My Experience Doing the Fjallraven Classic: Black People DO Backpack - youramericanmoney
Author: Michelle
Description: I have a thing for words. Words with meaning. Some of my favorite words are from other languages. Saudade-the Portuguese word for a deep longing or a sense of melancholy. Ennui is French and I’ve always defined it as a boredom. There’s a word in Japanese Shinrin-yoku that means forest bathing and in Swedish hygge […]
Date: 2022-09-26T09:00:00+00:00

- Skip to main content
- Skip to primary sidebar

## Additional menu

# My Experience Doing the Fjallraven Classic: Black People DO Backpack

posted on 26 September, 2022

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares

I have a thing for words. Words with meaning. Some of my favorite words are from other languages. Saudade-the Portuguese word for a deep longing or a sense of melancholy. Ennui is French and I’ve always defined it as a boredom. There’s a word in Japanese Shinrin-yoku that means forest bathing and in Swedish hygge (hugge) means well-being. When I had the opportunity to participate in the Fjallraven Classic USA held in the Rocky Mountains I was excited about the opportunity to forest bathe and manage my well-being all in one swoop.

For those of you who are somewhat familiar with me you know that I spend a lot of time talking about social equity and access within our financial lives and the systems that we’re a part of. What many of you might not know is that I also spend a lot of time talking about equitable access to the outdoors. I spend a lot of time sharing my experiences outdoors because I want to normalize seeing Black and Brown faces in outdoor spaces. So, when I was invited as an attendee for the Fjallraven Classic, I wasn’t sure what to expect because I was completely unfamiliar with the event.

I loved it.

In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please read my disclosure here.*

## Listen to the Show

I’ve always had an interest in participating in outdoor adventures. In fact, during the first year of the pandemic I had the wild idea of getting a team together to participate in the Eco Challenge New Zealand that watched during lockdown. How cool would it be to make my way across an unknown landscape and share the tale?

When I was younger I had the amazing opportunity to participate in Outward Bound, it was one of the most transformative experiences that I’ve ever had and I still talk about it. Basically, I was part of a small group of around 7 kids and 2 counselors who made our way across the Rocky Mountains it was so much fun carrying our food, crossing 14ers and connecting with nature in a way that was new to me.

The Fjallraven Classic USA was 3 days of trekking across Colorado’s Rocky Mountains with a truly phenomenal, warm and welcoming group of other trekkers who were both new to the event and returning fans of the event.

I’ll admit that while this wasn’t my first backpacking trip, I was a little nervous about it because I may have, just may have gained some COVID pounds. Don’t worry, I don’t feel badly about the COVID weight. But, I was worried about having to rush up a mountain at altitude. I don’t know what I was worried about.

The emphasis of enjoying yourself at your own pace is a key part of the experience. I met teams of adult parents and children who were enjoying the trek together, non-profit directors focused on connecting underrepresented youth with the outdoors and I reconnected with a feeling that I hadn’t realized was missing:

Joy. Joy of doing something that allowed me to let everything go and exist in the moment. There is a reason why going in a group of people on a journey of discovery is a common trope in literature and the movies. There’s something to be said about the power of the journey and how it feels to arrive at that final destination. Sometimes you reach the end and the experience was everything that you expected it to be. I think of movies and books that I grew up with like Stand By Me, yes, Stand By Me and even the story’s premise is dark-we watched the kids transform along the way and wondered would they find what they were looking for when they reached the end of their journey. Wild a book all about the transformative journey of a woman who tackles the Pacific Coast Trail during a moment of personal turmoil.

On top of the world!

I must admit that it took me a little longer than what I would have liked to record this episode because I was still reflecting on what this experience really ended up meaning to me and what I wanted other people, especially folks who look like me, to learn about it.

In fact, I’m going to answer the questions that you’re probably wanting to ask but might feel a little awkward asking me.

1. Were there other Black people participating-Yes, there were 3 Black participants on the trek, two guys and myself. They were super sweet and really fun to get to know.

2. Were there other POC on the trek? Yes, there were a small handful of additional participants of color. I will be candid and say that it’s my hope to see a lot more POC on this trek in the future.

3. Is the Fjallraven Classic expensive to participate in? I actually was surprised that it was a $200 registration fee. We had tons of snacks and all of our meals provided for us.

4. What equipment will I need? The biggest issue is that you’ll need a Backpacking backpack, sleeping bag, stove, good hiking shoes and a tent. If you don’t want to invest in that type of equipment for whatever reason Fjallraven provides equipment that you can rent to use for the trek for pretty reasonable prices or you can reach out to your friends with gear. Have them teach you how to set up the tent and use the stove before you head out. If you’re looking to invest in equipment I absolutely loved the Kaipak 38 or it might have been the Kaipak 28 and my favorite thing about it was how the front had velcro and zippers so it was so easy to pack up. The frame was comfortable and I loved all of the compartments and pockets. For the longest time, I’ve been researching water purifying tools. I hike often enough that it’s a good idea to have something on hand in the event that I get lost and need to purify water. I tried to find it online but, i couldn’t. If I do, I’ll include in the episode show notes.

Fjallraven as a brand is very aligned with the values that I care about. Accessibility to the outdoors, being a part of a community (I loved hearing participants talk about the gear and was in awe of the fact that they knew names of so many products-I’m thinking of you Kanken Backpack) Sustainability-I loved that they had shuttles that departed from downtown Boulder and transported participants to the starting point. Ultimately, what I thought about afterwards was the attention to the small details that really matter. I loved that we had so many snacks and places to refill our water bottles. Having medical staff available to participants reassured me that I would be physically safe and I appreciated the communication we received from the team. This focus on the small stuff echoes throughout the brand. I’m thinking of all the hidden pockets that I keep finding in my rain jacket and discovering that my pants can be converted into shorts.

Don’t get me wrong, there is always room for improvement-no event gets everything right. But, I know that the team will be incredibly responsive to the feedback that we’ve shared with them. So, if you’re looking for an outdoor adventure that is something a little less intense than the Eco Challenge or hanging out with Bear Gyllis, I highly recommend the Fjallraven Classic and encourage you to bring a friend.

The following two tabs change content below.

- Bio
- Latest Posts

#### Michelle

I am an obsessive foodie, but not self-righteous with it, love travel, meeting new people, helping you look good, and am freaked out by people who don't enjoying reading...something! Grab a Perrier, read my blog, feel free to drop me a line! Hope to hear from you soon.

#### Latest posts by Michelle (see all)

- Financial Boycotts When Black - 23 June, 2026
- Your American Money in 2026 - 17 June, 2026
- How to Design a Boycott Strategy That Works for YOU - 6 February, 2025

### Share this:

- Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
- Share on X (Opens in new window) X

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

#### Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.