Archival Picnic

From the archives, here are some exemplary snaps of classic summer picnics.  What could be better than an impromptu, en plein meal in the trees, next to water or on the patio of a tent trailer.  When Tom packs for a picnic, he prefers to bring along real plates, flatwear and glasses.  Lynn has been shopping for Made in USA picnic supplies that add a little kick to the spread.  Her recent finds include compostable wooden spoons, paper drinking straws and of course, canvas throws.  Since I'm spending so many outdoor hours on my bicycle, I prefer to picnic indoors, via my screen surrogate, Doris Day, and her Sleep-Tite pajama factory colleagues.  The Fosse choreographed, Once a Year Day picnic, perfectly encapsulates all the wild glee, group dancing, aspirational color blocking  and mass mayhem of a first rate American picnic.  A future post will address the lost of art of picnic blanket tossing.

 

 

 

 

New Release - Utility Canvas Throws

 
 

 

 

 

Now available via the Archival Web Shop.

Release - Archival Trail Caps in Natural

We are now offering our lightweight, waxed cotton Archival Trail Caps in natural.  Classic five panel design with leather tab back adjustment. Made of a 5.5 ounce waxed cotton/nylon that's both durable and lightweight.  The new natural cap is perfect for walking, hunting, fishing or outdoor tennis.  Made in USA

   
Full family of Archival Trail Caps 


New Archival Trail Cap blending into the environs

Shopping from the USA: Carhartt

When I was 14, the guys at the bike shop where I volunteered insisted that Carhartts were the only pants worth buying at retail price. I biked out to Coastal Farm and Feed in Eugene, dropped $40 on a pair of B01 double-knee pants, and have been a fan ever since. We've done a few little posts on the subject, but in general we defer to Mr. Fox, undoubtedly the king of Carhartt in these parts. 

Recently there's been a little excitement as Carhartt starts to promote the styles still made in the USA. The WSJ had an interesting piece over a year ago, and Michael at ACL recently posted a great article (with, as usual, an entertaining comment thread). 

Carhartt kindly sent over one of their made in USA Active Jacs for me to check out. I love it - super warm and it's built like a truck. Gotta dig that giant zipper pull. Regular/roomy fit, so you can layer sweaters underneath. $100. Seriously cannot beat that bang for the buck unless you're buying used. 

Really happy to see the USA-made goods getting pushed, and here's hoping that more and more of their goods can be brought home as demand increases. I asked a few questions about the USA line, and here are the thoughts of Tony Ambroza, VP of Marketing at Carhartt. I'm most interested in the links between domestic manufacture and the physical design of the artifacts being produced, so I would have loved to hear more about that process - maybe someday I'll take a field trip to Irvine, KY to see the plant!

1)     What made Carhartt decide to bring the production of these styles back to the USA?

Our Made in the USA line of apparel was created in response to consumer feedback; they told us they wanted to know exactly which products we make and source in the U.S. We were able to shift some product to other manufacturing facilities in order to accommodate production of these popular styles.

2)     What advantages have you found in domestic production?

We never stopped manufacturing in the U.S. since the company’s founding in 1889. In the last 15 years alone, we’ve made more than 57 million units of apparel in our U.S. facilities.  Fortunately the family who founded the business still owns Carhartt outright and understands how the company's heritage is linked to US manufacturing.  As a consumer focused American work wear manufacturer, serving and protecting hard working people with our products is extremely important to us.  We work to ensure our products are still built to the high standards established by our founder Hamilton Carhartt, while keeping our prices competitive and affordable.  Thanks to our manufacturing approach we are able to maintain US manufacturing without increasing the price for our US styles.

3)     Any drawbacks?

It is difficult to remain competitive in our industry with only domestic production when just 2 percent of clothing bought here is actually manufactured here.  This is why we have chosen a balanced supply chain strategy which includes domestic and outsourced production. It allows us to provide high-quality products at competitive prices. With that said, no brand makes more rugged work wear in the U.S. than Carhartt.

4)      Has it been easy or hard to find the needed skilled labor to produce at scale in the USA?

Fortunately, many of the employees who stitch together our products by hand have been with us for several decades or more.  The work is physically demanding.  It takes a great deal of training and time for employees to learn the skills required to build Carhartt to our exact specifications.  

Archival Photography: The Clampette

In my stocking this past Christmas came a happy little thing of forged aluminum - the Clampette! 

It's a tiny camera fitting that can clamp onto just about anything - ideal for the time-lapse aficionado. Great packaging, great tool, made in the USA. Can't go wrong. Go check out High Sierra Mfg. 

Review: The Freeman Jacket

The kind folks at Freeman sent us a jacket to try out. They're based in Seattle, and make the jacket out of their house - an impressive feat, since it's sewn as professionally as anyone could ask.

It's made of a two-layer waterproof breathable, which, for those who didn't memorize Patagonia catalogs as a child, is an outer nylon shell with a laminate underneath - a laminate that's very fragile and must be lined. The Freeman feels like a Patagonia or Sierra Designs jacket from the late 80s - it's light, but not so light that it feels insubstantial.

Flapped pockets with logo debossed snaps. This type of spring clasp jingles a bit when it's unfastened, so if you're OCD about jingly hardware, keep it snapped!

Nice soft cotton flannel lining which is a joy to wear and is pleasing to behold. Ideal for the "sidewalk socialite," as Freeman puts it. I don't know if this would be my first choice for backpacking or skiing due to the cotton lining and lack of pit zips, but that's no deal breaker.

The fit is outstanding, and that's the main difference between this jacket and something vintage. I ended up with a size or two too small, but it's still nice and trim and the hood fits really well. I love the red drawcord and cord locks.

Recommended as a nice, clean, simple rain shell, made in Seattle by a super friendly crew. Classic synthetics don't come much better than this. Go check 'em out!

New Release: Archival Duffel

Our Archival Duffel is intended to be sturdy, simple baggage for your travels. Perfectly sized for carrying on airplanes, it's a compact tube with inside and outside pockets on the ends. The duffel's bottom is covered in a waterproof, super tough nylon truck tarp to put you at ease even when setting your bag down on grimy subway platforms or a dusty road. The main compartment is accessed through a heavy-duty #10 brass zipper with bootlace zipper pulls, covered by a weather-resistant storm flap. A stout, leather-trimmed 2" wide shoulder strap is comfortable and easily removed (strap hangs 20 to 24" from shoulder), and handles in our British military webbing are securely bar-tacked in place.

The duffel is constructed from the highest quality materials: sturdy #8 cotton duck (18 oz), Horween leather, YKK zippers, and thread are of US origin. Webbing and most of our solid brass hardware is sourced from the UK. Edges are bound in waxed cotton tape and all stress points are bar-tacked or riveted. Meets TSA carry-on limits.

Dimensions: 19.5" x 13" x 9.5" (Length / width / height)
Zipper opening: 17"
Volume: 50 liters
1 lb 9 oz

Made in USA

Shopping from ebay: Gokey loafers

Here's an unusual pair of Gokey loafers for women, available via this ebay auction. Gokey is known for their rugged, moccasin-style, handsewn boots for gents. Gokey footwear was originally designed for explorers, hunters and prospectors. Here's a typical Gokey specimen:

I've always aspired to own knee-high Gokey boots. I also covet Tom's garage sale Gokey ankle boots. But since neither style is sized for women, I'm trolling ebay for Gokeys I could actually wear. Since I live in loafers, these Gokeys might fit the bill. Best of all, they were made by the original Gokey company before they were purchased by Orvis.

In Stock: Archival Herringbone Popover

We've done another run of our popular, four button popover shirt for men. The shirts are made for us by a venerable US shirting company in a 100% cotton, navy blue herringbone twill. We spec'd these shirts with a soft point collar, single button-flap chest pocket and scoop hem that's ideal for wearing tucked or untucked. Broad shouldered or muscular gentleman may want to buy one size up as these shirts have a slim fit through the shoulders and torso. We are hatching plans to produce these for women too.

Archival Release: Archival Wool Scarf

Archival is pleased to announce the release of our first all wool scarf. Our scarf is made just for us in Portland, Oregon from fine gauge worsted wool yarn from Maine. The wonderfully unique knit pattern was developed by one of our manufacturers to use up a stockpile of acrylic yarn; when Tom spotted it in their factory he knew that we'd have to make it in wool. The open knit makes the scarf lightweight, wonderfully cozy, and plenty warm. It's sure to become an everyday favorite in chilly weather. Dimensions: 70" x 8"

Colorways: Graphite/Curry/Navy/Royal Blue

Curry

Royal Blue

Graphite

Navy

Our original all acrylic sample (not for sale)

Special thanks to Nicole and Erin for sourcing the fine gauge wool and Keri and Dave for their fit testing notes.