Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[Ttate90303]

Joined the Filson "collective" at the end of 2016 with a new bag for the new year. Went with the Tan Filson Briefcase 256 - to help avoid being a packrat and overloading my life - as my everyday bag for work and play. Love the look and simplicity of it. Going to enjoy watching this bag age with me.

Also added the Travel Tray for pocket dumps.

And the Travel Kit for toiletries.

Next up will be the Medium Duffle or the Pullman for traveling.

 

[Alfargo]

Anyone know the time line Filson have use throughout the years ?

 

[masayako]

I have a question about aging


I have both OLD and NEW Filson bags. Will the bridle leather age as gracefully as the older bridle leather did? Why or why not?
Any idea if Filson's affiliated company had actually changed the way they treated the bridle leather any differently?

 

[Churchill W]



I have a question about aging


I have both OLD and NEW Filson bags. Will the bridle leather age as gracefully as the older bridle leather did? Why or why not?
Any idea if Filson's affiliated company had actually changed the way they treated the bridle leather any differently?

From what I have read in this thread the new bridle leather does not age as gracefully and shows signs of wear such as cracking quicker than it's older brethren.

 

[Soletrane]

Masayako, here's what I wrote 10 days ago on leather quality on this thread:

I have bags from 15 plus years ago and the leather does not pill, is uniformly thick, does not have wavy wrinkles, and tends to fade to a lighter brown color. These bags are usually the ones with the unpadded shoulder pad and Talon zippers. I have bags about 8-9 years old, quality is still good but texture and tone is different from the older bags (this era has padded shoulder pad and Ykk branded zippers. Then finally I have more recent bags which have the red Made at Filson label, Filson branded zippers, padded shoulder pads and leather that tends to vary in quality often within the same bag. The bridle leather also tends to stay a dark brown and does not age to that pleasing red-brown color like the old bags."

I will add - I have a 340z heavy tin open tote - limited production - the newer leather. Hasn't faded much but is worked in well from frequent use. Can't complain really, hasn't pilled or cracked like some of the pics of New bag leather like on this thread. Certainly no fading.

 

[masayako]



Masayako, here's what I wrote 10 days ago on leather quality on this thread:

I have bags from 15 plus years ago and the leather does not pill, is uniformly thick, does not have wavy wrinkles, and tends to fade to a lighter brown color. These bags are usually the ones with the unpadded shoulder pad and Talon zippers. I have bags about 8-9 years old, quality is still good but texture and tone is different from the older bags (this era has padded shoulder pad and Ykk branded zippers. Then finally I have more recent bags which have the red Made at Filson label, Filson branded zippers, padded shoulder pads and leather that tends to vary in quality often within the same bag. The bridle leather also tends to stay a dark brown and does not age to that pleasing red-brown color like the old bags."

I will add - I have a 340z heavy tin open tote - limited production - the newer leather. Hasn't faded much but is worked in well from frequent use. Can't complain really, hasn't pilled or cracked like some of the pics of New bag leather like on this thread. Certainly no fading.

Thanks for the input. I have 3 bags in total. One from each "era" you described.

Oldest: Field bag
Older: Rucksack
Newest: 257

I guess I'll be witnessing the transformation (or lack of) of each. Ha ha...

 

[thenewguy]

I have been waffling between getting a 256 and a 24 hour bag. From what I have seen on here (didn't read all 400+ pages), it seems both are well liked. If you have experience with both, what are your long term thoughts?

I am also looking at a VP bag. Terrible to have some many great options, right?

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

Hello! I'm new here but I'm an avid reader of this thread. It's helped me in the past & ive referred to it many times. I was hoping some of the more experienced Filson appreciators here could help me out of a mental jam. I'm in the market for a Filson Duffle and can't decide between the medium or small. I first searched the thread but couldn't find much in terms of my question. Also taking into account Filson redesigned both small and medium duffel's. They increased the small by adding a quarter inch in depth and a full inch in width if I'm correct. The medium got a much bigger upgrade & now meets "most" carry on requirements (although in some cases is too large when stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey.) it lost 5 much needed inches in width.

My Dilemma:

I'm looking for a duffel that I can really age with. I'd like to be able to use it as a weekend traveler but also pack for a week long journey (flight or car). I'm against checking my bag as many have been destroyed by lovely airport handlers. I'll probably use packing cubes to really maximize capacity. I will be joining it with my future # 256 otter green (duffle will also be otter green, duh my name lol). I've read that the newer small duffels can handle a weeks worth of gear if packed intelligently. I will list below what I plan on packing for your convenience. My objective is to maintain a full capacity of both the duffel and 256 with some room to spare for W/E (souvenirs, gifts, etc). It also wouldn't hurt if the bag didn't hurt me when carrying fully packed. I've read here that Filson's newer materials aren't what they use to be (Mainly bridle leather & interior fabrics) but these new duffle dimensions rule and are a welcome change.

Contents (planned or potential)
Otter Green Duffle - small or medium
-2 to 7 days of clothing (business-casual) most likely in cubes. Will re-wear some at least twice
-sandals, athletic shoes (will wear nice shoes there so I can throw in athletics)
-folding chair from Alite (folds into a small Dopp Kit bag, weighs under 1LB)
-Filson Dopp Kit

Otter Green 256
-cigars (in xikar ballistic case)
-cigar accessories (when not flying)
-bourbon & glass (when not flying)
-tablet with keyboard/case
-maybe MacBook Air
-book/magazine, umbrella, water bottle, snacks
-grid it for all chargers/cables
-passport, wallet, change, pens, knife/multi-tool(no fly)
* I'm probably forgetting things so let's Leave it at that for now.

Given all the info above what do you think is best for me; the small or the medium duffle? Thanks

 

[cathpah]

Hello! I'm new here but I'm an avid reader of this thread. It's helped me in the past & ive referred to it many times. I was hoping some of the more experienced Filson appreciators here could help me out of a mental jam. I'm in the market for a Filson Duffle and can't decide between the medium or small. I first searched the thread but couldn't find much in terms of my question. Also taking into account Filson redesigned both small and medium duffel's. They increased the small by adding a quarter inch in depth and a full inch in width if I'm correct. The medium got a much bigger upgrade & now meets "most" carry on requirements (although in some cases is too large when stuffed like a thanksgiving turkey.) it lost 5 much needed inches in width.

My Dilemma:

I'm looking for a duffel that I can really age with. I'd like to be able to use it as a weekend traveler but also pack for a week long journey (flight or car). I'm against checking my bag as many have been destroyed by lovely airport handlers. I'll probably use packing cubes to really maximize capacity. I will be joining it with my future # 256 otter green (duffle will also be otter green, duh my name lol). I've read that the newer small duffels can handle a weeks worth of gear if packed intelligently. I will list below what I plan on packing for your convenience. My objective is to maintain a full capacity of both the duffel and 256 with some room to spare for W/E (souvenirs, gifts, etc). It also wouldn't hurt if the bag didn't hurt me when carrying fully packed. I've read here that Filson's newer materials aren't what they use to be (Mainly bridle leather & interior fabrics) but these new duffle dimensions rule and are a welcome change.

Contents (planned or potential)
Otter Green Duffle - small or medium
-2 to 7 days of clothing (business-casual) most likely in cubes. Will re-wear some at least twice
-sandals, athletic shoes (will wear nice shoes there so I can throw in athletics)
-folding chair from Alite (folds into a small Dopp Kit bag, weighs under 1LB)

Otter Green 256
-cigars (in xikar ballistic case)
-cigar accessories (when not flying)
-bourbon & glass (when not flying)
-tablet with keyboard/case
-maybe MacBook Air
-book/magazine, umbrella, water bottle, snacks
-grid it for all chargers/cables
-passport, wallet, change, pens, knife/multi-tool(no fly)
* I'm probably forgetting things so let's Leave it at that for now.

Given all the info above what do you think is best for me; the small or the medium duffle? Thanks

Definitely the medium, imho. I have both, but the small is just far too small for anything over a couple of days (I use mine as a gym bag), and the nice thing about a duffle is that they look best when half-filled, so that means the extra size is rarely a bad thing, as it just squishes down.

I have the old style medium (a bit bigger), and I have *never* had an issue carrying that on, even if the dimensions are larger than carryon. In truth, I generally carryon the large and just leave it half-full when heading to my destination, and then if I buy a bunch of stuff while overseas, I can just check the bag on the way back at it's new larger size.

 

[Soletrane]

OtterMeanGreen,
I like the small. It is easy to cart around an airport terminal and it can carry a lot more than it appears when empty. Having said that, the bane of the small duffle is shoes. I can stuff a lot of folded pants, shirts, tees, socks but anything beyond flip flops as footwear just really eats into the capacity. I can get enough business casual clothing in non-winter weather for about 3 days including a sportcoat and a pair of flat Puma. But that's it. So I don't have the "new" medium but I am guessing by default if you're going up to a week that's your bag. [The old medium, which I have, is more a checked bag (for me).]

I recently bought the discontinued large travel bag (248) so I will give it a shout out. I was skeptical about it and its more common medium sized brother (246). But as a carry-on bag, it kicks @ss. It has a wide zipper so easy to pack and lots of interior/exterior pockets. Boxier than the duffels, to be sure, especially when stuffed but I accept the trade-off for the other features. Exterior pockets are pretty darn useful when traveling so you can grab or stuff things on the fly.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'm gonna go with the Medium Duffle. It sounds like its the wisest choice based upon my contents. If anything I will probably end up compressing it when flying, so I ensure the carry-on requirements. Will the grab handles suffice for this job, or should I get some cloth straps (so not to ruin the finish with anything abrasive)? The last thing I want to do is check my bags. I flew to Chicago and the airline had to replace my suitcase because it looked as if a 747 ran over it.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

I'm selling a New Filson 24 Hour Tin Cloth Briefcase (#70140) on eBay if anyone's interested. Its in Otter Green of course lol. I will post the listing link below and hopefully we can strike a deal. I should note that I bought it directly from Filson.com and that was back in October 2015. Since then its been sitting in my closet (tags still in place) but box was discarded. I cut the Filson logo out of cardboard box and used it as padding for the bag. I also stored an old laptop in it so it could maintain its shape and not slouch over. I'm not sure when Filson changed their Bridle Leather materials but to me it feels like the older (better) materials that will age better with time. I could be wrong though, as it was purchased back in 2015 and probably made early that year. Refer to the listing for many detailed pictures of the briefcase. I'm selling it for way under value and its also the cheapest Otter Green available on eBay or Amazon. As many of you know Filson upped many of there prices. I paid $355 but its been marked up to $395 on there website. The allure i'm hoping you will see is that I purchased directly from Filson (not an outside retailer). Not to deter anyone from buying from a vendor but I've had bad experiences myself with them. I bought two #257 briefcases from Hanks & Nieman Marcus; one had the cheaper flimsy leather handle (thinner than counterpart) and the other had the crackling leather defect (not matching its counterpart either). This was my experience and I returned both bags. I now will only buy from Filson.com or go to a Filson outlet store and make sure its as perfect as I can get, especially since we get these things to last our lifetimes and pass it down. How the bag begins its journey with you is important (at least to me). Apologies for my rambling. Thanks

http://www.ebay.com/itm/112293843753?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649


I'd insert a picture of it but I can't seem to figure that one out lol.

 

[Chubbs]

The bag's journey? Dude it's a bag. It's not on a journey.

 

[regder]

I have the newer size Filson medium duffle in navy. Bought the small at first, but it really is way too small for more than a couple day's things. I pack similarly to you and the new medium is the perfect size. Zero issues using it as a carryon

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

I was referring to life with the bag and the journeys it accompanies you on. Such is the draw of Filson