The Story…

Everything has a story

So here I will tell you the story of the company and the photo rucksack SPITSBERGEN. Just call me Mister Jan, the name dates from my previous life as co-owner of a company Singing Rock. Our suppliers could not pronounce my family name and just called me Mister Jan. When we sold the company, you drop in a hole - which is normal. So I went back to my hobbies bird watching, nature photography, bookbinding, whatever.

As I am a gear freaky from the outdoors, the outdoor industry was my home for nearly 25 years It seemed logical that I looked at everything in the market used by bird photographers with a critical eye. Equipment used to fail on the moment that you need it. Equipment should be fullfiling the basic principle: KISS – keep it simple, stupid. When I go back in time and looked at backpacks made in Australia, they were basic one big bag that you fill with gear and get going. It would not let you down under any circumstances in the bush. On the other side there were the USA designs full of bells and straps, fancy, non functional, loads of zips and could break down when you needed the pack.

I personally bought a Lowepro pack, as I did not know better. Travelling and using it, I discovered it had loads of bells and trumps, is expensive and not functional. My friends had different ones, so on one evening they started pushing me. Why you do not make a Mr Jan pack? And the process started…

I started collecting ideas, pros, contras, first sample, testing, remarks, second sample, remarks, final sample, and here we are. What makes our pack better or different as the others, I will explain you later.

From where does the name Spitsbergen come? One evening on a trip in Norway between friends the topic was Spitsbergen and a future trip… and it was decided.

What the future will be of new products at MrJan-Gear ? I do not know and cannot predict, there are a lot of ideas, new improvements on existing product. But between idea, prototype and production there is a long way.

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Looking forward to hear from, with positive remarks, or with propositions for improvement of the product.

Now time to take a look at out fabulous photo backpack in the Mr. Jan Gear webshop!