Filson Journeyman Backpack

Our Journeyman Backpack is the perfect example of versatile functionality. It boasts a generous capacity and carries your load comfortably on the trail or on the job. With a clean and uncluttered design, without unnecessary bells and whistles, the Journeyman goes about its business in a quiet, workmanlike way.

We combined the individual strengths of several of our signature materials to create our best-selling backpack. The main compartment is built with oil finish Tin Cloth to protect your gear from rain, sleet, and snow, just as it’s protected generations of loggers and sportsmen in the rain-soaked forests of the Pacific Northwest. Tin Cloth is a tightly-woven canvas duck that’s been thoroughly saturated with a paraffin wax formulation for maximum water repellency. Our 2-ply by 3-ply Rugged Twill, an industrial-strength fabric from the iconic British Millerain, forms the back panel and reinforces the base for added structure and durability. The padded shoulder straps are built with Tin Cloth and lined with Moleskin, a suede cotton that minimizes slipping while improving breathability. The contoured, adjustable straps are secured to the backpack with vegetable-tanned Bridle Leather from Wickett & Craig, the historic Pennsylvania tannery since 1867. Each of our Bridle Leather hides has been slowly steeped in an environmentally-friendly bark-tannin solution, with tallows and waxes added in the final stages for suppleness and luster. The final result is a leather that’s as well-suited for our luggage as it is for bridles and saddlery.

The Journeyman’s spacious, lined main compartment is secured by a solid brass, heavy-gauge YKK® zipper shielded from water by a Tin Cloth gutter along its entire length. It extends more than halfway down the bag for easy access and visibility into the entire backpack. The back panel and attached laptop sleeve easily hold a 15” computer–and both are padded to protect its contents or your back from sharp or bulky loads. The exterior pocket is gusseted with corner snaps, allowing it to remain low-profile or expand to increase capacity. The one-hand-operable snapped pocket flap ensures your quick-access essentials stay dry. Added details such as the grab handle, snapped closure over the main compartment’s rain gutter, and zipper pulls are made from Bridle Leather, rounding out a thoughtfully-designed, well-executed backpack that will provide dependable service for as many miles as you care to walk or ride.

The Journeyman Backpack is everything you need in a backpack while carrying the hallmark of well-engineered gear – it does what it’s supposed to do without drawing attention to itself.