11/29/2025
Why do we line our leather products (2ply)?
There is a variety of reasons why a lot of our tack products are lined.
1) The main reason, is to add some thickness. We personally prefer our products to be a bit heavier weight leather, but often, especially with such a variety of design, it is easier achieved via "2 layers" than it is with thick hides of leather. Especially when it comes to buckstitched products, 2 or more colours, or if a backing is desired to be left natural, or if specific tooling and/or embellishments like spots are used. If you have ever had a thin headstall break on you, or the holes stretch or even rip through, you'll understand why we prefer a bit heavier, working tack style and feel on ALL our products! You won't find thin, 1 layer stuff around here on our TACK except in SPECIFIC instances like breastcollar tug straps, breastcollar chest tug straps, sliding ear pieces (even some of them get lined) and products like our pouches that just don't require a liner.
2) A proper quality liner, when properly stitched, also helps to prevent a BIT of stretch over the lifespan of the product. That can matter when things are custom sized and then eventually stretch and end up too big for their intended wearer! Whenever there are multiple pieces of leather meeting, especially at buckle ends or attachment points of hardware - glue, a singular rivet or a chicago screw should NOT be the SOLE form of attachment to hold entire pieces together. Those places should be stitched! Furthermore, where ever there is stitching, it should not go ACROSS the strap, only down the edges! Any time you stitch ACROSS a strap where hardware is added, you are actually creating a weak spot. Even with a machine, you have added holes to the leather where the most stress is on a product (when done at those locations)! Though it might not cause an issue right away, it DOES weaken a product!
3) Coverage/protection for spots, buckstitch, embellishments and more. Now perhaps its just personal preference, BUT, I've seen it happen where exposed buckstitch, or exposed spots (which have prongs by the way) on the backside of leather receive friction, and eventually work themselves loose. Although this can happen with a lined product as well, you are taking away the friction by lining the product to protect the backside of those design features, which if done correctly, will prolong the life of those features! Nothing worse than having a decorative spot on a belt, or a headstall, and suddenly getting pronged because friction, or something else has caught the edge of the exposed prong, and now you have a sharp tack like point stabbing your horse, or yourself. Adding a liner not only gives you the above benefits, but provided protection against those types of issues, and prevents snagging those prongs, or the backside of buckstitch!
With that said, proper edge work ends up even more important to lined products! See our post earlier this week on edge work to learn more!
The 2 products pictured provide a great example of what a clean, crisp liner/backing does for buckstitch. Liners also give more design options when it comes to colour scheme when done in specific ways!
