How do you all feel about waxed canvas, like Filson?

misanthropist

misanthropist

Joined
Jan 28, 2007
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I am always torn on the subject of waxed canvas, i.e. tin cloth.

Pros:

Tough
Water resistant
Wind resistant
Will last ten times longer than a nice jacket from Arc'teryx, and cost a third as much

Cons:
It's still cotton, right? Maybe the wax and oil impregnation kills all of the usual cotton problem though.
I'm wearing a giant candle.


I was sort of kicking around the idea of buying a Filson jacket...I love the look of the double logger in the pics on their site. Of course then I went and looked at pics from elsewhere and it looked pretty ugly, not that rich brown colour but a typical tan canvas look...looks like half my work gear and I have plenty of that.

Also...what's it like for burning? I like natural fibers for their low flash point, I'm often camped out next to an open fire and get sparks thrown at me (I live in a forest of pitchy softwood.) But soaking the stuff with oil and wax seems like a terrible idea around fire!

Anybody own any Filson stuff? Got any burn marks on it? What happened? How do you like your gear?

I'd like to have a jacket that looks like the Filson pics of their double logger, but I don't really think that the double logger looks like that!
 
I have the Original Hunters Vest. I love it for day hikes/hunting and as a emergency vest. The color has changed as dirt, bark stains, ect have taken hold, but it is awesome camo. Embers from a fire have given me no problems on it yet. I plan to buy more of its like in the future.
 
They are heavy and have no breathability whats so ever. I have a waxed canvas hat that I really like, but have to put it away in the summer because it is just miserable for sweat.

I don't know about the flashpoint. I've warn my hat near fires and it caught a few sparks but nothing happened. My bonehead roomate in university once hung it on a lightbulb and seared an ugly burnmark on the inside. Other than the ugly mark and ruining the lightbulb, the hat was okay.

The pros - as a jacket they look really cool if you don't need the high performance light weight/breathability that modern synthetics can offer. They are warm and definately very durable and long wearing.
 
I'm a lifelong multi-generational Filson junkie and have a propensity to be "old school" and an OGSANT (Old Guy Skeptable About New Technology). I have many pieces of their wool and oil cloth garments including some luggage. Much of what I've gotten over the years is second and third generation hand-me-downs and from garage sales. Everything you've said about it is dead on. This gear is hard core! Rugged, bold, tough, and it fairly spark resistant but not fire proof.

In my line of work I use it and I use it as my persoanl gear as well. I have summer and winter Filson and I wear it basically year around except for my work uniform which is all 5.11 gear. I do, however, use Filson Shelter Cloth Packer Coat as my primary rain coat and their Tin Cloth Chaps for my rain pants at work. At work I'm provided with a modern "soft shell" and it holds up well for light drizzles...when the elements turn ugly as they do here in my eco-system I grab my Filson!

For hard core gear and living in the Pacific North Wet it has its many uses. In cold, damp, wet, windy, and at times, snowy it has proven itself a life saver and always maintains my body's inner core temperature. It was the North Face gear of an earlier generation and the preferred gear of my grandfather who literally lived and made his living in the Pac North Wet wilderness.

The bottom line is....it is amazing gear as long as it fits your mission profile - in other words...what do you want it for and how do you intend to use it? There are certain things is does extremely well and others it doesn't. Is it the solution to every problem - nope. But if you have a mission or activity with a goal in mind then it may fit the bill perfectly.

If your activity requires lightweight, highly breathable, packable, moderate-to-highly aerobic activity gear then I'd say stay away from it. If your activity is static or involves light-to-moderate aerobic activity in a harsh and wet environment then it is considerably better than this modern yuppie logo'd gear that won't hold up to the elements over time. If you're going to keep it in a car or truck then yes it is ideally suited for that activity. It is the gear of hunters and timber men/women - but they aren't humping a 50 pound ruck up the side of a mountain either while wearing it and doing so over a week, month or extended period of time. I do hunt in the mountains with their wool pants, shirt, vest, and often with a Double Mac Coat when the weather warrents it. I do take along my Shelter Cloth Packer Coat and will wear it if I put it on at the truck. But in my hunting ruck is a lightweight, packable, modern hard shell that accompanies with me so I'm not caught without a hard shell miles away from my Filson. I love my Filson but I'm not packing it around in a "break glass in an emergency!" situation.

I'd say - define your goal/mission and it if fits the profile then you couldn't find any better.
 
I have two filson coats one is a at least 15 year old logger coat that i wear when we do deer drives with shotguns here in Pa. The areas we frequent are heavy briar and sticker thickets and it is the only coat that holds up year after year. The color is beat up tan/brown. I have had deer walk up to me as long as I do not move. I use it as a last layer and it depends on how cold I layer with different garments depends on weather. I just re waxed it for the first time and it was badly in need of it. I would not where it mountain hunting to heavy and not breathable but any time you need a hard wearing outer shell that does not let the wind in and a very abrasive resistant jacket you can not go wrong with a filson. Just got a Timberline for knocking around seems like i will have both for another 20 years.
 
Quirt said it well and I concur. I have a closet full of Filson clothing and can highly recommend anything they build. From ranch chores to horsey back, rain or snow, I usually have some sort of Filson on my body. The Filson waxed cloth will only burn if you do. Not talking paraffin and Q-tips here.:)

No, Filson is not for the ultralight backpacker, jogger, or tuxedo crowd at the exclusive nose-in-the-air club. Filson is working and sporting clothing and does it all in honesty and tenacity.:thumbup:
 
Quirt said:
I do hunt in the mountains with their wool pants, shirt, vest, and often with a Double Mac Coat when the weather warrents it. I do take along my Shelter Cloth Packer Coat and will wear it if I put it on at the truck. But in my hunting ruck is a lightweight, packable, modern hard shell that accompanies with me so I'm not caught without a hard shell miles away from my Filson. I love my Filson but I'm not packing it around in a "break glass in an emergency!" situation.

I'd say - define your goal/mission and it if fits the profile then you couldn't find any better.
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Hey quirt,

How do you like the Double Mac? I've always wanted one of those and I'm thinking of buying one. What temps do you use it in? I figure with a loose goretex/windbreaker overtop they would be extremely warm. I also hear a lot of guys complain that they are too heavy and to instead go with the single mackinaw, however there's only a pound worth of difference. I live in the Northeast btw.
 
I've been looking at Filson's products, mostly because the local building supplier has goods bargains on them in the spring. For harsh and cold weather (been getting lots of ice storms in recent years) which is the better choice, wool or canvas?
 
I have a Tin Cloth Field Coat and love it. For a short hike around the woods or property, it's great. Amazingly warm in extreme cold with a couple of layers of fleece or wool under it.

I also have an Arc'teryx though for down hill and cross country skiing. The Tin Cloth is both heavy and not very breathable. But if I'm 'bush wacking' in the middle of the winter, the Tin Cloth is great.

I also was wondering how 'fire proof' it is. Don't think I ever really got a good answer to that. It feels like you could shield yourself from a raging inferno...but I do wonder about that wax :)
 
elelbean said:
Hey quirt,

How do you like the Double Mac? I've always wanted one of those and I'm thinking of buying one. What temps do you use it in? I figure with a loose goretex/windbreaker overtop they would be extremely warm. I also hear a lot of guys complain that they are too heavy and to instead go with the single mackinaw, however there's only a pound worth of difference. I live in the Northeast btw.
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elelbean - I have two of them and they rock! I also have a single mac as well (I testifed I am a true junkie).

The single and one of the doubles are true to size and I wear the single in 45 to zero temps or when there is high humidity with low temps. The single works well for urban or limited exposure to the extreme elements. The double is worn when the conditions warrent it.

I once taught a class in upper Minnesota in January and the single was my travel coat I took along - and it worked well even when the moisture in my hair froze instantly! The single I wear every day in the winter and will wear it up to the woods. I keep a working wilderness clothes bag in my vehicle 24/7/365 and in this bag is an oversized double mac all the time. As you're aware in the summer at higher elevations it can get brutally cold and at some elevations have snow. I travel professionally and can never predict what the weather conditions will be so I keep it in my cloths bag.

The one double mac that is one size larger than my normal fit size is delberate so I can effectively layer underneath and not have restrictive movement. In the woods "function is more important than fashion!" The oversize double resides in my cloths bag - I bought it for $1 at a garage sale like new! I wear this double primarly for cold weather hunting and when I'm doing winter wilderness training in snow or higher elevations when there is the possiblity of snow and/or extreme cold. I've worn it with just a shirt and Filson wool mac vest underneath in sub zero temps with 35 mph winds and it is awesome! Get too warm...just open it up the sleeves and unbutton the front and you'll cool down. For hunting I stalk or sit and don't do much heavy work unless I'm packing out a game animal and then I have a seperate system and protocol for that.

I have only on one occasion woren a hard shell over the top of a Filson "Alaskan Tuxedo" Double Mac - I've been in plenty of drizzles and downpours and it repels or soaks the rain up without compromising my warmth, comfort or reducing my body's inner core temp. I'm not saying it is a hardshell it just has proven very effective. A buddy of mine sprays his with Scotch Gaurd or the spray you get at REI to retreat Gore Tex and he sez it make the mac even more resistant.

Double Mac heavy? Yea I suppose they are...but that is relative too. I carry and hunt with a 9.8 pound Sharps rifle instead of some high-tech super lightweight nijia scoped rifle too. You acclimate to your gear. Everything is a trade off - everything. So I choose to carry a little extra weight knowing I have hard core-serious gear that will keep me alive all winter at 5000' elevation if I'm stuck in a survival situation.

I've seen fleece melt, I've seen wonder gore get ripped on jagged rocks, nylon get snagged - granted all these fabrics have their merit/value/benefits but for hard core gear that will get you home when the odds are stacked up against me - I choose to err on the side of Filson. :thumbup: I'm not saying it is the best, or ideal but it what I choose for many of my specifc applications.

Again, I let the mission/event/activity dictate the gear choice and not the other way around. Most people don't think about things this way I guess and just focus on the gear and consider gear out of context to the situation/application/mission.
 
Don't overlook Driza-bone either. Quality is on par with Filson, just a bit different in the type of cloth. I actually prefer the waterproofing agent that Driza-Bone uses much better.
 
I've got the double tincloth pants. Used them from Alaska to Arizona. They have stopped everything from catclaw to cactus spines, although I expect some cactus spines would penetrate if you hit them straight on and really hard.

The pants are cut baggy enough that you get some air circulation up the legs. However, the upper portion can get very warm/sweaty if you are pushing a fast pace or up a hill. To be more comfortable, I need to adjust my pace.

I wear these pants only when I need serious protection. If you don't need that kind of protection, there are many more comfortable choices.

DancesWithKnives
 
briangandrews said:
Don't overlook Driza-bone either. Quality is on par with Filson, just a bit different in the type of cloth. I actually prefer the waterproofing agent that Driza-Bone uses much better.
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I've got one of thier long dusters and love it. It's my preffered storm coat for wet weather even though I have a couple of Filson coats.

I do love my wool Filson for cold weather. I've long since given up on the "modern" wonder materials that either melt when a campfire spark hits it, or leaks after a few years of hard use. Keep the gortex and other stuff, I'll stick with wool and waxed cotton.
 
I do not have any Filson but have a cheaper(Outback brand) short duster and like it very much. Material gets very stiff in cold weather but tough and absolutley waterproof & windproof. A polypropylene undershirt, wool sweater and the duster have kept me very comfortable without alot of bulk or worry of ripping my shell.

2Door
 
I used to use the original shelter Filson wax hat in Alaska. It was great, until the wax wore out and then the cotton shrank after it got wet upteem times. It no longer fits me. I'm thinking of getting another one and finding out how to reapply the wax waterproofing. I could stuff that hat in a backpack, and then pull it out and it would look OK. It looked cool too.

These days I have the Outdoor Reserch rain hats; we'll see how they work out. They seem more waterproof thus far.

I have the double Mac jacket but only use it for hunting, as it is very quiet. It's too heavy and inefficient for most of my other uses. The modern stuff is much better, IMO.

The only time I've been seriously lost was a solo moose hunting trip on the Kenai Peninsula. It rained buckets the whole time. That coat got soaked all the way through, but it kept me warm. I got correctly oriented later in the day when the clouds lifted for 15 seconds, so it was no big deal. Had a longish hike out because I started down the wrong side of the mountain. I appreciated the jacket that day.

Personally, I think their vests might be the most practical offering they have.

I am a huge Smart Wool fan, BTY. Have a whole drawer of socks and long underwear.

Pendleton wool shirts are another of my favorites. I would spend $$ on Smart Wool socks and underwear and Pendleton shirts before any of the Filson stuff, personally. I use the Smart Wool and Pendleton products much more often that my Filson stuff.
 
The only thing I own from Filson is the Tin Hat. It is heavy and does not breath well, makes a nice foul weather 3 season hat. I do like it though, and wear it on most of my hikes until summer hits.
 
briangandrews said:
Don't overlook Driza-bone either. Quality is on par with Filson, just a bit different in the type of cloth. I actually prefer the waterproofing agent that Driza-Bone uses much better.
Click to expand...

What's the difference, I've been considering an oil/waxed cotton raincoat. I like my 2 Filson Cruisers Mackinaws and vest that I use.

Is one less oily/less smelly/less likely to rub off on contact?
 
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