Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[Tidybeard]

Well my 246 mentioned a while ago has now gone to a new owner. I had sworn off bags for a little while until I saw the weatherproof leather briefcase on sale .

Here is my black tablet briefcase (really useful when I’m just travelling with my iPad Pro and chargers - it holds a surprising amount) which appears to be covered in fluff that I didn’t see when taking the pic, my trusty tan 257 from 2008/9 and today’s acquisition leather briefcase which is gorgeous. Interestingly, it seems a little taller than the 257 and is perhaps the same width but as you can see it’s nowhere near as deep. Looking forward to breaking the leather bag in over the next few weeks .

 

[johnnymiz]

i certainly dont doubt the stanley is a good product. my only lament is that they are no longer made in usa. sad. and i just try to buy usa when i can.
the copper one is traditional tin lined. so it wont have any issues.

 

[nevadabob]

Say...tinman, I looked all over last night - there's no build tag on the bag. Does yours have one?

And otter, there's no difference pre- and post-oiling on my satchel as far as color goes.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

i certainly dont doubt the stanley is a good product. my only lament is that they are no longer made in usa. sad. and i just try to buy usa when i can.
the copper one is traditional tin lined. so it wont have any issues.

That's true and I wish it were USA made, and maybe one day it will be again with the amount of manufacturers returning to the homeland. However $345 is clearly ridiculous price to pay for a flask, even if MiA. I am open to other suggestions of course, if you have any? Price is a major factor though as is quality and design. The Stanley version has a wide mouth, so no funnel is needed for pouring precious liquid. I would be using it for Bourbon predominantly

 

[johnnymiz]

i was actually given one as a gift. i would NEVER pay that kind of coin. silly.
it is very nice, though......but still, stupid money
could prob find a nice made in usa stainless one preowned on ebay for cheap.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

i was actually given one as a gift. i would NEVER pay that kind of coin. silly.
it is very nice, though......but still, stupid money
could prob find a nice made in usa stainless one preowned on ebay for cheap.

So you were given the Copper version as a gift? If so, wow that was generous. If it were $100 I would probably consider it. I think the Stanley Master Series is the one for me. I am little bit of a germophobe actually, especially when it comes to drinkware. That would be something I could never get past.

Since I have never owned a Filson Collaboration, this would be an exciting new opportunity for me. Just wish they would restock it already, as they've just introduced new collab pieces to the collection.

 

[johnnymiz]

yes... but it was from my wife, so i actually paid for it
but what was i going to say? nothing but trouble there, so i just said, ' i love it'.
she also once gave me a filson shinola watch. $700 for a 'built' (but not 'made') in detroit quartz watch. i NEVER wouldve paid that for a glorified fossil watch(shinola is the brainchild of the fossil founder). i like watches. i own much more expensive ones. it is nice, but again, not worth the cost. but it was a gift from her, so i said, 'i love it' and wear it.

 

[bart]

I finally found some info on Filson from the 2019 shot show. Anyone interested can click the link below. It seems to me that they are continuing their recent trend of synthetic fabrics and technical products. The Skagit jacket looks cool, priced middle of the pack for a well appointed waterproof waterfowl coat, gun case looks nice(many many options already out there for waterproof gun cases) and the removable part may be a pain. The fleece is a nod to more imported products. The writer seems to think these bags are nice but the picture does not show much. You can see a few other items in the background...nylon suitcase...

I will post here as I find more info over the next few days.
https://www.wideopenspaces.com/filson-debuts-new-outdoor-gear/

I have the Skagit. It’s great for a raincoat.

 

[FilsonDude]

Couple more pics of the Field Satchel. I guess there’s no way to know the real age of this bag. But it’s in pretty decent condition for being a supposedly 20+ year old bag.
Is the inside the same for the newer models?

 

[Stratkat]

View attachment 1121252 View attachment 1121251 View attachment 1121250 View attachment 1121249 Couple more pics of the Field Satchel. I guess there’s no way to know the real age of this bag. But it’s in pretty decent condition for being a supposedly 20+ year old bag.
Is the inside the same for the newer models?

They used different locks on them I believe, that may help you date it.

 

[Soletrane]

That's true and I wish it were USA made, and maybe one day it will be again with the amount of manufacturers returning to the homeland. However $345 is clearly ridiculous price to pay for a flask, even if MiA. I am open to other suggestions of course, if you have any? Price is a major factor though as is quality and design. The Stanley version has a wide mouth, so no funnel is needed for pouring precious liquid. I would be using it for Bourbon predominantly

Open question: how much do you think the high prices on MiA products is reflective of the higher costs to make a US product - and how much is a company charging what it thinks the market will bear for said premium branded product? I say this as someone who is old enough to remember when almost all goods were manufactured domestically. And while the prices (in real dollar terms) were more expensive than today - where you can pick up almost any durable (and Chinese made) good at Target for a very low price - they weren't necessarily exorbitantly priced either like I see for the MiA brands typically discussed.

 

[Soletrane]

View attachment 1121252 View attachment 1121251 View attachment 1121250 View attachment 1121249 Couple more pics of the Field Satchel. I guess there’s no way to know the real age of this bag. But it’s in pretty decent condition for being a supposedly 20+ year old bag.
Is the inside the same for the newer models?

The one rivet lock seems to date it as a 1st generation bag (the second generation like mine had two rivet locks and the third generation had a lock affixed with pins). I think the inside is always the same across the three generations.

The oldest 1st generation bags were made of a lighter brown leather than fades to a nice medium red-brown that I prefer. Your bag seems to be almost identical to my 2nd generation bag (but with the earlier style lock) so I think it's a later or transitional 1st gen bag. I think these bags tend to stay dark brown throughout their life.

So I do believe your bag is from the late 90s. My guess would be the 2 rivet lock started in the early 2000s. This sort of mirrors other changes we see with other Filson luggage with early (90s), mid- (00s) and late (2010s) having subtle differentiating features especially leather color, quality and thickness.

The later 3rd generation bags (the last design before discontinuation) tends to garner more criticism about the lock (popping off and being too shiny) and even in some cases, complaints about a thinner bridle leather being used for the briefcase.

 

[Stratkat]

The one rivet lock seems to date it as a 1st generation bag (the second generation like mine had two rivet locks and the third generation had a lock affixed with pins). I think the inside is always the same across the three generations.

The oldest 1st generation bags were made of a lighter brown leather than fades to a nice medium red-brown that I prefer. Your bag seems to be almost identical to my 2nd generation bag (but with the earlier style lock) so I think it's a later or transitional 1st gen bag. I think these bags tend to stay dark brown throughout their life. So I do believe your bag is from the 90s.

The later 3rd generation bags (the last design before discontinuation) tends to garner more criticism about the lock (popping off and being too shiny) and even in some cases, complaints about a thinner bridle leather being used for the briefcase.

I wonder why it was discontinued? We may never know. That said, I was at a angler shop a few weeks back, and they had one brand new for sale.

 

[GzStudio]

Open question: how much do you think the high prices on MiA products is reflective of the higher costs to make a US product - and how much is a company charging what it thinks the market will bear for said premium branded product? I say this as someone who is old enough to remember when almost all goods were manufactured domestically. And while the prices (in real dollar terms) were more expensive than today - where you can pick up almost any durable (and Chinese made) good at Target for a very low price - they weren't necessarily exorbitantly priced either like I see for the MiA brands typically discussed.

My opinion: what the market will bear. That is why they have sales and discontinue products.

 

[TinMan3]

Say...tinman, I looked all over last night - there's no build tag on the bag. Does yours have one?

And otter, there's no difference pre- and post-oiling on my satchel as far as color goes.

Can confirm, no build tag. Also I think this is normal for workshop or FRD bags. Any that are an extremely limited run they don’t seem to bother with the build tags.

If I didn’t already have a Talon 261 that I love and use all the time, I would be highly considering one of those. That is if there were any more available.