In 1897, C.C. Filson opened C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers, specializing in goods to outfit the stampeders for the Klondike Gold Rush. Stories of harrowing experiences in the Yukon were widely reported. The diary of Hume Nisbet, 1897 painted this picture: "Try to recall your sensations on the coldest night you have ever known: try to intensify the most bitter ice blast that has ever pierced your marrow by a thousand fold; even then you will not be able to realize spring in the Chilkoot Canyon, far less midwinter on the Klondike."

It was for these terrible conditions that Filson designed his goods. He owned his own mill and manufactured Mackinaw clothing, Mackinaw blankets and knit goods, as well as selling boots, shoes, moccasins and sleeping bags specially designed for the frigid North. Filson kept in close contact with his customers, improving his goods to meet their specific needs. The stampeders depended on Filson. In that era, clothing wasn't a matter of choice, but a matter of survival.

Over the years, Filson's philosophy has never changed: making sure it's the absolute best. C.C. Filson spent a lot of time talking to his customers and refining his designs to their specifications. So it's not surprising that the items that worked then still work today, over 100 years later. Comfort, protection and durability never go out of style.