Having Nice Things
 

I'm 61 and finally in a position (financially and mentally) to act on the advice of "buy quality." Here are two recent purchases. Though I live in the Seattle area (company headquarters) I first heard of Filson jackets here on Pelican OT. I now have this jacket. With tax....a little over $400. No regrets. I really want their medium duffle. It is just a matter of time. Their briefcase is also very popular. They specialize in outdoorsy stuff and their warranty is absolute. You have two options. Repair or replacement. Here is a telling story:

A friend watched the following transaction: A fellow brought and old, tattered tin-cloth jacket to the store for repair. The sales people freaked out because this jacket was one of the first ever made (about 120 years old). They offered the customer $500, plus a new jacket, if they could keep the old one (for their display/museum). The customer refused. He wanted the jacket repaired. 'Nuff said.

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These shoes came today. Samuel Hubbard. $300. Supposedly "ridiculously comfortable." Performance so far is as advertised.


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Tell me about your decisions to buy quality. Hopefully, someone can tell a story which does not begin at 61 years of age. If I had bought these two pictured things forty years ago, the shoes may have worn out but the jacket certainly would not have. Tell stories.

Here are the Filson medium duffle and briefcase. WANT!

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Have a 50 year old Filson tin coat that my dad wore as a logger and I then wore while working for OR Dept of Forestry. It's not pretty but is still indestructible.

Have several old and new Pendleton pieces. Always (and still expensive) but great quality.

Recently bought a Woolrich red/black plaid Cruiser jacket. Hoping it outlives me.

I have the padded laptop briefcase. It has probably 750,000 air miles under its belt. I need to replace the strap because one of the brass buckles wore its self into two pieces. I reached out to them and it was on back order. Need to follow up on that.

Have a few other items from them including a shirt jac or whatever it’s called that I really like.

I'm happy for you Jim......You have earned it.........

Your old floorboards are welded into the 1969...I should send you photos........Looks like factory install..........

We call that fabric oilskin around here. VERY water proof. A friend even got his dog a padded oilskin jacket LOL.

I know what you mean about nice things. It's hard to go backwards from nice to ordinary, and you can really appreciate the difference in quality. Good on you.

I have my Grandfathers Navy wool peacoat from when he attended the Naval Academy Annapolis class of 1934. Feels thick enough to stop light shrapnel. Heavy enough to beat hangars into submission. Tailor made, it fits like a tapered glove.

Filson Cruiser here. Problem is, it often isn't cold enough to wear it...

(edit) The nice thing I used several hours today? Hand made by Keith Josey a little over a decade ago. A bit over $1,000. Removed it from a case made by Jack Justis...it a little over $800. Add the break cue, and another cue with two shafts, plus accessories...around $3,000 total.
http://www.joseycues.com/

BooYah!

Bring the rain!


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[QUOTE=Superman;10446480]I'm 61 and finally in a position (financially and mentally) to act on the advice of "buy quality."

I am still in the position of launching kids out of the house, with one still in college, and one getting married this fall. If I can get through this year (financially, and mentally) we will be in a much better position to start treating ourselves to nicer things...until then ?......

My wife and I are hiking addicts...and in our early 60's, having recently completed NH's 48 4000 footers, we don't plan to stop anytime soon. One of our best investments to help support our addiction was to have Peter Limmer (the 3rd), located in Intervale, NH, make us some of the best custom hiking boots anywhere. Eighteen month waiting list and 750.00 a pair...worth every penny!

I am all for quality stuff, but the $40 duffel I bought on Amazon is great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078S4DWCT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And now it's $50....still a good deal.

I have several Filson, solid bits of kit for sure. The relationship took a bad turn when my first bit, a olive green packer coat was sent in for repairs. The coat lived hard on the farm and had a few rips that needed repair, but had developed an awesome patina over the years. sent it in and never saw it again. "they lost it". and sorry we don't make that color anymore, so here is a tan one. still grumpy over that experience.

I've been wearing tailored clothes since 1981. Nothing like them. Yes they are expensive, as are good shoes, but they are vastly different from off the rack clothing. Quality lasts. I still have every pair of dress shoes that I've ever purchased. My favorite pair is from Bruno Magli. Not custom, but an absolute perfect fit for my feet. Even tabs might be jealous.

I like to buy things once. Long term, it's cheaper. Everything I buy is with that in mind.

to be honest. nice things.

yea, i'm a fan. but it really depends. one of my greatest joys is cooking, but oddly enough i dont feel the need for the "gold standard" in cooking gear.

hunting, yea. my packs and knives; i could have dialed it back a few notches.

i do often wonder how much of the added cost is simply "prestige pricing"

oh and filson. my stepdad had one, but he was way bigger than any of us kids. it was like a tent on me. we let it go to a friend. who was, "filson? okay, i guess i'll take it." i bet he tossed it. but honestly, they are not my thing. i gravitate towards modern fabrics.

I have a newer Filson hunting coat, upland chaps and vest. I do have an old wool cruiser jacket, probably 60-80 years old. The label says "Fil-Clothes, for the man who knows".

In the late 70s, I scored a Woolrich hunting jacket at one of the local outdoor stores (Adventure 16) for $25. They wanted to get rid of it for some reason, I suppose. I don't wear it much, but every time I do, I marvel at the design and quality of it. I'll let my wife sell it or pass it on after I kick the bucket.

I grew up just down the road from Woolrich - I have plenty of Woolrich stuff.

For fishing I have a Filson Packer hat and wading jacket. I also have a blaze orange wool/tincloth cap for hunting. Each about 20 years old. They keep me dry. "Might as well have the best".

I inherited my dad's old Duluth cruiser pack - which went all over the world with him. I sent it back to the company and they replaced straps (reusing hardware at my request) and patched some holes and attachment points. The lady I spoke with there said it was made in the late 50's /early 60's, which would match up with the time he was living in Michigan.

I'm a fan of quality gear.

It's interesting to me that if you're a "sportsman" in the classic sense, ie hunting, fishing, hiking, then you can buy gear from companies like Filson that brag about longevity and warranty; if you do a sport, like cycling or skiing, or motocross, (or any sort of speed-sport) well, technology marches on unchecked and pretty soon your expensive gear that has lots of life left will be obsolete, until it's rediscovered by the vintage crowd.

I am a fan of quality gear but only up to a certain price point. If I won't be able to get the most "mileage" out of it, e.g. stuck in a closet half the year, then no. I don't have sons to pass them on to. For example, I will never buy Canada Goose or Barbour.

That said, I've been buying a few pieces "Made in USA" before they disappear, and some good quality leather products - bags, shoes.