Pure blasphemy!

I wear a Filson Mackinaw Cruiser when it's cold and a Double Mac when it's really cold. A Tin Cloth Wildfowler cap when it's wet or cold and a Tin Cloth 6 panel ball cap when it is not so cold and wet. I have a Filson wool vest to layer under most anything else. I confess to not wearing Filson jackets duck hunting. Not all the right pockets and shell holders + camo. I have a Filson wallet that has lasted for years. All made in USA. I damn sure won't pay Filson prices for offshore crap. Just like Danner boots. I won't pay $300 for China-made Danner boots. I can buy Irish Setters made in China for $100.

I grew up and began hunting long after the advent of Thinsulate and Goretex, so I never really had an opportunity to wear the classic waxed-cotton rain-slicks, or the wool hunting coats and pants. I have always looked at them with envy though (usually while browsing an Orvis catalog). I may stay warmer on a duck hunt with my neoprene gloves, neoprene waders, microfleece and thinsulate jacket, but the older guys dressed in theclassic stuff looks a heck of a lot cooler (no pun intended.)

I'm in the overpriced and obsolete camp. I guess there are people who still think "made in American" means quality. I buy the best product at the best price level and let me tell you- rarely is it produced here and never is it Filson. Except for my Maine hunting boots and maybe my ammo, all my gear and my truck where produced overseas. I'm certain none of these companies bilked the American tax payers for 50 billion dollars so they can over pay people to produce lousy cars. I bet I'm 20 years younger than the guys who like Filson- company has no future.

There is nothing foreign made that can compare with American made. Nothing, except perhaps shotguns.

Filson is quality stuff and I'm sure I'd look dashing in it, but the truth is if I'm going to drop almost $500 bucks on a coat and pants it's either going to be the high-end heavy wool stuff (like King of the Mountain) or it's going to be waterproof synthetic.

Having said that, I do most of my hunting in surplus wool layered with fleece and a water and wind-proof shell. Dry-weather wingshooting is done in whatever Carhart knockoffs they sell at the local farm and ranch store. Not too stylish but it works.

Filson is a bit too rich for my blood. Carhart is my choice...

While I was in college I worked for a timber company in Montana setting up timber sales. Everyday, regardless of weather, I was in the brush. Any time it rained, I would put on my Filson tin pants and a wool sweater. Did the pants breathe as well as Goretex nylon pants, no. Would a pair of Goretex pants have lasted a few hours busting through the brush, no. I am a die-hard Filson fan, and strongly believe in wool's superiority. I own many Filson garments and accessories. I wear my Double Mac throughout the winter. My experience has shown me that wool has a great temperature range, breathes well, is durable, quiet, and doesn't burn (look at your fleece after sitting by a campfire for a few nights). Filson is the pinnacle of wool. It is an investment but you will be able to give it to your grandsons. The bibs, pants, vests, Mackinaw Cruisers, and tin cloth items are made in the USA, which is important to me. They will last (which makes them cheaper in the long run) and you are supporting a great American company that makes an extremely well made product. This new development that Mr. Bourjaily reports on is concerning. If Filson abandons its classic natural fiber clothing for nylon, then except for using dark colors and more classic silhouettes, what is the difference between it and all the other gear makers? I recommend that anyone who questions wool or Filson, start out by trying a Filson Wool Vest. You will be amazed what a great and useful piece of gear it is.

Filson is not the answer for deep cold days waterfowling. BUT, I have yet to find a better products than their tin cloth packer hat (for all around wear in moderate temps), tin cloth chaps (for busting through briars after rabbits and grouse), or their leather belts. Regarding comments about their legendary prices and quality - Filson gear does not wear out. However, I would not pruchase a $200 Filson waterfowling sweater when cheaper wool products or a $20 fleece pullover will do just fine.

For you wool lovers; Stormy Kromer makes some fine wool coats comparable to the Filson cruiser for a lot less money. I was apprehensive, but my buddy bought a cruiser and a vest made from the same weight wool for less than the Filson coat alone. I love my Stormy Kromer wool hunting hat. 100% wool and USA made! Blaze orange too!

You can keep your blue jeans. For you boys that hunt in warm dry climates that's fine. If you deer and elk hunt in the Northwest, you'll freeze and understand the brass monkey concept. I won't even wear a cotton t-shirt in realy cold weather.

Clay...

You got it! Polypro under wool is it!

I was young once, too. At 17, I was hunting in jeans, a couple cotton sweatshirts, cotton long johns, cotton socks, a cotton Army surplus jacket, and Converse All Star basketball shoes. It was all I had - rain or snow. I froze, but was durn glad to be out there.

Oh, I had my dad's wool Navy watch cap - that was an itchy bugger. Still have the Army jacket and watch cap if anyone wants to step back in time and experience the way it was.

That should have read "stationary"--not "stationery."

I discovered wool when I started traditional bow hunting. I pick up my apparel from garage sales, ebay, the Willie and the Sally. I can't bring myself to pay $200 for a garment made in China where labor costs average seventy cents a day. That's not right.

Ish,
I know what you mean. Some of the coldest days I can ever remember was growing up poor in Florida and freezing my a-- off on a frosty morning hunting in jeans and a cheap jacket. Thirty below zero in Fairbanks didn't seem nearly as bad.

I'm with PBHead. I get what I can, where I can, when I can -- if it doesn't work well, it's no big loss; if it does work well, it was a bargain! If I pay a premium price for anything, I want to be sure that the folks that built it get a fair share.

I hunt ducks in Arkansas about 40 days a year, year in year out. I wear almost all Filson gear, exclusively: wool pants, vests, sweaters, hats, coats, etc. As the comments indicate, all have to make choices: price versus country of origin, longevity/tradition versus cutting edge, and so on. Obviously I eat the higher prices to obtain what I consider the highest quality. I thus find Mr. Bourjaily's comments about the MS duck hunt nothing short of amazing--used right, there is virtually out there nothing warmer and tougher than Filson gear. And please remember that in/around a fire synthetics will melt--you are better off, and safer, with wool, particularly underwear.

I am fully in agreement with all you Filson lovers and I totally disagree with with Phil. I have owned a bunch of Filson garments, bags, etc. for years and you CANNOT wear this stuff out. You pay a higher price for quality and Filson gives it to you. I own two double macs, one of which I leave in Sakatchewan for up to a month of deer hunting every year in the worst kind of cold and it cannot be beat on any front. I used to hunt with King of the Mountain clothing, which I eventually wore out. Filson is strongly superior to King of the Mountain, which is also not the quality that it used to be. Yes, of course you want to also take advantage of some of the new synthetics, and I do, such as poly underwear. I am 75 now and I have tried it all in a long lifetime of hunting. The Filson stuff will be passed on to my grandkids because I cannot wear most of it out - and I have spent more time in the out of doors than anybody I know. Crap made overseas may be OK, but much of it is not, and I prefer to buy from a U.S. company. I have had occasion to ask Filson for special treatment on a product (such as a red double mac)and they are simply the nicest folks to deal with that you can imagine. Their customers obviously come first. Tom

I'm sorry I don't own a piece of Filson gear which makes me know expert those items, I have however been cold and wet, walked through the Briars, and have done a bit of hunting. I'll tell you all without blinking besides a pair of wool socks that I wear (the good ones, not the green army surplus) I will take my ploypros, and Carhartts everyday, every time.

Its true, Carhartts aren't waterproof, you can wear them out, but if you layer correctly you can get that too. and I can buy about 5 pairs of overalls and about the same amount of coats that 1 pair of Filsons cost.

My biggest problem is out growing them vs wearing them out. A situation that my little brother loves.

Carhartts for me guys.

It's winter in Northwestern Oregon, and I quick glance in my closets reveals the clothing I rely on. Quite a mix. There are Filson, Pendleton and Woolrich coats, jackets, shirts and vests - some of which were purchased 30+ years ago - and layers of polypropylene as well. How I layer depends on the temperature and how active I expect to be or how much freedom of movement I require.
Like most of you, I've been cold and I don't want to experience that discomfort again if I can avoid it. Priorities change, and I'm more than willing to put money aside for a quality garment that will serve me well and last. When I was young, my clothes lasted a season and I made a great many compromises...inexpensive boots, shirts and trousers...but that's a poor economy. A friend expressed it best when he commented, "Poor folks can't afford to buy but once." His point became clear when I realized I was buying much less expensive clothing and equipment than he, but I had to purchase much more often. I'm a bit longer in the tooth now, but not too dense and set in my ways that I don't accept new products that have proven themselves. I still wear the Pendleton shirts, but the layers closest to my skin will wick moisture and keep me warm.
Marriage has made a bigger man of me; I've filled my clothing with a knife and fork over the past 26 years because my wife is an excellent cook, so I've outgrown a few garments before I've worn them out, but it took 20+ years to do it.
I'm well aware there are much less expensive clothes on the market, though precious few of them seem to be made in America. No, thank you, I will continue to purchase an occasional coat, shirt or vest from the best available. I did look in my closet before I typed this, and there are a catalogue of memories on those hangers. There are clothes that I've worn in photos taken years ago, shirts that have seen a few campfires, and I expect some of these clothes (especially the more recent purchases) that will outlast me, but that's fine with me.
I do appreciate the newer fabrics and I wear them, but I know how to keep warm and I hope my favorite manufacturers survive the current economic crunch so they'll remain available for another generation or more.

I have a Filson cap with ear flap in blaze orange & green, Shelter Cloth Bush Hat, (Wish they made one with mesh sides would make a great safari hat). Double Mackinaw cruiser, Tin Cloth packer coat with Mackinaw zip-in Jacket/Liner and tin cloth pants with leather cuffs.

The caps are excellent for all around use the bush hat I use throughout the year, keeps the rain from running down my neck, the Double Mackinaw cruiser I use for general all around use, limited hunting but works well in a blind with a sweater. It’s especially nice in a blind if you dress in layers. On my Canada hunts I have used it many times and have never had any problems staying warm.

The Tin cloth packer coat I love for working around the home or in camp. I also found it excellent in freezing rain/sleet & snow. I have ruined many a coat chopping and carrying wood, plowing snow, riding the ATV through the brush, working on equipment etc; (Wear’s like iron!).

I had also used it on a South Dakota Bison hunt in 06 and it kept me extremely warm and was an asset because the mud on the prairie was like cement but was easy to clean, just hose it off, wish I had the pants on that hunt.

Filson’s clothing is heavy! especially the Tin Cloth Packer Coat, It would not be my choice on a long arduous hunt, but for certain applications they are superb as is their quality and durability.

All I know is that I don’t leave on any winter trip without both my Double Mackinaw Cruiser, Tin Cloth packer Coat with Mackinaw zip-in Jacket/Liner, tin cloth pants and bush hat.

I also have various high tech hunting clothing from Cabela’s etc: and they are fantastic, however, I utilize the Filson’s clothing far more then any other article of clothing I own.

Some may think Filson’s is old school, I found that over the years no one piece clothing or equipment will do it all, but for me Filson’s clothing comes very close.

I lean towards the military surplus as well, cheaper and made to military specs made up by guys who to a large degree live outside. And almost everything comes in camo.

And I've never had GI surplus fall apart like Wally World crap. If they only had a nice Game Vest......

I have hunt in the mountains of Utah. I have hunted archery but mostly concentrate on black powder and rifle hunting for large game. I own a variety of high tech and low tech hunting clothes. I usually buy a couple of clothing and gear items each fall. I have goretex clothing and boots, polartec, underarmour, nylon, thinsulate, and finally wool, both columbia and filson. Each kind of clothing has its place.
In warmer weather, on the black powder hunts in late september, I use polartec clothes, underarmour, wool socks, uninsulated goretex hiking boots, and keep a goretex type shell in the backpack.
In cold snowy weather with alot of moisture I mostly use wool to replace the polartec. I have found that polartec absorbs water like crazy and looses its insulating value. The shell used to keep the polartec dry during this kind of weather usually traps the condensation and makes the polartec cold. I should emphasis that I am moving around alot, hiking on quite steep terrain which gets the sweat going. One of the big problems with shells is that they are too noisy. This is the problem with Cabelas wool clothes as well, all have a loud nylon lining with their version of goretex which keeps moisture in.
So I have invested quite a bit of money in filson wool and some columbia wool. I prefer these brands because they are unlined. You layer underarmour, two wool sweaters, a filson mackinaw vest or filson wool jacket with the wool pants and you can handle a ton of temperature differences and weather conditions. You can also be silent, staying out in the cold from before light till after dark, while being comfortable. I used this combination on a elk hunt in October and on another elk hunt in January.
Filson has already stopped making camo wool clothing, they will probably start to ruin the rest of their line soon, replaceing their line with yuppie wear I'm afraid.

Ugly,stiff and heavy. Yep. And that's why I like it. Are there more technologically advanced fabrics out there? Sure, and sometimes I use them, but there is still nothing that compares to the durability and, for lack of a better word, "feel" of a Filson garment. And that's why Filson will continue to occupy a successful niche, no matter what else is out there.

My brother stopped by the Filson factory on a trip, talk about some high quality gear, and made in the USA, sold. I rarely break out my Tin Cloth gear because I can't walk in it very quietly, and that is what hunting and scouting is to me, walking VERY quietly. They have lots of new additions to their line. Does anyone really like their single tin pants, I have the double chaps, but I want to hear about some uninsulated hunting pants.