Filson Bag Thread: With Pictures

[southbound35]



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!

I've got the 256 and generally carry a laptop, some papers, a small umbrella, a sunglasses case, and a small bag about the same size as the small umbrella. I'm sure you've seen, but there are also some compartments for pens, phone, business cards, etc.

For your everyday use, I think the 257 would be overkill. I've considered buying the 258 for when I travel, but haven't pulled the trigger.

 

[AloysiusSF]

I've got the 256 and generally carry a laptop, some papers, a small umbrella, a sunglasses case, and a small bag about the same size as the small umbrella. I'm sure you've seen, but there are also some compartments for pens, phone, business cards, etc.

For your everyday use, I think the 257 would be overkill. I've considered buying the 258 for when I travel, but haven't pulled the trigger.

Thanks for the response, much appreciated. Also just spent a good amount of time reading through this thread and other resources comparing the 2 - I ended up going with the 257 after checking out the 256 at my local Steven Alan store.

256 ran slightly small for my needs - the 15" MacBook Pro did indeed fit in the side compartment, freeing up the main compartment - but even for my daily use I think I'd like the flexibility of having more space than the 256 offers (throwing in a change of clothes for gym/overnighter/whatever), and also additional upside of using it as a travel carry-on.

 

[boned]

Has anyone done any mods to their bags? Just snagged a murdered out black rucksack and am already thinking of the possibilities: Inner pockets, water bottle holder, shoulder pads, etc.

 

[Crane's]

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... just another day out and about with my F+M Field Camera Bag. It's seen some rain, snow and has pretty much been stuck to my side wherever I end up going. So far so good.

Trying to get things like this...

 

[milw50717]



Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... just another day out and about with my F+M Field Camera Bag. It's seen some rain, snow and has pretty much been stuck to my side wherever I end up going. So far so good.

The snow seems to have turned the OG bag you started out with to more of a tan colour

How's it doing as a working camera bag ?

I like the big mouth to the bag, but would like to see it have slightly larger dimensions for my needs.

Nice sky shots. A lot of people shy away from pointing a lens at the sun for fear of flare, circles and other potentially bad things, but you can get some nice results and in these days of digital and post processing there is really nothing to lose.

 

[Crane's]



The snow seems to have turned the OG bag you started out with to more of a tan colour

How's it doing as a working camera bag ?

I like the big mouth to the bag, but would like to see it have slightly larger dimensions for my needs.

Nice sky shots. A lot of people shy away from pointing a lens at the sun for fear of flare, circles and other potentially bad things, but you can get some nice results and in these days of digital and post processing there is really nothing to lose.

LOL! Yeah, we were supposed to get a tan and otter at the same time. The tan (my bag) ended up back ordered for a month.

It's working out very well as my primary working bag. Currently it's loaded up with an A77 with lens attached, a Minolta SRT 102 with lens attached, two lenses, a prime for the film camera and mid range tele for the A77. Several rolls of film, spare memory cards and spare battery live in one front pocket. a notebook and pen in the other. I've swapped things around to see if I could get away with it for a wedding shoot. Two digital bodies, 16-50 and 70-210 lenses, the flash, lots of batteries and charger, spare cards and so on are accommodated easily with just a little thought. If you keep things toned down to what you actually need for most situations it'll work.

Any halfway decent modern lens can handle sky shots all day long without much issue. The biggest thing is don't point the camera at the sun without making sure you don't have it set to something dumb like ISO 3200 with the lens wide open and a slow shutter. The sensor doesn't like that very much. All of those shots above have almost no post work done to them. For the most part my post processing consists of nothing more than a histogram tweak to clean up the mud. I'm a firm believer in the less post involved the better off you are.

Now my old film lenses? Yeah they flare and do all kinds of odd stuff in weird light but that's OK too. I like lens flare as long as it doesn't completely torch out my main subject.

 

[hoit1981]

Initially posted this in the "Official" Filson thread but thought it might be better off here. Sorry it's not bag related...

Kind of interested in the down cruiser jacket. I would be interested to know if anyone has tried one on and is able to share an opinion on the fit? I'm thinking boxy? Any places to get a good deal on one over the forthcoming turkey holiday? Any real-life pics out there?

 

[dcg]



Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.... just another day out and about with my F+M Field Camera Bag. It's seen some rain, snow and has pretty much been stuck to my side wherever I end up going. So far so good.

Gah, I am such a bag whore. Just grabbed one of these - we'll see how it compares to a medium field bag + insert.

Great pics.

 

[Therossinator]

OH MY GOODNESS!!! Filson is on sale at Mr. Porter. 30% off everything including the exclusive Leather-trimmed twill backpack. I just bought one in each color.

Only $301 a piece, down from $430.


https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designers/filson

 

[Isolation]

Please don't buy them all before I can put my order one T_T

 

[Arethusa]

Has anyone seen any black friday deals on the large briefcase (not padded) in navy?

 

[benjamin831]

Kinda disappointed Filson is not running a sale on their luggage/briefcases.

 

[danielyam]

OH MY GOODNESS!!! Filson is on sale at Mr. Porter. 30% off everything including the exclusive Leather-trimmed twill backpack. I just bought one in each color.

Only $301 a piece, down from $430.


https://www.mrporter.com/mens/designers/filson

i don't see any discount reductions upon checkout. do i have to key in any discount coupon code?

 

[hpw]

[quote name="danielyam" i don't see any discount reductions upon checkout. do i have to key in any discount coupon code?
[/quote]

You have to go through the checkout process all the way to the screen where you enter your credit card info before it will reflect the discounted price, but items that qualify for the 30% off show as such from the product pages.

For others looking for a tan 256 briefcase on sale, I came across this 20% off sale tonight. Ends Monday, so act fast. They also have assorted Filson Dopp kits and the tin duffel bags in medium and small (also tan). Not a lot of color selections. Code is Fellow20.

www.fellowbarber.com

 

[kbui]

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post, so please do not skewer me if I did something wrong.

I found this today from Reeds Family Outdoor Outfitters:

It is the Filson Briefcase Computer Bag in Tan (70257) for $149.99

I've never used this company, but if you are in or near Walker, MN, it might be worth checking out.

Cheers.