Gear of the Week | The blue Ikea tote bag

The possible uses of the blue Frakta bag are as versatile as they are varied. Its price-performance ratio is unmatched, or as freerider, geographer and occasional PowderGuide author Sebastian Fischer once put it many years ago: "Worth so much more than it costs". The fact that the Frakta bag has not yet been officially recommended for use as a rope bag by the Alpine clubs can only be down to the lobbying work of the sporting goods industry. It has been ubiquitous in climbing gyms for years! And bikers also appreciate its capacity, durability and handling. After a few runs in the mud, there's hardly anyone who hasn't stowed their equipment in an Ikea bag for the ride home so as not to damage their means of transportation. But the blue piece of plastic shows its strengths not only in the mountains, but also on the beach: get out of your wetsuit without it getting covered in sand again? No problem! Simply put it in the bag, hold it up a little with the handles, take it out of the wetsuit, then out of the bag and everything is clean and packed for transportation home without being covered in sand.

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High-quality and sophisticated transportation systems are useful and usually the most convenient and safest way to get your equipment from A to B safely. But hand on heart: who hasn't been late for a lift on a powder day? There's often not enough time to neatly stow your helmet, goggles, gloves etc. away. And even in these situations, the blue wonder plays to its strengths! The bag is plonked on the floor, everything is thrown in as frantically as possible and from a great distance, the two handles are grabbed and off you go!

The technical data is also often copied, but probably never matched. A volume of 71 liters with a weight of 120 grams results in a specific weight of just over 2g per liter. And that at a price of €0.49, i.e. significantly less than 1 cent (!) per liter. You'd be forgiven for thinking of space technology at a discount price!

Dimensions:
Length: 55 cm
Depth: 37 cm
Height: 35 cm
Max load: 25 kg
Capacity: 71 l

Pack size:
Width: 22 cm
Height: 1 cm
Length: 37 cm
Weight: 120g

Frakta surfing — Fracta while surfing

Betty Larl

And even though snow cornices often make it difficult for us to see the bigger picture, we like to think outside the box. Frakta is also a loyal companion in "real" life. Whether moving house, going to the recycling center or transporting presents home for Christmas: the minimalist carrying system paired with plenty of storage space will also impress furniture movers, househusbands and favourite grandchildren.

And if something breaks or mud and dirt tarnish the beautiful blue, care is also very easy; simply rinse, clean with lukewarm water and leave to dry. With such care instructions from the manufacturer, the cleaning minimalist heart laughs!

Why the Swedish national teams are not yet on official trips with our favorite bag, although it proudly bears the national colors of the Scandinavians, is incomprehensible. Rarely have 120 grams of polypropylene been used so sensibly and creatively. One would almost be tempted to say: "After dynamite, the second Swedish invention that has hit like a bomb". But only almost, because this comparison would possibly cast Frakta, which gives us so much pleasure, in the wrong light. That's why we simply hope that this Swedish innovation will remain in this quality for a long time to come and continue to provide us with many useful services.