diy

man carrying pole spear on the beach
How-To's

How to Make a Pole Spear

Just under the surface of the frigid ocean is a bounty of saltwater fish to be foraged. Many an outdoors person would agree that, in a survival scenario, the ocean can often be a far more productive source of food than the land, especially the cold, nutrient-rich waters that circulate around our shores. But how to pursue these fish? Here, we’ll show you how to build a pole-spear, a time-tested, simple tool that is incredibly effective for putting fish on your dinner plate.

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5 Min
Man holding 3 legged folding stool
How-To's

DIY 3 Legged Camp Stool

One of the best items to have on any outdoor excursion is a good seat. A seat can help keep you dry in wet weather, provide a spot to rest your legs for a bit, help keep you warm if it’s cold out, and, let’s be honest, it’s just more comfortable than sitting on hard rocks or snow. One of the simplest forms of a seat is a folding tripod. These are small because they fold when not in use, so they don’t take up much room in your pack or truck. It’s a great option for lunch breaks on the river during a day of fly fishing, a solid place to sit while glassing up wild game, or just a spot to take a load off around the campfire.

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3 Min
person in helmet and jacket standing motorcycle up in a forest
How-To's

DIY: Ammo Can Panniers

The objective of this build is to come up with a low-cost solution to the more expensive factory-produced or aftermarket panniers used on adventure touring bikes.

Most factory-produced pannier racks have become inexpensive enough and a homemade one takes considerable time to build. So we will concentrate on just the Ammo Can part of the build. The bike used in this installation came used with the factory racks installed, but the installation could be easily modified to fit almost any rack, including homemade. I chose easily available and inexpensive hardware to keep the cost down. You can substitute whatever is available locally. Also, the length of the hardware can easily be modified; if only longer bolts are available, simply cut down the excess threads.

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10 Min
person holding a large chainsaw in one hand and a coil of rope in the other in a pine forest
How-To's

Filson Fundamentals: Field Chainsaw Maintenance

Whether felling, bucking and limbing, or cutting up logs for firewood, it doesn’t take long to burn through a tank of fuel when running a saw at full throttle. A finely tuned, sharp saw is a pleasure to own and a life-long tool — only if properly maintained. Every re-fuel and oil is the perfect time to do a quick once-over to make sure your saw is in top running condition. Anyone who’s put their time into a chainsaw knows a sharp, well-oiled and finely tuned machine is an absolute must for reducing the time it takes to get the job done. These are the basics.

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5 Min
smoked salmon chunks on a grate on a wooden bar top
Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Smoked Wild Alaskan Salmon

Nearly every Alaskan who harvests salmon has a smoking recipe or two (or a dozen!) Up their sleeves. Including everything from traditional strips to kippers and pressure-canned to frozen, pieces of smoked salmon grace freezers and line pantry shelves in many Alaskan homes. The following is a basic recipe that was passed onto me by my dad and tweaked to suit my own taste. Smoking salmon always involves a learning process no matter how many times it is undertaken, and flavor profiles can easily be adjusted to suit.

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5 Min
wooden cross country skis being built and honed on a wooden table
How-To's

How to Build Your Own Cross-Country Skis

The journey of making your own skis begins with a tree. Where and at what point you begin your engagement with it depends on what resources you have available. Ideally, the relationship begins in the forest, where you can see the tree, meet the tree, understand where it is growing and how healthy it is. If you can’t access a woodlot, then the next best source would be a logger or a sawmill operator.

The type of tree you seek depends on which species live near you; traditionally, skis were made out of what was available. Here in Northern Minnesota we prefer to use birch. It is a light, flexible wood that carves easily and bends reliably well. The tree you are seeking (or board) is straight as an arrow, with no knots, and is in good health. I typically begin by purchasing logs of ideal quality and bring them to a sawmill and instruct the operator on how I want the boards cut.

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10 Min
person in a red and black plaid shirt using a hand saw to cut a piece of wood in a forest
How-To's

How to Build a Backyard Sawmill

My family comes from a proud tradition of loggers and woodworkers. My great-grandfather left his home in Norway and emigrated to Washington to work as a logger. My grandfather followed in his footsteps to work in the lumber industry, and my father has worked with wood for as long as I can remember. When my wife asked me to make some raised garden beds with her, I saw this season of quarantine as an opportunity to tap into my roots, expand my DIY skillset, and explore milling my own lumber with my chainsaw. If you have your own saw and a few standard tools, you can get started for a few hundred bucks.

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10 Min