How-To's How to Rewax a Jacket Our waxed cotton gear is built for years of rugged use. Follow these simple instructions to rewax your Filson garments and bags. Read more 5 Min
Profiles Traditional Bowhunting Q and A with Hunter Rung Hunter Rung is a hunting guide and traditional bowhunter from Montana. We caught up with him before he got into the mountains for fall hunting season to ask him about his beginnings with archery and what hunting means to him. Who taught you to hunt? How long have you been hunting? I started hunting Read more 6 Min
Profiles Svalinn: Bred to Love, Trained to Protect Kim Greene’s email signature reads, “Alpha Female” and in her line of work, that is exactly who she needs to be. Kim and her husband Jeff are the owners of Svalinn, a Montana-based breeder and trainer for working dogs. We sat down with Kim recently to ask her a few questions about her business and Read more 5 Min
Profiles Ploughgate Creamery: Vermont’s Cultured Butter An average summer day at Ploughgate Creamery goes something like this: You’re up at quarter to six to start the churn. An hour later you’ve got golden butter and buttermilk (the latter you feed to the pigs). Next, you divide the butter into three thirty pound batches. The slow churn is what takes some time, Read more 8 Min
Profiles PNW Workers: Force/Collide Located in Seattle WA, Force/Collide is driven by owner Chelsea Gaddy’s distinct style that blends geometry, minimalism, and the raw characteristics of metals into high-end furniture and architecture. “The creative process behind fabrication is the most meaningful part of my work – it’s what forms the personality of the piece. And metal is my favorite Read more
Profiles PNW Workers: Western Neon If you’ve walked Seattle’s streets after sundown, you’ve laid eyes on Western Neon’s craftsmanship. Since 1985 they’ve put their radiant stamp on our booming town. Along with the logo and working clock atop Filson Headquarters, they’ve created Seattle landmarks such as Rainier Brewery’s “R” and the iconic pink elephant outside Elephant Car Wash. Glass bender Read more
Profiles PNW Workers: Laura Burkhart Laura Burkhart drew inspiration from the Pacific Northwest’s mountains, lakes, and trees – and used it to develop a refreshing, unique style of artwork. “Woodwork is such a physically demanding medium, forcing me to fully immerse myself in the process. This particular style came to fruition a few years ago when I was asked to Read more
Profiles PNW Workers: Meridian Forge It’s not an easy process. “You have to beat it into submission…you have to tell it what to do,” he says, speaking of the metal being shaped by his hands. He grimaces and sweats as he brings the hammer down again and again on the hot steel against the anvil. Both the process and the end result are his art. Darryl’s signature pieces are animal heads: a bald eagle with piercing eyes and razor-sharp beak, a ram leaping forward in challenge. His skill in forging these creations is made possible through tools that are all handmade, including the hammer wielded with purpose to shape hundreds of animals. Such was the case when he hand-forged a tomahawk that sports the head of a wolf. Read more 3 Min
Profiles PNW Workers: Dovetail General Contractors Located in Seattle, WA, Dovetail General Contractors specializes in bringing clients’ visions to life by immersing themselves in every aspect of a project – from Japanese joinery to large-scale foundation work. Carpenter Lucas Trautman embodies this as much as anyone. “The residence we just finished on Whidbey Island is a sanctuary, personally and professionally. I Read more 1 Min
Profiles Might of the Pacific Northwest Worker For 121-years, Filson has outfitted and partnered with makers, builders, fabricators and creators. These craftsmen and women work with their hands. They use brute force and extreme finesse to bring out the best in their chosen material: wood, steel, or glass. Watch Now Read more
Profiles Where There’s Smoke: Utah’s Alta Hotshots Interagency hotshot crews comprise elite ground-force wildland firefighters who are the first responders to wildfires in any jurisdiction of the United States. Based just outside of Salt Lake City, the Alta Hotshot Crew is a faction of Utah’s Department of Natural Resources, fighting up to 30 fires around the country each summer. Read more 8 Min
Profiles Faces in the Fire This season, Utah’s Alta Hotshots roster is made up of 23 adrenaline-seeking conservationists ranging in age from 20 to 38. They come from all over the United States to be part of this high–functioning team, and even have a member from Sudan. While each crew member has their own motive for spending the summer chasing wildfires Read more 1 Min
Field Notes Filson x Smokey: Campfire Safety According to the USFS, 63,546 human-caused wildfires burned nearly 5 million acres across the U.S. in 2017. It is important to remember that no precaution is too small when it comes to fire safety. Here at Filson, we encourage everyone to practice Smokey Bear’s campfire safety best practices on their adventures this summer. Read more
Profiles Montauk Brewing Company When Vaughan moved back to town in 2010, the two built a home brewing system from an igloo cooler (which they still have) and started brewing. Initially, making beer was just something that brought their friends together. “We wanted to get everyone in one place. It’s a very tight-knit community, and we just wanted to throw a good party and put the beer on,” says Vaughan. It wasn’t long before the guys started to feel that they were onto something bigger. Read more 9 Min
Profiles Secret of the Sandhills: The Niobrara National Scenic River Growing up in Nebraska, I quickly became privy to the longstanding joke that my home state offered nothing more than cornfields and pivots. Like clockwork, anytime I ventured outside the state line I was met with a tongue-in-cheek comment about Nebraska’s landscape or lack thereof. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I began to buy Read more 6 Min
Field Notes Brown Trout of New Zealand Jack Kos is a self-described Kiwi trout bum. What began as a passion for fishing soon developed into a desire to know more about the fish he sought. That pursuit led Jack to dive deep into the rivers and the history books as he wrote his dissertation and earned a PhD in history on the Read more
Profiles Come by It Honestly: Born into Bull Riding Rodeo culture is often synonymous with small-town America: Everyone knows everyone, a strong work ethic is the norm, and more often than not, children pursue the same profession as their parents. The more time spent around the bucking chutes, the more apparent it becomes that bull riding is as vital to a family’s lineage as Read more
Profiles Wilderness, a River, and My Old Man Peter Hall and his father set out on a Yukon Moose hunt, by way of canoe, into the remote reaches of the Alaskan wilderness. The time they shared on the river reminded them both that the glory of adventure is found far beyond the kill. At one in the morning the aurora fills the sky. Read more
Profiles Blue Heron Lodge: Forks, WA “I love teaching folks how to appreciate the water; the ruggedness and beauty of the river are something special. I like to share with people a means by which they can experience these places. A drift boat and a fly rod are just my preferred means. Passing on some of my knowledge to my clients, Read more
Food & Recipes Westland Distillery: Seattle’s Source for Single Malt Whiskey Seattle’s Westland Distillery has made a name for itself by focusing on creating spirits that are a representation of it’s Pacific Northwest roots. While much of whiskey in America trends towards corn-based bourbon, Westland has chosen to work with barley, a crop that is traditionally grown in the PNW. Read more
Profiles A Normal Life Living the life that you love does not shield you from loss. Fishing the remote waters of Alaska’s Alagnak River is a dream job for Russell Owen, but that dream has come at a cost. The life of a guide is not a normal life, but what he has learned from fishing has shaped him into the man he has become. Watch Now. Read more 3 Min
Profiles Motherhood: Hilary Anderson Hilary Anderson is a wildlife biologist who has been running the range-riding program in Montana’s Tom Miner Basin since 2013. She’s a rancher and a mother, raising her four children amid the natural beauty and responsibilities of the ranching life. We asked her to descibe, in her words, what it means to be a mother. This Read more
Profiles Motherhood: Jackie Three Irons Jackie Three Irons is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe of Montana. She and her family reside just outside of Crow Agency, Montana near the town of Hardin. We asked her to descibe, in her words, what it means to be a mother. This is what she had to say. When I sit in calm Read more
Profiles Motherhood: Jane Golliher Jane Golliher is a third generation rancher born and raised in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She and her husband Grant own and run the Diamond Cross Ranch in Teton county where they have raised three children. We asked her to descibe, in her words, what it means to be a mother. This is what she had Read more
Profiles Life of a Guide Alaska’s Alagnak River is a place where there are no roads. A place where the weather does what it wants. A place where humans are no longer the apex predator. The life of a guide on this river is one of resourcefulness, persistence, and dedication. Watch Now. Read more 3 Min
Profiles A Fool’s Errand At times, shed hunting can seem a fool’s errand. It can make you wonder why in the hell you’d ever thought it was a reasonable idea. Other times it is quite the opposite; miles hiked and time spent behind glass equate handsomely to fresh brown elk antlers. This trip would lean harshly to the fool’s-errand Read more
How-To's Shed Hunting: Tips and Tactics Last week we shared a beginner’s perspective on springtime shed hunting and what you might encounter when heading into the hills for your first time in search of antlers. This week, we hear from Sam Averett, a seasoned western hunter, who shares a few more detailed tips and tactics on the search for spring sheds. Read more
Profiles Sheds, Snow, and Steeps: A First-Timer’s Notes on Shed Hunting I grew up in the hardwood forests of the southeastern U.S. hunting whitetail deer with my grandfather. Much of what I consider valuable I learned from him, about life and about hunting. As a boy he told me stories of traveling left on the map to chase mule deer and elk in the American West. Read more
Field Notes Solitude and Steelhead Many a man has felt the pace and stress of life wash from his soul while standing mid-river, fly rod in hand. Solitude is perhaps the thing most often sought by the seasoned fly-fishermen; the thrill of landing a fish is a welcome addition to an already fine experience. Read along as we follow once Read more
Profiles Family At Sea Morgan Lohrey has been sailing for as long as she can remember. Suppose it to say that a sailing life has not been an unlikely outcome given that her father is a boat captain himself. Together, they have restored the Dirigo II and now can be found at sea, amidst the winds both fair and Read more
