Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[Winston S.]



does it take that long for cable car to start shipping?

The bag that I ordered was not in stock at Cable Car so they are waiting for Filson to fill the order. I was told it was backordered until 25 February.

 

[drewtronius]

It's been asked before, but I haven't seen an answer: I have a Filson 257, which I love. I do not love the shoulder strap, however. The underside of the pad is very smooth so it slips off of my shoulder. This constant slippage makes it essentially useless to me.

Anybody have a fix to share?

a bit of sandpaper on the underside maybe? Depends on if your willing to rough up the clean look a bit

 

[Cold Iron]

I received my 258 from Cable Car last week, it was not dropped shipped from Filson. It was not in stock at CC but they ordered it from Filson for me and still gave the 30% discount. It did have a CC invoice inside the box.

Having a Filson fly rod case with the same shoulder strap, but much longer, I know that adding weight helps. Pack that thing up to help keeping it from slipping ;-) But seriously am thinking of having a cross stitched suede patch added for anti-slip. A thin layer of Shoe Goo would work and you can peel it off if you don't like it. Even thought of cutting out a router anti-slip pad to fit and using shoe goo to hold it in place. But it would not be the most elegant solution. I may dye my leather black on my brown 258 case for more contrast, still undecided for now so will live with it. I have a Filson dog collar and strap made from the same bridle leather in addition to the fly rod case and you do want to condition it, I use Obenauf's HDLP but think even AE shoe conditioner would work.

It depends on how you pack. I may be able to swing one night with my 257 but even that'd be tough as I normally pack business attire. If I wasn't traveling for business, I'd likely not need to carry my briefcase so would opt for something else, like an overnight bag. Even for casual attire, most folks would be hard pressed to get 4-5 nights info a 257 especially if they were carrying a laptop, charger, etc.
Perhaps 4-5 nights at a nudist colony might work

I agree with this although when I travel for business I need my laptop too. I was surprised how small the 258 was after reading how many on here thought it was huge. I was able to fit my AE Walnut Daltons in it (just) and a sweater in one of the side dividers. The side dividers do expand both ways for compression and expansion but it was pretty full with just those 2 things in it. I've been looking at the Filson Pullman for years and will stop looking and end up getting one sooner than later to use as an all purpose travel bag. The 258 is perfect for day meetings at sites for me however. And looks a lot better than my old padded ballistic cloth case.

 

[stevent]



It depends on how you pack. I may be able to swing one night with my 257 but even that'd be tough as I normally pack business attire. If I wasn't traveling for business, I'd likely not need to carry my briefcase so would opt for something else, like an overnight bag. Even for casual attire, most folks would be hard pressed to get 4-5 nights info a 257 especially if they were carrying a laptop, charger, etc.
Perhaps 4-5 nights at a nudist colony might work

Depends on need I guess. I'd bring three ocbd, dopp kitt, boxers and socks. One pair of denim and boots and that's all I need. It's not meant to be a business pack although my Macbook Air would probably fit as well

 

[CTGuy]

I am wondering if you guys can give me your opinions on whether a 258 would be appropriate for my needs:

Traveling weekly from Boston to Texas and Back. I'll most likely be using a rolling bag for clothing, but I have a fair amount of gear and a few documents. I want to get a large, but stylish briefcase. It's essential that the bag is heavy duty and can handle my typical load, plus hopefully some more things.

My typical load:
- 2 laptops (one work, one personal)
- kindle
- Ipad,
- a few folders of documents (nothing crazy, expense reports, etc.)
- 2-3 chargers

I thought that the 258 might fit the bill, but I am beginning to doubt it after reading this thread. Any thoughts?

 

[Winston S.]

From my recollection of the 258, I don't think that load should be a problem at all. You can probably get away with that load in a 257 or possibly 256.

 

[CTGuy]



From my recollection of the 258, I don't think that load should be a problem at all. You can probably get away with that load in a 257 or possibly 256.

Thanks. I'd rather err on the side of more space, so that sounds like a good option.

 

[LawrenceMD]



I am wondering if you guys can give me your opinions on whether a 258 would be appropriate for my needs:
Traveling weekly from Boston to Texas and Back. I'll most likely be using a rolling bag for clothing, but I have a fair amount of gear and a few documents. I want to get a large, but stylish briefcase. It's essential that the bag is heavy duty and can handle my typical load, plus hopefully some more things.
My typical load:
- 2 laptops (one work, one personal)
- kindle
- Ipad,
- a few folders of documents (nothing crazy, expense reports, etc.)
- 2-3 chargers
I thought that the 258 might fit the bill, but I am beginning to doubt it after reading this thread. Any thoughts?

all that in already heavy 258? Even the 257/256 are considered heavy. Seems like too much to carry.... I would have mercy on your hand/arm/shoulder lugging that kind of hall - through airports.

I'd just put all that in a bag that rolls half the time (unless you immediately rent a cart upon arrival).

That said I don't doubt that a filson bag can handle that kind of load. I think they used to have a ad campaign with a whole car engine inside a filson duffle hanging from a crane just fine.

 

[CTGuy]



all that in already heavy 258? Even the 257/256 are considered heavy. Seems like too much to carry.... I would have mercy on your hand/arm/shoulder lugging that kind of hall - through airports.
I'd just put all that in a bag that rolls half the time (unless you immediately rent a cart upon arrival).
That said I don't doubt that a filson bag can handle that kind of load. I think they used to have a ad campaign with a whole car engine inside a filson duffle hanging from a crane just fine.

Ha...I appreciate the feedback....I don't know why but I just have a hard time accepting the rolling briefcase concept (even if it makes sense practically. I'm a big guy (and i'd like to think strong) so I am not super concerned about weight as long as the bag can handle what i need to carry without breaking or alternatively breaking what's inside....

 

[poorman]

Owning and using a 258 almost everyday, you might have a hard time fitting everything in without it being cramped. Especially if your laptop chargers are fat!
& yes, that is going to be very heavy! lol.

I'm planning on owning a medium duffle bag soon...where all the current good deals at?

 

[Winston S.]

Just to give you an idea.

Here is my 261 with two laptops and a thick cookbook (probably about as thick as two hardcover books)

The first picture includes my work laptop, a Dell E4300 (13.3" screen), and my personal laptop, a Thinkpad X41 (12.1") screen with its ultrabase.



The second picture includes my work laptop and my girlfriend's thinkpad X220 (12.5" screen).



According to Filson these are the measurements of the 261 and 258:

261: 15" W x 14" H x 7" D
258: 16 1/2" W x 14" H x 7 1/2" D

Granted I am not taking into consideration any padding, internal dividers, or if the external pockets are counted into the measurement for the 258 .

 

[poorman]

I almost got the red zippered tote for my gf but before I made the purchase an image of a red first aid kit crossed my mind and it kind of scared me away. wtf right? haha.

 

[Caboose66]

Hi all.
First, I'd like to say thanks to all of the contributors to this thread. It was instrumental in my decision to purchase a Filson 258 as my daily carrier for work. I work in the oil business, pretty casual daily work attire and the Filson will fit right in. I carry a work laptop, my iPad, chargers, various other paraphernalia and a bunch of file folders back and forth to work each day. That demand, plus the need for padding to protect comapny property (laptop), led me to select the 258.

I do have one question that I have only recently seen addressed at all: What, if any, modifications/improvements have any of you made to the strap-pad on the Filsons? I have considered having one made that is padded and non-slip, but I want it to match the rest of the strap. I saw mention of having something added to the stock pad, but have not seen any examples/pictures. Have any of you actually had the stock pad modified or even found it necessary.

Maybe I should just wait until I receive and start using the bag before thinking about making modifications

. If there are any fellow Fender Telecaster fans out there, I think you'll understand where that comes from...

Thanks, Dean

 

[jbarks]

Thank you SF! The 256 fits everything perfectly—four regular-sized books, an inch or two of notes, my MacBook, charger, iPod Touch, and iPad. Here it is next to the 5-year old Jack Spade I've been using:

 

[luker]

Are there any promotions for filson bags now?Might want to pull the trigger on a 240...