work. During the Second World War, they provided belt buckles, ski bindings, and other products to the Swedish military, and many of those designs are still being made to this day. Forshedaverken works with both large and small companies, solving specific problems for many famous brands. HaglÜfs turned to Forshedaverken because of their depth of experience in the manufacturing of metal details, and because they are our fellow Swedish compatriots. The D-rings and hooks are classic parts, and we knew that the development and production would end with a pleasing result. We were happy to work with a Swedish company with such a heritage and skill.
F.O.V For most of the main fabrics of the Ryggsäck No: 1, we turned to F.O.V. Situated in Borås, Sweden since the 1960s, F.O.V. is a world leader in high-tech fabrics. We turned to them because their innovative offerings really trigger the creative skills of our designers and engineers. All of F.O.V.’s production process is tightly managed and integrated, and located here in Sweden. It starts with weaving; they have 147 looms, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as does their state-of-theart dyeing equipment. After initial production, fabrics go through their final stages, where they achieve their required properties through printing, coating, waterproofing, and more. A very modern lab ensures both development and quality control. We worked with F.O.V. for the Ryggsäck N:o 1 not only for the extraordinary quality of their work, which is up to the most demanding requirements, but also because they do this work in Sweden. It’s something we here at Haglöfs can really appreciate.
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NOMINIT For all of the fasteners for the Ryggsäck N:o 1, we selected Nominit. Long known for its high quality, Nominit was founded in 1937 as a manufacturer of fencing, and they have been producing fasteners since the 1940s. Located in Värnamo Sweden, they operate in an economically, sensible manner using the best available technology to minimize the environmental impact. They believe it’s the only way to run a business, and we agree. Nominit specialized in cold forming, a fast forging process that uses form and pressure to create a shape, rather than melting, beating, or casting. It’s very effective and precise, with the added benefit of eliminating most scrap waste. Their parts are of very high quality, up to the most demanding standards of users as diverse as our Friends and the automotive industry. We decided to work with Nominit on the Ryggsäck N:o 1 because we recognize shared values in our Swedish cousins. They strive to be the leader in quality and technology, and they have taken up the challenge of combining growth and competitiveness with environmental and social responsibility.
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NORDISKA ETIKETTBOLAGET A relatively new neighbor in the world of Swedish production, Nordiska Etikettbolaget was founded in 1993. They are the experts in textile labeling and printing, and we turned to them to create several of the labels found in our Ryggsäck N:o 1. These labels are meant for you; we invite you to write a little something about your journey with the backpack, marking places, people and times in the lifetime of the bag. We chose Nordiska Etikettbolaget not only for its technological and artistic skills, but also for its environmental values. They are fully digitized, saving paper, and they use the latest techniques to preserve the environment as much as possible. We also appreciate that we have a decades-long relationship with some of their people. These are our friends, too!
T. 1993 ★★ ★★ ES
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BANDI Many of the small detail components found on our Ryggsäck N:o 1 came from Bandi. Founded outside of Örebro, Sweden in 1938, in the town of Kumla, they got their start supporting the flourishing Swedish shoe industry with braided cords and other tape/cord products. By working closely with Nordic industrial interests, Bandi rapidly became acknowledged as specialists on technical textile tapes and cords. Over the years, they have worked with many global brands, branching beyond their original offerings to provide a wide variety of innovative fasteners and textiles. We have collaborated with Bandi in the past, and we can appreciate that they work side-by-side with their clients to develop the right solution. They tell us that 80% of their work is customized for a particular customer or environment. It reflects our own Haglöfs Friends relationships. And, they keep their production facilities here in Sweden. On the Ryggsäck N:o 1, Bandi provided the webbing for the shoulder straps, round cord, and piping. They look back through history and forward to the future, a philosophy we understand. This project was a resumption of an historic relationship, and it was a pleasure to work through the design process with them. We met and had a brainstorming session, worked through the details with a dedicated product developer, and made some choices. Our materials were made not-so-far away, in Kumla.
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WOOLPOWER For the felted components used in the back and computer sleeve of the Ryggsäck N:o 1, we turned to Woolpower. Located in northern Sweden in Östersund, this company has been producing textile products on the shores of Storsjön since their founding in 1972. They proudly claim that from yarn to garment, 100% of their production is in Sweden. Woolpower’s very first product, nylon stockings, were developed in collaboration with the Swedish military, so quality and durability were at the core of the company from the very beginning. Their signature fabric is a blend of 2/3 fine Merino wool and synthetic fabrics. The wool is sourced from Patagonia sheep, whose fibers are significantly finer than other sheep, producing a softer and more comfortable material. The felted materials found in our backpack are entirely recycled from the manufacturing process other Woolpower production, thus reducing the ecological footprint of our Ryggsäck N:o 1, preserving nature for the future generations.
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“ FROM COW TO SHOE ”
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TÄRNSJÖ GARVERI This tannery, which has a history even longer than our own, produced the leather components of the Ryggsäck N:o 1. Located on the shores of Sweden’s Tärnsjö Lake, from 1878 until 1970, it was the going concern of three generations of the Åström family. It began as a saddler for local farmers, expanding over the years into bags, moose-leather suede jackets, and other products. Tärnsjö Garveri has long had a sustainable focus, operating with great respect for the environment and their craftsmen. As early as 1988, they ended toxic chrome-excel tanning, switching entirely to vegetable tanning methods, a technique used by only 5% of leather companies. Swedish hides, all high-quality byproducts of the local meat industry, are tanned using time-tested methods. They only use bark extracts, water and water-based finishing, before the products are shaped by some of the finest leather craftsmen in the world. We chose Tärnsjö Garveri not only for the extraordinary quality of their work and environmental focus, but also for its design philosophy. They pay little regards to trends, instead focusing on creating timeless designs. For our Ryggsäck N:o 1, nothing else would do.
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FOR FUTURE HISTORY