Db Journey
Technical travel luggage, born from skiing, turned lifestyle. Oslo, 2012
Db Journey is a design and marketing brand, not a manufacturing one. Good products, Chinese manufacturing, 12 years of existence. The ski bag is exceptional, the rest is honest but value for money is debated at these prices. LVMH on the cap table ≠ LVMH quality, it's an investment, not a craftsmanship transfer.
Philosophy
Scandinavian design, influencer marketing, innovative materials. Db solves real travel problems, compression, protection, lightness, with design rather than ancestral craftsmanship. It's a perfectly valid approach. It's just not the same thing as a manufacture.
History
It's 2009, or 2012, depending on the source, and Db themselves aren't exactly clear. Truls Brataas, an industrial engineering student in Trondheim, meets Jon Olsson. Brataas has just returned from a year of globe-trotting and is fed up with his crappy bags. Olsson, after a decade of hauling skis across continents, understands the problem viscerally.
That night, they sketch designs on a corner table. Three years of classic startup struggle, noodles, anemic bank accounts, 150+ athletes and baggage handlers surveyed to solve real problems. Then in 2012, they officially launch under a name suggested by their community: Douchebags. Yes, really.
The name is an accidental marketing masterstroke. It gets laughs, shocks, and is impossible to forget. In the ski and snowboard world, it's instantly cult. The hard-shell ski bag with a compression system, adapting to ski length with zero wasted space, becomes the object everyone recognizes on the airport carousel. No need to search for your skis, you spot the Douchebag from across the hall.
On YouTube, Jon Olsson does the rest. His millionaire-skier-playboy vlogs rack up views, and every video is a free Douchebags ad. Influencer marketing before it had a name. Millions of views, bags sold by the truckload.
Then the world changes. In 2021, the brand decides to grow beyond skiing and action sports. Problem: trying to sell cabin luggage to a Japanese business traveler with 'Douchebags' written on it, complicated. They rebrand to 'Db', officially, it means nothing ('Dreambigger,' 'Dobetter,' 'Deliciousbagels', their humor, not ours). Some fans still mourn the old name. Among enthusiasts, someone sums it up: 'nobody talks about them here, weird for bags that well-made.' That's the Db paradox: known in skiing, nearly invisible in the onebag/EDC community.
In 2024, LVMH takes a minority stake. The signal is clear: Db wants to play in Rimowa's league. The Ramverk in ALUULA, an ultralight composite developed for kitesurfing, is their premium play at 350-400 euros. It's objectively impressive material. But does it justify the price when manufacturing stays in China and the brand is 12 years old? That's the real question.
On enthusiasts: 'is the db bag really worth it?', the question keeps coming back. Build quality is praised, design is clean, but value for money is debated. When you pay 300 euros for a Db carry-on, you're paying for Norwegian design and marketing, not a century-old factory or transmitted craftsmanship.
Db makes good products. The ski bag remains exceptional. The Hugger is an honest travel backpack. But this is a marketing and design brand, not a manufacturing brand. The difference is that in 30 years, we'll know if a Domke still holds (spoiler: yes). For a Db, nobody can answer yet.
Iconic Products
The Ski Bag (ex-Douchebag Original)
The product that started everything. Hard shell, patented compression system that adapts to ski length, no wasted space, no rattling. Wheels, multiple handles, real protection. The bag everyone recognizes on the carousel of any alpine airport. Before Douchebags, ski bags were all the same: soft fabric tubes, anonymous, poor protection. This one changed the category. It's the only Db product we can recommend without hesitation, it's proven itself over years, across hundreds of thousands of trips.
Ramverk Pro 32L
The technical backpack in ALUULA, an ultralight composite originally developed for kitesurfing. Tough, light, and visually distinct with its characteristic matte texture. 32 liters, clean Scandinavian design, side access to main compartment. The Ramverk is the product that justifies, or attempts to justify, Db's premium pivot. At 350-400 euros, it's expensive. ALUULA is objectively a remarkable material. But when compared to the Veilance Nomin (Arc'teryx) or the EVERGOODS CHZ (made with a quality track record), Db still needs to prove it ages as well as its competitors.
Ramverk Carry-on
The polycarbonate carry-on, airplane-compliant size, minimalist Norwegian design, clean interior with compression. This is Db's statement of intent towards Rimowa: we can do premium Scandinavian luggage. At ~300 euros, it's in the price range where competition is fierce. Away, July, Rimowa Essential Lite, high-end Samsonite, all play here. The Ramverk is pretty. It's well built. But are you buying a 12-year-old name at a 120-year-old name's price? That's the question every buyer needs to ask.
Hugger 25L/30L
The daily travel backpack, the one that broke through among enthusiasts, and the travel community. Clean design, clamshell opening, laptop compartment. The Hugger is Db's mass-market product, the one that brings people into the ecosystem. It's a good bag. Honestly good. But among enthusiasts, the question keeps coming back: 'is the db bag really worth it?' At ~200 euros, you're in the Aer, Peak Design, Bellroy zone, brands with more track record and often better internal organization. The Hugger bets everything on aesthetics and simplicity. If that's what you're after, it delivers.