‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe.  Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog.  We’re thankful that Brett — who works at Filson retailer Proof Lab – was able to share this story.  Here’s to a quick recovery.

Here are some photos of my Tin Cloth Field Jacket and Tin Cloth pants that saved me from a recent motorcycle crash.  I picked myself up relatively unscathed after sliding to a stop from 60mph while attempting to avoid a group of deer in the road, only about a half mile from my house.  It was night, so I shouldn’t have been pushing it the way I was, but at least I had this suit on.  Thank you for making such a great product.  I was also wearing a pair of lined goatskin gloves, which blew off my hands and are still lost on the mountain somewhere.   So, could I send these in for repair?  Probably should think about getting double reinforced knees this time.

Thanks for everything and keep doing what you guys are doing,

Brett

We’re pleased to announce the opening of our London store, the first ever stand-alone Filson location outside the Northwest United States.  The 550 square-foot store is located in Soho, one of Central London’s best burgeoning neighborhoods.  Here, we’ll focus mainly on field jackets, small leather goods, bags, and luggage.  There will also be an assortment of authentic worn-in Filson luggage — a great option for collectors  — and special edition bags available only in this store.

Filson London Location:
9 Newburgh St.
London, UK W1F 7RL

Store Hours:
Monday – Saturday: 11 am – 7 pm
Sunday: 12 pm – 6 pm

Brian Koch started Ultimate Upland in 2010 to be the most comprehensive resource for upland hunting enthusiasts. Since then it has grown into a community where bird hunters congregate and share their love for the sport. Koch strives to be the hardest working bird hunter in the country and aims to reach hunters and fans with detailed accounts of Ultimate Upland adventures.

When wild bird hunting seasons end it leaves a pretty large void in our schedule. Both the dogs and I must cope with the withdrawals from time afield and adjust to the looming summer doldrums. Seven months is just too long to rest on laurels. I always dread that final day of hunting, but this year I started planning well in advance to help fill the vacuum.

Over the winter my nephew Zach researched and reported on medieval weaponry for his sophomore high school English course. Given the current climate for anything weapon related in schools I was actually somewhat amazed the report didn’t land him a suspension or on the terrorist watch list.

I’m blessed with an abundance of nieces and nephews. When one expresses an interest even remotely related to my passion I run with it. In my mind catapults and claymores are precursors to the modern tools of the trade which I use all hunting season. You have an interest in swords; let me tell you how that relates to upland hunting. I’m fairly certain there are few topics safe from my associating to pursuit of birds. I suppose the ease of which I make creative connections is likely just a result of recent reflections of my bird hunting legacy.

Blade design is an art that has been around for millennium. Because the basic functions and requirements of the knife haven’t changed since first wielded, it’s a great case study of what people have done to improve it. When I informed our friends at Benchmade about my saber smitten nephew they were quick to invite us on a VIP tour. Benchmade is a leader in modern blade development and they help nurture new concepts by inviting interns to participate in their design process. It is a testament that good ideas can come from anywhere. I find it important to show Zach that besides knives just being cool, there are reasons for form and function. And there are people bringing these concepts to fruition. The power of an idea is a lesson I wish I would have learned earlier in life, but now I get a redo with my nephew. We just have to get from rural Ohio to the Benchmade headquarters in Oregon.

Luckily the end of bird hunting season times up really well with Spring Break. So I’ve wrangled Zach into a cross-country road trip which will cover over 5,000 miles in just 10 days. Along the way we’ll shoot, hike, camp and explore our place in the great outdoors. Wyatt our black lab will join us for some training, entertainment and to keep the varmints from camp at night.  Zach seems excited for the adventure but is likely oblivious to the amount of tutoring I have planned or the posterior pain that comes with infinite days behind the wheel.

It’s early spring so we’re preparing for a mixed bag of elements along much of the route. Luckily Filson recognized the merits of this odyssey and agreed to outfit us for any conditions which we might encounter. From the rugged Rockies to spring torrents of the Pacific Northwest we’ll be putting our new Filson gear to the test as other explorers have for over a century.

There are common threads to most of the great memories from my youth; exertion and accomplishment. Turns out that things that come easy are easily forgotten. The current trend toward sedentary existence puts a generation at risk of having no formative tales. My hope for this Off-Season Odyssey is that my nephew learns observing life will never be as satisfying as seizing opportunity.

It’s the eve of our departure and the gear is loaded. At the crack of dawn we’ll pour into the truck to start our first 16-hour day of driving. Somewhere in Illinois we’ll stop for a round of sporting clays to stretch the legs. And here Zach will learn another lesson: even with the faster reflexes and better vision that accompany youth, you can’t outshoot your uncle.

For over two decades, George Hickox has shown all levels of owners how to train great bird dogs.  More often than not, the secret to a successful day in the field starts with a solid upbringing.  Learn what small steps to take early on in your dog’s development to ensure many happy memories are made on the hunt.

The first twenty-week period of the dog’s exposure to life is referred to as the imprinting stage.  During this psychological developmental stage the canine youngster can develop good habits through proper training and environmental control.  Puppies are monumentally impressionable during this critical period of the imprinting stage.  It may only take one repetition of a negative association to forever scar Pupster.

During the imprinting stage, there are a number of well-documented critical periods.  The ability of a canine to learn to live with people and other dogs is substantially diminished after twelve weeks of age.  The most critical period for the youngster to develop a positive association with humans is from six to eight weeks.  A dog denied positive human contact until the post twelve-week periods will very likely make a not as good a companion.  Studies have shown that human contact for only twenty minutes at a time for only a couple of times a week is adequate to create normal development.

Owners should implement a program designed to maximize the dog’s ability to learn.  Stages are not finite in each dog.  It is important to recognize that each pup has unique prenatal and neonatal stimuli and is influenced by his own genes as well as his mother’s hormones.  However, the concept of critical periods and the sub stages can serve as an excellent guideline.

The prenatal period is the time the fetus spends in Mom’s womb.  There are indications that mothers that experience high levels of stress during pregnancy produce pups with a decreased ability to learn and demonstrate behavioral extremes.  A healthy mother, properly fed, exercised, and housed in a proper environment is important.  The neonatal period occurs from birth to two weeks of age.  At whelping the pup’s brain is not fully developed. During this period the sensory abilities of scenting, hearing, seeing, and touch are poorly developed.  The way mom treats her pups during the neonatal stage will affect the pups in later life.  These early experiences have a tremendous effect on the dog’s mind.

The transitional period is the time the sensory abilities turn on and the pup’s awareness of the world around him begins.  The pup receives stimuli from his environment, which can affect him the rest of his life.  During the neonatal and transitional periods, people play an important role in developing the puppies’ bodies and minds.  By the transitional period puppies should be regularly handled and picked up.

The U.S. Military’s “Super Dog” program demonstrated that neurological stimulation occurring from three to sixteen days following whelping have a profound effect forever.  Recommended stimulation involves tickling between the dog’s toes, holding the pup in both a vertical position, perpendicular to the ground, with the head up and the head down.  Further exercises should include holding the pup in the palm of the hands with the nose pointing to the sky.  Puppies exposed to stress during this period are more adept in handling stress when exposed to new situations, training, or corrections down the road.  Not only does the breeder determine the pedigree, the breeder should prepare the pup from birth until the buyer takes possession of the hopeful.

The socialization period occurs from four to twelve weeks of the pup’s development.  Weaning from mom’s milk, exposures to outside influences, or lack of exposures, are critical to sculpturing the pups’ personalities.  If a pup from four to six weeks of age misses socialization with other dogs, the pup is more likely to be fearful of dogs.  Correspondingly, if the youngsters are denied people contact from six to twelve weeks, the dogs will lack proper social skills with humans.  The greater the exposures the pup encounters during this critical period, the more likely the pup will demonstrate improved social skills, emotional soundness, and an open mind towards new learning.

During the socialization time frame a fear period occurs normally around eight to ten weeks. During this fear factor stage, the pup is much more inclined to permanently associate fears. The pup that is frightened during the fear factor stage may take a long period of time to return to normal, if ever. If the pup has not been properly developed prior to the onset of the fear stage anything that the pup associates with the fear with may always be a fear stimulus throughout the dog’s life.

After sixteen weeks, the pup becomes less susceptible of the paired association.  After twenty weeks, the imprinting stage is really on the down side.  A dog’s personality is pretty much made by five months of age, the rest is teaching.  After twelve weeks of age, the pup should explore independence.  The pup that bonded with you and stuck with you like glue would rather run through the fields with no never mind to what you want.  If the pup has been properly developed in the neonatal, transitional and socialization periods, now is the time to lay the groundwork for more advanced training that lays down the road.  Basic obedience, and creating good habits and behavior are all taught to the dog in the twelve to twenty week period.  A dog that has heard “Here,” “Here,” “Here,” and did not respond and got away with non-compliance is a big deal.  It will require more pressure later on to enforce compliance.  And no dog exhibits more style and more confidence with more pressure.  By introducing good habits, enforcing an effort to respond in a timely fashion to a known command and rewarding success we can mold the dog into the partner we are seeking. Don’t baby the dog, spoil the dog, and let the dog blow you off.  Short repetitive sessions of yard work will pay huge dividends down the road.  If the dog does not learn to learn, take mild pressure, handle stress, and look to the owner for direction at this time, a window is forever lost.  By implementing yard work at this age, you will train with less pressure.  And less pressure is better.

‘In Your Words’ explores the incredible stories we’ve received from Filson fans across the globe.  Send us your own experiences with our clothing or product here for a chance to be featured on the Filson Life blog.  Thanks to Todd from Colorado for sharing his story with Filson.

We were coring rock in the dead of winter in the Colorado Rockies and were using the nearby creek as a water source. The water pump had been left on the river ice from the day before and I went to retrieve it. Unfortunately the water level had dropped overnight and both legs went through the rotten ice, and I was in freezing water up to my knees. Thankfully, my tin pants formed a seal with my boots, and kept me completely dry. I worked the rest of the day in and out of that frozen creek. It would have been a miserable day if I had not been wearing my Tin Pants. Clearly with Filson, you get truly waterproof garments.

Proudly displayed in the 1951 catalog, this unique implementation of the Mackinaw Coat in a Brown-Green-White plaid was a rarity.  Produced for a limited run, and never featured in known print again, we are lucky enough to have one of these garments in our historic collection.  62 years later, this coat continues to impress.

Kenmore is our kind of airline.  Family owned and operated out of Washington State since 1946, no one knows their way around a bush plane better.  We sat down with machinist Mike Smith, a Kenmore veteran of 11 years, to talk welding, banjos, and bird dogs.

What’s your trade?
I make and repair airplane parts, tools for the mechanics. I do a little bit of everything. I’m a machinist, welder, and metal fabricator. Machine-work, heat-treating, all forms of welding, gas welding aluminum, TIG welding, very little MIG welding, some gas welding with steel…

Seems like you’re in the right place then.
Kenmore has been here for 50 plus years, since the ’40s I believe.  I started here about a year after the original owner and founder passed away, so I never met him.  It’s a family owned business, it’s been here forever, I’ve been here for 11 years and I have no plans to leave.  Unless I’m escorted off the premises [laughs].

What is Kenmore known for?
We run our own fleet of airplanes, and we do restorations for customers.  We’re considered specialists in Beaver restorations, the de Havilland Beaver, which is the quintessential floatplane or bush plane.

How did you come to work on floatplanes?
Well, I was a metal fabricator for many years before I started working here. I was a German and Italian car mechanic for years, then involved in vintage motor racing for years.  These are closely related to vintage aircraft work.  So, a lot of my experience and skill crossed over fairly quickly.

What’s the best part of the job?
Being able to work on cool old machinery, and working for an employer that values family and free time.  Being able to work on the stuff I enjoy, and to be useful, and still have a life outside of work.

Anything you’d like to know how to do better?
Play the banjo.

What’s the most important invention thus far?
There are innumerable answers… But I’d have to say the bird dog!

How about your favorite tiny thing?
I can’t afford an expensive watch, but I really appreciate watch-work.  But my favorite tiny thing is probably my daughter.

Any advice you care to pass on?
My Dad used to say all kinds of stuff…  But the one that stuck was “if you can’t shoot pool, shoot hard.”

If you weren’t working as a machinist, what would you be doing?
I’d be in prison! [laughs]

Peter Patenaude, a registered Maine guide, has been a Filson advocate for over six years. His blog Boot & Canoe, focuses on traditional skills and Maine’s outdoor heritage. Today, Peter shares 10 tips for a successful day of ice fishing.

Exercising a small brook trout on a fly rod is a great experience; similarly, pulling one out of a hole in the ice can be just as gratifying. Winter is a long season if you are waiting and watching for it to boil over into spring. Ice fishing can be the perfect remedy for cabin fever, and offers a great excuse to get out into the cold fresh air. There are few better ways to build camaraderie among old friends or new acquaintances while fighting off the temperatures and waiting for a flag to stand straight up. I have always truly enjoyed this type of fishing, and arguably, one of the many reasons is because of the lack of bugs. You do not need to invest a lot of money to pursue this activity, and if asked, most people have old ice traps and equipment that has been in their attic, untouched for years. Here are some tips to get you out onto the hard water and catching fish:

1. Elbow Grease:  A hand auger or ice chisel will not break down or run out of gas. Although they are more work, they are quieter, more reliable and will warm you up.

2. Extra Blades:  Whether you bring a hand or power auger, bring extra blades and the tools to replace them as they can break off or dull by hitting underwater rocks or stumps.

3. Depth:  Use a lead sounder to check the depth of the water and set your bait at a level appropriate to the fish you want to catch. You can mark your line by attaching an old button to slide up and down.4. Variation:  Do not be afraid to drill more holes or adjust the depth of your lines if you start catching fish in a particular area and depth.

5. Know the Land Beneath:  It helps to know some of the underwater features such as large rocks, ledges or sandbars.

6. Warm Lunch:  There is nothing like hot food to keep you going on a cold day.

7. Check Your Traps and Bait:  The water in the ice hole will freeze over, so bring your skimmer to break it up and remove it. It is best to do this when you don’t have a large fish on the other end of your line. Also, it is hard to catch fish on an empty hook. The smart fish will take your bait without getting hooked and setting off your flag, so every so often, check your bait.

8. Know the Water:  It is ice fishing, not open water, so know the lake before you go out onto the ice to avoid thin areas and breaking through.

9. Insulation:  When setting up an ice trap or pulling in a fish, kneel on your mittens or another insulator to keep your knees from getting wet in the snow.

10. Snowshoes and Traction:  You never know what the conditions will be, and glare ice can be very dangerous. Bring snowshoes as they will work in deep snow, or provide traction on slick ice.

Article courtesy of the Rocky Mountain Bushcraft team:  Jason Schwartz is an axe-wielding, modern day mountain man.  He’s also a Red Cross certified Wilderness First Aid Instructor, music aficionado, and known to some of the locals as the “Bear Grylls” of his area.  Leah Klocko oversees the country music landscape of Pittsburgh as a radio personality when she’s not editing articles about testing a new bushcraft knife or surviving in the wilderness.

If you’re out in the Western high country and need an emergency sunscreen, try wiping the powdery coating from the bark of Aspen trees on your skin. It has an SPF of 5 and could prevent you from getting a severe sunburn.

Kelly James is a long-time friend of Filson and an inspiring photographer based in the Pacific Northwest.  At the age of 13, Kelly was drawn to photography for reasons he couldn’t yet explain, but by 15 could already be found working in the darkroom of the local newspaper.  Now, he has operated a commercial photography studio for over 20 years.  An avid and passionate explorer, Kelly has captured images of views, vistas, and extraordinary experiences that many people will never see with their own eyes.

Photos courtesy of Kelly James.  All rights reserved.

The road up Green Ridge snakes through dense forests until you reach a place near the top where it makes a hairpin switchback and breaks into the open. From that spot there is a view of the east side of the Central Oregon Cascades.  I had driven to that spot in the middle of January. There was about five inches of snow covering the gravel, and mine were the only tracks in the snow. I parked at the hairpin and scrambled up a very steep embankment to try and get some photographs of the sun setting behind the peaks.

I had spent the day shooting images of snow covered forests for a client. For most of the day I had bright sunshine to make my images more interesting. That was not the case when I reached my vantage point on Green Ridge. A bank of clouds had formed on the Western horizon and it looked like the sweet light was going to be blocked. The best shot I could get was of the clouds rolling over the top of Three Fingered Jack. I shot what I could until I was left to scramble down the embankment in the dark.

I loaded up my gear, turned the rig around, and drove through the hairpin heading back down the ridge. Immediately after rounding the curve, a set of tracks came onto the road from the down hill side. They were not there when I came through before. Coyote was my first thought. I followed them down the road until the next switchback where they continued straight into the forest. I stopped the rig and got out to investigate.  Not coyote. I went back to the rig and positioned it so the headlights were lighting the tracks then grabbed my camera and tripod. These were cougar tracks and I could see some potential for an interesting image. Cougar populations have been on the rise in Oregon and this wasn’t the first time I had crossed trails with one of the mountain predators. Still, these were the biggest tracks I had ever seen. I set up my camera and took my shots. At one point I reached down with my hand to measure the track. The paw print was way bigger than my fist.  This is one big cat. I turned around to check the tree line to make sure I was not being stalked. Now, cougars have several names and I always wondered about that.  But at that moment I had the realization that if the animal weighs more than I do — as this one undoubtedly did — that is when a cougar becomes a mountain lion.

As I was packing my camera back into the rig, I thought of just how close that animal had passed. My next thought, might want to start packing my pistol.