A tent is reborn as trousers and a jacket
Åke Nordin, who had just founded Fjällräven, believed that there was a lot to be done in the area of outdoor clothing. He happened to glance at a roll of tent fabric a few days before he went on a hike and suddenly had an idea.

 - I thought I should make myself a proper jacket, and I thought that this heavy tent fabric might just be the solution, explains Åke.

He laid out his old jacket and trousers on the tent fabric in the living room and marked out the lines. Using his grandfathers tailor scissors he cut the pieces that would later be the first Fjällräven trousers and jacket with the help of his mothers Singer sewing machine. Once up in the Swedish mountains, the characteristics of the fabric proved to be practically perfect for outdoor clothing. It did hardly absorb any water and it dried quickly. And it was strong. Really strong!

One of many people who heard of Åkes functional and durable products and fabric was Friluftsfrämjandet and a group of glacier researchers with alpine background. One of them was Hasse Hellström, one of Sweden’s foremost experts on Greenland and also a very qualified climber. Together they would set out on an expedition to Greenland in 1966. They asked Åke if he could provide them with some tents and backpacks. Needless to say he did.

The expedition became one of Sweden’s most successful expeditions on Greenland and the products were reported to be “surprisingly good”. Not only did the expedition give new knowledge about glaciers, it also gave information about outdoor clothing in demanding conditions.

This knowledge resulted in the launch of the Greenland Jacket, or as Åke wrote in the 1968 product catalogue, “The perfect jacket for hikers and climbers. Used by Hasse Hellström, the well-known Alpine climber and Greenland expert “

After a few adjustments of the tent fabric, the waxed fabric was called G-1000. (G- for Greenland.) Today it has evolved into a comfortable, durable, functional material with unusually high breathability. G-1000 is now a standard in most of our jackets and trousers.

Flexibility
What makes G-1000 unique is that you can adapt the garment to the current weather conditions. If the weather is expected to take a turn for the worse, simply heat more Greenland Wax into exposed areas using an iron or hairdryer. This will make the G-1000 fabric almost waterproof and windproof.

If the weather is gorgeous, you can wash the wax out of your garment using a normal washing machine. With a thin layer of wax, G-1000 is cool, comfortable and offers maximum breathability. You are welcome to visit shops that carry our G-1000 range. (Although we do request that you leave your iron at home).

Durability
Another of the most popular features of the G-1000 fabric is the durability. However, sometimes we are in contact with consumers that ask for some improvements. Actually, we had a pair of trousers sent back to us a while back. Everybody in the office gathered round, since it turned out that the trousers were 23 years old. The buttons were worn, but whole. The fabric was intact and had an attractive sheen, the kind that can only be achieved after years of use outdoors. Their owner was dissatisfied because the zipper had broken.

Naturally, things like that should not happen and we repaired the zipper. What happened to the rest of the tent fabric? Well, soon afterwards Åke created the first thermo tent. But that is another story.