A Short History of U.S. Fire Lookouts

Fire lookouts have long held an important service to our forests and communities. While technology advancements help make spotting fires easier, 150+ fire lookouts are still actively manned in the...

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Dispatches from the North: Kotzebue Sound Salmon

"Fish are hitting already, splashing. Seals surface nearby. Andrew whoops, “Rich!” and roars down-current to find a spot. I wring my sopping gray gloves, curl stiff cold fingers around the...

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Karelian Bear Dogs: Hunter Turned Protector

A better way to mitigate non-lethal interactions between humans and bears: an ancient breed of hunting dogs, Karelian’s have been used by Finnish hunters for centuries to hunt large animals...

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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...

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Casting Comedy and Conservation: Eeland Stribling

For fisherman, outdoorsman, and comedian Eeland Stribing, comedy and fishing are very similar. Creating a joke and making a cast both take thoughtful preparation, the perfect setup, and impeccable timing...

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Storis: The Galloping Ghost of the Alaskan Coast

The Storis began her long career as an ice patrol tender for the United States Coast Guard, commissioned on September 30, 1942. She was to patrol the east coast of...

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Hunt Gather Talk Podcast | Season 3

Renowned wild game chef, Hank Shaw, has spent a lifetime gathering wild edible plants, hunting, and fishing the land and waters of North America. This season of 'Hunt Gather Talk'...

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Profiles

Lianna Spooner: preserving traditions & the environment

There's been a revival in the art of "packing" in recent years. Homesteaders Lianna Spooner and her partner Chris Eyer spend part of their year working with the U.S. Forest...

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A Sea Change in Southeast Alaska

The USDA’s proposed Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy charts new management direction for the Tongass, centered on the responsible stewardship of public land and water. Learn more about the initiatives taking...

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Profiles

Chloe Ivanoff: finding her sea legs

Shortly after Ivanoff began working seasonal jobs in geology, she started to feel she’d missed an important rite of passage by not having spent a summer living and working aboard...

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Newport News Marine Incident Response Team

Housed inside Firehouse 1 in downtown Newport News, the twenty-four firefighters of this unique team spend large portions of their time out on the water helping those in need. As...

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Filson x Rugged Seas

The idea was simple: collect used bibs, give them a good cleaning, then cut and repurpose the materials to give the bibs a second life. In practice, of course, it’s...

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Profiles

Alaskan Musher: Lauro Eklund

With his father, Neil Eklund, Lauro spends long days working with his dogs and exploring Alaska’s remote and rugged interior. With hopes his dogs will one day soon lead the...

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The Dynamic of the Line: the anatomy of a dog team

Sled dog teams consist of 12-16 dogs to traverse difficult terrain, while following specific commands from a musher. Learn the anatomy of a sled dog team and what it takes...

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Filson x Patric Hanley: limited edition luggage

Patric Hanley is a New York City-based artist specializing in oil paintings. His exclusive collaboration with Filson, featuring motifs inspired by North American fauna, draws influence from Midwestern roots. We...

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The Survivors: Alaskan Arctic Musk Oxen

With no reason to fear mankind, the muskox was almost driven to extinction by the advent of guns that ripped through the slow-moving herds. In Alaska and on the rest...

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

As a company founded on equipping folks headed into the frozen desolation of the Klondike goldfields in 1897, we knew that we needed to do something that was a bit...

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How To's

Dos and Don'ts of Traveling in Rattlesnake Country

Local outdoors expert & lifelong Texan, Cory Emerson, helped us navigate the desolate limestone hills and canyons of Texas Hill County to put our new gear to the test. The...

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Profiles

The Fire Inside: Photographer Kiliii Yüyan

Award-winning National Geographic photographer Kiliii Yüyan, joined us on our recent trip to the Alaskan Arctic, where he was consumed in his mission to capture the stoic essence of a...

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The Evolution of Hockey Gear

When a modern NHL team takes to the ice, players are protected from head to toe, the focal point of which is their large colorful sweater. The need and developments...

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Oceans Initiative: on a mission to protect marine life

Conservation scientist Erin Ashe, PhD, says we all have a “cetacean story”: the moment in our lives when we realize that whales and dolphins—the spellbinding mammals she studies—exist. Ashe was...

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Western Wolves Swept Up In Culture Wars

Many animals kill for a living, but wolves compete with Homo sapiens in that they eat elk, deer, moose, and sometimes livestock. The debates about wolves are in part about...

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George McJunkin's Discovery of a Lifetime

Born sometime between 1851 and 1856, McJunkin originally came from Texas, and as a young man worked his way across Colorado and New Mexico as he pursued the life of...

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Profiles

James Reeves: The Mule Packer

“When I walk into any pack station or ranch, I know from the get-go that I'm probably not going to look like anyone else who works there. But anyone who...

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Six Crucial Pieces of Upland Hunting Gear

On a hunt for Gambel’s Quail in the Arizona desert, having the right gear makes all the difference. While traversing dusty arroyos, keeping hydrated, and avoiding cactus needles, Edgar Castillo...

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Profiles

Trent Peterson: The Way Forward

During a trip to the Sierra Nevada's in 2015 he first set his eyes on the mountains he now calls home while scouting the area for a planned horse traverse...

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Moosemeat John

Moosemeat John, with a nickname earned from generosity and the skills to not only survive, but thrive on the Alaskan frontier. When we built our first Alaskan Guide Shirt in...

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125 Years of Hockey: A Diverse & Surprising History

Hockey has a diverse history that may surprise even lifelong fans. From the first professional all-Black league formed in Nova Scotia to the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, funded by two...

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DOGS WITH JOBS: Labrador Retrievers

Blessed with a perpetual grin and soft floppy ears, Labrador Retrievers have been the most popular breed of dogs in America since 1991. A virtual Swiss Army knife of a...

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Unofficial Rules of Pond Hockey

The heart and soul of hockey lives out on the ice at lakes and ponds across North America—these local proving grounds are where legends are made and communities built. For...

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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...

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Northwest Beaver Mechanics

Founded in 1988, Northwest Seaplanes is based in Renton, Washington, and has a fleet of five Beavers and one De Havilland Otter, aircraft called the "best bush planes ever built."...

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Peter Henrikson: Soul of Traditional Craftsmanship

Whether it is in a timber-framed home, or a backcountry stream bridge, or a 16th-century boatshed built on the shores of a Norwegian lake, it is the invisible that makes...

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The Carver King: A Conversation with chainsaw artist Bob King

Bob King spends his life surrounded by sawdust. It crunches underfoot, coats his clothing, and swirls about him. Each day he dons layers of protective gear and enters his workshop....

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The Woman on the Mountain: Christine Estrada

Christine Estrada, a fire lookout, having visited 93 of the remaining lookouts across Washington State, works tirelessly during fire season to spot, report and communicate with fire teams on the...

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Tonje Blomseth: From Norway to Alaska

Rumors were flying around like bugs in the small Norwegian town I lived in, and among people I didn't necessarily want to run into at my local grocery store. I...

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Seth Kantner: Tracking the Herd

The day is gray and snowy on the tundra—visibility low. In the new drifts, I spot a line of tracks. For a moment my mind refuses to register caribou. The...

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Extreme Cold Vapor Barrier Boots

The U.S. Army’s first cold weather boots were called “Mickey Mouse Boots” for their oversize appearance. Officially designated the "Type I" & "Type II" footwear model, it was first worn...

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Deenaalee Hodgdon: Preparing for Winter

For Indigenous Alaskan queer artist, and nomad Deenaalee Hodgdon, preparation is just another word for adaptation. As the seasons change, the climate changes, and the world changes, Hodgdon seeks to...

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3 Spooky Legends of the American West

In the Santa Lucia mountains of California, there have been sightings of a mysterious figure in the late afternoon sun. The figure appears suddenly as a tall, dark shape against...

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Profiles

THE PASSION: RANGE RIDER DANIEL CURRY

As a range rider, Daniel Curry patrols the rugged wilderness of Colville National Forest in eastern Washington through all seasons and weather. He will spend weeks working tirelessly day and...

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Zach LaPerrière: The Sage

Living in a small cabin immersed in the virgin old-growth with his family for the last twenty-five years, LaPerrière is a part of the wilderness. There is no television or...

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Halibut Hooks of the Northwest Coast

Traditionally, a náxw, or “halibut hook” in the Lingít language, was carved out of two pieces of wood attached with cordage (natural fiber) to form a V-shaped hook. A piece...

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Sailing The Inside Passage on The Raven

We ran into Naomi Spar on the piers of Sitka, AK, while they were driving their adventure touring bike over the dock onto the worn deck of their sailboat, a...

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Lessons from the Darkness: Southeast Alaska's Kóoshdaa Káa

The rugged coastline of Southeast Alaska is full of folklore. The Kóoshdaa Káa, a shape-shifting creature in Tlingit culture, is one such legend. The origin is much more profound than...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Surf & Turf Alaskan Style

Anchored to Alaska's rainforest-shrouded coastline, Barnacle Foods shares the flavors, sights, and stories of the uncommon delicacies from the surrounding region. Founded in 2016, Barnacle Foods makes pantry goods from...

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Profiles

Bringing the Ocean’s Bounty to Market in Southeast Alaska

Barnacle, by producing food products that require large amounts of kelp, and purchasing that kelp from the communities who are farming it, is helping to build not only a business,...

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Python Bounty Hunter: Donna Kalil

The snakes that she’s hunting are the result of a good idea gone wrong. In the 1970s, the first Burmese pythons were imported from overseas as pets. They were a...

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The Margins of Art, Science, & Superstition: Dr. J. Drew Lanham

J. Drew Lanham is an ornithologist, a professor of wildlife ecology at Clemson University, and a poet, naturalist, and hunter-conservationist. A prolific writer, he has authored the award-winning memoir, The...

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We Helped Restore a Forest Service Lookout Tower That Was Almost Consumed by Flames

A team of eager and passionate Filson employees, together with the National Forest Foundation, were wrapping up a restoration project at First Butte lookout tower, the fourth tower our team...

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A Short History of Helicopter Logging

The practice of helicopter logging is still employed in parts of the world today, including the US and Canada. Often the USFS will use it to thin forest lands in...

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For Busted Up Loggers: The Deming Log Show

A bond exists in the lumberjack community, a shared brotherhood of the saw. It comes from the long, hard hours spent in the forest, far from crowded cities and civilization....

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Logger Dennis Cronin’s Unexpected Legacy

In 2011, logger Dennis Cronin was flagging cutblock 7190 near Port Renfrew, British Columbia for clear-cutting when a massive tree stopped him in his tracks.

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Paul Bunyan: Larger Than Life

With his trademark flannel shirt, double-bladed axe, and giant blue ox, Paul Bunyan left an indelible mark on the American consciousness. Though he may have been based in part on...

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New York's Largest Chainsaw Collection: Hud-son Chainsaw Museum

An early morning fog rolls through the town of Barneveld just outside the Adirondacks in New York as a worker flips on the showroom lights at Hud-Son Forest Equipment. As...

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How To's

DIY Wooden Landing Net

A wooden landing net is not only one of the angler’s best tools to ensure the swift catch—and, where necessary, release—of a fish, but also a durable part of the...

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White's Boots: 168 years of handmade tradition

Bootmaking is one of those occupations that, done properly, wears well over time for both the boot’s owner and the bootmaker. And in nineteenth-century America, this was a handcraft occupation,...

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Logger History Crossword Puzzle

Answers to the Logger History Crossword Puzzle in the August 2021 catalog.

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Filson Fundamentals: The Anatomy of a Knife & Choosing the Right One

We reached out to local knife maker, Robb gray of Graycloud knives, to give us the full rundown of the anatomy of a knife and how to choose the best...

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Tower Dogs: Radio Site Teams of the Pacific Northwest

The individuals who spend their days and nights in the field ensuring that the telecommunications grid in the pacific northwest is functioning are a dedicated lot. Much like the mailmen...

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Michael Hall: Portland’s Backyard Surfboard Shaper

In 2008, Michael Hall moved to Portland, Oregon, and was promptly laid off. A geologist by training, the 28-year-old Washington native had spent the past five years zipping around the...

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The Iron Man of the Hoh: John Huelsdonk

The west coast’s Paul Bunyan, an American folklore’s lumberjack strongman. John Huelsdonk was a Famed woodsman of the Pacific Northwest. He fought bears with his bare hands, carried 200 pound...

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Filson Food: Dutch Baby with Morel Mushrooms

The months of April and May are prime mushroom season. But morels are particularly fickle, requiring conditions to be just right before making their grand debut in spring. Our friends...

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Dry Bags

Our 124-year legacy was born outfitting those bound for the inhospitable weather and terrain of the Alaskan Gold Rush. Filson dry bags exemplify our commitment to equip men and women...

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The punk rockers of fly fishing – angling on the LA River

Few Angelinos are aware that prior to the 1930s, the LA River was home to native rainbow trout and seasonal runs of steelhead and Chinook salmon. The Los Angeles River...

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The Graduate – by T. Edward Nickens

“I’m gonna ferry across the river,” my guide said. “Some pocket water I want you to hit.” “Sounds good,” I replied. I gazed downstream. Montana’s Bighorn River is big water,...

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Make Mine “To Go”

Moonshine (often corn liquor from a still) was a prime source of income for many in the southern Appalachian mountains. Its history partly derives from Scots/Irish immigrants to the United...

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Mississippi Solo: Eddy Harris

In 1988, Eddy Harris published his first book, Mississippi Solo, an account of his canoe trip down the entire length of the river. Thirty years later Harris canoed the Mississippi...

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Filson x MTNTOUGH “Embrace the Ruck” Challenge

MTNTOUGH's “Embrace the Ruck” challenge is designed to test mental barriers as much as it is to push physical ones. "If you can do this, there are very few people...

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: What is Filson Bridle Leather?

Bridle Leather holds a valued position in Filson manufacturing, and we’re constantly seeking new ways to put it to work, from smaller items like keychains and wallets to the handles...

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Honoring Your Call: Durrell Smith

Durrell Smith—artist, teacher, hunter, dog trainer, creator of Minority Outdoor Alliance, and founder of Gun Dog Notebook. His path in life and honoring his true calling. We caught up with...

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Airboats: Remote Access Watercraft

Airboats—known also colloquially as swamp boats or bayou boats—are a relatively straightforward design for a watercraft, yet have been employed for a wide variety of transportation uses on rivers, marshlands,...

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