Here in Boston, as exciting as the summer can often be, thereās a soft spot with just about everyone for the next season to roll around. āTis the season for hiking all over New England, long coastal drives contrasted with changing leaves, a gluttony of seasonal beer and cider releases (looking at you, Sam Adams, Harpoon, and Downeast), the return of football season, and, perhaps the most anticipated development of them allā¦a change in wardrobe and daily use gear. Gone are the days - especially in this torridly hot summer weāve had - of sweating our lives away, unreasonably casual sunburn, relying on portable/window AC units that clearly canāt handle the heat, and strategically assembling clothing and accessory configurations that will hide as much of our unpleasantly warm feelings as possible. Arriving in turn are cool breezes, fire pits for outdoor dining, the ability to wear pants again, and the regional mainstays of flannel, denim, and leather.
It is, without hesitation, my favorite time of the year. I can finally put my watches back on their cozy leather straps without fear of sweating right through them, and switching out my floral shirts for warmly knit sweaters, though warranting a brief period of mourning, is something I look forward to every year.
So where does that bring us for today?
Well, for a change, weāll be going slightly watch-adjacent and putting together a fall guide of some items that I use - and love, mind you - from a brand that has been one of my favorites for a long time: Filson.
For those unfamiliar, Filson is based in Seattle, WA, and has been making a plethora of itāll-last-you-forever-type outdoor gear for 125 years. They have everything from jeans to jackets, knives to knapsacks, boots to bags - all in the spirit of the outdoors and a non-stationary lifestyle. When I originally started putting together this article, I listed out a number of items from their catalogue that I wanted to share out here. That list, though comprehensive and, at least to me, pretty dang helpful, ended up being 42(!) items long and an entirely unnecessary piece of writing. I whittled away at it until I settled on six core pieces, which is an impressive feat of editing if you ask me. These are all fall essentials in my eyes, so here we go:
Item #1 - Tin Cloth Backpack
This is the longest tenured piece of Filson gear I have, and itās really an all-season staple. Itās large enough to fit my laptop, chargers, cables, notebooks, extra EDC gear, watch cases, you name it, but compact enough to actually fit under the seat in front of you on an aircraft. Totally water resistant, and even more so with the large flap that buckles over the front of the bag. Normally Iām a little skeptical of bags and their water resistance, but keep mind, the folks at Filson are in Seattleā¦it rains all year round there, and not in the light little itty bitty LoFi type of way. Big rain, big weather, all the time. We get similar storm fits here in Boston, and this is the only backpack Iāve ever had that has withstood our rain here without the inside getting so much as a drop of water in it. Especially since my commute to work is a 30 minute walk, having a bag that wonāt sacrifice my laptop to the weather gods is a must. Itās also basically the fabric equivalent of a piece of bronze/brass EDC gear, wearing in with me over the years and developing its own patina/marked-up look.
Now that I think about it, it sort of looks like the āshoesā the human characters in Ice Age wore on their feet; basically a wrap-up layer that fit like a glove. Now thatās the sign of a well-worn bag.
If a larger bag is more of what you need, they have duffles of the same type and construction as well. Same idea, same look, but much like the rainy weather in Seattle, just bigger.
Item #2: Watch Cap Beanie
Iām a beanie guy; just canāt help myself. Some people are ballcap types, others go for the adventurer or safari look, but give me a good beanie and Iām happy. Iām also, unlike how I am with watches, not the type of person to have 20 beanies to rotate around and go with my looks. I have two, maybe three at a time, and I wear them for years on end until they fall apart (washing and cleaning them in rotation, of course).
Iām also not a skullcap type beanie guy; if Iāve got a warm hat on my head, I want my ears warm as well. None of this top-of-the-mountain nonsense with these little half-hats floating around. Doesnāt do it for me.
This could be the last winter hat I ever own, and I would be happy with that.
Super soft, some give and stretch, and a classic look thatās perfect for fall up North. Iām partial to the dark green color variant, but if you want to break out the duck hunting orange - either to make your own statement or youāre actually a hunter - theyāve got you covered there as well.
Item #3: Cover Cloth Mile Marker Coat
The Filson jacket that Iāve worn for years now - the Aberdeen Work Jacket - stopped being available in 2018. Four long, sad years without this piece on the market, and then HI HEY HIYA!!! July 2022, back in stock!! That means itās in this article as something to go get for the fall, right??
ā¦that means itās in this article as something to go get for the fallā¦right?
Sadly, no. It is, once again, gone, much to the sadness of coat-needers everywhere.
The jacket is really something else. Truly weatherproof and actually water-repellant, itās brought me through more bad weather than any other outer layer I own. Itās essentially a shell layer to keep you dry no matter what, and since itās not overly insulated, you can layer up or down as much as you like on the inside. Iāve gone with everything from a t-shirt to two sweaters under this coat to go with the temperatures, and since itās an oil-finished coat, what youāve got on underneath bears nothing on how dry youāll stay.
Since the Aberdeen is off the market - for now - I dig some digging in Filsonās inventory (aided by the fact that I live less than 20 minutes from an actual store location) and identified the Cover Cloth Mile Marker Coat as the most appropriate substitution for this fall season. Itās been in production since 2004, it shares all of the core attributes that make the Aberdeen a must-have, and, to make this coat winter-ready as well, thereās a removable liner on the inside for those āitās raining sidewaysā types of evenings.
Now, since both of these coats are oil-finished, there will be some care that needs to be done intermittently to ensure that your coat actually stays weatherproof. More on that in the next item though; regardless of which of Filsonās oil-finished coats you opt for, you really canāt go wrong.
Item #4: Oil Finish Wax
Take care of your stuff people! Keep it the water out!!
I use this wax for both my jacket and my backpack, and the end result is just incredible. Water beads off of applied surfaces instantly, and thereās never any risk - no matter how much it rains - of water actually getting through the wax to dampen your day. Should you end up opting for anything that needs a bit of application care, Filsonās been kind enough to lay out the how-to of that process right here.
Item #5: Smooth Bone Slip-Joint Knife
This knife was love at first sight for me. I have a fascination with items that arenāt made of the conventional stuff, and slotting a knife into my EDC with an actual bone handle wasnāt something I could resist. Itās a no-frills, compact piece, and itās not boasting any tech thatāll catch anyone by surprise. But something about it draws my attention in a way that is starkly different from my other knives.
Itās compact and relatively light, since bone isnāt the heaviest of materials, and it fits easily into any pocket. Realistically, for the things I carry with my on the day-to-day, thereās not a big need for flash or overdeveloped function. Thatās more-or-less the theme of everything in this article. Iām not whittling small wooden animals, skinning the dayās catch, or refitting the ends of heavy duty camping line; I work at a university, so at most, my knife is for opening letters, cutting tape or stray threads, unboxing various things, etc. So my enjoyment of how something is constructed for the sake of simplicity really canāt be overstated, and having it be something unique, like a bone handle, well, thatās just super.
Note the little lanyard loophole at the end of the handle as well; anyone out there who has trouble sitting still, put a piece of leather line/thread/lanyard through there with a bead or emblem on the end and voila - your very own EDC fidget tool.
Item #6: 125th Anniversary Glass Tumbler Set
This is the only item here that I donāt currently have at home, but that wonāt stop me from declaring it an essential for the new season. I know, I know, yet another thing to drink out of is hardly an āessentialā by strict definition, but I would argue that itās at the very least a core component of creating an enjoyable living aesthetic, so hear me out:
Fall is when I break out the good stuff from the liquor cabinet after a long day at work, pour either a rum or whiskey neat, and plop myself on the couch for an hour or two of good reading. Thereās no rush to go out, no need to get to the next thing; itās slow-down time to unwind after hours of meetings and emails.
A good set of glass tumblers completes the experience, and for me it usually looks something like this:
I keep a few sets of tumblers in the cabinet - some were gifts, some from specific liquors or distilleries, others of a āyou wonāt find these anywhere anymoreā variety, and itās one of those small details that can really make the just got home ritual just a little bit more special. Itās the me time, the breathe-in-breathe-out time, the take-a-step-back time. And we all need that time.
For their 125th anniversary, Filson have put out a gorgeous set to mark the occasion, and itās on my list of items bring home before they all sell out:
Grab a glass, grab your drink, put your feet up, and call it a day. You deserve it.
And there you have it! A quick guide to having yourself a very Filson Fall. I hope that this was useful in your search for the new seasonās gear, and as always, wherever you are, and wherever youāre going, many thanks for stopping by.
Onward to Autumn:
*googles Filson* *nods head in agreement that Filson is where it's at* *promptly adds multiple items to cart*
Great read! I appreciate the slight deviation away from watches (but still with some cameos). I didn't even know about this brand until now, but they have a TON of great stuff!! Definitely getting some of their stuff for fall and definitely adding things to my holiday gift wishlist!