Great review, liked the detailed coverage. The pants you have are a remake of the original ones which were #185, known as the Filson Wool Whipcord Trail Pants, and were made in the USA with USA wool. They were discontinued in the early 90's. Another version was the #187 which had the cargo pockets set at an angle with the idea being that contents wouldn't fall out while sitting and would be easier to access when sitting or standing. They didn't last long... went out also in the early or mid 90's. The regular version was the #180 without the cargo pockets and came with a watch pocket and 7 belt loops. The original #185, similar to yours, also came with 7 belt loops and had two, one on each side seam, exactly where you pointed out they were missing on yours. Since I began wearing Filson in '69, I immediately noticed those two belt loops were missing on the new version like yours that I bought. I called Filson to ask why in the world they would eliminate two belt loops that had worked fine on the original for decades. No one I spoke with at Filson could come up with an answer. You are exactly right about all the virtues of wool whipcord. For decades I have worn the regular version, #180, without cargo pockets, for hiking, camping, biking, yard work...even to church and for casual dress as they pair up well with a sport coat and tie. One of the most versatile and durable pants ever. I'm still wearing some #180's after 25 years of hard use. Hopefully Filson will bring them back. I call them often and request that. About the only time I break out my heavier Filson Mackinaw Wool Pants is when the temp drops to freezing. Another Filson wool pant you would have liked is the original #14, which was made of 100% virgin worsted wool serge. Tough as nails, but sadly it too was dropped in the early 90's. As far as quality, like the split seat on yours, it was obvious that after Stan Kohls sold Filson to the financial house around 2005, quality took a hit. It's a bit better now, but in my years of wearing Filson between about 1969-2005, never once did I have a quality problem and never had any Filson garment fail.That has not been the case since Kohls sold Filson in 2005. For your pair with the blown out seat, I would call Filson customer service because Filson products come with a llfe-time guarantee. They should repair them at no cost to you. In my original Filson pants, that seat seam was double needle, double stitched. That's why none of my originals ever failed. Not sure if that's the case for the newer version. I'll have to look at mine and check that. Johnson Woolen Mills in Vermont johnsonwoolenmills.com/ makes wool whipcord pants there, pricey though. And sometimes Cabela's has them, but not USA made. Woolrich used to make a variety of good wool pants, but they have sold out to an Italian company and have dropped all of the originals. You might still find some online. For those of us who grew up wearing the the original Filson goods, seeing what used to be a grand old company discontinue so many of the original garments is like watching the slow and painful death of a long-time good friend.

@QualityLifeReviews

4 жыл бұрын

Wow! That was fantastic info. Having only recently discovered these pants I was not really familiar with the history. I've got to say- I'm a bit jealous of you- it sounds like you've had a long and enjoyable run with Filson. What a shame that most of the good old names - Filson, Pendelton, Abercrombie, etc. have turned or are rapidly turning into junk fashion brands. Things go in cycles- I only hope all of us live long enough to see a return to super high-quality products- it's got to come back one of these days right? The poor quality of today is one of the primary reasons that I'm so into military surplus- buying old clothes made in the 40's- 80's seems to be about the only way to find decent quality anymore. I will look into the Johnson mills whipcord- I've heard of those but have never seen any in person. As a follow up- later that day I was still wearing the Filson pants from the video, bent down to pick something up and heard a big rip - the 2nd pair of Filson split just the same as the first. I'll definitely contact Filson about those and see what happens.

@mb692100

4 жыл бұрын

Quality Life Reviews... Two pair of Filson pants of the same type with a blown seat is definitely not Filson quality, or at least the way their quality was before the 2005 buy-out. I compared a pair of my original pants to the newer version that is just like yours. On my originals, made in 2003, the seat seam is sewn with either double thread or maybe thicker thread than on my newer version. I used a flashlight and a magnifying glass to get a close up view and the thread on my originals is at least twice as thick as that on the newer version made a few years ago. Whether it's double needle, double thread or just thicker, heavier thread, the seat seam thread on my originals is clearly twice as thick as the newer version. Maybe they were trying to cut corners, but they should at least repair your pants for free. Also, my original pants have a much higher front/rear rise than the newer version, which places them higher on the waist. I have found that for active use, the higher that pants fit on the waist, the less likely they are to blow a seat seam or drop down when stooping or climbing. Plus, higher rise pants have a longer fly zipper, which is certainly needed in freezing weather when you're outdoors and nature calls. On some of my modern hiking pants, the fly zipper is so short that the only way to access is to unsnap the waist button. Not fun when you're hiking in freezing weather. Here's something else to watch out for on the newer goods since 2005: Filson used to advertise in their catalogs that a piece of reinforcing fabric was placed under all snaps so that there were two layers of fabric under every snap. To my knowledge no other manufacturer did that. Since the buy-out following the Stan Kohls era, I have had to return several coats because this extra layer or fabric was missing from under the snaps, and a few years ago I had to return a vest to repair a snap that had completely fallen out. From 1969-2005 I never once had a quality issue. My experience has been that once a high-quality, family- owned company sells out to a holding company, a financial house, or some company that doesn't have the values of the original company, three things happen.... the quality goes down, most of the original goods are discontinued, and the brand name is used to sell inferior, trendy fashion stuff at greatly elevated prices that is of no value to an outdoorsman. Woolrich is a good example of this too. To be fair to Filson though, they still carry a few of the original goods, but I fear the original Filson quality is a thing of the past. If only Stan Kohls had sold Filson to an individual of like mind. He bought the company from the Filson family in the 70's when the number of goods was about 35 and had increased it to about 250 by or before 2005. Perhaps it is prophetic that in the years since the 2005 buy-out, Mr. C. C. Filson's own motto for the company... "MIGHT AS WELL HAVE THE BEST" disappeared from the catalogs, labels and literature. It's just heartbreaking to see what has become of one the of USA's most unique and historic companies.

@QualityLifeReviews

4 жыл бұрын

@@mb692100 Thats fascinating stuff- you certainly know your Filson. I knew that their line made in Asia was junk but had kind of thought they would maintain their classic made in USA line to the old, high standards- apparently that is not the case. I'm going to keep a closer eye out for mint vintage Filson when I hit the garage sales this summer.

@Mikere81

Жыл бұрын

I am looking at purchasing a pair from ebay and want to know about fit? Do they run big , snug, try to size. Would you recommend going up a size? I am looking at wearing them hunting and outside around my property taking care of chores. Thanks for any input.

@mb692100

Жыл бұрын

@@Mikere81 If your current pants are slightly snug, I would go up one size. The old 180 whipcord pants were a snug true-to-fit, so I would order one size up. That would allow for wearing long underwear and heavy wool shirts. Also, going up one size allows for shrinkage if you ever get them soaked from rain, as I often did when hiking. The 180s were cut more like dress/ casual pants than the more full-cut Carhartt work pants. I would rather go up in size as too tight wool whipcord is uncomfortable. Hope this helps and that you find a pair. The old Filson 180s were the finest wool whipcord pants ever made.

WHAT IS THE SHIRT YOU ARE WEARING PLEASE ? CHEERS

Thanks for this. I'm exploring wool options for winter. From old hunting pants to vintage military. I'd love to see the direction you're taking with your journey.

Awesome video!! Great review. Helped me A LOT with deciding on wool pants which has taken me yeard

I bought some whipcord wool pants from Johnson Woolen Mills (made in Vermont, USA) and I love them.

@justinitsthatguyme010

Жыл бұрын

If you do buy them they run long. I normally wear a 32 but their 32s are about 3.75-4 inches too long.

I have two pair of the original 180 style, bought in the early '80's, I think. I have worn them at all temperatures in the Wyoming mountains and never felt over dressed or cold. Very wind proof, water repellent and tough. They look as good today as they did 50 years ago. I cannot believe Filson doesn't make them anymore. I have many different wool pants, but these are the best.

Thanks big guy!

For whatever reason, I've never been able to warm up to wool pants. I've always opted for a durable pant with some wool baselayer underneath.

I just checked those links, are they not producing these fantastic looking pants anymore?

FILSON IS THE BEST! THANK YOU !

The tear in the middle of the pants has happened to me on many pairs from jeans too many many military pants. It does suck but it happens

Tried any WeatherWool? It's on my list.

Have you tried sending your damaged pants back to Filson for repair? I guarantee you that they will repair it or give you something equivalent.

What is that pullover shirt your wearing?

I absolutely love these pants! I bought a pair on clearance. Got them, fell in love and went to buy a second, possibly 3rd pair, I love them that much! No longer available. I was able to pick up a second pair on Ebay for a fraction of the cost. That rip should be covered under their guarantee. I would definitely contact them

Old is new! Until about 100 years ago a very very similar material was commonplace daily wear called "Jean Wool".

I wanna know about that bison bushcraft shirt.

@pursueadventure

8 ай бұрын

I second that. That shirt looks great.

You look really good in those pants, and now I want a pair too..... But I don't see it on Filson's website though, is it discontinued?

@chevyon37s

3 жыл бұрын

Guess you missed the part where he said they were only available for about 6 months

@Commander_HW

3 жыл бұрын

@@chevyon37s Oh, thx.

Send those blow out seam pants to Filson and they will repair or replace.

Have you tried Fjallraven pants with G1000?

@QualityLifeReviews

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, I've checked those out. A friend of mine has some. I think they look great- very stylish. I never bought any however because looking into them further I found out that pretty much everything they produce is made in China and Vietnam. It would appear that they were a good, solid Swedish outdoors clothing company years ago, but today are essentially just marketing a name. I'm skeptical about their quality and long term durability based on my poor experience with other Asian made clothing I've used (the conspicuous exception being anything from Japan- usually super high quality).

@piotr4568

4 жыл бұрын

@@QualityLifeReviews I wear my pants for more than three years, I use them very often and they are ok g1000 is one of my favorite outdoor / bushcraft materials! (very durable, does not catch sparks, you can wax it dry quickly) I have a backpack with g1000 HD jacket and pants G1000 It is true that they moved the factory to China but the quality is still 100% chek my: kzread.info/dron/B0mVhed_vHjV7QaK_7uAJg.html instagram.com/gotoforest Best Piotr from GotoForest

@QualityLifeReviews

4 жыл бұрын

@@piotr4568 thanks for the info! I'm going to have to get a pair and test them out. How does the G1000 material perform in hot weather? do you think it's best for any particular type of climate?

@piotr4568

4 жыл бұрын

@@QualityLifeReviews I use them all year. In the summer I use less wax and more in autumn and winter. For me, these are pants for the whole year. In summer, mosquitoes don't break through the g1000

@bgjr2304

3 жыл бұрын

Im a stone mason and I use the G1000s. They're great.. breathable, not constricting, wash up nicely. They're not NEARLY as stylish as those Filsons.. those are suuuuperflyyy! Wish I could find a pair

I got a pair of 34’s and 36’s for when I’m plump’er!! Seriously dressy!!

Its been my observation that numerous outdoors clothing companies earn a reputation of very high quality for reasonable but not cheap prices. This gets discovered by mainstream society, usually its a single product or two, and becomes ,suddenly extremely popular even fashionable. Demand grows, out stripping production and larger corporations eye the company's now reputable name. The company gets bought out, production goes to asia to increase profits for investors and increase production. You are left with lower quality products being sold for the same prices they were when made locally. Supposedly Eddie Bauer were once good. Fjallraven took a hit with products now made in Asia, still expensive though. Numerous companies have gone this way.

Filson are guaranteed for life. Contact them and send em back they will fix those for ya.

Not tru I got green ones from 50s and the pockets were 3 x thicker than the new 1 s ur referring 2 , 17 Oz and vary water wind proof lite rarely get wet large front pocket vary vary warm rarely get dirty and sweat ur azz off in woods still no sent , they are tough and look gre8 4 dress 2 but vary good in warm weather the old pants had no pocket floppers also , absorb 30% of wools weight pants are life time no other like a filson u get what u pay for send em back mine have 3 stitches wide the old 1s must been built much better but as a rule filson is the toughest clothing around got 50 year old wool coats look new warn a lot for all purposes work play to flat abuse and if u can send em off they will fix it !! My zipper is 20 years old still works like new enough said I'm a 100 % filson guy especially tin and wool products

they rip extremely easy only single stitched through the seams and the crotch I am 6'1 160 lbs 32-34 and had the crotch rip on me first day I had them swinging my leg up over my saddle comfortable pants but really sad the construction is so poor I would never recommend these if you are actually going to work or use them while being truly active. fine for new age seattle yuppys walking around pikes place but very disappointing for a outdoorsman.

Mil surplus is NOT dirt cheap anymore. And, military gear isn't always "the best gear" Keep in mind also, "mil spec" really means "lowest bidder using the cheapest materials"

Filson has been falling off a very long time. I would never buy a new Filson product, ever at this point in time. It's sad to say that product brands you could once trust for holding a high degree of quality, have fallen to new lows. At this point, I have considered making my own wool over trousers, or maybe even bibs. I personally, am sick of the cheaply made products out there, and at a very high cost, usually. Good luck with your trouser quest :-) ATB from New England.