Åke Nordin (17 March 1936 – 27 December 2013) was a Swedish entrepreneur. He was the founder of Fjällräven, a company that specializes in outdoor equipment, mainly clothing. In 1950, at the age of 14, Nordin went hiking in the mountains of Västerbotten and was not pleased with the design of his uncomfortable backpack. After doing some research, he learned that a pack's weight should be positioned high and close to the wearer's spine. Using his mother’s treadle sewing machine, he made a bag out of strong cotton material. He fastened it to a wooden frame using leather straps. The frame distributed the load better across his back and increased the ventilation between him and the pack. In addition, he could carry a heavier pack.