Panel a: differential distribution of crest-averaged masses per unit length for the sample of 599 robust filaments identified by Arzoumanian et al. (2019) in the Herschel GBS maps of eight nearby molecular clouds (IC5146, Orion B, Aquila, Musca, Polaris, Pipe, Taurus L1495, and Ophiuchus). Above the critical mass per unit length M_line, crit ∼ 16 M_⊙ pc⁻¹ (vertical dashed line), the filament sample is estimated to be more than 90% complete (see text) and the distribution is well fitted by a Salpeter-like power law ΔN/Δlog (solid line segment). Panel b: differential distribution of total masses for the same sample of filaments as in the left panel. At the high-mass end (M_tot >  15 M_⊙), the distribution of filament masses is well fitted by a Salpeter-like power law ΔN/Δlog (solid line segment). In both panels, the error bars correspond to counting uncertainties.