The Backpack Library – A real-world backpack testing program. Sign up to the waiting list for the next opening.
The Backpack Library is the place where you can explore our backpacks. Take a backpack for a 3-week loan and extend its story.
Each backpack has its own unique history and over time they'll gather dozens of stories, that users record in the accompanied journal.
Put the bag into real use!
Feel how the pack keeps getting better with use, developing a beautiful, unique patina and a comfortable fit of worn leather. Each pack has its own personality and story, crafted by all the people who’ve had it as a companion.
Put the bag into its real intended use, whether it rains, snows or shines. Pack it with your essentials for a day out and experience the outstanding comfort.
If you'd really like to loan one but the backpack is unavailable in your location, drop us a line from the form below or subscribe to the 'rest of the world' waiting list.
Why use the Library?
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Test in the real world. See how the pack works in your life.
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Feel the comfort. Feel how comfortable the backpack is, especially after the leather has conformed over time.
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Experience the patina. Get a glimpse of the future and see how a Kasperi develops a unique patina and a comfortable fit.
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Encounter the stories. Feel the stories from past. Leave your own notes for future borrowers to enjoy.
Instructions
The Guide:
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Place a hold. Pick the country you are in and add to cart. Waiting time depends on the availability.
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Receive the backpack. Open the the box gently so you can send the backpack forward in it. Check that the journal is there.
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A 3-Week loan. The loan is for 3 weeks and after which the pack is sent forward to the same country. We charge 5€ for shippings!
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Share your greetings. Write about your time together with the backpack in the accompanied journal. Share a photo of the page with us and of the backpack with you as you explore the world.
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Ship it forward. You will receive a shipping label from us in the form of a pdf. You’ll need to print and attach it to the same box you got the backpack in.
Ps.
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Social media: Tag us on instagram @kasperibags for a share in our stories. Pictures you send us directly may end up on the Kasperi social media pages!
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Noticed something? If you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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No one in line? If you're lucky and no one is in line immediately after you, you get to keep using the pack until we contact you. We hope you are able to send the backpack to the next user within a week of us contacting. But in case there's delays let us know as soon as possible, so we can inform the next user.
Delivery
Shipping & delivery
- You will only have to cover the 5€ shipping costs.
- The previous user will send the backpack to you, and once your 3-weeks are up we will send you a pdf shipping label. It will have the shipping information of the next user. Print and attach it to the same box the backpack was shipped to you, and send it forward.
- You can keep using the pack until we contact you, as long as no one is waiting in line. We kindly ask that you pass it on to the next user within a week of us contacting. Let us know if any delays arise, so we can inform the next user.
Tracking and support
- Customers are notified and sent a tracking number by e-mail to the address provided.
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Contact us for tailored support or requests with the form below or via email.
Backstory
The inspiration behind The Backpack Library
In time for spring, we’ve launched The Backpack Library, for a limited time.
We've always wanted to provide people opportunities to experience and use our backpacks before making a decision. We also believe that the history and stories embedded into durable items that are used for decades make them more special!
Hence, we started to experiment with the idea of circulating backpack already in 2019, which evolved into a rental service, which evolved into a try before you buy service for our Finnish customers. This evolved into a "Traveling Packs" in which backpacks travelled the world with notebooks being used by different people for a few months at a time. The feedback of the concept was great and we wanted to make it more accessible and get these packs to truly travel around.
The public library institution in Finland has evolved over the past two decades into an institution that not only makes books accessible but feeds the curiosity and creativity of people in new ways with maker spaces, items, and tools. Inspired by the re-imagining of the library concept, we wanted to create our own homage to the library institution. The Backpack Library.
The Backpack Library is a project that experiments with the journey of items and the stories that are created in them.
We dream of a world where items are made to last and cherished for life, a world where stories get passed on together with the item, for other people to find joy in them. By showing how that feels, we hope this project will help set the items in our lives into a longer term perspective.
