The Filson Journal

How To's

How to Tie 5 Sailing Knots Recommended by US Sailing

“Tie me a figure 8”, “grab that cleat hitch”, “fasten a bowline” – next time you’re aboard or at the docks, make yourself useful to the captain and crew and...

Signature Materials

Signature Materials: Why Filson Wool?

Filson has been a wool expert for over 122 years. In fact, our original name in 1897 was Seattle Woolen Manufacturing Company, Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers. We got...

Profiles

Leif Whittaker: My Old Man & the Mountain

My Old Man and the Mountain is Leif Whittaker's engaging and humorous story of what it was like to "grow up Whittaker"―the youngest son of Jim Whittaker and Dianne Roberts, in...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Duck Cassoulet

Some of the best things in life require the most time and effort to do them right. This recipe is one of those things.

As a professional skier, Amy David spends most days in the winter backcountry, skiing and snowmobiling while being photographed and filmed for media content. Simultaneously, She leads a backcountry retreat...

How To's

How to Stay Safe in Avalanche Terrain - Tips from NWAC

Every year in the mountains of North America, avalanches kill an average of 45 people and injure many more. Nearly all these incidents involve people recreating. If you’re planning to...

A Day of Celebration: History of the Chittenden Locks

Started on September 1, 1911 and completed in 1916, the Hiram Chittenden Locks, alternatively called Seattle’s “Big Ditch,” or “Ballard Locks,” as they are commonly referred to today, helped make...

The SS Bering

The story of the SS Bering begins with her launching under another name, the Annette Rolph, on July 4, 1918, in Fairhaven, California. The ship was a wood-hulled “tramp” freighter...

Profiles

The Puzzle Master: Kathy Burek

Anyone who has ever spent hours huddled over a puzzle knows the joy of finally figuring it out. Whether it’s an obscure image coming together piece by piece, that head-scratcher...

Journey to the Yukon: Passage Aboard the Steamships from Puget Sound to the Far North

The month of July 1897 was an exciting time to be living on the West Coast. Steamships with names like Excelsior and Portland were docking in the ports of San...

Profiles

Western Flyer: The Vessel of John Steinbeck

On the morning of Monday, March 11, 1940, writer John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts boarded the sardine seiner Western Flyer at a wharf in Monterey, California. Both men...

Profiles

For the Love of Wooden Boats: Port Townsend's Shipwrights Co-Op

Southeast of Port Townsend is a gravel yard where large boats balance on blocks of wood and slender steel stands. Removed from the water, the vessels reveal pleasing, functional curves....

Profiles

Rick Myers: Profile of an Illustrator

In Rick Myers's garage sits a hand-built dingy—shiny with newness, waiting patiently for water. Adjacent, the oars that will propel it lie unfinished across two sawhorses. The illustrator holds a...

SS Portland: The Ship that Started the Boom

August 16, 1896, stands out in the history of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska as the moment when miners prospecting along the Klondike River in the Yukon Territory discovered gold...

The History of Ballard: The First 100 Years

Today, the neighborhood of Ballard is well known for its restaurants and atmosphere. However, the history of this Seattle hamlet is a story of industry, community, and entrepeneurship.

The History and Meaning of Maritime Tattoos

Standing out among a variety of styles and techniques, aesthetics, and traditions, perhaps nothing is more recognizable in the tattooing world than the sailor tattoo. Steeped in maritime lore and...

The Sinking of the SS Clallam

Hazardous weather conditions. Small craft advisory. Strong wind warning in effect. These are common warnings to mariners who may be considering the Strait of Juan de Fuca—the passage running between...

How To's

How to Read a Navigational Chart (the basics)

A map will show you where to go. A nautical chart will help you plan your trip, tell you where (and where not) to go, tell you when to go...

How To's

How to Stack Firewood

Follow these easy 5 steps for proper stacking and storage of firewood. This easy guide will provide a safe location to protect your wood from the elements while keeping out...

Rebisoning America's West

As we bounce across the prairie, small groups of bison close to the dirt track watch us roll by, while two bands of elk stare at us from a distance....

University of Georgia Deer Lab Boosts Our Knowledge of America's No. 1 Game Animal

For about 50 years, students and faculty at the University of Georgia’s famous Deer Research Laboratory have conducted far-reaching studies across the country and beyond to improve our understanding of...

The Evolution of Mountaineering Gear

Humans have climbed mountains since they first crossed the Alps or left religious offerings in the highest heights. But it wasn’t until the mid-18th century that Europeans turned their gaze...

Profiles

Avalanche Dog Noses: Your Best Chance of Survival

Up in the mountains, avalanches are part of the territory. If you’re lucky, you might only see or hear one. But on the off chance you get caught, there’s little...

The 210th Air Rescue Squadron

The 210th Air Rescue Squadron, nicknamed “The Second 10th,” is an elite peacetime and combat search and rescue (CSAR) unit based in Alaska that’s on call for its citizens 24/7/365....

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Fire Baked Mac & Cheese with Boar Bacon Burnt Ends

Here is a grown-up version of a dish we all loved as kids—and some of us never really grew out of. With the addition of a few spices, aged Gruyere...

Food & Recipes

How to Choose & Care for Cast Iron Pans

One of the most basic and versatile pieces of equipment that every kitchen must have is a large cast-iron pan. The beauty of this piece is its simplicity. With all...

The Filson Restoration Department & Workshop

We’ve taken pride in the quality of our craftsmanship for over a century, and in keeping with that tradition, the Filson Restoration Department and Filson Workshop were formed. We caught...

Remarkable Skills of an Avalanche Rescue Dog

When it comes to mountain life, avalanches are part of the territory. If you’re lucky, you might only see or hear one. But on the off chance you get caught,...

Signature Materials

Keeping Handmade Traditions Alive in the Northeast: Filson & Quoddy

Jack and Anne Spiegel originally started Quoddy in Maine in 1947. Their unique footwear was all made with moccasin construction to be flexible, durable, and repairable. At one point, Quoddy...

Dogs with Jobs: Sheepdogs in Rural Scotland

Sheep dogs are commonplace in rural Scotland, with many shepherds owning more than one. The use of such dogs in Scotland dates back to the 19th century, but even today...

History of America's Wild Horses

The wild horses of the West have occupied the minds of people here since they were reintroduced to the North American continent by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. These...

The History of the Cowboy Hat

If there is one piece of Western wear that has become the ultimate symbol of the American Cowboy, it’s the cowboy hat. Like all Western wear, hats were made to...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Apple Braised Pork

This Pork Shoulder recipe is sure to never disappoint. Make this in the cooler months and make sure to make extra—it gets better as the flavors have time to hang...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: The Perfect Cast Iron Steak

There are many ways to cook an amazing steak, but none beat the simplicity of a cast-iron seared steak basted in herbed brown butter. Try it once and you will...

Profiles

The O'Hair Ranch

Before there were O’Hairs, there were Armstrongs. And like most homesteaders, the Armstrongs arrived at Paradise Valley, Montana, by way of misfortune looking for fortune. In 1878, Owen T. Armstrong...

How To's

How to Become a Ski Patroller

Ski patrollers are responsible for maintaining and promoting skier safety, providing first-aid assistance to accident victims on the hill, and transporting injured skiers. They play a huge part in what...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Beef Carpaccio with Horseradish Sauce and Kale Salad

All meat is a reflection of the land the animal was raised on, genetics, and, of course, the feed they ate. To truly appreciate the complexities of a great cut...

Wild Goose Jack

At the turn of the 20th century, sportsman John (Jack) Miner found himself amidst an unregulated commercial market, and local grassroots hunting. In the small town of Kingsville, Ontario, along...

Duck Banding: Hunter-Backed Conservation Work Helps Waterfowl Thrive

Banding has been used for centuries. In 218 B.C., besieged Roman soldiers reportedly used thread to tie a message on a crow’s leg and then released the bird. John James...

How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Apple Galette with Salted Bourbon Caramel

A simple riff on an American classic. This galette is both super simple and looks great on the table. The more rustic-looking, the better, so don’t spend a lot of...

North America’s Flyways and Ducks Unlimited

Twice a year waterfowl and bird species make the long journey from south to north and back again along the Pacific Flyway, stopping at reservoirs, wetlands, and shallow lakes along...

Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 1: "FRIDLEY"

First responders and wildland firefighters don't have the option to work from home. They need to be in top physical and mental shape or else lives could be lost. If...

History of the Shotgun for Upland Hunting

The earliest shotguns, or “Haile Shotte peics,” as they were called, date back to the 16th century in England, where they were used for hunting by the aristocracy, chief among...

How To's

How to Process an Upland Bird

Steven Joyce of Reds Hunting, a renowned hunting and fly-fishing guide outfit in Eastern Washington, joined us at Filson’s annual Sportsman’s Expo to demonstrate how to harvest the meat from...

Train Like a Wildland Firefighter with Mountain Tough Fitness Lab

The day-to-day rigors of a wildland firefighter require supreme mental and physical strength. These folks hump 45-pound packs up and down steep, rugged terrain for three to five miles a...

The Heist: Canada's Sticky Situation

Together they discovered that someone had tampered with over 1,000 barrels. Nearly 540,000 gallons (10,000 barrels worth) of thick, golden liquid sunshine had been stolen; 12.5 percent of the Reserve,...

VETERANS HOTSHOT CREW

Having achieved certification last Veterans Day, the Lakeview Veterans Hotshots are the only Interagency Hotshot Crew in the country that prioritizes enlisting and developing former military personnel. From front lines...

ERNESTO ALVARADO - FIRE SCIENTIST

Ernesto Alvarado is a biologist and Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington. With over 27 years in the field, his current research covers a variety of topics, from...

Filson and The Forest Service

Filson and the U.S. Forest Service share unbreakable ties to our wildlands and a relationship that dates over a century. Since the 1950s, Filson garments have been in-use as field...

THE CHAINSAW

The single most important invention affecting logging was the chainsaw of 1935. Although it was not invented in Oregon, it was perfected there in 1947 by lumberjack Joseph Cox. While...

How To's

How to Prevent Disaster by Righting a Capsized Canoe

Canoeing is a great group activity and going with others is both a fun and easy way to make sure that you remain safe on the river in case of...

How To's

How to Build a Swedish Fire Log

When the Swedish army jumped into the Thirty Years War to invade the Holy Roman Empire, the soldiers developed a highly efficient campfire that required only a single log, commonly...

Q and A with Adam and Frankie Foss of Foss Media

Gary Edinger, a logger is at the center of Will to Live: The Gary Edinger Story, the latest film from Adam and Frankie Foss, the husband and wife team behind...

Will To Live: The Gary Edinger Story

On a fateful February day in 2007, in the remote Northern Wisconsin woods, a solo independent logger named Gary Edinger severed his left leg off while felling a tree. Twenty...

Smokey's Steps to Putting Out a Fire

A campfire can be of the best parts of camping, or provide necessary warmth to hunters and other outdoor enthusiasts. Just don’t forget your responsibility to maintain and extinguish it...

BARB WHITEMAN - A LIFE DEDICATED TO FIGHTING WILDLAND FIRES

Barb grew up on the Crow Indian Reservation in Eastern Montana. When she was not in school, she spent untold hours roaming the Big Horn Mountains near her home hunting,...

BIA: INTER-AGENCY HOTSHOTS - NATIVE AMERICAN FIRE CREWS

NATIVE AMERICAN FIRE CREWS were officially formed in 1910—known as the Division of Forestry, a part of the BIA—and tasked with protecting tribal timber holdings. As one might imagine, these...

THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS.

THE Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a depression-era work-relief program that put millions of America’s young men to work on important conservation projects. Established in 1933 by executive order, the...

MALHEUR RAPPEL CREW

The Malheur Rappel Crew primarily fights fires in the Pacific Northwest (Region 6) but team members can be dispatched anywhere there is a need - even globally. The standards to...

Q&A WITH A HOTSHOT

We sit down with Jeremiah Coke, Squad Leader with a hotshot crew in the Pacific Northwest, to learn a thing or two about his 17 years in fire.

WHAT IS A WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER

Wildfires across the U.S. have become increasingly large and uncharacteristically extreme, due to factors including climate change and unhealthy forests. This puts communities, habitat, and watersheds at risk. It also...

PHOENIX CREW 1

Meet one of the most unique teams partnering with the USFS - an Arizona Fire Crew made primarily of post-release inmates.

BEQUI LIVINGSTON - WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING PIONEER

IN 1988, Bequi Livingston became the first woman ever recruited by the New Mexico-based Smokey Bear Hotshots for its elite wildland firefighting crew. It had taken Livingston nine years to...

KYLE MILLER - PHOTOGRAPHER

A wildland firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming Hotshots crew member, Kyle Miller is not a photographer — just a guy who is drawn to fighting wildfire on...

Elver Fishing in Maine

Elver fishing in Maine is based on a lottery system. For those lucky enough to win a license the payout can be over $2,000/lb.

How to Pack Your Line Gear

When you're on a fire line, everything that matters is on your back. You may be required to haul 70 lbs. in and out of a remote spot. How you...

Signature Materials

Filson x Danner Grouse Bottomland Boot

When two Pacific Northwest brands team up to create a hunting boot, the result is a rugged piece of craftsmanship. Constructed from full-grain leather and oil-finish Tin Cloth, the Grouse...

Filson Food: Smoked Garlic Venison Shanks

Food & Recipes

New Arrivals

latest article

Ford Bronco x Filson Wildland Fire Rig

Featured articles

The Pack Horses and Mules of White Pass Trail

Corey Forrest: Fishermom

Mollie Walsh: The Angel of White Pass

National Forest Elemental Series: The Breath of a Nation

How to Kill, Cook, and eat dungeness crab

A Life on the Water: Brett Fitzgerald and the Angler Action Foundation

Denali Damsels

Filson Food: Surf & Turf Alaskan Style

Discover the world of Filson

How to Tie 5 Sailing Knots Recommended by US Sailing

Signature Materials: Why Filson Wool?

Leif Whittaker: My Old Man & the Mountain

Filson Food: Duck Cassoulet

Amy David: Why I Guide

How to Stay Safe in Avalanche Terrain - Tips from NWAC

A Day of Celebration: History of the Chittenden Locks

The SS Bering

The Puzzle Master: Kathy Burek

Journey to the Yukon: Passage Aboard the Steamships from Puget Sound to the Far North

Western Flyer: The Vessel of John Steinbeck

For the Love of Wooden Boats: Port Townsend's Shipwrights Co-Op

Rick Myers: Profile of an Illustrator

SS Portland: The Ship that Started the Boom

The History of Ballard: The First 100 Years

The History and Meaning of Maritime Tattoos

The Sinking of the SS Clallam

How to Read a Navigational Chart (the basics)

How to Stack Firewood

Rebisoning America's West

University of Georgia Deer Lab Boosts Our Knowledge of America's No. 1 Game Animal

The Evolution of Mountaineering Gear

Avalanche Dog Noses: Your Best Chance of Survival

The 210th Air Rescue Squadron

Filson Food: Fire Baked Mac & Cheese with Boar Bacon Burnt Ends

How to Choose & Care for Cast Iron Pans

The Filson Restoration Department & Workshop

Remarkable Skills of an Avalanche Rescue Dog

Keeping Handmade Traditions Alive in the Northeast: Filson & Quoddy

Dogs with Jobs: Sheepdogs in Rural Scotland

History of America's Wild Horses

The History of the Cowboy Hat

Filson Food: Apple Braised Pork

Filson Food: The Perfect Cast Iron Steak

The O'Hair Ranch

How to Become a Ski Patroller

Filson Food: Beef Carpaccio with Horseradish Sauce and Kale Salad

Wild Goose Jack

Duck Banding: Hunter-Backed Conservation Work Helps Waterfowl Thrive

Filson Food: Apple Galette with Salted Bourbon Caramel

North America’s Flyways and Ducks Unlimited

Train Like a Wildland Firefighter, Workout 1: "FRIDLEY"

History of the Shotgun for Upland Hunting

How to Process an Upland Bird

Train Like a Wildland Firefighter with Mountain Tough Fitness Lab

The Heist: Canada's Sticky Situation

VETERANS HOTSHOT CREW

ERNESTO ALVARADO - FIRE SCIENTIST

Filson and The Forest Service

THE CHAINSAW

How to Prevent Disaster by Righting a Capsized Canoe

How to Build a Swedish Fire Log

Q and A with Adam and Frankie Foss of Foss Media

Will To Live: The Gary Edinger Story

Smokey's Steps to Putting Out a Fire

BARB WHITEMAN - A LIFE DEDICATED TO FIGHTING WILDLAND FIRES

BIA: INTER-AGENCY HOTSHOTS - NATIVE AMERICAN FIRE CREWS

THE CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS.

MALHEUR RAPPEL CREW

Q&A WITH A HOTSHOT

WHAT IS A WILDLAND FIREFIGHTER

PHOENIX CREW 1

BEQUI LIVINGSTON - WILDLAND FIREFIGHTING PIONEER

KYLE MILLER - PHOTOGRAPHER

Elver Fishing in Maine

How to Pack Your Line Gear

Filson x Danner Grouse Bottomland Boot