Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[milw50717]

Seems like sold items drop to the bottom of the page. 4 sold so far.

 

[dcg]

I'd never buy one, but I enjoy looking at well-used Filson bags. Though the stitching on many of the fixes seems somewhat excessive - I wonder if this is consistent with their "normal" work, or if they go overboard on these, given the (presumed) target audience.

 

[dcg]

Took a closer look - at least four of the bags currently on the site have the "FILSON" marked zipper pulls, which suggest their "decades of rugged use" description is more than a bit generous. I don't know exact dates, but I think the switch from YKK marked to FILSON marked was somewhere in the last 5-10 years. I don't see any of the bags sporting the old Talon zippers.

 

[thefastlife]

i am trying to decide which filson bag would work best for me specifically. as of now i actually bring in a duffle bag to work b/c i bring gym clothes (shoes, shorts, and shirt) along with my lunch. so i need more room than a typical bag allows for.

thoughts?

 

[milw50717]



i am trying to decide which filson bag would work best for me specifically. as of now i actually bring in a duffle bag to work b/c i bring gym clothes (shoes, shorts, and shirt) along with my lunch. so i need more room than a typical bag allows for.

thoughts?

Measure your current bag. Determine what additional volume you require. Find Filson bag that meets your needs.

 

[edman1905]

Seems like sold items drop to the bottom of the page. 4 sold so far.

I'm surprised those sold so quickly. It's fun buying a new bag to beat it up in the following years.

Took a closer look - at least four of the bags currently on the site have the "FILSON" marked zipper pulls, which suggest their "decades of rugged use" description is more than a bit generous. I don't know exact dates, but I think the switch from YKK marked to FILSON marked was somewhere in the last 5-10 years. I don't see any of the bags sporting the old Talon zippers.

I think it would have been interesting if they provided more background and story behind each of the bags. Such as, where it came from, how old the bag is, etc. Instead, for each 'one-of-a-kind' bag, they provide a generic description.

 

[kentpope]

Took a closer look - at least four of the bags currently on the site have the "FILSON" marked zipper pulls, which suggest their "decades of rugged use" description is more than a bit generous. I don't know exact dates, but I think the switch from YKK marked to FILSON marked was somewhere in the last 5-10 years. I don't see any of the bags sporting the old Talon zippers.

That doesn't necessary mean the bags themselves aren't decades old. I'm assuming that most if not all of the original zippers on these are replaced during the course of restoration.

 

[milw50717]



]
I think it would have been interesting if they provided more background and story behind each of the bags. Such as, where it came from, how old the bag is, etc. Instead, for each 'one-of-a-kind' bag, they provide a generic description.

This sir, is a heavily used and restored Filson bag that was originally retailed sometime in the late 20th to early 21st century. While we do not have a full and detailed provenance for any individual bag, we feel confident that it was used to carry items such as clothes, books, laptop computers and the like. The modern upgrades, which include a YKK zipper and 'Made at Filson' label fully complement the original materials and do not detract from the functionality or the charm of the piece. Some have tried to replicate this level of wabi sabi by such methods as a warm wash and tumble drying, belt sanding and the generous application of cat urine followed by extended periods of sun bleaching, but as you can see the best results can only be produced by our very own factory. In addition I might add that we are planning a complimentary line of similarly restored plaid shirts and drainpipe jeans.

 

[AloysiusSF]

Hi all - I'm confronted with the age old question - 256 vs 257. Was hoping to get some insight from those who have a strong preference for either one of them.

My criteria - I am looking for a daily carrier (I am a corporate drone/office worker, would be carrying a 15" MacBook Pro and maybe some papers on a daily basis) -- so initially was looking only at the 256. But I'm drawn to the carry-on versatility of the 257 (I travel a decent amount for work) and also general versatility for the occasions where I want the incremental space to throw in a change of clothes/water bottle/more papers. Just seems like more potential bang for the buck...

My chief concern is that the 257 is just too large, and not worth owning over the 256 for the occasional versatility -- I've googled around at pictures of people carrying the 257, and it also seems that this bag "wears big" and may look kind out of place for every day carrying... I am somewhat taller fwiw -- 6' tall, and ~170 pounds -- so perhaps that helps mitigate the "too large looking" issue?

I've read this review -- http://filsonfan.com/2012/11/26/briefcase-showdown-filson-256-vs-257/ -- which also casts doubts on my 257 choice...

Be great to hear any thoughts on this topic, thank you in advance!

 

[nevadabob]

If you read the descriptions and watch the videos, they ARE NOT generally one single bag that has been used for decades, restored and then sold at a high price.

They are made from many old bags that have been torn apart, then stitched back together into something new. From many pieces comes one.

Examples: The tote bag (I can't find it online anymore) had two ridiculous vertical stitch marks running almost the entire height of the bag. This leads me to believe that the sides of this tote bag were once the bottom of a duffle bag. The leather was removed, the cloth reinforced and then stitched together to form a new product.

This also explains the new zippers on "old" products.

Another example is the >$500 medium duffle. Are we really supposed to believe that the shoulder strap gained that much wear while the rest of the leather remained nearly pristine?

 

[nevadabob]

Can anyone do authenticity check on this?

Genuine. No doubt.

 

[milw50717]



If you read the descriptions and watch the videos, they ARE NOT generally one single bag that has been used for decades, restored and then sold at a high price.

That is craziness, from a business perspective and explains the high cost = labour intensive.

 

[Schnurretiger]

Hi, a big request to the Filson Medium Duffle and Pullman-owners: could you take a picture of all the clothes and stuff you are able to pack into the bags and post it here? A kind of packing list would be great, too, just to get a better idea of how many days worth of clothes fit into the bags. Thanks in advance!

 

[harveyrabbit]



i am trying to decide which filson bag would work best for me specifically. as of now i actually bring in a duffle bag to work b/c i bring gym clothes (shoes, shorts, and shirt) along with my lunch. so i need more room than a typical bag allows for.

thoughts?

I would suggest the sportsman.

I like this bag because I find it has sufficient space for gym clothes and shoes, and separate compartments so that your lunch doesn't have to ride shotgun next to a pair of sweaty socks. I do note that my older bag looks different than the current model and that the pockets on the ends don't appear to be as capacious on the new bag. Still, it may be a good choice for what you want. Good luck.

 

[dcg]



I think it would have been interesting if they provided more background and story behind each of the bags. Such as, where it came from, how old the bag is, etc. Instead, for each 'one-of-a-kind' bag, they provide a generic description.

Would be nice, but they probably don't have much info for the majority - but info around year of production and whatnot would be interesting.

That doesn't necessary mean the bags themselves aren't decades old. I'm assuming that most if not all of the original zippers on these are replaced during the course of restoration.

Good point, and I'm sure it's necessary in some cases, but kind of a shame to lose the original hardware. I'd think it'd be the teeth that'd tend to wear out rather than the pull, but I'm not a zipper expert I know they still use the same zippers, just with the Filson logo, so presumably they could sew new teeth in and still use the original pull (if it's in good shape).

This sir, is a heavily used and restored Filson bag that was originally retailed sometime in the late 20th to early 21st century. While we do not have a full and detailed provenance for any individual bag, we feel confident that it was used to carry items such as clothes, books, laptop computers and the like. The modern upgrades, which include a YKK zipper and 'Made at Filson' label fully complement the original materials and do not detract from the functionality or the charm of the piece. Some have tried to replicate this level of wabi sabi by such methods as a warm wash and tumble drying, belt sanding and the generous application of cat urine followed by extended periods of sun bleaching, but as you can see the best results can only be produced by our very own factory. In addition I might add that we are planning a complimentary line of similarly restored plaid shirts and drainpipe jeans.

Emphasis mine. The way they sewed the labels on all those bags looks awful. At least they're using the old version of the labels, but really - was the label worn out on every bag?

If you read the descriptions and watch the videos, they ARE NOT generally one single bag that has been used for decades, restored and then sold at a high price.

They are made from many old bags that have been torn apart, then stitched back together into something new. From many pieces comes one.

Examples: The tote bag (I can't find it online anymore) had two ridiculous vertical stitch marks running almost the entire height of the bag. This leads me to believe that the sides of this tote bag were once the bottom of a duffle bag. The leather was removed, the cloth reinforced and then stitched together to form a new product.

This also explains the new zippers on "old" products.

Another example is the >$500 medium duffle. Are we really supposed to believe that the shoulder strap gained that much wear while the rest of the leather remained nearly pristine? 

Interesting; I'll have to watch when I get a chance. Guess that explains this one: http://www.filson.com/products/rest...son-restoration-department&fmetaProduct=cc15/ I was surprised to see that sort of mixed color way on an older bag.

If they wanted to do this sort of thing, I'm surprised they had to go to the effort of patching together bags.