As I do not own a Mackinaw Cruiser yet, I thought I would write about what my future Mackinaw Cruiser would have to say. Everything from camping in the outback in Montana to October canoeing trips through the BWCA, I have been through it all. Kept warm and had more adventures than any other coat in any coat rack I have ever been in. I know that whenever I get pulled from the rack, I am meant for something purposeful, whereas when I see my other coat friends leaving the rack, I know they will be put back soon, or tossed aside and another will fill their place. This being my second owner, who looks similar to my original, I look forward to meeting my third in the next twenty or so years!

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

When I was a young man I once went deer hunting with my brother in the hills above our home. I was wearing a red and black Filson Mackinaw Cruiser and a worn Stetson outfitters hat. I was also carrying an old savage rifle chambered for the 250/3000. We went quite a distance into the woods that day. Just before dark my brother spotted a mule deer. It was standing on a gentle slope not more than fifty yards away. At first sight I thought it was an elk because its antlers were almost black with silver tips and I knew that there was a herd of elk in the area because I had hunted in there earlier. My brother counted the antlers. It had at least five points on each side and its antlers had a wide span, extending far beyond its ears. It was the biggest deer I had ever seen. When I fired my first shot I jerked the trigger and shot just over his front shoulder. I was amazed how quickly he moved; almost like a ghost he vanished over the hill and was gone. I quickly chamber another round into my gun and ran to the top of the hill, hoping to have another chance. When I came to the top I nearly stumbled into two bull moose that were grazing in a meadow. In my excitement I rushed past them not fully appreciating my danger. I never did see that trophy mule deer again. Naturally, my brother was very disappointed in me. Thinking back on that experience now in a way I am grateful I did not shoot that deer. I have no doubt I encountered a true monarch of the forest. It was fitting for me that I was wearing a true classic. My Mackinaw Cruiser was both rugged and warm. As we quietly made our way down to the valley below, with the shadows of night closing around us, I was grateful for the added warmth I felt from my Mackinaw Cruiser, and I marveled at what I had seen. I knew I would never come that close again to a deer of that size and grandeur. It does me good to know that there are still giants in the forests.

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

In 1954, I was working in N.W. Montana. I was a city kid from Chicago and this was my first time away from home living in Montana for the year. Working for the US Forest Service, it got cold and I needed a warm coat, so I asked around (loggers, muleskinners) and everyone said get a Filson Cruiser.  Just that, Filson Cruiser. Period.

I bought it at a little store in Troy, Montana near the Idaho border. It’s still in use, but not by me. My first wife still has it and wears it in winter months. She wouldn’t give it up! So that was that.

Years later I bought another one just like it. There’s no moral to this story, at least none that I can think of. My second wife and I’ve been married for thirty some years. And yes, she likes to put on my Filson Cruiser when it’s cold here in Illinois. I don’t mind. It’s okay. And maybe I’ll get her a Cruiser for her very own. I think I just might this year before the cold winds blow here in Illinois. Nice surprise, huh? What a gal. What a coat

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

“A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.” - John Steinbeck

One day, while filming last years #DEERTOUR, I was interviewing Ryan Shoemaker, an extremely passionate bowhunter and writer from Bowhuntquest in Ohio. He was sharing his story with me of a solo Elk hunt he had just finished. 7 days and 10 miles into the backcountry of Southern Colorado, there he was, all alone. Just him and the solitude of mother nature.

He shared how thrilling yet scary it was to be there all alone. It was an experience unlike any other. Immediately I was fascinated by every detail he shared. It was like I was listening to someone read the words from a best selling novel. I couldn’t get enough.

He did not kill an elk on that hunt but it didn’t matter, the experience was more than worth the price of admission.

As we stood in his trophy room in the second floor of his home, he described many other hunts to me in similar detail. Another one that touched me was when he described the Bull he had hanging on the wall of his living room.

As he spoke from a memory that seemed like it occurred just the day before, his voice began to change pitch. His lips began to twitch. His eyes watered up. He painted this surreal picture of how he managed to shoot and kill his first bull elk and described how his great friend “Pup” was there with him, every step of the way as they packed out that bull miles from the nearest public land road.

At this point, I had turned the camera off for some things are not meant to be broadcast. I wanted to let Ryan get all his emotions out without having to worry about being recorded.

I’m glad I did because it was at that point, that I had told myself that if a strong man such as Ryan can endure so much physical and mental joy and pain, simultaneously, all from an elk hunt, that one day, I too must experience it.

Fast forward 7 or 8 months later and I see Ryan tweet that he’s been thinking about me filming him on an elk hunt. We DM (direct message) each other back and forth on Twitter and actually start planning to do a test run for what he coined as the #ELKTOUR. At the time, I did not know if I could pull off such a hunt, especially on camera. But I promised him that I’d keep it in mind as we drew closer to the season.

As a month or so went by, and I told Ryan that I’d be able to take off for 5 days and film the a test run of the #ELKTOUR. He was so stoked. We shared plans for what gear to bring, what the weather would be like, maps of the area and more. It was going to be great.

Then, a couple weeks later, Ryan informed me that the trip may have to be cancelled as he had just been hired for his dream job and had to move right before the season started. It was a bump in the road for the trip but a blessed moment for him as I assured him that family had to come first. He had to do what was best for them.

We were both saddened that our journey for this year was no more. Perhaps next year would bear better fruit for us.

After thinking about it a bit, I decided I had to push on and make the #ELKTOUR happen. Somehow I would find a way.

After regrouping and gathering my bearings, I reached out to a few locals and friends on Twitter. Some could not make it due to schedule conflicts but after many emails and DM’s on Twitter I had the makings of what would become an amazing lineup of hunters for season 1 of #ELKTOUR.

All of the folks that I’ll be filming are people I met online, yeah I know, a common theme for me and Huntography. These are great people who are passionate about hunting and the outdoors.

#ELKTOUR is going to be a family affair. Emily and Troy are an amazing husband and wife couple who share their passion for the outdoors, together, season after season. I have followed them online for a couple of years but only got close to them while planning to film them. I can’t wait to capture their experience on camera for all to enjoy.

Next, I’ll be filming two passionate brothers from the western slope of Colorado, Eric and Nathan. Eric is the founder of DIYbowhunter.com, an amazing group of Do-It-Yourself hunters from around the country. Eric tells me he and his brother have been teaming up on hunts since he could remember. I can’t wait to film them not only in the field, but also in our elk camp, where I look forward to diving deeper into the brotherly hunting bond.

The final stop of the #ELKTOUR with bring me to Idaho, where I’ll be filming Dustin and his brother Kevin along with their father and other family members in a backcountry elk hunt , miles from the nearest road. Capturing the dynamic of an entire family of elk hunters around one campfire will surely deliver many tales from years past.

Together, with Ryan’s inspiration and a family of elk hunters we now call #ELKTOUR, we hope to capture an elk hunting experience  on camera unlike any other before us.

The fruits of our labor , in the form of a DVD, will be submitted to the Full Draw Film Tour, a non-profit organization that supports hunting charities, while promoting bowhunting and up and coming outdoor filmmakers. We hope our submission makes the cut so that hunters like you and me, can enjoy other hunters and hunting experiences we can all relate to.

I hope this trip takes each of us on a journey that we will all treasure forever.

For more information, visit us on Huntography.

Doc got off the Piedmont Airline DC-3 wearing a scarlet red Filson Cruiser Jacket and an Open Road Stetson hat. To a 9-year-old boy in 1954 raised in Burlington, N.C., he was The West. My Dad was invited to hunt elk in Idaho by a distant relative. Idaho needed doctors back then and he was being courted to relocate. His boyhood passion was to go west and live that open and natural lifestyle. Medicine was his calling in North Carolina, but he cherished an hour or so every day to read Jack London, Max Brand, Louis L’Amour and others to vicariously experience the west.

To a Pennsylvania coal miner’s kid, hard work and harsh weather were old friends. Dad knew what it took to handle them both, so when we saw that scarlet jacket, we knew he had purchased the genuine best. “Buy the best,” he would say. “It may cost a little more, but it reminds that with a little more, you can be the best yourself.”

Filson to us was the symbol of winter outdoors. It was hauled out for snowy days and ice storms when nature had its way over our routine. Dad’s patients knew the scarlet Filson Cruiser as well. Families felt relief when they anxiously spotted that scarlet jacket coming up their drive in the dead of night, knowing that “Doc” had made it through. Dad never made it back to Idaho. He died in 1964 when I had just turned 18. One of the few material things of my Dad’s that I kept was the scarlet Filson jacket. I wore it at college and packed it with me when I went out on my own to Texas. It was an essential.

After another 49 years, time and wear got the best of the jacket. It had a great run. After a time, I began to miss not having it around. It’s the memories, you know. I searched the Internet and found Filson’s website. Best of all, Filson is still making the Cruiser Jacket…manufactured in the USA. I missed out on last year’s run of scarlet Filson Cruisers. Perhaps scarlet will be offered again, maybe as a Mackinaw vest as well.

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

Adirondack end of summer mornings can be cold and damp, especially before 10 am., so borrowing my daughter’s Macinaw was a necessity. Moving back and forth between the creek bank and the small barn to relocate her woodpile where it would be safe from spring flooding, it kept me comfortably warm as well as dry. This jacket, now 25 years old had seen college hiking trips, great camp tours, and winter naps in front of the wood stove. The task was done; I brushed off the still handsome jacket and headed off to the farmers’ market looking great. Someday, I need to get me one of these!

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

We enjoyed the dog days of summer luring bass and melodically casting the fly, but somewhere in the back of our mind is the long for the hunt. Well boys, hunting season is approaching and it is time to start gearing up. All hunting kits are not created equal, so we have the created a list of our most reliable and timeless essentials. Head to toe, this Filson hunting gear delivers maximum durability and comfort, without compromise. Time to experience the thrill of the hunt.

Tin Cloth Brush Pants

Deflect every thorn prick, bramble, and briar in our strong-as-steel pants. The entire pant is cut from dry finish Tin Cloth for comfort. Then we add a facing of more rugged oil finish Tin Cloth where abrasion is greatest, resulting in the best pants for maximum protection to push through the heaviest brush.

Merino Wool Shooting Shirt

A finely tailored shirt made from virgin Merino wool with suede shoulder patches on both sides for added protection and comfort in the field. The wind-resistant twill finish keeps you warm as it naturally retains heat in wet environments. This is an iconic shirt for the dapper hunter that you’ll have for years to come.

Tin Cloth Strap Vest with Blaze Orange

This upland bird hunting vest with a blaze of orange is easy to load from the front or rear and has plenty of carrying capacity. The front bellow pockets are rugged enough to handle all your shells and supplies, and transmitter pocket loops fit the new smaller handheld, clip-on transmitters.

Leatherman Skeletool

A great knife is the calling card of any true hunter. Carrying this multi tool is like carrying a toolbox in your pocket. Made from stainless steel and aluminum, slip it in your pocket or clip it to your pack. This tool features a combo straight/serrated knife, needle nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, hard-wire cutters, large bit driver, bottle opener, Phillips #1 and #2 bit, screwdriver 3/16″ and 1/4″ bit….everything you could possibly need.

Leupold Binoculars

Armor-coated, rugged, waterproof and from the premier binocular manufacturer. These light-weight, low-light performing binoculars are built to withstand years of field use, Trim, lightweight, and easy to grip even in wet conditions.

Scoped Gun Case

Our water-repellent gun case is made from handsome and durable 100% cotton oil finish rugged twill. An interior lining of cotton Safari Cloth quilted with a soft padding provides maximum protection. The nose is lined with pure deerskin and the shoulder strap is Genuine Bridle Leather, giving this case a traditional Filson craftsmanship appeal.

I moved to NY about 30 years ago and ended up living with a guy that had a large piece of property and a wood stove. I noticed this wonderful red plaid jacket in the closet and asked whose it was. He said he doesn’t remember who had it originally, but it was his now and he’d had it about 20 years. I said ”well, it’s mine now” and I called it ‘the wood coat’ because I used it to haul wood to the house and general outdoors winter work. I LOVED this coat, but it was way too big for me since it was a man’s coat. Nevertheless, it was mine.

Fast forward 5 years, I marry someone else and bring the coat along. He decided that the coat fit him better so he stole it from me. He wore that coat about 10 years doing all the outside work around the house. Fast forward again, my son turns into a teenager and gets a logging job and needs a work coat. He decides he needs the coat now. He uses it continuously for years. Somebody stole it from him and it’s been gone for a long time now. I think about that coat from time to time and wonder who has ‘stolen’ it from that person by now. That says a lot about this coat!

Share your own memories about your Filson Mackinaw Cruiser. We want to hear who wore it, where it’s been and how it performed for you. You can include photos or not. If you just want to send a photo, that’s OK, too. We will go through all the stories and select the best. The winner will receive a free new Mackinaw Cruiser. Click here to enter.

An oldie, but a goodie. That’s just what Filson’s Forestry Cruiser is.

The initial iteration of the Forestry Cruiser, originally dubbed the “Woolen Cruising Coat,” first appeared in our 1922 catalog with the option to order the style in Forestry Cloth. Forestry Cloth, a woolen of rare quality, was originally developed for use by the U.S. Forest Service.  The material was a specially prepared, worsted wool that was tightly woven with two-ply yarns in two directions for durability. Only the finest long stable fibers were used to create a beautifully textured, long lasting, and comfortable coat.

In our 1934 catalog the design was formally introduced as style No. 16, the Filson Forestry Cloth Cruising Coat. By 1972, the Forestry Cloth Cruiser, and matching pant, were staples of outdoor enthusiasts. The set’s tailored design, dressy appearance, and durability under rigorous outdoor conditions led to the common nickname “The Outdoorsman’s Tuxedo.” The style remained in our catalogs through 1989.

Today in 2012,  we are re-releasing style No.  16― we’re bringing back the Forestry Cloth Cruiser Coat. Last in the Filson inventory nearly 30 years ago, the Forestry Cruiser is back in production today, available in a numbered edition of only 1,897. Each Forestry Cruiser will be individually numbered, and once all pieces have been sold the pattern will be restored to our vaults. The Forestry Cloth Cruiser is the second release in the Filson 1897 Collection. The Filson 1897 Collection was launched in Fall 2011 to pay homage to our iconic silhouettes throughout our 115-year history. The limited edition capsule re-creates marquee styles restored from our archived pattern vaults, bringing back to life historic garments with materials and techniques that are purely Filson.

The 2012 revival of the Forestry Cruiser reintroduces the classic design in forest green and features similar design elements to the 1934 model, including: a double-pocket across the back, four large front utility pockets, additional pencil and compass pockets and an interior pocket that allow sufficient space to stash essentials.

This authentic replica Cruiser is heirloom quality, beautiful in texture, light weight in design, yet will afford protection from cold, wind and rain for years to come. The original 1919 Forestry Cruiser is up on display in our store in Seattle at 1555 4th Avenue South.

Get your own piece of history that will last you a lifetime by ordering our limited addition, Filson original, Forestry Cloth Cruiser.

Dennis Lynch has been around the outdoors his entire life and understands what a “good time” entails. But in this addition to Filson Life, Dennis explains why starting an urban chicken coop isn’t always a “good time” but fruitful in the end.

Our family voted “not unanimously” to look into getting some chickens for home egg production and/or entertainment.  We soon learned there is an entire subculture of urban chickenites throughout the country.  There are numerous websites giving you ideas on what kind of chickens to get. There are both physical and psychological descriptions of these yardbirds.  What color of egg, the size of the bird and the eggs, (I can’t remember which came first,) their adaptability to the urban environment, are they loud ‘cluckers’ or more demure.  Everything or every characteristic you wanted to know about, and some you didn’t,  is easily available with a few clicks of the mouse.  Not only about the chickens themselves, but websites on the housing and accommodations that are available.

When construction started on the coop, it began to take on the appearance of some cross between Noah’s ark and a Louisiana  duck blind. I said, mostly to myself, that this stunt would have the neighbors, who were driving by very slowly looking in disbelief, finally convinced that our family was truly cracked, no pun intended.  Hank, the dissenting son, assured me that that decision had been reached long ago, i.e.:  out of control bonfires, pig roasts, and the fried turkey fiasco at the block party that proved that peanut oil will, in fact, ignite.

I tried to use all my purported dog training skills on these birds, but short of installing a buried electric fence and fitting all the ‘girls’ with shock collars, all efforts to keep the chickens contained, failed. They dug holes, which we refilled, they flew, and wings were clipped, they were enticed with gourmet bird seed, but they preferred the neighbors’s cat food, and they were discouraged with soft air gun pellets, but nothing worked.  The neighbors were plied with fresh eggs to try to buy their silence, but soon the ranks were broken.  We were busted by the “cat people” next door.  The zoning regulation officer paid us a visit.  We were cited for having more than 12 birds, and not having them completely and always maintained in an enclosure. The chicken police had come due to continued complaints from one neighbor.  Violations cited were cat food pilfering, bird feeders being raided, and most damning, the “soiling” of their driveway and Martha Stewart patio furniture.  Seems that chicken droppings clash with this spring’s Enchantment fabric.

With John Law on our tail, and a rainy forecast for the weekend, Filson came into play.  Filson rain gear came out along with upland waterproof Filson boots, Filson leather gloves were used to string wire and plug holes in the perimeter fence.  Another item that came in handy was the foul weather duck hunting hat.  Pun intended.  Neither rain nor mud kept us from answering every 911 call that was received about our girls.  The hardest part was getting the escapees back into the yard.  Any Heisman Trophy candidate would be well advised to study the moves of the chicken on the run, and any defensive back would sharpen his skills trying to tackle one of these three pound speed burners.  As of this writing, the defense of the perimeter has been successful for eleven days running. Our orchard side yard now resembles Attica, and we figure each dozen eggs only cost $50.  The Filson gear, as usual, is ready for any breach of security from out feathered warriors.