Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[Soletrane]

I love the NYC store. Only bought one thing there ever though as usually full MSRP.

 

[ceoceo]

So I was fidgeting with this box of leather caring goods that my friend has, and with my limited knowledge I decided to give my Filson bags some love following the simple manual which was:

Saphir Reno Mat -> Saphir Médaille d'Or Cream -> Brush. I should have realized something was wrong when I realized how toxic the reno mat smelled.

Now the straps of the bags are really dry, with some white residues not going away. Even worse, some parts of the straps are starting to rip apart.

What is going on? What can I do to unscrew what I did? Any advise will be really appreciated.

 

[ceoceo]



So I was fidgeting with this box of leather caring goods that my friend has, and with my limited knowledge I decided to give my Filson bags some love following the simple manual which was:

Saphir Reno Mat -> Saphir Médaille d'Or Cream -> Brush. I should have realized something was wrong when I realized how toxic the reno mat smelled.

Now the straps of the bags are really dry, with some white residues not going away. Even worse, some parts of the straps are starting to rip apart.

What is going on? What can I do to unscrew what I did? Any advise will be really appreciated.

(notice how the bridle leather strap's smooth texture is now granny-wrinkle-y. Also it is not reflection from light source, but actual visible white residue)

 

[letsi]



So I was fidgeting with this box of leather caring goods that my friend has, and with my limited knowledge I decided to give my Filson bags some love following the simple manual which was:

Saphir Reno Mat -> Saphir Médaille d'Or Cream -> Brush. I should have realized something was wrong when I realized how toxic the reno mat smelled.

Now the straps of the bags are really dry, with some white residues not going away. Even worse, some parts of the straps are starting to rip apart.

What is going on? What can I do to unscrew what I did? Any advise will be really appreciated.

Why would you use Renomat? it's for striping dye/built up wax/finish and it should not be used on fresh/un-conditioned leather...
I hope it's not been used for another other leather that you have so far?

Unfortunately, now that the finishing on the leather has been striped, the best case would be to rub lexol/bick4 to put some oil back into the leather then followed by some pigmented leather cream on to it to cover up the stripped dye/finish. You could also use some saphir renovating cream on it if you want but I would probably not do that since it contains acrylic and would probably come off again when the handle is being flexed..

 

[Soletrane]

After a negative experience with an old tin of Brooks Saddle Soap on a new briefcase, I resolved never to use anything more oily or greasy than Lexol.

In checking on the Internet, there are a lot of people who are futzing about with all sorts of leather care products on their new or nearly new leather items with a range of outcomes from disastrous to great. Anecdotally, though it seems a lot of old leather goods were used with very little care and aged fine. So rather err on the side of conservatism these days.

 

[milw50717]

Or use tried and trusted products in the correct manner.

 

[Vintage-Mike]

Hi Together

My name is Michael (Mike) from Zürich, Switzerland.

I just want to thank you for writig overhelming 372 pages to filson bags!

I recently came across with the brand in a shop here in Zürich, which sells working clothes and high end leather goods (such like Aero leather jackets etc.).

I was looking for a new bag for every day carry and for being my cabine bag when flying (handluggage). They had a variety of filson bags in stock, like all briefcases 256, 257 and 258 and the duffle-line (small and medium).

I immediately fell in love with the rugged 22oz twill. It is so sturdy and I belive that it could hold for decades. Unfortunately the briefcases weren't what I wanted, because the have this inner-organisation pockets for laptops and bussiness stuff, which takes a lot of room imho.

The small duffle looked so cool, but it is actually just a heavy duty bag without any quick access. So I was afraid if small thins like keys, handgloves etc. get lost in it.

Then I found this forum here and quickly realised, that Filson had made really cool bags in the past, which were all discontinued in the past. The three bags which I liked the most were the "compartment bag", the medium travel bag (#246) and the sportsman's bag (#266).

On this point I also learned that Filson now has a lot of stuff in this "Tin clothes", which seemed to be a lighter (probably cheaper) material for urban use. I didn't like it at all, because I wanted this more durable feel and I wanted to be sure buying the quality which made Filson so famous. So the new sportsman's bag (073) was no option for me.

At the end of the day, I checked the hole internet for finding the old version of the sportsman's bag in either otter green or black. Because I wanted it suitable for traveling and I'd like taking it to the office, when going to gym, so it had to be a more "formal" color. Otherwise I love the tan and the contrast but in this case the darkter colors would be fine. (Really the grail would be this limited edition in tan with leather, which makes the bag more elegant. But first I didn't get out if it is made of the rugged 22oz will or the lighter thin clothes and second, I didn't find any occassion to buy one...)

It was harder to find one than I thought, because on ebay (europe) were no sellers anymore and all big sellers in Germany and UK didn't have a 70266 in stock (neither in tan, otter green nor in black).

Yesterday I finally found a store that had one #266 in black left in the warehouse. So I took my chance!

Without this great community I would never have learned about all the "old" Filson stuff and all the great reviews and opinions to the Sportsman's bag and the travel bag. So thanks guys for helping!

Cheers Mike

 

[HenryIII]

LaGuardia Airport yesterday evening. My 256. Daily use for about 3 years now.

 

[Soletrane]

Hi Mike,
Your post was interesting to me since I travel to Switzerland frequently for work from the US. I saw a Filson medium carry-on in a shop window near the Basel SBB, but I can't remember if the price was higher than the US (but I would expect so given the general cost of living in Switzerland).

I haven't seen anyone carry anything from Filson in Switzerland - the younger people seem to like Freitag messenger bags ("upcycled" tarp material and quite expensive etc) which perhaps look fresher/more modern to the younger Swiss than Filson which perhaps looks too old-fashioned as it's really not all that different from some of the vintage Swiss canvas and leather army bags and packs etc. I have had similar responses from European colleagues to my Filson luggage in most of the decade I have been going over there (i.e. comments about its rustic or anachronistic looks) but that has recently shifted in the last couple of years as the appeal of "heritage US" products has become more universal.
Now I give the zipped or open totes as gifts for some of my friends in Europe and they gush about it.

I have the 266 in tan. I bought it to replace a small duffle which didn't work well for me as a carry-on. The 266, as long as I don't pack the outside pockets excessively (too wide), is absolutely great for airline travel as there is a place for everything from your keys to your phone to your snacks to your headphones. I think it's well worth the effort of hunting it down like you did post-discontinuation.

 

[damn_hammer]

I'm interested to know which shops others have found to carry Filson in Zürich since I've visited several times in the past few years and don't recall having seen any having spent some time browsing the Bahnhoffstrasse and Viaduct shops. The Freitag bags are very popular and their flagship store made of used freight containers is worth a look around if you haven't already.

Also have the zippered tote in otter green (#70261) that I've received compliments and inquiries from Swiss on. Works fantastic as one of my carry-ons, and fits under the seat nicely.

 

[HenryIII]



I love the NYC store. Only bought one thing there ever though as usually full MSRP.

Stopped in at the NYC store today. Great place. Thank god it wasn't around when I lived in NYC. The new medium duffle looks great and may be the perfect weekender.

 

[Vintage-Mike]

Yes, it is no so easy finding the store, which sell stuff like Filson in Zürich. As you mentioned, brands like Freitag are much more common. Myself had have a Freitag bag during my studies. You can't compare it to Filson. Freitag is fashion (not the badest quality though) and Filson is working gear, at least, if it is made of the 22oz twill.

Stores in Zürich are: Dee Cee Store on the Talackerstrasse and VMC Store, Rindermarkt. They don't have the whole line of Filson. Normally they have briefcases, duffles and probably totes.

@Soletrane
thanks for your opinion. Here in Switzerland, we had a real "vintage-hipster" boom the last two years. Everything with the attribute being vintage, retro, old school etc. is highly collectable right now… These guys doesn't really care about the quality. It just has to look like well used and it has to be not to expensive. So normally, Red wing shoes are to stiff and uncomfortable, Aero leather jackets are way to heavy and there is no time breaking in the leather etc.

But there is a small communitiy which doens't want to buy a Bag each season. A few minutes ago I brooke the zipper from my tommy hilfiger bag, acutally I teared it in two parts… The bag was about one year old. I bought it last summer sale for about 70 bugs…. So I'm definitely in demand of my new sportsman's bag

Those people are constantly looking around for high quality items like bags, shoes, clothes etc. While with watches for example it is quite easy buying good stuff (especially here in Switzerland), you just have to pay it…, for other goods it gets harder and harder.

Filson seems to be a good example for the transformation many brands had made in the past. Once famous for working gear with lifetime warranty, they now make bags with materials like thin clothes, which can only be used in a urban area without any hard use...

I'm quite happy having found a black #266. I had to pay the normal price, at about 350 Dollars. Otherwise the new stuff, like the new heritage sportsman's bag, the new duffle, the new 48hours bags, are all much more expensive her ein europe, than the old bags were.

I mean, you paid abut 340 dollars for a 266, all twill, with bridle leather strap. Now you have to pay 450 dollars for the new one, with flumsy thin clothe and a nylon strap. Sure, it is probably better for carry the bag when fully loaded. But it hasn't the same feeling as the leather one!

Last, I read a lot about not packing the outer pockets to full. I think, I will leave the nearer outer pocket quite empty, probably puttint my wallet in it or the leather strap if I don't use it. So the bag is narrower to the body.

Thanks folks for helping!

michael

 

[Soletrane]

Re: tin cloth luggage. The Meridian duffle is the first Filson I've bought in the 15oz tin cloth (I have had 3 items in the 34oz heavy tin cloth). Curious to see how it holds up compared to the twill. The same material seems to garner good reviews in the less expensive tin cloth duffle line or in tin cloth outer garments. If it turns out to be significantly less durable I can get Filson to repair or replace. But in the meanwhile I am looking forward to the lighter weight and more comfortable fabric strap on my next trip. Having to carry a fully loaded bag on your shoulder for a few hours at a time is the great equalizer in terms of clarifying what works and what doesn't.

 

[Vintage-Mike]

Oh I didn't know that Filson had made bags in 34oz.

The ones I see on Ebay are all limited editions. Did they made them as standard line or always as limited editions?

Actually you are right, when buying the lighter fabric and give it to repair when it gets broken. Do you have still the lifetime warranty on it?

The other thing I hesitated was the fact that the new heritage sportsmansbag is two toned. I preferred the more classic look of the monotone one. Secondly, it seemed that they made the under part out of thin clothes, because of its water profness and the upper part out of rugged 22oz twill. I couldn't verify that but it woul make absolutely no sense to me.

For me, the under part should be the durable rugged 22oz twill, because it is the bottom and the under sides which get the most pressure. The upper part could have been made out of the lighter material, becuase rain is coming usually from the top, so the bag is getting wet there first when carried.

I will upload some pictures when receiving my #266

 

[Soletrane]

You are right the 34oz heavy tin products were limited edition. It works really well on the "moss" medium duffle I have as you can check it repeatedly as luggage and there is almost no sign of wear or damage. it also gives the product more rigidity and shape. Good stuff but personally wouldn't want it in a briefcase or 266 due to the very waxy look and stiffness.

Regarding the bag you described I think the tin cloth is covering the twill underneath. My guess is for gear used outside in the woods, water can often soak into your bag just by laying it down on the ground. This can be more of an issue than rain as the ground can stay damp or days or weeks depending on the season or location.

So I figure I now have 34oz for checked bag, 22oz for general use and 15oz for my large carry-on. Horses for courses!