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Fjällräven Expedition: a winter icon since 1974
One freezing night in Lapland led to one of the best-known down jackets in the world. Today the Expedition is a whole family, from parkas to lightweight insulated jackets.
Yellow drawcords, leather tabs on the hood, the Arctic fox logo on the chest: you can spot the Expedition Down Jacket from a distance. Fjällräven has made it largely unchanged since 1974. No two winters are the same, so a whole family has grown up around the classic. At its centre is the Expedition Down Lite Jacket, with the same warmth in a slimmer shape. There are also long parkas for really cold days and lightweight jackets for days when you keep moving.
Winter icon since 1974
A cold night in Abisko
In the early 1970s, Fjällräven founder Åke Nordin dug a snow hole for the night on an expedition in the mountains of Abisko, in the far north of Sweden. It turned out to be one of the coldest nights of his life. He decided to make a jacket in which nobody would ever be cold again.
Back then, the down experts were in the USA. Nordin travelled there and learned from a maker of down jackets and sleeping bags in Boulder, Colorado. Back home in Örnsköldsvik, he sewed the prototype on his Singer sewing machine: a smaller jacket inside a larger one, with the seams offset so there would be no cold spots. The hood could be pulled so tight that only the eyes showed, and the jacket was long enough to cover the backside.
In 1974 the Expedition Down Jacket went into production. According to Fjällräven, it was soon taken on expeditions from the Himalayas to the Arctic Circle. Today's Expedition Down Jacket still follows the same principle.
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Expedition Down Lite Jacket
Down Lite: the classic, only lighter
The Down Lite has the same down as the original, but one layer instead of two. That makes it lighter and shorter. Fjällräven designed it for the way up a summit just as much as for a cold January morning on the way to work. It is available as the Expedition Down Lite Jacket for women and for men.
The details of the original are still there: the hood with yellow drawcords, big pockets and the button placket over the zip. The women's version comes in colours including Navy, Black, Dark Violet, Basalt and True Red, plus new two-tone versions such as Mustard Yellow with UN Blue.
Expedition Down Lite Jacket at a glance
Original and parkas
For days when it gets really cold
The Expedition Down Jacket is the 1974 original: two layers of down on top of each other, so there are no cold spots. It is the right choice when you spend a long time standing outside. It is available for women and for men.
The Expedition Long Down Parka reaches below the knee and keeps you just as warm in the city as on an ice-fishing trip. We stock it for women.
For the deepest winter there is the Polar Expedition Parka. On the outside it is made of G-1000, the fabric Fjällräven is known for, and inside there is plenty of down. It is the heaviest parka in the family. It is available for women and for men.
Original and parkas at a glance
The lightweight Expeditions
Light warmth for days on the move
Not every winter day calls for the thick original. The Expedition Pack Down Hoodie is a thin down jacket that packs into its own pocket, good for trips and everyday wear. It is available for women and for men.
Lighter still is the Expedition Lätt Hoodie. It has synthetic insulation that stays warm even when damp, and it fits well under a rain jacket. It is also available for women and for men.
The Expedition Mid Winter Jacket also has synthetic insulation, but a longer cut, and is made for changeable weather. It is available for women and for men. The lightest is the Expedition X-lätt Jacket, ideal for fast hikes and mild winters, also for women and for men.
The lightweight models at a glance
Fjällräven Polar
300 kilometres by dog sled
How good a winter jacket is shows outdoors. That is why Fjällräven holds the Fjällräven Polar every year: participants travel around 300 kilometres through the Arctic by dog sled. The idea behind it: with the right gear and support, anyone can find their way in nature.
The models compared
| Model | Fill | Length | Weight (women's S) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expedition Down Jacket | Down, two layers | covers the backside | 1,560 g | Really cold days |
| Expedition Down Lite Jacket | Down, one layer | hip length | 1,060 g | The whole winter |
| Expedition Long Down Parka | Down and synthetic | below the knee | 1,360 g | City, forest, ice fishing |
| Polar Expedition Parka | Down, G-1000 outer | covers the backside | 2,296 g | Deepest winter |
| Expedition Pack Down Hoodie | Down, thin layer | hip length | 435 g | Trips and everyday |
| Expedition Lätt Hoodie | Synthetic | hip length | 420 g | Under a rain jacket |
| Expedition Mid Winter Jacket | Synthetic | longer cut | 1,004 g | Changeable weather |
| Expedition X-lätt Jacket | Synthetic, very thin | hip length | 280 g | Fast hikes, mild winters |
Why Fjällräven
Åke Nordin founded Fjällräven, Swedish for Arctic fox, in 1960 in his parents' basement in Örnsköldsvik. It all started with a backpack with a frame; later came the tent, the G-1000 fabric and the Kånken. Each of these products grew out of a problem Nordin had experienced outdoors himself. With the Expedition Down Jacket, it was the cold. His advice to customers: if you are happy with your gear, tell others. If not, tell him. Today Fjällräven sells its products in more than 70 countries.
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