maine | The Filson Journal

Filson x Rugged Seas

The idea was simple: collect used bibs, give them a good cleaning, then cut and repurpose the materials to give the bibs a second life. In practice, of course, it’s never that easy, but by building on the expertise of manufacturers and businesses in and around their hometown of Cape Elizabeth, ME, Rugged Seas has been able to grow from a home-based operation to one that involves not just their local community but also working waterfronts up and down the coast.

3 Min

Signature Materials

Filson x Allagash Cruiser Axe: Hand Forged in Maine, USA

Brant & Cochran’s goal was to create an heirloom-quality axe that could also be put to unrelenting work. That starts with the steel—U.S.-made 1050 carbon steel. The “1050” refers to a steel made up of only two components: iron and .5% carbon. When tempered to 56 Rockwell hardness, the Allagash Cruiser bites deep and keeps an edge. A world-class axe also needs a world-class handle. The Amish-turned hickory handles hafted on the Allagash Cruiser are blemish-free, with superior grain orientation guaranteeing strength and durability.

3 Min

a top down view of a dark wood table with various tools and materials to make a shoe, including a hammer, scissors, wax and thread

Signature Materials

Keeping Handmade Traditions Alive in the Northeast: Filson & Quoddy

Jack and Anne Spiegel originally started Quoddy in Maine in 1947. Their unique footwear was all made with moccasin construction to be flexible, durable, and repairable. At one point, Quoddy had a fleet of stores, many along the well-traveled Route 1 where summer visitors stocked up on other home-grown Maine brands like Hathaway, GH Bass, and LL Bean.

6 Min

warehouse of white maple syrup barrels stacked to the ceiling on the right and left

Field Notes

The Heist: Canada’s Sticky Situation

Together they discovered that someone had tampered with over 1,000 barrels. Nearly 540,000 gallons (10,000 barrels worth) of thick, golden liquid sunshine had been stolen; 12.5 percent of the Reserve, with a street value of anywhere from $13.4 to $18 million, was unaccounted for.

8 Min

Field Notes

Elver Fishing in Maine

Elver fishing in Maine is based on a lottery system. For those lucky enough to win a license the payout can be over $2,000/lb.

4 Min

Profiles

Mike Blais of Auburn Stove Foundry Company

Some of Mike Blais’ earliest memories are from the inside of his grandfather’s foundry in Maine. He spent his youth shadowing the older man, learning to mix sand and clay, ram patterns, heat metal, and pour it, creating something from nothing in a series of precise steps. He cast his first piece on his own, under his grandfather’s watchful eye, before he reached the age of ten: a grate for a small coal stove.

6 Min

Profiles

Maine Guides

Maine Guides are an institution just as iconic in the Northeast as lobster fishermen. They’re stitched into Maine’s landscape—a mythical place of famous coastline and rivers, as well as vast swaths of undeveloped woods (a rarity in the crowded East) that teem with wildlife.

5 Min

line of small structures in frozen tundra at sunset

Profiles

Extinctions of the Pleistocene: Ice Fishing in Maine with Jon Levitt

Photographer Jonathan Levitt lives on an acreage near the village of Ducktrap, Maine and spends much of his time roaming the inlets and islands of Penobscot Bay. In his latest Filson Life, Jon explores the remnants of the “Ice Age” in a photo essay from an ice fishing trip for smelt with friends.

woman with green plaid shirt harvest Dancing Signorina Mushroom at Bear Cave Place

Field Notes

The Time of the Harvest: Mushroom Foraging with Jonathan Levitt

Jonathan Levitt lives on an acreage near the village of Ducktrap, Maine. There, in Ducktrap, and on the islands of Penobscot Bay, early fall is the time of the mushroom harvest. The Trumpet of Death, The Dancing Signorina, The Pollo of the Woods, The Bear’s Head, The Little Red Fox — all of the wonderful

Old growth pine forest with lush green undergrowth and moss covered tree trunks

Field Notes

Spend 4 Days Exploring the Shores of Maine by Canoe with Rhon Bell

Outdoor writer Rhon Bell of Backwoods Plaid explores the history-ridden shores of Maine by canoe. Twenty two miles long and up to four miles wide. The third-largest body of water in a state with over 3,400 lakes. Maine is where it’s at and this is where our adventure takes place. For the next four days my

bee keeper in green hat with net holds a wooden hive insert with thousands of bees

Field Notes

Beekeeping Benefits with Peter Patenaude

Peter Patenaude, a registered Maine guide, has been a Filson advocate for over six years. His blog Boot & Canoe, focuses on traditional skills and Maine’s outdoor heritage. Today, Peter details the benefits of beekeeping.

Ice Fishing - Man in olive wool coat and pants sets up ice fishing hole

How-To's

10 Tips to Get You Out on the Hard Water with Peter Patenaude

Peter Patenaude, a registered Maine guide, has been a Filson advocate for over six years. His blog Boot & Canoe, focuses on traditional skills and Maine’s outdoor heritage. Today, Peter shares 10 tips for a successful day of ice fishing. Exercising a small brook trout on a fly rod is a great experience; similarly, pulling one

Field Notes

The Ultimate Connection to Nature

Maine-based Rhon Bell of Backwoods Plaid, takes Filson on a record-setting ice fishing trip. Fishing is my ultimate connection to nature, so it’s without hesitation that I agreed to a two-day ice fishing trip with long-time friend and Registered Maine Guide, Steve. Within an hour I booked a rustic cabin conveniently wedged between two remote lakes.

Mother moose and her calf in green pasture with treeline in background

Field Notes

Growing Up In Northern Maine By Rhon Bell

Maine-based Rhon Bell of Backwoods Plaid, takes Filson along for a trip through the backwoods of Northern Maine and the sights you see along the way. Growing up in the woods of Northern Maine, like most wild states, hunting was a family occasion. Like the hunting land we’ll tramp across today, the skills of game scouting

maple sap running out of spout into bucket

How-To's

5 Tips to Maple Sugaring

You do not need to invest a lot of money to make maple syrup. Tap spouts, pails, an old cooking pan and a fire pit are all you need to be on your way to running your own operation.

4 Min

Filson x Rugged Seas

Filson x Allagash Cruiser Axe: Hand Forged in Maine, USA

Keeping Handmade Traditions Alive in the Northeast: Filson & Quoddy

The Heist: Canada’s Sticky Situation

Elver Fishing in Maine

Mike Blais of Auburn Stove Foundry Company

Sign up to receive the latest news about Filson products, events & stories.

Maine Guides

Extinctions of the Pleistocene: Ice Fishing in Maine with Jon Levitt

The Time of the Harvest: Mushroom Foraging with Jonathan Levitt

Spend 4 Days Exploring the Shores of Maine by Canoe with Rhon Bell

Beekeeping Benefits with Peter Patenaude

10 Tips to Get You Out on the Hard Water with Peter Patenaude

The Ultimate Connection to Nature

Growing Up In Northern Maine By Rhon Bell

5 Tips to Maple Sugaring