Alderspring Ranch Using Gear

Using Gear is the buckaroo, or cowboy term for gear that can stand up to the rigors of common and everyday use on the range while showcasing the handcrafted and artisanal beauty that real life cowhands value. If you take a look at traditional cowboy gear, there is a timeless quality in the choice of fine leather, perfect stitching and leather tooling that even the most trail weathered cowboy takes personal pride in. It’s not uncommon in our open range country to see a cowhand horseback with [over $5K worth of] leather gear on them and their horse that cost them more than the pickup they drive.

In addition to beauty, the gear must stand up. The leather cowboy gear items like saddles, bridles and chaps that we use on Alderspring are crafted for a real life on the range; they have to hold up in every sort of weather that nature can dish out. Our cowhands live in the saddle, for as long as 20 hours per day. Our lives and livelihood literally depend on gear that holds up.

Now, you can depend on it too. It’s not like what we want out of our gear is too much to ask for. Sure, your life might not depend on it, but everyone likes leather goods that stand up… and stand out for their simple beauty. We make and maintain a fair amount of our leather gear on the ranch. Ethan Kelly, married to Abby, operates an artisan leather shop that produces cowboy using gear for the ranch. As such, it wasn’t a great leap forward to extend the same benefit of quality leather gear to Alderspring’s customers.

Ethan makes it all here on the ranch, in our own leather shop, and it’s all backed by our 10-year guarantee. Ethan personally inspects each hide of leather that he hand-carves gear out of. In doing so, he ensures that only the very best full grain leather shows up in our using gear. In his words, most department store leather found in today’s belts, wallets and purses is “crap.” Much of it is only a facsimile of leather, created from leather fibers just “bonded” together to make a belt. It’s no wonder why these items wear and break, and sadly guarantee gift giving security for families for years to come. Belt holes rip. Dog collars break. Wallets wear. In a word, Ethan saw a need and filled it first for us and now for you.

Using Gear is made out of real whole leather from steers. It is beautiful to begin with, with character that authentic leather brings with it, even when first worked. We think all of it becomes more beautiful with age; the story that the gear brought with it as it originated from Alderspring’s shop becomes broader with time and use by its owner. We think that’s the best thing about Using Gear. It’s gear with story that gets better with age.

Some other things to know:

• Ethan doesn’t maintain stock on these items. If you place an order, it will ship in 1-2 weeks, because he has to make it for you. If it’s not perfect, he won’t put his special maker’s stamp on it, and it does not ship. He starts over.
• We don’t put leather gear in our beef boxes. It ships in a USPS priority mail box that is also trackable. You’ll get notification when it ships.
• If it doesn’t fit, or you are disappointed in any way, we guarantee your happiness. Just ship it back to us (you can even drop it for free in a return Alderspring beef shipper. Just let us know you did that) for a full refund.