Smokey Bear: An American Icon

Smokey the bear’s message has remained unchanged since the 1940s. A message to the American public: that you, I, and everyone shared a responsibility to prevent wildfires. This is the...

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How To's

How to Make Stinging Nettle Cordage

As one of the most prolific plants in the pacific northwest, nettles get a bad rap due to their tendency to sting. But if you can get over a couple...

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Signature Materials

Wickett & Craig x Filson - American Made Leather

Mankind has used leather for clothing, footwear, armor, and tools for centuries, and since 1867, Pennsylvania’s Wickett & Craig has specialized in tanning the most durable and beautiful leathers available....

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How To's

How to Make a Backwoods Steam Tent

Life outdoors is taxing on the body. In this very barebones demo, we'll run through how to recover with a DIY steam tent.

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Waxed Cotton

What worked then still works today. While science and chemistry have produced some amazing options for raingear in recent years, sometimes the best option for wet-weather protection has existed for...

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Bellingham to Alaska with Drifters Fish

In April 2020 the crew from Drifters Fish set off from Bellingham, Washington to Alaska - over a 3,500-mile journey - for the start of the annual salmon season. Read...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Basic Cut, Carve, & Processing Techniques

There are a few ingredients that every home cook should know how to properly prepare. Today professional chef Connor Gabott walks us through how to cut, carve, and process each....

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Ripstop Nylon

Our newly-introduced collection of ripstop nylon luggage and bags captures that same rugged reliability, in a lighter and more flexible form. Ripstop nylon, with its crosshatch pattern of reinforcing threads,...

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Trail running in uncertain times with Justin Helvik

Justin Helvick is an asst. high school principle, avid outdoorsman, mountaineer, and trail runner. We reached out to him to find out how his time outdoors makes him a better...

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Inspiring Women of the Pacific Northwest & Alaska

We've all heard the stories of historic women like Amelia Earhart and Nellie Bly. Here we're focusing our scope to our backyard in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, shining a...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Cast Iron Blueberry Pancakes

This recipe works equally well camping, as it does on a lazy weekend morning. Pancakes are pretty perfect already, but this version takes it to whole other level, topped with...

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How To's

How to Throw a Tomahawk

It’s dangerous, but if you have the time and space for a lot of practice, being able to throw a tomahawk and hit your target is a pretty satisfying skill...

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Signature Materials

Legacy Seattle Manufacturers Team Up to Address PPE Shortage

When our neighbors at Outdoor Research came to us with a chance to join their efforts in manufacturing personal protective equipment, we got right to work. This relief project marks...

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How To's

How to Build a Survival Shelter in the Wilderness

Dan Wowak is the owner and instructor at Coalcracker Bushcraft and the Appalachian Bushman School. He’s been an avid outdoorsman since childhood. His passion for the outdoors began while fishing...

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 6: “THE DEVIL’s 55”

If you could only do one workout with limited equipment this MTNTOUGH workout would be at the top of the list. It is 55 minutes of total-body work, making it...

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How to Create a Rocket Stove

Simple, compact, scalable, the wooden rocket stove uses itself as fuel. named for it’s likeness to the business end of a rocket, this method produces an incredibly efficient cook-top when...

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Food & Recipes

Longest Acres Farm: multigenerational Vermont homestead

Deep in the hills of central Vermont lies Longest Acres Farm, a 220-acre, multigenerational homestead. Delivering directly to the consumers, the homestead raises farm-to-table chicken, pork, beef, and other products...

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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,...

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The Puyallup: one of North America’s most endangered rivers

The Puyallup River flows roughly 65 miles through Mt. Rainier National Park, with its origins in glacial snowmelt. Home to the only spring Chinook salmon population in the South Puget...

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 5: "Brick by Brick"

MTNTOUGH's “Brick by Brick” Workout is designed to help you become a more balanced athlete. The repeated pendulum lunges will make you want to throw in the towel, but they...

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 2: “Mother of Quad”

In the second installment of our series with MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab, they walk us through their leg-day routine dubbed “the Mother of Quad.” Be warned, it’s not for the faint...

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter Workout Series

We worked with the guys at MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab to bring those simple but effective routines to you and whatever space you occupy to help you keep physically fit and...

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Encounters with a Game Warden - Tales from the Field

As a vital, but often unseen, part of our outdoor landscape, game wardens are jacks-of-all-trades—part policeman, part researcher, part educator. They are the folks on the frontlines ensuring that the...

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 3: “The Pack Challenge"

We worked with the guys at MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab to bring those simple but effective routines to you and whatever space you occupy to help you keep physically fit and...

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How To's

Filson 101: How to Care For Your Leather Boots

Every now and then, your trusty boots will need a little TLC to keep them ready for any weather. This is not the fanciest method, but it’s simple, straightforward, and...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Elk Heart Tacos with Mojo de Ajo

Heart is without a doubt the most underappreciated cut of meat in any game animal. The specific game animal makes no difference; from mallard duck to Shiras moose, I would...

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Food & Recipes

Rogue’s Brewmaster Joel Shields - What are you drinking?

“As we enter our third week of social isolation nostalgia for simple things like lunch out with coworkers or an afterwork drink at our neighborhood bar is setting in. Times...

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The Great Cascade Tunnel

Between Seattle and Chicago, a train called the Empire Builder rolls on 2,206 miles of steel track. It leaves daily on a 48-hour trip, gliding past splendid vistas including Glacier...

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Why the Skagit River Watershed Matters

Nothing feels small on the Skagit River. It emerges from the Cascade Mountains, the ridgelines rising suddenly and severely, compressing the landscape and framing the view with their immense, sharp...

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A Guide to Overlanding the North Cascades

The North Cascade Mountains of Washington attract all types of recreationists during the spring and summer months, from locals to tourists, from hikers and climbers to high mountain anglers and...

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Profiles

Return of the Icons: Grizzly Bear Reintroduction

Grizzly bears. An icon of the West. A keystone predator that can weigh up to 600 pounds. Their thick, lush fur can range from dark brown to nearly towhead blonde....

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How To's

Filson Food: Field to Table Morel Mushroom & Ricotta Appetizer

As snow melts off mountain peaks, and yellow balsamroot bloom in valleys below, it’s time to take to the woods where an elusive delicacy of the season awaits. Introducing the...

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A Soldier to the Last – Lieutenant Pierce and the Skagit Expedition of 1882

On July 18, 1882, a lieutenant in the US Army named Henry Hubbard Pierce received a letter from Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles, who was commanding the Department of the...

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Profiles

Conservation Northwest: Keeping the Northwest Wild

For the 7.5 million residents of Washington state, most, if not all, have used or will use I-90 at some point. This interstate connects the two largest cities in the...

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Profiles

North Cascades: Bastion of the Wild

Sitting like stone guardians just below the Canadian border, the North Cascade mountains are keepers of the wildness that once roamed unchecked across North America. Soaring high into the skies,...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Buck & Black Bear Game Stock

As a hunter, I pride myself on using as much as possible from the animals I kill. One great way to really maximize the yield from a game animal is...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Eggs in Purgatory

Eggs in purgatory. It's a simple and humble dish made with few ingredients yet still delicious. Despite the limited ingredients, it's a synch to make and easy on the wallet....

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Shmulik Avital & Spiegel - The Hub of NYC’s Moto Community

Shmulik Avital seems to know everyone who rides a motorcycle in New York City. His restaurant, Spiegel, has become the hub of the city's adventure motorcycling community.

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Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 4: "Gone In 12 Minutes"

MTNTOUGH Fitness Lab believes eliminating psychological barriers is the key to reaching our goals. Their team knows the most important muscle you can train sits between your ears... the brain....

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Profiles

Climber Fred Beckey: Spirit of the Mountains

If you listen hard enough, you can hear Fred Beckey’s spirit whispering among the towering peaks and hidden valleys of the Northern Cascades. Around campfires, bar tops, or anywhere that...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Santa Maria Venison Sirloin

When we think of American BBQ, we tend to think of Southern BBQ: slow-cooked brisket, pulled pork, pit beans, coleslaw, etc., but there are a lot of other BBQs to...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Roasted Pheasant Jalapeño Poppers with Bourbon Red Pepper Jelly

A version of this recipe can most likely be found in every single hunter’s recipe rolodex from the Florida Panhandle to the Olympic Peninsula and everywhere in between. It is...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Whole Salt Crusted Fish with Horseradish Cream

Cooking in a salt crust is essentially a method of steaming, but instead of using water to steam, the salt crust holds in the natural moisture from the fish to...

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Profiles

Zech Bennett: The Undersea Tradesman

When you meet Zech Bennett, he seems like a pretty ordinary guy. Not too tall or too short, he seems somewhat in shape but is not a chiseled gym rat....

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 1

When you’re outdoors and can’t escape wet weather, staying dry is a very real need. Quality rain gear not only keeps you more comfortable—in cold temperatures, it can prevent life-threatening...

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Food & Recipes

Q & A With the Open-Fire Chefs of Portland's Tournant

Tournant is an open fire cooking and events company. Based in Portland, OR, their business serves as a homage to the Pacific Northwest, to one another, and to all the...

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Pacific Fishermen Shipyard: The Origins of Ballard’s Oldest Working Shipyard

Pacific Fishermen Inc., or “PacFish,” as it is known to the many boat builders, ship crews, employees, family members and stakeholders in the Ballard community, can be traced directly back...

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Profiles

Renowned Artist and Activist: Ray Troll

Ray’s Alaska adventure started in 1983, when he moved here to help his sister open a seafood retail store in Ketchikan. Ray soon turned to art to document his experiences...

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Profiles

Deep Sea Fishermen's Union

Back at the turn of the last century, a hardy group of men roamed the wooden docks of Seattle. Grizzled and gruff, they would spend days out on the unpredictable...

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Filson Moto Collection

Whenever you set out into the wild, be it the icy hell of Alaska or the rocky forests of the Pacific Northwest, you can’t do better than to have a...

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How To's

How to Filson's Guide to Conifers of the Cascades

Washington’s forests are home to more than 25 unique species of trees. We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on how to quickly identify the 5 key varieties in the North...

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Boots on the Ground: The History of the Combat Boot

“A-ten-hut!” Cue the sound of many warrior feet coming together at once. One of the most important pieces of gear in a soldier’s arsenal today, the U.S. Army’s combat boot...

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Profiles

The Glaciers of the North Cascades

North Cascades National Park counts more than 300 glaciers along this northwestern spine of mountains—and that’s just inside the park boundaries. The North Cascades are the most glaciated place in...

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Technical Rainwear Pt. 2

When looking at pictures of rain jackets on a web page, they all kind of look the same. How does one choose? Simple: honestly prioritize your needs as a user...

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How To's

How to Avoid Attacks in Bear & Cougar Territory

Consciously or unconsciously, humans, bears, and mountain lions, along with many other large mammals, all speak the same language with their bodies. The body language of an unleashed dog on...

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How To's

Filson Food: Squirrel Carnitas

Hunting squirrels is no easy task. However, if you are lucky enough to catch one of these elusive creatures, these carnitas will prove that it’s well worth the effort. This...

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Food & Recipes

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...

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Profiles

Puget Soundkeeper: On the Water Every Week, Stopping Pollution Every Day

On any given day, Puget Soundkeeper’s boat patrol team can be seen monitoring the waters of Puget Sound for illegal pollution and activities that violate the health of our waterways....

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Profiles

Paul Roberts - the Man Behind the Mustache

Father, husband, firefighter, engineer, hockey player, Black Belt, personal trainer, and grave digger—just some of the titles that Paul Roberts has or currently holds. We caught up with Paul to...

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Profiles

WSDOT Ferries

Twenty thousand years ago, a glacier tall as six Space Needles whittled the valley between the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, leaving a complex inland seascape. The First Nations people who...

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Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Which Filson Wool?

For as long as history has been recorded, wool has protected people from exposure to the elements, and today it works just as well as it always has. No other...

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Profiles

Seattle Maritime Academy - 50 Years of Training Seaworthy Mariners

Long before Seattle was a tech town, or even an aviation town, it was a maritime town. In fact, it still is. And although some brag that Seattle has more...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: West Coast Seafood Chowder

Chowder is a dish that can be found up and down both coasts of the United States and each regional interpretation has its own unique local style. Regardless of the...

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Profiles

The Ocean's Top Predator: Puget Sound Orcas

Black fins sliced the water and rose higher and higher, close to our boat. With a puff and a blow, the orcas surfaced: members of J pod, the southern resident...

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Marian Beck: The Saltry Restaurant

The first thing you notice about Marian Beck is her hands. Graying Alaskan fishermen all have the same hands, swollen and powerful from decades of picking fighting salmon from gillnets,...

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Profiles

Bay Weld Boats

The shop is loud. Metal screams on metal. Chop saws, band saws, air saws, table saws, skilsaws, drills, grinders, and welders all sculpt, slice, and meld aluminum plate and extrusion...

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How To's

How to Repair a Ripped Sail at Sea

You hear a sound you shouldn’t. Standing at the helm, getting a good look forward is tricky through rigging, mast, and mainsail. But that long ripping sound was not a...

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How To's

How to Preserve Your Catch

Winter brings slower days and time to cook – and a freezer full of fish after a summer of harvest. Nourishing and delicious protein, wild salmon brings brightness to the...

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Profiles

Kate Mitchell - NOMAR

An old homesteader once told Kate Mitchell, “That was about the year you figured you weren’t going to starve to death.” By then, much of the community enjoyed wanton luxuries...

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Profiles

The Salty Dawg Saloon

In the Middle East and Europe you can visit places built over 2,000 years ago. In Alaska you are unlikely to see anything older than 50. That’s what makes the...

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How To's

How to Build Backcountry Snowshoes

Traveling into the backcountry can be filled with fun, excitement, and adventure; however, it can also be very dangerous. Mother Nature can quickly turn an enjoyable afternoon hike into a...

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Coldfoot: More than just another gold camp – a place that defined those who lived in it

The history of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 promised fortune to many who made the journey north to the gold fields of the Yukon Territory, with many of those...

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