Signature Materials
FILSON'S SIGNATURE MATERIALS
Filson began as a manufacturer of goods using natural, sustainable materials such as wool and cotton, and that legacy continues. We insulate our warmest coats and parkas with goose down that is RDA-compliant (Responsible Down Act) and is processed in bluesign®-approved facilities.
Filson strives to maximize the use of recycled content in our synthetic fabrics and fills. We choose Polartec® fleece and PrimaLoft® insulations with recycled content. Other synthetic fabrics are sourced from mills using environmentally-sound practices. Filson is constantly seeking and evaluating innovative textiles solutions that perform in the backcountry while causing minimal environmental impact.
Filson Bridle Leather is vegetable-tanned in a special solution made with tree bark. It’s a long, slow process that yields a superior product without the use of caustic chemicals employed in other tanning methods.
RUGGED TWILL
Filson’s 125-year legacy is outfitting miners, loggers, ranchers, and sportsmen with durable apparel and goods that provide unfailing protection. For more than two decades, we’ve applied more than a century of manufacturing experience to build luggage and bags to transport their gear there and back, without fail. Our Rugged Twill fabric is a large part of why our bags are so dependable – this article examines what it is and where it comes from.Read more...
WHY FILSON WOOL?
FILSON HAS BEEN A WOOL EXPERT FOR OVER 122 YEARS. In fact, our original name in 1897 was Seattle Woolen Manufacturing Company, Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers. We got our start making woolen goods to outfit the adventurous prospectors heading north seeking fortunes in the Alaskan Gold Rush. Clothing and food, tents and stoves, picks and shovels—all of the supplies required to survive a year in the frigid Klondike region—were hauled up and over the treacherous Chilkoot Pass trail. Read more...
WAXED COTTON
What worked then still works today. While science and chemistry have produced some amazing options for raingear in recent years, sometimes the best option for wet-weather protection has existed for over a century. There are certainly situations when technical waterproof fabrics are a must, but there are also times when traditional waxed cotton is the preferred option. Read more...
RIPSTOP NYLON
For nearly three decades, Filson luggage built with Rugged Twill and Bridle Leather has set the standard for toughness and dependability. Our newly-introduced collection of ripstop nylon luggage and bags captures that same rugged reliability, in a lighter and more flexible form. Ripstop nylon, with its crosshatch pattern of reinforcing threads, was instrumental to the allies during WWII, and later revolutionized backpacking gear.Read more...
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED DOWN
Filson down comes from geese that have been raised for the food supply, primarily in Europe. This means that the geese were raised for the table, and their down feathers are collected after harvesting. Filson only uses goose down supplied by Allied Feather & Down, the industry leader in quality, responsibly-sourced down. Allied, in cooperation with forward-thinking outdoor companies, the Textile Exchange, and Germany’s Control Union, helped establish the Responsible Down Standard (RDS)—a voluntary global standard aiming to ensure that all down feathers come from animals that have been subjected to no unnecessary harm.Read more...
FILSON DENIM
Filson Denim is the latest chapter in a legacy that spans over a century of outfitting customers for the most demanding conditions. Only the finest and most rugged materials are sourced for our unfailing goods. By manufacturing limited runs in the American West from fine selvage denim, we ensure each pair of jeans meets the exacting standards befitting the Filson name. When toughness is a must, you might as well have the best.Read more...