filson

four people on snow machines in the early light of day driving across an ice sheet in Alaska
Field Notes

Filson in the Field: Searching for Muskox in the Alaskan Arctic

As a company founded on equipping adventurers headed into the frozen desolation of the Klondike goldfields in 1897, we knew that we needed to do something that was a bit off the beaten path. With this in mind, we decided to head to the western edge of Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, last March to tell the tale of the remarkable rebirth of an animal that was hunted to extinction in North America over a century ago, the musk ox.

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4 Min
vintage and new ford broncos parked in a field
Field Notes

Ford Bronco x Filson Wildland Fire Rig

As far back as the 1940s, Filson Cruiser jackets were the official Class A attire of the U.S. Forest Service, and many still see the iconic green U.S. Forest Service-badged Broncos out in the wild. That rich history comes through to today’s Bronco + Filson Wildland Fire Rig Concept. Based on a 2021 Bronco four-door SUV, the concept vehicle blends advanced off-road capabilities with rugged design details, using Filson materials and a full firefighting skid built into the back.

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5 Min
red ford bronco driving through deep water on a road spraying water out impressively on either side
Profiles

The Jackie Robinson of Car Design: McKinley Thompson Jr.

McKinley Thompson Jr., a Ford designer who helped pen the first-generation Bronco, was the first African American designer hired at Ford Motor Company after graduating from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California with a degree in transportation design in 1956. “McKinley was a man who followed his dreams and wound up making history. He not only broke through the color barrier in the world of automotive design, but he helped create some of the most iconic consumer products ever…designs that are not only timeless but have been studied by generations of designers.”

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5 Min
North Mountain Lookout_14
Field Notes

Something Worth Saving: Fire Lookout Restored by Logging Town Community

As you climb up the tower steps, layers of jagged peaks within Washington’s Cascade Range emerge in every direction. Below, wild river valleys carve through the sea of forests around the small town of Darrington. The million-dollar view from the historic North Mountain Lookout was once used by the Forest Service to spot fires, but the structure fell into disrepair once technology and other fire detection methods took its place. Now a small group of dedicated locals are on a mission to restore the abandoned piece of history sitting on top of North Mountain.

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5 Min
man holding oars while standing in boat
Profiles

Lael Johnson – Olympic Peninsula Fly Guide

Lael Johnson is a fly fisherman and guide on the Olympic Peninsula. His passion for the anadromous fish of Washington’s coastal rivers is contagious. He loves these fish, these rivers, and the people he is lucky enough to experience them with. Filson Contributor Ben Matthews spent a few days on the river with Lael to ask a few questions about guiding, steelhead, and life in general. If you’re interested in heading out on the river with Lael yourself, check out his website and book a trip. You won’t regret it.

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5 Min
black and white image of people in antiquated clothes and hats standing behind a large stack of bound wooden boxes reading
Field Notes

You Take What You Can Get: Or Suffer the Consequences

The stampede for gold into the Klondike of the Yukon territory reached a peak in 1898. In that same year, 1,200 other miners set out for other regions of the far north, including to the Koyukuk and Chandalar river drainages in the remote Alaska Territory interior, in a desperate search for similar riches. This region is situated in the northwestern part of Alaska, with the Koyukuk River flowing through it from the borders of the Arctic Ocean to where it enters the Yukon at Nulato.

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3 Min
hammering steel
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.

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3 Min