Saddle leather Saddle leather is a robust and high-quality type of leather known for its strength and durability. The saddle leather we use to make our camera straps, is made from the skin of cows and buffalo’s and is mainly vegetable tanned. We would like to share with you why we chose this type of leather.
For us, the most important properties of saddle leather are:
Saddle leather has a beautiful, natural appearance and can vary in color due to tanning. In concrete terms, this means that a color difference can occur in the various pieces of leather during the same coloring. With an open finish, a patina (a natural shine) develops as it ages, making the appearance unique.
Saddle leather is one of the strongest and most durable types of leather. It is typically thicker than other types of leather, often ranging from 3mm to 6mm or more. This makes it very suitable for products that require extra strength and durability. It retains its shape well and can carry a lot of weight without deforming, making it ideal for applications such as belts, bags, saddlery and other products that are subject to a lot of abuse.
Vegetable tanning is a more environmentally friendly technique than chrome tanning. Vegetable tanning uses natural materials instead of heavy metals, resulting in a less harmful production process for the environment and the end product is biodegradable. In addition to the fact that this is a sustainable technique, the leather has good absorption capacity. This makes the leather react well to dyes, oils and fats and it is possible to color and finish the leather as desired.
Saddle leather is easy to work with and very suitable for techniques such as cutting, engraving and embossing. This makes it popular with artisans who make handmade leather goods such as labels, key chains and camera straps.
A characteristic property of saddle leather is its smell. It has a rich, earthy scent that comes from the vegetable tanning process. This scent is often associated with authenticity and craftsmanship and can be experienced as very pleasant by enthusiasts.
All these properties make saddle leather a very versatile and valued material in the leather industry. It is a commonly used type of leather in high-quality leather goods and craft products. Saddle leather is particularly suitable for applications where durability, aesthetics and natural qualities are paramount. This is why we only work with (European manufactured) saddle leather.