Knapsack from the 1930s wins Norrøna competition
Florida-based triathlete Eric Munsterman has emerged as the winner of a competition that was unlikely to have formed part of his race programme at the start of 2022.
In the autumn, Norwegian outdoor brand Norrøna published a message to say how delighted it had been when a customer at its store in Trondheim brought in a 22-year-old jacket for repair.
Chief executive and fourth-generation owner of the company, Jørgen Jørgensen, said at the time that the brand often claims that if a new Norrøna product is good, a ten-year-old one is even better. He decided to launch an informal contest to see if customers owned and were still using Norrøna products that were even older.
Eric Munsterman submitted details of a knapsack he bought online ten years ago, but which had been produced by Norrøna in Oslo in the 1930s. Mr Munsterman uses it every day to cycle to the gym. He told the brand: “The canvas is faded, but all straps and buttons work perfectly. You would not believe how much it carries.”
He explained that he had visited Lofoten in north-west Norway ten years ago and had seen interesting looking clothing from a brand he did not recognise on many of the people engaging in outdoor activities there. Eventually, he asked which company the clothing came from and became a Norrøna fan.
As the winner of the competition, he has won a lifetime’s worth of free repairs of his Norrøna gear and when he returns to Norway next year to take part in an Arctic triathlon, he and his family will receive a tour of the company’s current headquarters.
