Bridle Leather Belts

These Bridle leather belts come in Natural, Light Brown, Dark Brown, and Black (not shown). The belt shown above is Natural Bridle with the nickel Garrison buckle. There is a lot of light on that picture, it is actually a little darker russett color. The Natural Bridle is open grain and has no finish, it will darken with use and application of leather conditioner if you choose to apply some. The other bridle colors have a finished surface that needs no conditioner, that has been done at the tannery. The dark brown is shown on the belt below. As you can see it is a little darker than the dark brown shown here. The same is true of the other colors, they may be a little darker than shown.

Leather color

They have solid brass, or Nickle over solid brass buckles, and come in 1-1/4", 1-1/2", and 1-3/4" widths. The Bridle leather is thick and supple 10-12 oz.(5/32" - 3/16") thick. This is the same Bridle leather that is used on the Bridle Leather Ranger Belts.
Other buckle choices are shown on the harness leather belt page.

The harness stitching also shown on the harness leather belt page can be added to the belt edge.

The bridle leather is made by the same tannery as the harness leather. After oak tanning this select grade has additional operations performed on it to make it become bridle leather. It is stuffed with tallow and oil to make it more supple and is then dyed and finished. There is more information about the types of leather I use at the botom of this page.

To get the proper length belt, measure your old belt from the end of the buckle to the hole you use most. This is your "Center Hole Length" and will be used to make your new belt as shown on the diagram below. This will make your new belt fit properly on the center hole.
BELTS ARE NOT RETURNABLE BECAUSE OF INCORRECT SIZE. IT IS UP TO YOU TO MEASURE CORRECTLY.

Still not sure how to measure? For measuring help for a belt with buckle click to view the demo video This might take from a few seconds to a minute to load.

leather belt size

If you are ordering a belt WITHOUT a buckle, subtract the amount the buckle contributes to the length of the belt from the WITH BUCKLE length obtained from your old belt. More detailed measuring instructions are on the harness leather belt page.

1-1/2" Dark brown belt with wheat stitching and brass buckle #1.

Availability: Usually ships in 5-7 business days.

$58.75

Color: Width: Finish: Buckle: Slot: Length: Belt Loop: Stitching:

I'm reading in style forums that my belts are inexpensive compared to other belts (of perhaps equal, or lesser quality but with a name). Don't equate price with quality... if my products were sold in stores, or on the internet by others, they WOULD cost twice as much or more.

I've tried to describe the differences between the different belt leathers so customers can make an informed purchase. This customer gets it, and probably sums it up better that I can.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the main difference between the plain, harness, and bridle leather is the following. The plain is, essentially "painted"... the color is not worked into the leather, just applied. The harness is "stained", like wood... the color soaks into the leather, causing the leather to retain it's natural feel, and the color to last longer and age better. The bridle leather is the same as the harness, just worked with additional oils to make it softer. Other than that, there's no difference in the quality of the leather that gets classified as "bridle" or "harness"?"

That's true, all I can add is that the plain belts also have some thru dying that was done at the tannery before they applied the final top coat.
Also the process of converting harness leather to bridle leather is done at the tannery as a controled process in the final stages of finishing and isn't something you can do at home.

"Finally, could you tell me how thick the leather is? This might be a stupid question, but is it a single piece of leather, or several thinner strips that are glued together? Post purchase, do these belts need to be oiled, or cared for in any way?"

All the belt leathers are one thickness, there is no glue holding it together, no man made materials, and nothing to come apart. The harness leather is about .150" and the bridle leather is about .175" thick. There is a limit to what is a reasonable thickness and thicker or double thick would be akin to putting truck tires on your car.
Though the harness is slightly thinner, it is more firm than bridle. Both have proven to stand up to use as gun belts.
My leather goods come COMPLETE, I've done it for you, it's not a kit. Read my leather care page. After break in when wear occurs you may want to do something cosmetic. There are products on the supplies page for that.