Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[MCM]

Welcome and great find. It might only be $30 now, but in a year you’ll have the bug and be buying more ;-)
If your strap is toast, hit up @GzStudio or @TinMan3 who may be able to supply a period correct (padless) strap in good shape.

I agree on the waxing. Heat gun used on a low setting works well and will definitely improve waterproofing if you are cycling a lot. Use Filson wax and it’ll come out looking great.

Ah shoot, I already bought a new padded strap (got it for $63 shipped, didn't wanna pass on it). To be honest since I'm hauling a bunch of stuff every day, the padding is pretty nice.

I'm excited to give the waxing a shot!

I abhor this place, but for a one time use this might work or there may be something else similar out there: https://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

One of my buddies actually has a heat gun he uses to wax canvas field work bags, so I'm gonna borrow that for the weekend, thanks for the heads up though!

 

[speedy611]

View attachment 1104436 Filson has experimented with several styles and colors of dry bags for the last couple of years. This is a shot of the dry duffle backpack that has loads of room for changes of clothes and a computer as well as the detritus needed for any sort of cycling (pump, spare tubes, etc.).

You can't go wrong with one of these!

That’s good to hear. Filson London store manager recently told me the dry bags were popular and a sales success.

 

[Centralia]

Stopped at the Seattle Flagship today. Everyone here was right, the Garment Bag is huge and super heavy. Had to pass. At least for now.

Wanted a wool vest, out of stock in my size in green. Wanted a wide shoulder strap for my briefcase, also out of stock.

Didn't see anything particularly eye catching FRD wise, but under the Workshop label they did have the denim and light leather briefcase, it looked amazing.

No large purchase for me today, but I did end up with two Workshop pouches. One out of old tan tin cloth, the other denim. Will use these in my briefcase.

 

[Centralia]

Forget pictures of the store, I want to know if Country Cousin is still there slinging Yak burgers.

@Rymanocerous

Yes, Country Cousin is still going strong, not sure about the menu, haven't been for years.

 

[TinMan3]

View attachment 1104442 View attachment 1104443 View attachment 1104444 Stopped at the Seattle Flagship today. Everyone here was right, the Garment Bag is huge and super heavy. Had to pass. At least for now.

Wanted a wool vest, out of stock in my size in green. Wanted a wide shoulder strap for my briefcase, also out of stock.

Didn't see anything particularly eye catching FRD wise, but under the Workshop label they did have the denim and light leather briefcase, it looked amazing.

No large purchase for me today, but I did end up with two Workshop pouches. One out of old tan tin cloth, the other denim. Will use these in my briefcase.

Those pouches look awesome! Thanks for the pictures. Too bad you couldn’t get the vest or the strap, but I think you made it out with some cool stuff. I usually limit my purchases from their brick and mortar stores to the unique stuff anyways. Everything else you can get online.

 

[thefastlife]

question to 257 owners: do any of you guys get tired of the handle that joins the two straps together? i kinda wish it wasn't there...

 

[Centralia]

Just left the Filson Outlet at Marysville. Some good finds there. I managed to pick up a black tote for a client gift, a large suede pouch, not sure what I'll use it for yet, and grabbed a screaming deal on a garment bag.

Surprising to me was that they stock both Firsts and Seconds. They had for example, three of the garment bags. One was missing the hanger, one was marked a Second on both the hang tag and via a pen line through the logo tag, and the third was a first, with the full warrantee. All three were the same price.

So, I ended up with three 'Firsts.' I imagine the suede pouch and tote are discontinued as the flagship didn't have them, and I gave the garment bag an extremely thorough going over and could see nothing wrong with it. Perhaps it was a return.

 

[Centralia]

Those pouches look awesome! Thanks for the pictures. Too bad you couldn’t get the vest or the strap, but I think you made it out with some cool stuff. I usually limit my purchases from their brick and mortar stores to the unique stuff anyways. Everything else you can get online.

@TinMan3

I figure with the denim pouch inside my tan briefcase I'll be able to get the indigo transfer, inside out!

 

[mgrennier]

question to 257 owners: do any of you guys get tired of the handle that joins the two straps together? i kinda wish it wasn't there...

Yes - I've never liked it. One of the reasons why I like the 256 better.

For a while, I thought about cutting it off and offering to someone on here...

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

This is way off topic...but I wanted to give an update on the brand, Best Made Co., which I brought up a couple weeks ago and was considering ordering a jacket from.

Just before the New Year, I decided to take the plunge and order their Blanket Lined Cruiser Jacket. The website boasted superior materials, construction in the USA, blanket lining by Pendleton USA, and a lifetime guarantee. I had been looking at it for a couple of weeks, but couldn't bring myself to pay the $600 price tag for it. Especially since I already owned similar Filson and Barbour Jackets.

But, to my surprise, they ended up putting it on sale for their Boxing Day Sale. The price was $375 and they also had an additional 15% off for first time customers. All in all I paid $320 for the jacket, with the intention of trying it on and simply returning it if it wasn't up to the normal Filson/Barbour quality I expected.

I immediately received an order confirmation, but nearly a week passed without a shipping confirmation. I finally reached out to the company to see when the item would ship. Within a couple hours I received an email from their CS department, stating that their had been a stocking error and they were out of the jacket. The CS agent stated that he had attempted to source a jacket from their brick and mortar locations, but had been unsuccessful.

I started to responded to the email, but decided to check the website to see if the item was out of stock online. Much to my surprise that jacket was still "in stock" in the size that I had ordered, and had remained up for nearly a week after I had placed my order. I sent them a screenshot but received no response for several days. The jacket remained in stock for 24-48 hours after I was notified it was no longer available.

Yesterday, I finally received an email from their CS department, they apologized again and stated that if a jacket was returned they would notify me and honor the price I had paid. They also offered a 20% off coupon that does not expire for anything on their website.

While I'm disappointed that I didn't get to try the jacket out, I was more disappointed in the Customer Service I received. I wasn't notified for over a week that the product I had ordered was out of stock and the only reason I was informed was because I actually wrote them and inquired about it. Who knows how long it would have taken if I hadn't. I was also disappointed that they kept an item "in stock" on their website for over a week knowing that could not fulfill any orders for it. The overall responsiveness of their CS department was lacking.

Perhaps this was a one time issue, but I doubt I'll be giving them another try. Just wanted to pass along my experience to the forum and inform any potential customers who might be considering giving them a try.

I know exactly how you feel, except I knew what I was getting myself into when I ordered from Filson-Direct...questionable CS Dept efforts. What I got was 2 weeks of processing and when they finally did ship it, it showed up on Christmas Eve & in a plastic bag & not a box. What rattles my feathers is I just saw an eBay item of a leather strap that Filson sent out in a nice Filson box. I still have to call them out on this and will update what they say...which I already know. But still I get to annoy them for a couple of minutes

 

[mgrennier]

I know exactly how you feel, except I knew what I was getting myself into when I ordered from Filson-Direct...questionable CS Dept efforts. What I got was 2 weeks of processing and when they finally did ship it, it showed up on Christmas Eve & in a plastic bag & not a box. What rattles my feathers is I just saw an eBay item of a leather strap that Filson sent out in a nice Filson box. I still have to call them out on this and will update what they say...which I already know. But still I get to annoy them for a couple of minutes

My Mack Cruiser came in a box with no plastic wrap or anything. But it’s perfect so I don’t care! Got it from Moosejaw which is one of my favorite retailers and from my home state so that’s cool too. (Plus I had a store credit to spend)

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

Hey there folks,

I'm new to the forum, but I found this thread after I snagged a brown 257 for $30 at a thrift store in Manhattan and was looking around online for some info. The bag is in great condition other than the shoulder strap, which has some deep cracks that look a little too close to breaking. I put some Obenauf's on all the other leather components and they look great.

View attachment 1104325 View attachment 1104326 View attachment 1104327 View attachment 1104328

I bike to work every day and it's real rainy in the winter, so I was thinking about waxing it for a little extra peace of mind with respect to water resistance. Also, since the brown doesn't exactly catch the eye, and I like the waxed look, I figured it wouldn't hurt. I bought a 10oz can of the Filson oil wax, but it seems like it's got mixed reviews around here. Luckily the bag isn't dirty or musty, so I don't think there's a whole lot to be done before waxing. Any thoughts, or should I just go for it?

$30 for a 2008 #257 might be the deal of the year. This is the late YKK Era, which makes it even more appealing to me. You've got a good eye sir. As for the wax, I have yet to wax any Filson but recently I had my mind changed on Filson Oil Wax. For $30 you don't have much to lose here. it seems.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

Yeah I think it's probably my best thrift ever. I've gotten some brand new Pendleton, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear stuff while thrifting, but this takes the cake.

As for the heat gun, I'm sure I know somebody who's got one, I'll just try to borrow one for a day. Thanks for the heads up!



Good to know! I'm looking forward to having this bag for a long time.

Not to try and steal your thunder but what State do you live in? I gotta give this thrifting hobby a chance, even if New Jersey is littered with Goodwill big box thrifters that probably have teams that sift out the valuable items.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

My Mack Cruiser came in a box with no plastic wrap or anything. But it’s perfect so I don’t care! Got it from Moosejaw which is one of my favorite retailers and from my home state so that’s cool too. (Plus I had a store credit to spend)

My sister shops there all the time, she works for the USDA and is one of those that immediately takes her products to the limits. The reason why I now buy from Filson-Direct is the easy return or exchange process I can do with a 40 minute train ride, to either location near me. I still utilize the 10% off coupon though so there is a little bit of saving done.

 

[OtterMeanGreen]

question to 257 owners: do any of you guys get tired of the handle that joins the two straps together? i kinda wish it wasn't there...

As a first edition 257 Talon owner I must say I absolutely love my handle. It's buttery soft and pliable and takes the load of my hands and prevents those straps from digging in. I have handled both the 24HR Briefcase and the 261 Tote, which have no handle, and I would say for sure I prefer the handle on my #257.