-
DIMENSIONS
45 cm x 31 cm x 13 cm
17.7" x 12.2" x 5.1" (H x W x D) -
VOLUME
18 L
4.8 gal -
WEIGHT
1.4 kg
3.1 lbs -
LAPTOP POCKET
15.6"
ÅRE: The 18 L Brown Leather Backpack You Never Dig Through
Two straps, two roller buckles, and the flap is shut. Thread them in the rain and you feel the roller turn under leather that has not softened yet, then the prong sets and stays where you put it. Water beads on the grain a while before you wipe it off on a sleeve. Give it a year: the strap holds a crease exactly where the buckle sits, and the corners have gone pale.
The hide is full grain cow leather immersed in oil, which is where the marbling comes from: no two panels of this brown leather rucksack read the same in the light, and the buckles, rivets and zip pulls are antiqued brass left to darken alongside it. Outside there are five pockets. Two sit under buckled flaps, one zips between them, one on each flank.


1.4 kg Empty: Where the Weight Goes
Leather is heavy and no amount of writing makes it lighter. The weight is in the panels: a front that stands up on its own when the bag is half empty, and a flap thick enough to keep its fold instead of flopping over the buckles.
- ✔️ Oil immersed full grain leather: the marbling is in the hide, so a scratch comes back out under a cloth and a drop of vegetable oil.
- ✔️ Five pockets outside: two under buckled flaps, one zipped between them, one zipped on each flank.
- ✔️ Top access zip: the main compartment opens along the top, so the flap stays buckled while you pull something out standing up.
- ✔️ 15.6 inch laptop sleeve: an inner compartment holds the machine flat against the back panel.
- ✔️ Padded straps, mesh backed: the underside of each shoulder strap is lined with honeycomb mesh, so the part that sits on you breathes even though the back panel is solid leather.
- ✔️ Antiqued brass: roller buckles, rivets and zip pulls, dulled so they age at the same rate as the hide.
- ✔️ Two years of warranty: made by Eiken, covered for two years, 30 days to send it back.
Inside stays deliberately plain: one main compartment, a zipped pocket, a flat slip pocket and the sleeve. Eighteen litres in a 45 x 31 x 13 cm body is a working day. A laptop, a lunch and a jumper for the evening go in, and the keys and the charger live out front where you reach them one handed.
A Town Bag With Old Luggage Manners
Buckled flap, orange stitching, brass left to dull down. Drag a nail across the hide and the pale line it leaves closes under a cloth and a drop of oil, which is what the coated splits sold as brown leather backpacks cannot do: they photograph beautifully, then crease across the flap after one winter. Full grain is the other end of that trade, and it is most of what you are paying for here.
The URSUS is the same argument one size up, on the same leather backpacks shelf, and UMEA is the shape cut for women, since this one is unisex and full sized at 45 cm. Its back panel is plain leather with no mesh: a brown leather rucksack for the walk to the station. Buckle the flap, put it on, and let the first scratch land where it lands.

Features & Characteristics
Brand: Eiken, leather backpacks
Main material: Oil immersed full grain cow leather
Lining: Polyester
Hardware: Antiqued brass buckles, rivets and zip pulls
Dimensions: 45 x 31 x 13 cm | 17.7" x 12.2" x 5.1" (H x W x D)
Capacity: 18 L | 4.8 gal
Weight: 1.4 kg | 3.1 lbs
Closure: Leather flap on two roller buckle straps, plus a top access zip
Exterior: Two flap pockets with buckles, one central zipped pocket, one zipped pocket on each side
Interior: Main compartment, zipped pocket, slip pocket, computer interlayer
Carry system: Padded leather shoulder straps with webbing adjusters and brass sliders, riveted leather top handle
Back panel: Full leather, not padded, no mesh
Water resistance: Water resistant leather, no membrane
Gender: Unisex
Style: Vintage
Colour: Vintage brown
Warranty: 2 years
Returns: 30 days
Note: full grain leather is a natural material, which may have small traces, veins or marks inherent to the material. Scratches can be easily removed by lightly rubbing them with a cloth impregnated with vegetable oil. The colour of the leather might slightly vary depending on the batches.
Oil immersed leather products can be prone by nature to colour transference on light fabrics. To avoid that, please make sure to dry your leather if it gets wet and try to avoid contact with light coloured fabrics. If you however notice some stains, don't worry, it comes out in the wash.
Frequently Asked Questions
A working day. The 18 L main compartment takes a laptop in its computer interlayer, a lunch, a jumper and a book, with a zipped pocket and a flat slip pocket for the flatter things. Outside, the two front flap pockets and the central zipped pocket hold the keys and the charger, so the small items never end up loose at the bottom.
Yes. The main compartment holds a computer interlayer, a dedicated sleeve that keeps the machine flat against the back panel. It takes a 15.6 inch laptop. The body measures 45 cm x 31 cm x 13 cm, so a machine that size rides flat against your back with room left for a notebook alongside it.
It is a unisex design and it leaves the workshop for women as often as for men. Bear in mind that it is a full sized backpack, 45 cm tall, not a mini. If you would rather have a shape drawn for women, the Women's Leather Rucksack UMEA is its closest sister in the collection.
The leather is water resistant, not a membrane, and we will not pretend otherwise. A shower on the way to work beads up and wipes off. A soaking is different: dry the bag naturally before you store it, keep it away from light coloured fabrics while it is damp, and it will be fine. Oil immersed leather can transfer a little colour when wet.
That depends on your load. The shoulder straps are padded leather, with webbing adjusters and brass sliders, and they sit well on the shoulder. What the ÅRE does not have is a ventilated back: the back panel is one plain piece of leather, no mesh and no air channels. For the walk to the station or across town with a laptop and a notebook, nobody notices. Remember the bag weighs 1.4 kg before you fill it.
Gram counters, and anyone who needs a ventilated back. Full grain leather weighs 1.4 kg empty, and that is the price of a bag that takes on a patina instead of wearing out. If that trade is not yours, the closest alternative among our brands is the Sandqvist Leather Lid Backpack.
Very little is needed. Light scratches come out by rubbing them with a cloth impregnated with vegetable oil, and the small marks and veins that appear over time belong to the hide. If the bag gets wet, let it dry naturally away from a radiator. Any colour left on fabric comes out in the wash.
Yes, and that is the point of buying it. Oil immersed leather lightens where it rubs: the corners, the edge of the flap, the strap where your thumb rests. The tone also varies a little from one batch of hide to the next. One caution for the first weeks: a fresh oiled leather can leave a trace of colour on very pale fabric, so give it time before you wear it against a cream coat.






















