Filson - Might As Well Have the Best

Filson gear is a legendary brand in the outdoors. Founded in 1897 to supply rugged, warm, functional clothing for timber cruisers, rangers, and others who worked outside in the Pacific Northwest, the company has developed a reputation for peformance. In recent years, they've clearly made a marketing effort to broaden the brand footprint by expanding from their traditional waxed cotton and wool gear into being more of a high-end clothing brand. Not at all an uncommon trend - Barbour, Carhartt, and others have done the same.

Five years ago, when I needed a durable coat that shrugged off rain and snow, held up well, and would look good with everything from jeans to suits, I turned to Filson. At the time, a local retailer was one of the largest dealers in the Midwest. With a wide selection, I found that the Field Coat in cover cloth seemed well-suited to my needs and budget.

Great jacket - fit well, got compliments, pockets galore. With a range of zip-in liners I was able to adapt to nearly any conditions.

After a year, I noticed some wear holes at the edges of the pocket flaps and sleeve cuffs. Nothing huge, perhaps 1/8" at most. When I visited the store I purchased it from, the owner shrugged it off and stopped just short of calling me a worrywart. Among the reasons I will no longer shop at this establishment.

This Fall I noticed that jacket seemed to have lost a bit of its waterproofness. After some time on the Filson web site, I found that they rewax for a modest price. I also found that they recommend rewaxing annually or semi-annually. Oops. As I made plans to return the garment, I noticed more, and larger holes at the previous locations, along with the sleeve underseams. So, now I'm not happy.

When I called customer service, they very friendly guy on the phone quickly told me that, as I felt, this wasn't right and to send the jacket to them for inspection. Into the FedEx it went, and within a few days, I got a call from Pete in Customer Service. Yes, he thought this wear was a failure. And they wanted to be me into something new. They credited the full amount of my original purchase toward a new jacket (they've since discontinued this one in the cover cloth --- hmmm, other premature failures?). I selected the same Field Jacket, but decided to upgrade to Filson's most durable - the Tin Cloth.

After work yesterday, I arrive home to a package on the front porch. At no charge, Filson had rush shipped my new jacket. Nice. That's the way to handle customers. This is a brand that shall be added to the realm of Nikon, Simms, Jeep, Toro, and my other favorites for standing behind their products.

Best of all, I wore it for the first time today and I love it. The tin cloth is like armor. As I had an appointment in one of the nastier areas in Detroit, I decided today would be a good concealed carry day. My Springfield XD Subcompact fit nicely in the enormous bellow front pocket. And the heft of the tin cloth kept it completely concealed.

Want good stuff from a company that stands behind its product? You might as well have the best - Filson.

-Sean-