Our Montana Leather Shop
"You learn something new about leather every day." -Jack Welch
In the late 80s Russ purchased his first sewing machine with the goal of creating the highest quality horse packing equipment available on the market. He sought mentorship and apprenticeship from Jack Welch who, in his 90s, taught Russ much of what he knew about leather working. The legacy of Jack famous mantra “you learn something new about leather every day” has been passed on to our leather shop.
Russ Barnett Stamp of Approval
Russ always says, “I want somebody to read that maker’s mark in 100 years”. And that’s our mission. To make equipment that lasts the test of time.
When we hammer that cartouche into a finished item, it means something to us. It means that the product is Made in Montana. It stands for quality of materials used. It stands for durability and attention to detail down to the strength of the thread. When you see “Russ Barnett Maker” stamped into the item you purchased, you can rest assured that we are proud of the quality of that finished product.
Quality Matters
While some processes have changed, and some equipment has changed in the 40 or so years since Russ graduated from Jack Welch’s tutelage, the quality of our shop-products hasn’t. We use the highest quality, US tanned hides available, and inspect each side of leather to ensure the quality and durability of everything we make.
Not every part of the side is created equal. When a strap needs extra durability, we know where to make that cut on the side of leather. We double stitch all of the stress points. We roll the edges of our breeching and breast collar on our pack saddle to prevent soring of the animal.
The worst thing that could happen on the trail is to have a piece of equipment fail. We’ve all seen it happen, and while you can’t always prevent a wreck, we can and do take every possible step to make sure it doesn’t happen because of our equipment.
