Caring for your leather goods

Embrace the patina

As a quality leather product ages with use it will develop a patina that is unique to the way you use it. It will naturally absorb oils and moisture from your hands, it will tan and darken as it sits in the sun, and develop a burnished gloss from the friction of use and carry. This patina is perfectly normal and is a sign that your leather goods are made with real full grain leather. With that in mind here are some tips on caring for your new leather goods

Keep them dry

Many of our goods are made from high-quality natural vegetable-tanned leathers sourced from the USA and Italy. Veg-tan leather is strong, durable, and will develop a beautiful patina as it ages. However, most veg-tan leathers are not weather resistant and should be kept safe from rain, snow, and water.

We do carry chrome tan, crazy horse, and latigo leathers for use on bags and other small goods; these types of leathers are generally more weather resistant but care should still be taken to keep them dry and out of the elements as best as possible.

If you are interested in adding a weather resistant finish to your new leather goods please let us know. 

Apply proper conditioners and treatments

Finding the right leather-care products can be overwhelming! A good rule of thumb is to not put anything on your leather goods that you wouldn't put on your own skin. We've tested many different care products and have settled on a short list:

Smiths Leather Balm is our conditioner of choice for a few reasons:

  • It's made locally in York, Maine from from just almond oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax. 
  • It helps moisturize stiff and dry leather to regain a supple and soft texture.
  • It provides a modest moisture barrier that will help prolong the life of your leather goods. 

Sno-Shield is commonly applied to our knife sheaths to help protect them against the elements while out on the trails. We have used it with success on other goods made of certain veg-tan leathers but it is not suitable in all cases! We only recommend using it on leather goods that will see heavy use outdoors like boots and knife sheaths.