Agremeister

Having read my fair share of complaints about Tumi and B&R bags in this forum, and the suggestions people often give for people wanting new bags, I thought I'd offer up a name that I think should be mentioned way more often in this forum.

10 years ago I bought a Filson Original briefcase to use as a carry on and general purpose luggage for essentially all my travel. In those 10 years, this bag has come with me on every flight, shoved into every overhead bin, and generally beat up with few thoughts to keeping the bag in any sort of pristine condition. Today its still functionally as perfect as the day I got it, and I have no reason to believe it couldn't last 10 years more.

Recently I decided to pick up the Filson Carry-On Duffel as well, as I found myself needing more carry on capacity than I currently have, and I'm happy to say the build quality on the new bag is just as stellar as it is on my old briefcase.

Basically, I'm saying that you shouldn't bother with those Tumi/B&R/Whoever else briefcases and check out Filson. They've got a lifetime warranty as well, but frankly, short of it getting sucked through a Jet Engine you'll never need it.

Am I missing something? Im just surprised they aren't brought up here more often.

TravlnD

Yes they are really nice bags (though the traditional style will not suit everyone). Besides just about everyone uses a wheel aboard these days so you won't see much discussion about duffel bags.

The big downside is they are very heavy -- which is ok by most current US standards -- but a real issue for travel in other parts of the world where carry on bag weight is limited.

ShowMeTheMoney

I'm currently a two-bagger - I use an Outlier Ultrahigh Rolltop backpack, and a Filson Zippered Tote (70261) for my electronics. It serves as my under the seat bag.

I do see quite a bit of Filson's around airports in Asia. In HK in particular, I see quite a few 256/257's in the airport.

I agree that the looks aren't for everyone. Personally, I like how the black and navy bags look but I'm not a fan of the more popular tan color.

The issue for me is that I'm not a big fan of how they age. I know quite a lot of people like the beat-up look when aged, but I actually prefer my bags looking new-ish. So, I'd likely have to replace mine once I hit the five year mark.

But with that said, I do like my Filson zippered tote. The two large stow pockets on each side are the biggest selling point for me. The straps are not wide enough though, and they don't sell a shoulder pad for it, so I had to settle for a pad from one of my Billingham's . Overall, I likely won't get a Filson again, simply because I don't like how they age. If they can replace their usual canvas with something similar to Billingham's fibrenyte fabric (which doesn't wear as easily) then I'd definitely consider them again.

turnleftbrighteyes

ShowMeTheMoney: you're the first person I've ever heard express a preference for unweathered Filsons! You could probably recoup the cost of replacing your used bag for a pristine one by catering to that demand.

Meanwhile, I have an absolutely gorgeous, aged zippered tote that I never use anymore. (It is just to heavy for me fully packed.) It has elicited more compliments from strangers than any other bag I have ever owned, however. Part of its beauty, perhaps, stems from an incident in which a dairy product, ahem, exploded inside of the bag. The cleaning process was not fun, and kind of disgusting, but affirmed for me Filson's durability.

learned

I recently got the Filson briefcase and it is without a doubt the best bag I've ever carried. I still can't understand how such a simple design works so well, but it does.

aerodark

^^^
I'm a fan of the Medium Field Bag ( https://www.filson.com/field-bag-medium.html ) and have used one as a carryon/shoulder bag for 6 years.

Several of their bags also come in a Tin Cloth version which is substantially lighter (the medium field bag in tin cloth weighed maybe 1lb total, as there's no metal hardware), and will be more than durable enough for most people. Their warranty service is outstanding, in my experience.

If you are the sort of person who wears out boots and other "indestructible" products, like myself, then you'll want the standard canvas bag (~3 lbs).

GadgetFreak

I've read very little about problems with B&R here, actually. And they do honor the lifetime warranty in my experience, even on very old bags. I don't use B&R briefcases, only rollers. For briefcase or non-rolling bags I use RedOxx, Waterfield Designs, Timbuk2 and Tom Bihn and have been very happy with all of them. RedOxx I know has a lifetime warranty and possibly some of the others but it's generally pretty hard break a non-rolling bag.

I use Waterfield Design and Timbuk2 for messengers and RedOxx and Tom Bihn for suitcases although I have used RedOxx briefcases in the past. And I've been beating the crap out of B&R rollers for about 20 years, much of it to the tune of about 200,000 miles per year with very few problems. Happy to hear people like Filson, I personally don't care much for the style but that's obviously a personal preference. But there are a lot of good choices out there for bags.

flyupfrnt

Seattleite here. Filson is without a doubt great quality in all they produce.

warrenw

Sorry for the bump! I got the Filson New Medium Duffel as well as their Journeyman backpack for my 5 day trips. I'm becoming concerned though, will the medium duffel pass scrutiny with the airline? I mainly fly United. The reason why I ask is the dimensions are 20" W x 13" H x 12" D whereas United for example has a max allowance of 22 inches x 14 inches x 9 inches - both are the same at 45 linear inches. The part I'm worried about obviously is the depth, 9" vs 12". Now - I always pack light and my thinking is I could probably shove it in a sizer and still fit, but I'm just wondering if anyone owns a medium duffel and uses it as a carry on?

Thanks in advance!

warrenw

Quoting myself:

I flew both Asiana and BA so far with this bag and it's been allowed on board. It fits in the overhead and everything. Flying United next week so will report back...