Hommage to a black back pack.

Some time ago, when Rosenbergs 7 was touring all over, I bought myself a black back pack, a ryggsäck. Made of thick fabric, with a hidden pocket where the straps could be hidden during flights. Of the brand Naturkompaniet. This was in the 1900-hundreds, well, it could have been around 1995. Now, some 17 years later, this black back pack is still serving me, as a long time companion and best friend. Zippers are original, I have only made one repair where a seem has given up. My friend is here in the photo to the left:


How many places have you and I seen together? You are a great globetrotter, my dear back pack. On ALL my tours you have been my favourite bag. Sometimes far away to South Africa, USA, all over Europe. You have followed me all over Sweden too, and our neighbour countries in the north.

I have started to wonder now if I should give you some holiday. I think you deserve that. Sit and dream of all the travels we made, and not carry too heavy luggage. We'll see, on some special occasions you and I will still travel together, I'm sure.

You are the type of stuff I like so much. Made in such long life quality that I can give you to next generation. Care and repair is always good. When I think of how the ground crew on airports treat bags, then I think it must be some magic with this bag, how well preserved you still are after many flights each year.

A couple of times you went missing after transfers with delay. Every time you kept coming back. I never worried too much, I knew we will meet again.

I went to the store where I bought you, Naturkompaniet. Unfortunately they don't have back packs of the brand Naturkompaniet anymore. I planned to go find you a partner, you see? Yesterday I ran into a bag just by chance when I was shopping in Falun. I was at Cykel and Fjäll to buy some spare parts to bikes, and on the floor there was one bag in the colour of Falu red paint, the last one of its type. A bag made for expeditions to Himalaya I should say, in really thick fabric and really well made zippers. Yes! Suitable for a touring musician.


Shopping in Falun has been wonderful! Not to speak about yesterday too, for the first time in many years I was shopping together with my sister! My best buy was a black dress for Irmelin concerts, plus equipment for my new ZOOM. If you are shopping in Falun and looking for some vintage clothes, go visit Myrornas. Oh heaven, so many dresses! This is the summer when I started to dress like Hemulen, one of the caracters in Tove Jansson stories. Oh, he's one of a kind, academic interests of botanical collections, of sports, and he's not a friend of the hattifnatts. He's always dressed in a dress.

I can agree.

You are always dressed in a dress.


Eva