G-1000 is the reason people keep buying Fjällräven decades after their first purchase. It's a polyester-cotton weave made from leftover tent material, and it becomes water- and wind-resistant once you rub in Greenland Wax and melt it in with an iron or hairdryer. Most brands expect you to replace a jacket in five years; Fjällräven expects you to rewax the same one. The Kånken backpack carries that idea in a different shape, a simple foam-panel design from 1978 that's survived decades of school runs and hiking trails unchanged.
Weighing Fjällräven Greenland jackets against a Gore-Tex shell comes down to use. G-1000 breathes better over long days and shrugs off scrapes from rock and branch, but won't match a membrane in sustained downpour.
Shop the full Fjällräven range and pick gear built to outlast the trend cycle.
G-1000 is a polyester-cotton blend, roughly two-thirds polyester to one-third cotton, originally developed by founder Åke Nordin from offcuts of tent fabric. It's woven to resist tearing and abrasion, then treated with Greenland Wax to add water and wind resistance without sealing the fabric completely.
Rub the wax bar directly into the fabric, focusing on areas that take the most weather like shoulders and knees, then melt it in with a warm iron, a hairdryer, or even a campfire held at a safe distance. This opens the wax into the weave so it beads water rather than sitting on the surface unevenly.
The Kånken uses a simple foam-panel construction rather than a padded, structured frame, which keeps it lightweight and lets it hold its shape without collapsing when half empty. It's built for everyday carrying and short trips rather than multi-day loads, where a framed hiking pack does a better job.
Rewax whenever water stops beading on the surface and starts soaking straight into the fabric, which is usually once or twice a season with regular use. Washing the jacket in plain water without wax first lets you see exactly how much treatment it still needs.
We use marketing, analytical and functional cookies as well as similar technologies to give you the best experience. Third parties, including social media platforms, often place tracking cookies on our site to show you personalised adverts outside of our website.
We store your cookie preferences for two years and you can edit your preferences via ‘manage cookies’ or through the cookie policy at the bottom of every page. For more information, please see our cookie policy.