Leather and Care

Care and Conditioning

Leather should be treated like your skin - use the most natural form of conditioner or balm and be careful not to use too many synthetics. We recommend using Smith's Leather Balm for all models we offer excluding suede and nubuk. For suede and nubuk, it is best to clean with a horsehair or soft-bristled brush first then apply a waterproof spray to protect the leather.

Some other brands and items we recommend using are listed below:

Nikwax

Blackrock Leather N' Rich

Beeswax

Almond Oil

Mink oil - stay away from "blends" if possible

Oregon Trail Co. Boot Wax

Best conditioner for each leather based on our findings along with the factory:

Chromexcel - All of the above.

Kudu - Smith's Leather Balm.

Moose/Elk - Smith's Leather Balm.

Vegetable tanned leathers (ex. Dublin, Essex) - Smith's Leather Balm.

Roughout - spot clean, brush then apply waterproofing spray.

Suede - spot clean, brush then apply waterproofing spray.

Mohawk/Rambler - spot clean, brush then apply waterproofing spray.

Leather and Background

We use premium leathers from world-renowned tanneries including hides from free-range, grass-fed cattle. All of our leathers are tanned in their most natural state from tanneries such as Horween, S.B. Foot and C.F. Stead.

We don't have our hides sanded down and over-dyed to cover up leather imperfections. It is our belief that the best leathers are left in their natural state, then tanned. Leather hides may have some scars and imperfections. While we monitor this on every hide, there will be subtle, yet tasteful natural imperfections which may come up and these are considered part of the boots' overall character because there is a story behind them. Rather than discarding these beautiful pieces of leather, we believe in using them to create great footwear that will last.