How To's

How to Tap A Maple Tree

Maple syrup was first collected by the native people of North America. While there are no verified accounts of how maple syrup production began, one popular legend suggests maple sap...

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JIGGER JOHNSON - USFS PIONEER

ALBERT LEWIS JOHNSON, ALSO KNOWN AS JIGGER JOHNSON, was a legendary logging foreman, trapper and fire warden for the U.S. Forest Services. Jigger’s rugged attitude and fearless determination was that...

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Filson Adventure Comic

Filson Adventures, an original comic series based in Alaska circa 1933.

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Nashville Hot Chicken

There’s a heat wave slowly spreading across the country, and that heat wave is Nashville Hot Chicken. There is most likely a joint in your town that is serving up...

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The Lantern Tavern Announces No New Improvements

The Lantern opened its doors back when gasoline cost 32 cents a gallon and shiny ‘66 Mustangs cruised Chicago Avenue. Every day since, their philosophy of good, simple food and...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Beer Brats

The German roots run deep in this dish, but you don’t have to wait for Octoberfest to enjoy it. The next time you are hosting a group of people and...

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Signature Materials

Upland Essentials

What gear does an upland hunter need? That question covers an enormous variety of habitat, weather, birds, and preferences. While gear requirements vary for hunting quail in Texas, grouse in...

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Mike Blais of Auburn Stove Foundry Company

Some of Mike Blais’ earliest memories are from the inside of his grandfather’s foundry in Maine. He spent his youth shadowing the older man, learning to mix sand and clay,...

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Monument Peak Lookout Tower

In 2019 Filson partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) to restore Montana's Monument Peak Lookout in Montana; originally built in 1936, using a classic L-4 tower and cabin plans from 1933.

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Profiles

Maine Guides

Maine Guides are an institution just as iconic in the Northeast as lobster fishermen. They’re stitched into Maine’s landscape—a mythical place of famous coastline and rivers, as well as vast...

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MAN BEAST MACHINE

In the beginning, the USFS fought forest fires using animals such as horses and pigeons. Horses provided transportation of man and materials, while pigeons afforded timely communication. From horseback to...

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How to Become a Wildland Firefighter

Interested in becoming a Protector of the Forest? Learn when and where to apply.

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Filson Food: Texas Style Bourbon BBQ Sauce

This sticky, spicy, bourbon-infused sauce is designed to add zing to a barbeque brisket or slow-cooked meat dish – works great on ribs, chicken, salmon, or pork.

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What is White Sands?

Great white dunes march across the New Mexico desert.From the tallest dune, some 60 ft tall, it’s hard to fathom the world around you. Climb skyward, and your eyes would...

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How To's

Snakebite Prevention and First Aid

While snakebites are a relatively rare occurrence, knowing how to prevent or treat one is a potentially lifesaving skill. This is especially true for those of us who spend a...

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Ranchlands: Six Generations of Stewardship

Conservation isn’t abstract and ranching doesn’t reward those who disconnect themselves from nature. I learned these truths from Duke Phillips, or Big Duke, to his friends. For Big Duke and...

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Banking on Bailey: Introducing the Filson x Merrell Sandall

Head an hour north of Boise, and you’ll find a stretch of the Payette river that contains some of the world’s most notorious class five rapids. Not many people dare...

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Mikael Kennedy's Filson Photo Diary

As a talented photographer from New York City, Mikael Kennedy, is always on the go, escaping from the city to calmer ground with his Filson tote and camera. This time...

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The Balance of Trust

Farriers spend years mastering the ancient craft of horseshoeing. It requires many hours of standing next to a hot forge, swinging a hammer, bending in uncomfortable positions, all within striking...

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Above Alaska: Bush Pilots of the Last Frontier

Covering 663,268 square miles, Alaska is larger than Texas, California, and Montana, combined. With only 20% of that land mass accessible by road, aviation is not a luxury in Alaska....

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How To's

How to Rent a Forest Service Cabin

If you’re looking for a vacation rental that is slightly more adventurous than usual, it’s worth looking into renting one of the USFS fire lookout towers or backcountry cabins. Learn...

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Filson Food: Fire Pit Dinner

Should you find yourself at camp strapped for ingredients and time, here’s a simple recipe that delivers a hearty meal for the whole crew. Prep Time: 15 minutes Total: 45...

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In Print: Alaska Aviation with Sarah Russell

For Sarah Russell, Alaska has been the answer at the end of a long search for freedom. We spent time with Sarah last summer as part of our Above Alaska...

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Piloting Kodiak, AK with Willy Fulton

Willy Fulton is a floatplane pilot based in Kodiak, AK. We caught up with him to ask a few questions about how he ended up there, with arguably one of...

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Filson Food: Cast Iron Breakfast Scramble

Should you find yourself in a chilly cabin with a wood stove and a few cast iron skillets, nothing beats a steak scramble for breakfast. Follow this recipe to make...

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In Print: Branson Wallace

Last summer while in Kodiak, AK we went crabbing with Branson Wallace and his buddy Aaron Thompson. We recently reconnected with Branson to ask him about life on Kodiak, his...

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Off the Grid with Brett Watts

Brett Watts is a flight mechanic with the U.S. Coast guard, currently stationed in Kodiak, AK.

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What Is The Land and Water Conservation Fund

For more than 50 years, LWCF has been called America’s most important tool in conservation. But all that was subject to change last September when authorization for the fund faced...

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How To's

What to Pack for a Backpack Fly Fishing Trip

Backpacking is a great way to re-familiarize yourself with the often-elusive feeling of spare time. With a little extra planning, you can turn a backpacking trip into a fly-fishing trip....

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How To's

How to Make a European Mount

If you’re fortunate enough to harvest an antlered animal for the freezer this fall, a European mount is a tasteful way to display the antlers in your home or garage....

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In Print: Making Art with Ed Anderson

Ed Anderson is an Idaho-based artist known for his iconic scenes using bold colors and lines to present subjects from bush pilots to bull trout and bugling bull elk. We...

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Q+A With Fly Designer Brita Fordice

Atop Brita Fordice’s desk lays a bag of eyeballs. Next to the eyeballs are a variety of feathers - some that look real, some that are real, and some that...

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Filson Food: Whiskey Cured Salmon Gravlax

Making cured fish is incredibly simple, but requires intentional time to prepare. Gravlax, a preparation of preserving salmon from the cold coast of Scandinavia, is cured in salt and sugar...

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How To's

How to Fillet a Fish

Whether you fish your local river, the lake the next state over, or the ocean on the other side of the world, knowing how to properly filet your catch is...

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Filson Food: Pickled Wild Salmon

Pickled salmon is a tradition that runs deep in Alaska, preserving the summer’s harvest to last through the cold winter. Wild salmon is a healthy protein and pickled fish makes...

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Corey Forrest: Fishing Rhode Island

As a little girl, I didn’t know I was going to grow up to be a fisherman, or follow in my father’s footsteps, and his father’s footsteps. It was a...

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How To's, Food & Recipes

How to Open an Oyster without a Shucking Knife

While a shucking knife is always recommended to open oysters, it's not the only way. If a fresh bivalve opportunity presents itself while you're without a shucking knife, you might...

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In Print: Claire Jenck's Road to the Ocean

Winter brings the best northwest waves. When friends find out I surf in Washington, they are usually incredulous. “No, what? In winter? But it’s so cold” they say. I should...

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In Print: Patrick Manary

Patrick Manary is an Oregon native, lanky, with piercing blue eyes and a wild beard. Thoughtful and soft-spoken, he holds himself with the steady confidence that brutal outdoor work can...

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70 Years of Seattle Mountain Rescue

Imagine for a moment you’re miles deep into your favorite backcountry and you’re unable to get out. It’s 1936. You’re using gear that today sits in vintage displays-- leather boots,...

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Cooper River Trail

Some of us like hiking and some of us like fishing; a lot of us like both. The Cooper River Trail is the perfect trail for those who like both....

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In Print: Eric Jackson's Snow, Surf and Steelhead

Eric Jackson is always ready for a challenge. You may recognize him from the massive hucks in his latest snowboarding film, Alignment. Or perhaps you’ve seen photos of him fly-fishing...

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Jessie Allen: More Than Miss Wyoming

Gathering around a campfire, fifteen women join for dinner. We spent the day riding horses to a secluded, high-alpine lake where we practiced yoga, fly fished and hiked to a...

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Duck Band: Friendship, Music, and Hunting

Friendships tend to be tribal in their origins - shared interests, hobbies, and lifestyles attract and keep folks together. For this group of friends, their love of music and duck...

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Working With the Earth

In the summer and early fall, my fiance, Eduardo Garcia and I wake early at our home in Bozeman, Montana. Between running our own businesses, we manage our ½ acre...

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Mossy Oak Gamekeeper Kennels

Words are wasted on trying to describe the relationship between bird dog and owner. From the euphoria of lifting a mallard out of your retriever’s trained mouth for the first...

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The Democracy of The Wild with Jim Posewitz

In August of 1953, 18-year-old Jim Posewitz stepped off an overnight train onto the platform in Bozeman, Montana. He’d come west for the first time on a scholarship to play...

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Filson Food: Venison and Licorice Pie

Connor Gabbott spent the first 20 years of his career in various restaurant kitchens across British Columbia. Since picking up a rifle and harvesting his first deer in 2010, Connor...

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Robertson Stykbow: Traditional Archery with Dick Robertson

Dick Robertson is the owner and founder of Robertson Stykbow in Forest Grove, MT. Dick has been designing and crafting some of the most beautiful and high-performance traditional bows for...

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Franklin Falls Trail

Looking for a quick hike before work or an afternoon trek through the forest, Franklin Falls is a great option for those based in the Seattle area. This short two-mile...

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Heliotrope Ridge Trail

The Heliotrope Ridge trail is a roughly 6 mile roundtrip trail that features a trek through an old growth forest, several creek crossings, and an up close and personal look...

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After Wildfire

A bike-pack fishing trip through a scorched landscape was not the trip that Ashlee thought she was going to take - but the things she saw and the experience she...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: New Age Peppercorn Venison Steak

Connor Gabbott spent the first 20 years of his career in various restaurant kitchens across British Columbia. Since picking up a rifle & harvesting his first deer in 2010, Connor...

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Traditional Bowhunting Q and A with Hunter Rung

Hunter Rung is a hunting guide and traditional bowhunter from Montana. We caught up with him before he got into the mountains for fall hunting season to ask him about...

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Svalinn: Bred to Love, Trained to Protect

Kim Greene's email signature reads, "Alpha Female" and in her line of work, that is exactly who she needs to be. Kim and her husband Jeff are the owners of...

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PNW Workers: Force/Collide

Located in Seattle WA, Force/Collide is driven by owner Chelsea Gaddy's distinct style that blends geometry, minimalism, and the raw characteristics of metals into high-end furniture and architecture. "The creative...

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PNW Workers: Western Neon

If you've walked Seattle's streets after sundown, you've laid eyes on Western Neon's craftsmanship. Since 1985 they've put their radiant stamp on our booming town. Along with the logo and...

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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....

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PNW Workers: Dovetail General Contractors

Located in Seattle, WA, Dovetail General Contractors specializes in bringing clients' visions to life by immersing themselves in every aspect of a project - from Japanese joinery to large-scale foundation...

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Might of the Pacific Northwest Worker

For 121-years, Filson has outfitted and partnered with makers, builders, fabricators and creators. These craftsmen and women work with their hands. They use brute force and extreme finesse to bring...

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Food & Recipes

Montauk Brewing Company

When Vaughan moved back to town in 2010, the two built a home brewing system from an igloo cooler (which they still have) and started brewing. Initially, making beer was...

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Food & Recipes

Filson Food: Pheasant Saltimbocca

Like the act of pheasant hunting itself, pheasant meat is also very approachable to non-game eaters and a great way to introduce them to wild game. Saltimbocca is best eaten...

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Searching for Connection: Learning to Hunt with Erin Kiley

Erin Kiley is a grazier and grassland manager. For years she has found her connection to land and food through her work with cattle.

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A Normal Life

Living the life that you love does not shield you from loss. Fishing the remote waters of Alaska’s Alagnak River is a dream job for Russell Owen, but that dream...

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Life of a Guide

Alaska's Alagnak River is a place where there are no roads. A place where the weather does what it wants. A place where humans are no longer the apex predator....

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Shed Hunting: Tips and Tactics

Last week we shared a beginner's perspective on springtime shed hunting and what you might encounter when heading into the hills for your first time in search of antlers. This...

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How To's

Sheds, Snow, and Steeps: A First-Timer's Notes on Shed Hunting

I grew up in the hardwood forests of the southeastern U.S. hunting whitetail deer with my grandfather. Much of what I consider valuable I learned from him, about life and...

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Solitude and Steelhead

Many a man has felt the pace and stress of life wash from his soul while standing mid-river, fly rod in hand. Solitude is perhaps the thing most often sought...

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Where There's Smoke: Utah's Alta Hotshots

Interagency hotshot crews comprise elite ground-force wildland firefighters who are the first responders to wildfires in any jurisdiction of the United States. Based just outside of Salt Lake City, the...

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Faces in the Fire

This season, Utah's Alta Hotshots roster is made up of 23 adrenaline-seeking conservationists ranging in age from 20 to 38. They come from all over the United States to be...

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How To's

Filson x Smokey: Campfire Safety

According to the USFS, 63,546 human-caused wildfires burned nearly 5 million acres across the U.S. in 2017. It is important to remember that no precaution is too small when it...

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Brown Trout of New Zealand

Jack Kos is a self-described Kiwi trout bum. What began as a passion for fishing soon developed into a desire to know more about the fish he sought. That pursuit...

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