Bye Bye Filson, Hello Tom Beckbe (RANT!)

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

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Staff member
My Filson Tin Cloth Packer hat needs a new leather inside band. The old one is hard and creased making it unpleasant to wear. Leather conditioner won't soften it. I emailed Filson and asked them if they could replace the band. I am told I have to fill out a return request. Again I tell them I simply want to know if they can replace the inside hat band. Again they tell me I must fill out a form for the repairs department and send pictures. Once again I tell them I don't want the hassle I just want to know if they can replace an internal head band. They insist I follow their steps so I acquiesce. Today I received a boresome email about how my hat is in the state it is in not from manufacturing defects but from normal use. Blah, blah, blah, they will not repair it.

DAMN they are dense as bricks! I NEVER ASKED FOR WARRANTY WORK! So I replied again stating I NEVER ASKED FOR WARRANTY WORK. Further, I was willing to pay for the repair I just wanted to know if they had the ability to make that repair. It took this much effort on my part just to get a simple "No. We can't."

Since they can't make basic repairs to hats there is no way I'll buy another from Filson. Tom Beckbe on the other hand sure makes a nice hat...
 
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Eric~

Reminds me of a story....

Back in the last century - 1980s - the cup on my Stanley thermos bottle became corroded. I believe it had been a Christmas gift from my Dad back in the 1960s. The ubiquitous salt water had made its way behind the plastic liner of the stainless steel cup. The resulting corrosion bubbled the steel enough that I could no longer screw the cup onto the bottle in the time-honored tradition. My partner at work - both a veteran gunner and returner-of-items to reputable retailers (He once had LL Beans replace a pocket knife he had simply lost!) - assured me Stanley would replace my cup/cap for free. So, I mailed it off with hope in my heart.... I received only an order form for a new - and very expensive - cup. And, no, they did not return my cup.

My solution was to abandon hot drinks and instead carried a quart bottle of Tropicana Golden Grapefruit Juice in the duckboat forever after. It hit the spot even when the temperatures turned it to an ice-filled slurry!

All the best,

SJS
 
Eric,

With luck, someone directs Filson's marketing department to this thread. They will be unhappy, as Filson claims to be all about quality. They will want to contact you, and you will then have a choice to make...accept their apologies and a new hat (or your miraculously repaired one), or tell them to pound sand. I know which I'd choose.

Just to make sure it's good and visible, I Googled Filson hat band, and voila! Let the bots take it from here.
 
Thanks, Steve for the chuckle. I don’t think I’d ever be able to forego coffee on a morning hunt, but to each their own!

Eric - let us know how the Beckbe turns out. I’ve been eyeing their stuff for some time but it’s a pretty penny. Filson’s downward spiral out of “sporting goods” seems to be reaching its end. There are only a few remaining items that they sell in the category and the list seems to grow shorter each day. Most stuff is produced offshore now after they were acquired, and what remains is okay at best.
 
Eric,
I personally gave up on Filson after their last corporate sale, as stated the spiral is almost complete.
I have been a fan of all my S.Kromer gear, although a packer is not on the menu. Maybe someone should drop a dime and a product idea.🤣
 
Steve Sanford said:
Reminds me of a story....

Back in the last century - 1980s - the cup on my Stanley thermos bottle became corroded. I believe it had been a Christmas gift from my Dad back in the 1960s. The ubiquitous salt water had made its way behind the plastic liner of the stainless steel cup. The resulting corrosion bubbled the steel enough that I could no longer screw the cup onto the bottle in the time-honored tradition. My partner at work - both a veteran gunner and returner-of-items to reputable retailers (He once had LL Beans replace a pocket knife he had simply lost!) - assured me Stanley would replace my cup/cap for free. So, I mailed it off with hope in my heart.... I received only an order form for a new - and very expensive - cup. And, no, they did not return my cup.

SJS
Click to expand...
My experience with Stanley was the complete opposite: My Pop bought a Stanley thermos back in the late 70s. I inherited it in late 2005. I used it for one season and determined it didn't keep anything warm anymore. I emailed Stanley customer service with a photo of the all the information on the bottom. Got a reply back and 2 weeks later I had a new thermos on the doorstep, no charge.

For what Filson costs, you'd think they would like to keep customers happy...
 
Steve & Carl

I think I have the same thermos. I got it for a Christmas present in the late 80's and used it for hot chocolate when duck hunting cold mornings. It is green with a metal screw-on top that is a cup. The vacuum insulated model. I was bragging to my son's friend how long it kept drinks hot. He took it on a hunt the next day and used it alongside his brand-new Yeti. By the end of the day the coffee in my Thermos was tepid, while the Yeti coffee was piping hot. I hated to admit it, but the old Thermos was no longer king of the hill.
 

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Eric Patterson said:
Steve & Carl

I think I have the same thermos. I got it for a Christmas present in the late 80's and used it for hot chocolate when duck hunting cold mornings. It is green with a metal screw-on top that is a cup. The vacuum insulated model. I was bragging to my son's friend how long it kept drinks hot. He took it on a hunt the next day and used it alongside his brand-new Yeti. By the end of the day the coffee in my Thermos was tepid, while the Yeti coffee was piping hot. I hated to admit it, but the old Thermos was no longer king of the hill.
Click to expand...
Yes, same one!
My current one keeps hot chocolate/coffee piping hot all day long. Well, at least last time I used it back in January 2019. :(
You might want to contact Stanley, see if they still have a lifetime warranty.
 
STORMY KROMER, cannot beat em far as I'm concerned and GUARANTED FOR LIFE. I own several. I purchased the Rancher well insulated hat for deer hunting in 2021. Somehow the brim of the hat material broke in the middle back to front. I sent in photos last year, never heard a word except that they got the photos. A brand new Rancher Hat arrived a month later. Ya can't ask for more than that in my book.

The old Stanley thermos was JUNK. Never EVER kept any coffee, tea, or soup warm (forget about hot) for more than a hour IF you were lucky. I owned several. My fellow workers in the Steel Mill and other jobs all had them. Same thing, making warm drinks Cold they were very good at. Bought a NISSAN many years ago cuz they Keep Hot drinks Hot. Now Stanley owns them......Oh my.


my 2 cents
 
Tim Clark said:
Filson’s downward spiral out of “sporting goods” seems to be reaching its end. There are only a few remaining items that they sell in the category and the list seems to grow shorter each day. Most stuff is produced offshore now after they were acquired, and what remains is okay at best.
Click to expand...
Sadly, this is very true! The same thing can be said for L.L. Bean, mostly geared toward the younger crowd that could care less about anything hunting related. Gander Mountain went the same direction after the bankruptcy, I don’t know if they even exist anymore. There are places like Beckbe, Wren & Ivy and a few others that still offer high quality products albeit with a price tag that can be very hard to justify. It’s just sad to see.
 
Eric, just a thought, but maybe there is a leather worker or hat maker in the area that could replace the band for you.

I am on the fence about getting a Filson waterfowler hat, just because, but I need another hat like I need a hole in my head.

The decline in Filson, LL Bean, etc. started when people wanted WalMart pricing for good gear...they would pay $35 for a jacket every year rather than $200 for a jacket that would last the rest of their lives with a little care. That, and plain tan or olive "can't" be as good as the new Ultra Premier Mossy Grass 5X Ultimate camo....
 
Carl said:
My experience with Stanley was the complete opposite: My Pop bought a Stanley thermos back in the late 70s. I inherited it in late 2005. I used it for one season and determined it didn't keep anything warm anymore. I emailed Stanley customer service with a photo of the all the information on the bottom. Got a reply back and 2 weeks later I had a new thermos on the doorstep, no charge.

For what Filson costs, you'd think they would like to keep customers happy...
Click to expand...
Carl,
I had exactly the same experience with Stanley. That green thermos with the silver cup was my gift to my dad after he retired. He never used it. When he died many years later, I tried it, and it would not keep anything hot. Sent it back. Stanley sent me a new one.

Larry
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Boy, would I like a waterproof duck parka in one of those traditional colors. Or an old fashioned cotton lined rainhood like the ones Bean sold years ago.
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This is second hand info, so take it for what it’s worth, but…

Several years ago, a friend of mine had a Lab from Wildrose kennels. They invited owners down and asked them to bring their typical hunting gear for duck season…jacket, waders, hat, etc.

They put everyone in a variety of backgrounds to mimic different hunting areas…flooded timber, fields, marsh, etc. and took photos of the group. The single most versatile color that did not stick out was the traditional Filson tan/wax cloth. Most of the camo was good for one area and either too dark or light for everything else.

My all time favorite camo was the original Mossy Oak bottomland. It was dark enough for timber, but usable just about anywhere else.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Boy, would I like a waterproof duck parka in one of those traditional colors. Or an old fashioned cotton lined rainhood like the ones Bean sold years ago.
Click to expand...
Sitka is running some of their products in solid colors now. You didn’t add affordable to your list, but it checks the other boxes.
 
Tim Clark said:
Sitka is running some of their products in solid colors now. You didn’t add affordable to your list, but it checks the other boxes.
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After I finish holiday shopping, I'm gonna look into that. I know Sitka isn't ashamed to put a price tag on their stuff, but the few Sitka products (long johns) I have are nice. Thanks.
 
I have LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, Filson, Woolrich, Pendelton, Orvis, Columbia, and other quality makers items that are older than many members on Duckboats. With proper care and hard use over many year they Still Do the Job.

When each of those companies branched out to more "non hunting & fishing" gear the quality and selection tanked in their core items that we all liked. Thank goodness that there are newer companies making quality gear. Yes it's not cheap but one thing we are good at is Saving For the Items that we Know will help us in our 0utdoor pursuits. Bartering is also something many of us are good at that can get us items we like and use.

My old Columbia Wigeon Mossy Oak Bottomland jacket still does one fine job in many hunting & fishing situations. I wore the liner clean out to shreds, and bought a new Columbia liner for warmth. The old and new combo work just fine.

my 2 cents
 
Rick

I looked for a hat repair shop and think the closest one is in Nashville. Last night when I got home from work I pulled out a Duxbak hat I bought a few years back, a can of wax, and a blow drier and went to work. I think it will work just fine, and I didn't have to spend any money. All it lacks is a snazzy leather band on the outside to look like the Filson or Beckbe. I will buy Beckbe stuff in the future given all the positive comments I've read about them. BTW, the Filson hat was Jeff's. I've worn it several times, but the inside band is so harsh it wasn't pleasant. I think rather than repair it I'll just hang on to it as is. The cost to repair is likely what a new hat runs.
 
Eric Patterson said:
Rick

I looked for a hat repair shop and think the closest one is in Nashville. Last night when I got home from work I pulled out a Duxbak hat I bought a few years back, a can of wax, and a blow drier and went to work. I think it will work just fine, and I didn't have to spend any money. All it lacks is a snazzy leather band on the outside to look like the Filson or Beckbe. I will buy Beckbe stuff in the future given all the positive comments I've read about them. BTW, the Filson hat was Jeff's. I've worn it several times, but the inside band is so harsh it wasn't pleasant. I think rather than repair it I'll just hang on to it as is. The cost to repair is likely what a new hat runs.
Click to expand...

I get it.

There is a custom leather work shop on my way home from the office. I splurged and had him make me a shoulder holster rig for my 1911, with mag pouches on the other side. I'm lefthanded, so it isn't something you can just find normally. But he makes knife sheaths, shoulder bags, belts, custom rigging for saddles, reins, etc. Laura bought herself a nice shell wallet for her .308 that folds double and holds 10 rounds. Easy to drop in the hunting pack.

He has all but quit doing custom work because he has so much boot repair work; almost nobody in the area can re-sole and repair leather boots anymore. He said he could use at least one full time person and probably another part timer, but he said nobody has any experience or equipment and they want him to teach them. I see his point in some respects, but leather working isn't something you can just "do" either.
 
Eric,

Contact Dirty Billy Hats in Gettysburg PA. He makes historical reproduction hats of the American revolution, and the Civil War, as well as different civilian hats. I think I remember a friend sending him a hat to be repaired. He and his wife are very nice people. I'm sure if you called them and asked if they could do the repair you would get a straight answer. If he can't do the repair himself, he probably will know who can. Here is the link. Good luck!
Zane

 
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