Who here like Wool Filson Winter Gear?

[Love Life]

My carhart has the grey lining with black quilting inside the sleeves. I find it to lacking in warmth out here even when just stepping outside for a smoke. My minimum is white undershirt, longsleeve long john on top of that, with a colored t-shirt on top of that. With those on the carhart is adequate for just working around the yard.

When in my sub-zero garage, or out hunting for long periods I have about 7 layers on including the carhart because we have been rather cold this year. I ran into the same issue in 2010 winter as well. 2011 winter was a joke...

So the trend and indicator is the carhart is not enough for my wonderful 4,500 ft elevation winters and wonderful wind. I'm looking to upgrade, but with style.

[starmac]

If you had the artic carharts, you can lay out there in 40 below in the wind with just a tshirt and jeans on. the parts covered by the carharts will not be cold, your toes might freeze though. lol

I doubt I have worn my carhart bibs over three or four times, and it was always colder than 40 below. I don't actually wear a t shirt, but do just wear a flannel shirt under my coat, and don't even own any long johns. I do wear carhart insulated over pants and they will keep my legs warm at 40 below or worse, way colder than I have ever found anything to keep my feet warm.

It was 46 below this morning and I had to spend a n hour or a little more loading trucks out. I wore jeans, a flannel shirt, my carhart jacket (artic), but not the heavy coat and the carhart overpants and a beanie. I was toasty warm except for frozen toes and face, I should have wore some heavier boots and maybe tried my new electric socks. lol

[Love Life]

Is this the coat you are talking about Starmac?

http://dungarees.net/product_Carhart...FSmCQgodizsAEg

If so you just saved me a bunch of cash. Do you have the optional hood?

[MT Gianni]

I ice fish in Carhart artic bibs. They are 10 years old, stained and comfortable on the lower legs and butt @ -25.

[starmac]

Lovelife That one works in extreme temps. I actually have three of those and hardly wear them. I keep one in different rigs all winter just in case though. They make a lighter jacket type with a built in hood and the same lining that works down to some pretty cool temps, that gets the most use.

these comes it two different outer materials too. the one is close to waterproof, but gets a little stiff at cold temps, the other remains soft, but doesn't turn water much, but then it doesn't rain when you need them. lol

[white eagle]

love wool its worth the price
for the advantages in the material I need no justification to buy

[Love Life]

I do like that wool keeps it's insulating and warmth properties even when wet. Wool, the original wonder material.

[Ivantherussian03]

I have some Filson items. I started with the canvas satchel bag to carry books, and computers. I have several sweaters I bought on Ebay for cheap, one of which I have worn out severely. The heavy leather belts never wear out. The wool vests and coats are great but the main draw back for me is they are kinda too nice. I use my gear hard, but I want it clean when I am done. If I can't throw it in the washer it is just not practical. I just can't imagine hunting in a Filson coat, especially cutting up and packing a moose or big game animal. Carhartt is the way to go for a hunting coats vests, at least for me. I also wear Carhartt Arctic bibs to run the trapline in or ice fish, wool bibs would be impractical. Plus, I can't count how many times my Carhartts have snagged on nails, and were damaged, or spilled gasoline or smeared grease on them. Plus, I doubt the Filson gear would shed the snow riding around during a snow storm; I think you would look like a snowman if you wore a wool mackinaw. I think Filson quality is great, but the cost is hard to justify, and just not practical in every situation.. I bought mine when I was single and still buying rifles.

My pet peeve now is Cabela's brand gear, what a bunch of junk. I have lived in the arctic 15 years now, and wore out three Cabelas coats, broke the zippers on both, and wore them till they were rags. Two were Carhartt wanna be coats, and the other a Anorak jacket they market as Ididarod gear. Cabelas also markets some boots similar to Muck boots, again don't waste your $. I have yet to break a Carhartt zipper or wear out one of their coats.

[Suo Gan]

I always try to hit goodwill stores for these. I bought a nice cruiser for very little money. It is red plaid, and made by Pendleton. I have a Filson wool vest I rarely wear. I got the back of my cruiser completely soaked with bear blood and it washed out with cold water. I still hunt out here in the trillion acres of public land. I like to go in the rain that way my sound does not carry, and my scent gets forced to the ground, and deer are usually moving then, or I can sneak right up on them. I put a thin gore tex over the wool coat, and I wear a wool shirt, and old gore tex will leak a little after it gets real soaked, and the wool will keep you warm when its wet. I have had deer walk right up to me many times and I like to scare them and see the fear in their eyes. I feel like a mountain lion. You don't need camouflage. That is a gimic, at least for deer.

PS I think that a good wool cruiser is every bit as durable as any carhart farm coat.

[odis]

Well today I sure appreciated my Mackinaw cruiser when I went out in 40mph winds during a total white out. Best article of clothing for winter I own, it should be stored away for next season but mother nature just can't take her eyes off me when I wear it I guess.

[Outpost75]

I have Filson Mackinaw vest, Tin Cruiser, Tin vest, Double Mackinaw cruiser, Packer hat and two pair of whipcord trousers which I've had for 30 years since I worked for as a right of way agent. I was advised at the time to buy three full sizes larger than I wore at the time to compensate for mid-life bulge, because these are lifetime garments. That advise was spot-on. I shudder to think what replacing them would cost today.

Nothing made today comes close, unless you so to Europe and buy good quality Austrian Loden, http://www.hubertus-shop.de/websale7...t_index=5-2621 which with current exchange costs more than Filson. If you can find some US Army OG107s from the Korean war era they come close but no cigar.

[Cosmiceyes]

Attachment 75859
He you see the Mackinaw,my daughter in Puff-a-lump. She is at her first job 1 year after 5 years of college. I still have,and wear the coat,hunting,or just about in cold conditions. I am looking at the lighter coat now for hunting since I have the bibs.To much body heat with the combo. I really love the Woolrich wool camo gear,but I have a natural 50 inch chest with very broad shoulders.Woolrich just isn't made for muscular active men.

[Ivantherussian03]

I was always been drawn to Filson products, but they have limitations, that make them deficient. I live in Arctic Alaska; I have hunted, trapped and fished in some of the most remote country the state has to offer. I have traveled in blizzards, in total darkness. I have tracked down following snowmobile tracks and rescued my neighbor in the dark, finding them walking home. One night, I made a 50 mile run down the Yukon by snowmobile to get home. I realized early Filson is not practical here. I have experienced tempertures as low minus 75 for a day, and minus 50's for 6 weeks. Wearing a wool mackinaw jacket for a any work in the snow, much less a blizzard, or high winds would be a cold experience; I can imagine a big snowman in a Mackinaw. Here a guy needs a shell cloth that sheds snow.

The outdoor gear I keep coming back to Carhartt. I have the arctic lined bibs, and several coats made by Carhartt. I have used a Cabela's brand Anorak jacket, and it was nice. The pocket pouch and smaller zipper pockets in the front, plus the hood, and fur liner for the hood. The main draw back with Cabela's brand is the durability; it does not hold up well. You can't wash it, cause it shrinks, and the fabric weakens. It sheds snow and it has a hood, both are a must for survival in any truly life or death senario, but the durability issues keeps me from recommending it. Cabelas stuff is expensive; it should more durable.

Like I said, I keep coming back to Carhartt. My bibs are 14 years old. I have yet to wear a Carhartt coat, but have worn out three Cabelas coats in 14 years, or least I am working on the third. The third one has held up the best; it Cabelas attempt to copy Carhartt. My go to when the temperture dropped that minus 75 was a Carhartt vest which I had just bought that previous fall. It is quilted but seemed on the light weight side. The vest has knitted collar that wrapped around my neck, and made the difference. I of course layer on those cold days. Plus the vest has big pockets for carrying stuff:vhf, flashhlights, and survival gear should guy want them. All of which are wise to have on you. At least living here, we depend on small air craft to travel and should your plane go down. You wont be in a shape to get to survival gear most likely.
My ideal coat is a Carhartt, sherpa lined, with a hood, and large pockets. Planes don't go down often, but it happens.

And now for instance, it is rainy and muddy out. I have mud on my coat from driving around, plus moose blood from handling moose quarters. I cant even imagine wearing Filson Mackinaw here; it is too nice of coat. As soon as the ground freezes here I will wash my jacket and it will clean enough to wear in local society, but it is getting pretty rugged as the locals would say. You cant throw the mackinaw in the washer, and expect good results.

Considering the history of Filson and their connection to the golds. I really cant imagine their clothing products being used much further north than Washington State, and I say that with respect. I like their stuff: belts, luggage, the Otter colored Rain coats for the PNW. Great stuff. All of it is over priced. Their hunting vests and wool vests are nice, but still expensive.

[casey]

I have Johnson woolen mills pants. The heavy green ones. With that being said, just yesterday I orderd a Double Mackinaw from Filson. Should have it by the end of the week. I am in n.w. PA and do a lot of stand hunting. I hope this coat will be as warm as I think it will be.

[kootne]

I've used both Filson & Carrhart, worked outside a lot in the past plus 11 years guiding big game hunters (SW Montana), Lots of wind, temps from +40 to -30. I like to "jungle hunt" elk, slip up on them in the timber. With-in those parameters here is my take; Carrharts will keep you warm with the exception of those times when a pacific (wet) front goes hammer and tongs with an artic front. The first day snow will fall an inch or 2 an hour and it will be wet. By the end of the day Carrharts are soaking wet. The next day, the artic front has won the battle and it is -10 or colder. You better have spent the evening in the tent after the chores are done drying that coat out or the next day it is froze solid. Filson mac is good (maybe the best) on those wet days but don't turn the wind good enough when you're in the open. I ended up settling on a 1/2 weight Filson (long since out of print) with an unlined tin Packers coat over that to shed water and cut wind. 2 thinner layers dries a lot easier than a heavy Carrhart. The other advantage is I don't like lugging a day pack around and I loved all those game pockets and inside pockets on the Filsons. As far as stealth goes, wool is the best, then a Carrhart that is well broken in, a cold tin jacket is the worst,so if thats your choice you have to be leery of every twig slipping through the timber. These are just my druthers, like coffee, not every body takes it the same. Good hunting/happy trails this New Year.
kootne

[Shiloh]

Great gear. Unfortunately out of my paygrade.

Shiloh

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I had a wool Filson vest that was very well made and warm, lived in Colorado at 8700 feet altitude at the time. Bought a Filson Tin Cloth Packer's Coat and finally sent it back. The Filson waterproofing got very stiff and uncomfortable any time the temperature went below 25 degrees, in temperatures under 15 degrees it was so stiff it did nothing to keep out the cold. I was packing horses for elk then, the coat was no good in the dry cold at high altitude. In damp cold above 25 it might be OK. The Tin Cloth is exactly that, like wearing a galvanized garbage can when the bottom falls out. The wool coats are OK, but when the wind blows above 10-15 mph (normal here in eastern WY) you can feel the wind cut through. I have Woolrich and L L Bean heavy wool coats, the HEAVY can wear you out when doing more than sitting in a tree. Layers of course, but I usually wear an LLBean windproof wool shirt-jac as the outer layer down to about zero with a wool shirt and a heavy silk shirt underneath. Filson wool is HEAVY, durable, and coarse. All the Filson products are very well made but just did not work for me. IMHO

[gondwana]

Filson is BEST QUALITY, expensive but worth it. I have a 3/4 length "tin coat" that I bought from their Seattle Store nearly 25 years ago. It has endured winter sambar hunts in south-eastern Australia, late fall elk and bear hunts in MT's Bob Marshall Wilderness and many other rain drenched hunts hear in Australia. The coat looks used but I have no doubt it will serve me well for another 25. Expensive yes. Are they worth it? Absobloodylutely mate!

[WBG]

I love Filson stuff and have lots of it. A few years ago it was affordable on Ebay. I consider it a fashion statement in the city and in the bush. It's got "I'm the Real Deal" written all over it.

I am old enough to have lived through the transition from wool and cotton to poly for mountain/bush gear. The few people that I know who are still really serious about their bush/mountain gear, use the modern poly stuff. So do I, if I have a hard day ahead of me in the bush. The modern nylon and fleese combination just outperforms good old wool. But it has no class; no soul! It's like a synthetic gunstock; it might be a bit better but it ain't got no class. (spit on ground) Filson and Woolrich are the Polo Ralph Lauren of out door clothing as far as I'm concerned. Brian

[waarp8nt]

Who here likes Wool Filson Winter Gear?
My stores are empty but I have it on my wish list.

I have owned 3 used Filson wool coats(from gunbroker) and bought 2 new Filson coats direct from Filson. One coat is the waxed cotton canvas that is wool lined w/ attached hood (love it), the other is the wool Hoquiam coat (very nice) similar to the "Greenwood". I also own 3 bush hats and a wool jack shirt.

I was on my open top backhoe when up came a downpour (no lightening). The bush hat kept my head and most of my upper body nice and dry. Legs were soaked as they were exposed.

I wear the jack shirt when a full weight coat is not needed. I do not wear it around campfires due to the recommendation it be dry cleaned and I am too cheap to have it cleaned multiple times per year.

Subscribe to the e-mail list. They usually have a couple sales per year. The spring clearance sale is the one you want for the winter gear. Prices are much more agreeable. I bought a the Hoquiam wool coat for $125 new and the waxed cotton wool lined for $225 new, cheaper than used on the internet auction website. I live on a budget and likely wouldn't own a Filson if not for their clearance sales and/or buying out of season.