What's in My Backpack (College, Fjallraven Kanken)

My Kanken is the backpack of my dreams.

It's aesthetic. It's waterproof and a lovely yellow color. Instead of making me feel like I'm lugging around a bunch of heavy school materials, it makes me feel like I'm transporting sunshine (and lots of it -- textbooks are heavy!)

Quick shoutout to Mackenzie for sending this to me for my birthday! I'm so thankful to finally have the backpack of my dreams. <3

The bag:

Dimensions (Original size):

• Height: 38 cm (almost 15 in.)
• Width: 27 cm (just under 10 3/4 in.)
• Depth: 13 cm (just under 5 1/4 in.)

I'll be honest. When I first saw this bag, I was pretty sure it wouldn't serve me well *. My original backpack had pockets upon pockets (that I didn't use, mind you) so I was worried when I first opened up the square zipper and peaked into the empty abyss below.

HOWEVER.

It's big enough to house A LOT of stuff. I can carry my water bottle with me in the side pocket, tons of notebooks, textbooks, and little bags containing supplies, as well as miscellaneous items that I think I need but never use.

* Though, let's be real here -- I still wanted it because it's just pretty. <3_<3

What's in the front pocket:

My front pocket is the place where I store all my "this doesn't quite have a place anywhere else because I don't use it enough" slash "when I do need it, it needs to be easily accessible".

• Google Pixel headphones
• Hand sanitizer (very nice to have)
• Glasses wipe
• Cough drop
• Pizza pin
• Feminine products holder
• Little mirror
• Band-aids

The main compartment:

Normally I don't take my laptop with me (just because my schedule doesn't quite allow me enough downtime to get any work on it, plus half my classes are very hands-on and the others I like to stay focused). But if I needed to take it, it would fit.

Can you see all those notebooks and that textbook? I could cram more in here if I wanted to (or needed to) which makes me think that in the future when I go on summer adventures, I will have plenty of room to bring along all the stuff I may need.

My pencil case:

This semester I'm taking an art class, hence the charcoal, kneaded erasers, and abundance of black markers. I also have this thing where I'm paranoid about needing a pencil -- and being able to provide others with pencils -- so that's why I have a million of those. Otherwise, I keep my favorite pen and a yellow highlighter for taking notes during lectures. Also, the chapstick is nice to have with me on these brutally cold winter days when I have to walk between classes. Brrr.

My wallet:

I absolutely love my wallet. It has a strap (not pictured here) that gives me the ability to turn it into a crossbody -- which will be super nice on the days when it gets warmer and I won't be able to keep it stored in my jacket pocket, or if I know I'll need to hands-free. But the majority of the time, it remains an adorable wristlet.

As you can see, I keep my Kanken pretty minimalistic. This is because I'm the type of person who really doesn't want to carry more than I have to (it's hard to carry a heavy backpack around campus) and I don't want to waste my time digging through all the stuff in my bag. BUT if I wanted to, I could carry so much more with me.

My overall impressions of the Original Kanken:

I LOVE IT! Like I mentioned, I was concerned with the lack of compartments and extra places to store things, but simply having a main compartment and a small front pocket has helped me pare down what I take with me and how I divide it all up. Overall, this backpack isn't just beautiful but functional as well. :)

Tweet about it: I kind of need one of these in my life...

What's in your backpack?

Are you like me and tend to overpack so you're prepared for anything? Or are you more of a minimalist? What do you carry with you on a day to day basis? Do you have a Kanken? Do you want a Kanken? What color would you get it in?