I have a lot Filson gear, but it is hard justify the costs. I bought it all when I was single. I prefer Carhartt now.
I have a lot Filson gear, but it is hard justify the costs. I bought it all when I was single. I prefer Carhartt now.
Thanks
Ivan
Number #513
Yeah I figured it out. It would not be ALASKA……... unless it was the absolutely the toughest it could be and worst possible case scenario!
I lived in Nome and travelled by snow machine over the ice with a single ply wool cruiser and wool shirt underneath. I always wore a seal cap. The Eskimos wore very little clothing in the winter and sometimes had skin exposed and light shoes. You hear you can't do that. That your skin will freeze. I don't know. I do know we kept a raven as a pet indoors and let him out in the winter. He wasn't able to take the cold like his brothers outside.
Wool is good. If snow is flying or you anticipate wet conditions you can wear a light shell. I have got my cruiser through tough conditions and entirely soaked it with blood and it washed out when I got back home. I am a believer in wool. I am not that keen on wearing canvas. Yeah it's durable. I just feel it is too restrictive to movement.
Lotta people die in bed: Dangerous place to be!
Johnson. It's all we ever had as we are from the NEK. I have a light jacket and wool shirt with me down here in red plaid, of course. Stuff has gotten expensive but it doesn't wear out. In the woods hunting it's hard to beat. Quiet, warm when wet, warms with the sun. I've taken many dunks in a swamp and stream with wool socks, wool underwear and wool pants/shirt and jacket. Always made it home. My standard snowshoeing outfit down to -30 or so is a pair of long underwear, wool pants, long underwear top, light wool sweater and light wool jacket. Smartwool socks in insulated leather boots and a wool toque.
As for cold weather, I am lucky in that I don't really get that cold. If you are in it every day you get used to it and when it warms up to 20 it feels like summer.
I Am Descended From Men Who Would Not Be Ruled
Fiat Justitia, Ruat Caelum
I have a pair of the wool pants and double mackinaw cruiser coat, very nice stuff but extremely pricey! I also have woolrich bibs and they seem just as good to me as the filson and cost quite a bit less
I just wished Filson would bring back the oil-cloth in camo.
I had a Filson Tin Cloth Packer, in the Colorado High Country below 15 degrees it was like wearing a garbage can, the waterproofing just got stiff and hard in real cold. I've always liked the Filson, Woolrich and LL Bean Wool Coats, but they do not stop the wind (over 15 MPH), they are very heavy and even heavier when wet, I wore a Woolrich tuxedo for many years in PA and CO. I still wear layers of wool and silk but under polyester (Polarguard) and some sort of QUIET windproof layer, much lighter and just as warm. I do not trust down. If it gets wet, you have 2 layers of thin cloth left. New treated down is supposed to stop this. Not ready to trust my life with the new down at 15 below, due to getting wet. Fleece feels soggy when wet and does stop the wind.
Head's Up for the bargain conscious, I got a Finnish surplus M65 wool anorak for less than $100 shipped. Talk about fast delivery!
Took only two weeks from across the pond! https://www.varusteleka.com/en/produ...et-shirt/35226
Attachment 212012
Materials and workmanship are first class. A bit lighter fabric and tighter weave than the G. Fred Asbell https://asbellwool.com/t/anoraks "blanket weight," which is strictly a cold weather winter shirt, whereas the Finnish one is about the same weight as a Korean era US Army OG107 or US Navy CPO shirt, fully cut to enable layering with a sweater or vest and base layer under it. I would wear the Finn anorak in spring or fall with only a fishnet shirt under it, and layer up as the weather gets colder. This winter have found it quite adequate down to zero degrees F layering with fishnet or silk base layer, polypro or silk-bamboo fiber thermal underwear and bulky wool sweater or vest in sub-zero wind chill X-country skiiing or snow-shoeing.
The heavier G. Fred Asbell Mackinaw https://asbellwool.com/t/mens is better when sitting still on a deer stand, not moving around or in near-freezing cold-wet rain/snow and freezing rain conditions.
Overall the Finnish blanket shirt is a really great buy! An interesting feature I found VERY much worth writing about is the "secret gun pocket" sewn in sturdy tent canvas inside the wrap-around hand warmers. Ideal size for tucking in your iPhone or Android device, but big enough for a 2" S&W J-frame .38 snubby, SIG P230 or Walther PP. AND the gun doesn't "print" when you are wearing the shirt!!!
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
Filsons wool and waxed tin products are the best you can buy for cold /wet outdoor work or recreation imho .
Put a wool cruiser inside of a waxed tin coat and you have a life saving combo in the worse weather that winter can throw at you .
It is nice stuff but I pick and choose what I buy. Sometimes u can get a deal on EBay. I got a sweater for 75 percent off. But some of it crazy expensive. The woo lens putter wear are impractical in Ak, cause they would collect snow. I bought Filson when I was single and rich.
Thanks
Ivan
Number #513
Yeah I figured it out. It would not be ALASKA……... unless it was the absolutely the toughest it could be and worst possible case scenario!
If one feels they have a need for good, well designed wool clothing - they will usually pay the price asked, as well designed, functional and 100% wool clothing is worth every penny paid. I sometimes use a light Filson Merino Wool pullover, as a base layer in place of a cotton t-shirt. Not sure if Filson still makes that pullover. I don't find the majority of their clothing line-up very functional for my uses but their tin chaps work just fine in the briars.
Take a look at this site and if you have a need for wool outer clothing - maybe you'll see something that you've been looking for but never could find it. https://empirecanvasworks.com/wool/
I have their Camp Coat and Grey Fox Pullover and both are beyond excellent for my needs/wants. The prices are very reasonable for the individual wanting this type of outer wear but would seem very expensive for the person who is looking for a warm coat for maybe one (1) week a year and doesn't engage in many, if any, outdoor activities when the temperature is on the "chilly side".
Roomy hand warmer pockets and smaller chest pockets that zipper open from the center part of the garment are nice touches if you're totting a backpack, as you will have your "incidentals" readily available and a water bottle and other "bulky essentials" are easily stored in the three (3) top loading tail pockets located in the lower rear of the garments. The waist draw cord is fully adjustable from inside the roomy hand warmer pockets, so you adjust for the amount of "draft" you need to allow in or to seal out and never worry about snagging that draw cord on branches etc. Both garments also have smaller zippered, double sided nylon security pouches located inside the roomy hand warmer pockets that you can safely store small items you can't afford to loose on your outing, such as vehicle/house keys. If you have ever lost those keys on the trail many miles from a living human prior to cellular telephones - you probably can appreciate the "security pouch".
It's these little touches that make a coat very functional for someone on ski's, snowshoes or just ground pounding through the forest while maintaining a comfortable temperature and enjoying Nature. The coat appearance is a bit different but function beats looks to the outdoorsmen every time IMHO.
In case you're wondering - I don't work for Empire, nor do I get a discount on their products. I'm just happy that they offered something that I find useful maybe 4 to 6 months out of a year.
Filson is the best! I found some good buys at Big Bill's work clothes. Army surplus store in Colorado has good prices on wool clothes. Codet is nice and lower priced too.
I don't wear the heavy wool much anymore. Here it is almost always damp in the winter....wet snow or freezing rain and the wool, while effective, just gets too **** heavy when wet.
Have both Filson, Pendelton and Woolrich for atleast 40 years. Jackets, bibs and vests. The only one lost was a favorite green shirt that had antelope self tanned patches on the elbows. My "new" wife washed it and shrunk it fit a 5 year old. Still hard to laugh on that one. Glad the trunk held these over the years as my weight is not back to years ago and they still fit. Perhaps a bit out of style but so am I.
twenty years ago when still logging here in Oregon i used Filson gear often... since the yuppies took over they have fallen in quality and gone up in price... the new designs are trendy and not expedition gear that built the company years ago... still have an old wool Mackinaw and a wool vest... but i don't buy their new stuff...
This has been my observation also. Filson quality today is not up to what I bought 50 years ago.
These days prefer Codet out of Canada or Johnson Woolen Mills from Vermont.
The Varusteleka Oy goods out of Finland are very good. Their shipping to USA from Finland is fast and cheaper than Amazon!
Attachment 245321Attachment 245322
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
I like my tin cloth jacket as well. For pants the Wrangler Rugged Wear (the one with the leather reinforced pocket top) heavy canvas pant is bullet proof. I get mine on sale at Tractor Supply for $35. Theses are as tough as my Tin Cloth jacket.
Stocked up on Filson 20 years ago when I was single traveling all over the USA during winter hunting and fly fishing trips. It cannot be beat for snow. Have a few Vests for casual dress. All kinds of Tin, coats, pants, headgear. Thank goodness it still fits. What I have is good enough to pass down now.Would I go that route today? Ya know there;s a lot of light weight gear these days, that frankly gets the job done.
“You should tell someone what you know. There should be a history, so that men can learn from it.
He smiled. “Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones. Each discovers each old thing and they throw up their hands and say ‘See! Look what I have found! Look upon what I know!’ And each believes it is something new.
Louis L’Amour
The Californios
I have a mackinaw I like over a down vest when it's cold. The loggers here don't wear it anymore it fails too quickly
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Love me some Filson, havn't bought any in a while though. Have several bags I use for luggage, and also a briefcase size that I've used as a computer bag for years, and my favorite duck hunting coat. Been a while since I've made a purchase, but occasionally you can find a deal here or there in secondary marketplace.
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |