Sandqvist Backpacks, from Waterproof to Boardroom
Sandqvist designs in Stockholm with the restraint the city is known for, and the backpack range rewards anyone who learns its three-series logic. STREAM is the weather line, up to and including one genuinely waterproof pack; Icon is the roll-top signature with aluminium buckles and leather accents; Leather Lid is the structured office face. Around them sit a few quiet classics. Everything is cut from recycled polyester, and the brand runs an in-store repair programme with original parts, the kind of after-sales that says more than a slogan would. This page sorts the series the way we do when someone emails us torn between two of them.
If leather should be the whole story rather than the trim, our leather backpacks take over from there; if the first filter is certifications across brands, the sustainable backpacks shelf ranks Sandqvist against its rivals.
Which Sandqvist Series Fits Your Week?
Three series, three relationships with the weather. Choose the series first; sizes follow.
STREAM: the weather series, with one true waterproof
Most rain-friendly bags are coated; the STREAM Zipper Backpack 16" goes further, full waterproof PU construction with Aquaguard YKK zippers throughout, 720 grams, and a padded 16-inch compartment that opens from the top on its own. It is the pack we point commuters to when "water-resistant" has already disappointed them once. Around it, the STREAM Rolltop L (34 L) carries big days in TPU-coated recycled polyester and a fully vegan build, and the Slim Rolltop L (26 L) and Slim Rolltop M (20 L) trim the same weatherproofing down to cycling scale.
Icon: the roll-top signature
The Icon is the Sandqvist silhouette people recognise: roll-top, aluminium buckles, recycled polyester with leather accents that keep it on the handsome side of technical. The Icon Rolltop 16" reaches its laptop through a rear zip without unrolling; the Icon Rolltop 14" is the same idea one size down. The honest note we repeat from our sustainable page: the leather accents make the Icons recycled but not vegan, which is exactly why the STREAM line exists.
Leather Lid: the structured office face
When the meeting matters more than the forecast, the Leather Lid pair answers: the Leather Lid 16" (20 L) holds a full work day behind full-grain leather details, and the Leather Lid 14" (12 L) does the compact version at 540 grams in recycled ripstop. These are the Sandqvists that read briefcase first, backpack second.
The quiet classics
Three models round out the range without belonging to a series. The Ground Rolltop L is the do-everything roll-top with a 16-inch sleeve; the Everyday Rucksack (17.5 L) carries a 14-inch machine in a 28 x 33 cm pocket under the cleanest lid of the catalogue; and the Jonatan (18 L) is the practical veteran, TPU-coated with a 15-inch compartment and a secret top pocket. None of them shout, which in Stockholm counts as a feature. The Everyday Rucksack in particular has become our quiet recommendation for students: the 17.5-litre body carries a full day of classes, the lid keeps the rain off the zip, and the price of admission is the plainest silhouette on this page.
The decision rule: STREAM if weather decides your gear, Icon if you want the signature, Leather Lid if the office looks at your bag before it looks at you. When two sizes tempt you, take the one matching your laptop, not your ambitions.
Recycled Polyester, Leather Accents, and Repairs with Original Parts
The fabric base barely varies: recycled polyester across the range, ripstop where weight matters, TPU or full PU coatings where weather does, hardware from aluminium buckles to YKK zippers chosen to outlast the fashion cycle. The leather question splits the catalogue cleanly, full-grain details on the Icons and Leather Lids, none on the STREAM line, and we would rather draw that line for you than let a product name do it vaguely.
The after-sales is the underrated part. Sandqvist backs its bags with a 2-year warranty against manufacturing defects and runs a repair programme using original parts, part of its circularity work, so a blown zip is a fix rather than a funeral. Eiken adds its own 2-year warranty on seams, straps and zips on top, with claims handled by us. Between the two, a Sandqvist bought here is set up to be kept, which was rather the Swedish idea all along.
From 12 to 34 Litres
Twelve litres, the Leather Lid 14", is a laptop-and-essentials day with no slack. Seventeen to 20 litres is the everyday band: Everyday Rucksack, Jonatan, Leather Lid 16" and Slim Rolltop M, a machine plus a layer plus lunch. Twenty-six litres, the Slim Rolltop L, adds the gym or the grocery detour, and 34 litres, the STREAM Rolltop L, is the weekend-capable ceiling of the range. Roll-tops flex a size in either direction by design; zip models are what they are, which is their own kind of honesty. If you hesitate between the Slim Rolltop M and L, count your wet-weather days: the M rides better on a bike, the L swallows the change of clothes those days demand. And if 34 litres tempts you for occasional travel, remember the STREAM Rolltop L rolls down to a daily size the other six days of the week.
Buying Sandqvist at Eiken
Two years of Sandqvist warranty, original-parts repairs behind it, plus 2 years of Eiken cover on seams, straps and zips, and 30 days to return or exchange. Orders ship from France, and our reviews sit unedited on Trustpilot and our reviews page, alongside more than 25,000 orders shipped. The Swedes made a bag you keep; the paperwork here agrees with them.
FAQ
Which Sandqvist backpack is actually waterproof?
One is, properly: the STREAM Zipper Backpack 16", built with a full waterproof PU construction and Aquaguard YKK zippers throughout. The rest of the STREAM series is highly water-resistant with TPU coatings, and the Icons and classics shed commuter rain without claiming more. The sheets draw that line clearly, and so do we.
Icon Rolltop or STREAM: which one should I choose?
Icon if you want the signature look, aluminium buckles and leather accents included, with a rear zip to the laptop. STREAM if weather rules your commute: more coating, water-resistant zippers, and the vegan build the Icons cannot offer. Function overlaps in dry weeks; the difference appears the first morning it pours.
Which Sandqvist backpack fits which laptop?
Verified on the sheets: 16-inch machines fit the STREAM Rolltop L, STREAM Zipper, Icon Rolltop 16", Leather Lid 16" and Ground Rolltop L. The Jonatan takes 15-inch, while the Icon Rolltop 14", Leather Lid 14" and Everyday Rucksack carry 14-inch sleeves. Match the number in the name to the machine on your desk.
Are Sandqvist backpacks vegan?
The STREAM Rolltop L is fully vegan, recycled shell, lining, webbing and padding, and the STREAM series avoids leather throughout. The Icon Rolltops and Leather Lid models carry real leather accents and full-grain details, so they are recycled but not vegan. Each product sheet states its materials plainly.
What warranty and repairs do Sandqvist backpacks come with?
Sandqvist covers manufacturing and hardware defects for 2 years and repairs its bags with original parts as part of its circularity programme. Eiken adds a 2-year warranty of its own on seams, straps and zips, with the claim handled by us, and you have 30 days to return or exchange.
Which Sandqvist is best for cycling?
The STREAM Slim Rolltop M (20 L) was trimmed for exactly that: waterproof-minded coating, a slim profile that stays off your helmet's radar, and a roll-top that seals against wheel spray. The Slim Rolltop L does the same at 26 litres, and the Icon Rolltop 16" remains the stylish compromise for milder forecasts.
Are Sandqvist backpacks made in Sweden?
They are designed in Stockholm, and the design is where the Swedishness lives: restraint, aluminium hardware, colours that survive trends. Where the sheets name production they name it plainly, Fair Wear certified making in Vietnam on the Jonatan; and they state recycled polyester throughout and a repair programme with original parts, which tells you more about longevity anyway.
The rest of the range
The whole brand lives on the Sandqvist hub, and the crossbody and messenger formats have their own shelf under Sandqvist shoulder bags. To see the Icons and STREAMs argued against eight rival brands on one platform, our commuter backpacks collection does exactly that, and the best laptop backpacks and best tech backpacks guides rank the field machine-first. Stockholm would approve of choosing slowly.