Make Good Things From Bad Things
Make Good Things From Bad Things
About Bad Leather Goods
We use 4-8 oz leather that’s made by our friend Ed Gallun of Gallun Leathers in Wartrace, Tennessee.
A unique recipe developed over a 5-year period, Ed solved the issues that were keeping wild boar leather from becoming widespread and used a combination of vegetable and chrome tanning to make a leather that’s rugged, water-resistant, UV-resistant, consistent in color, and completely unique.
We make the kind of products where “tough” and “sustainable” are the same thing. Working with experienced craftsmen and leatherworkers, we use the most durable materials and hardware possible: brass-finished steel rivets, YKK zippers from Japan, and 100 percent cotton lining made from a dense, upcycled denim.
There’s a reason you prefer fewer seams on a product: it doesn’t just give a more uncomplicated and minimalist look, it also gives fewer failure points. Our products are made to last and designed by a guy who spent years reviewing leather products: that means BLG balances function, durability, and good looks like no one else.
What's Bad Leather Goods?
It’s a small business that makes cool stuff out of bad animals.
Bad Leather Goods (BLG) was started by Nick and Karl, two guys who met as teachers at the same school and stayed in touch as their careers wandered through stints in outfitting hikers in Michigan, adventure tourism in southern China, humanitarian missions in Kenya, and sports journalism throughout the Americas.
Nick and Karl in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Our Mission Is to Go Out of Business
After a lot of thought, we’re pretty sure that wild boar is the world’s most ethical leather — it’s practically vegan.
We have no beef with cowhide (we eat meat as much as the next guy), but wild boar leather seems to satisfy every complaint someone might have about leather.
On the human side, this project helps American farmers, ranchers, trappers, and the US economy.
On the animal welfare side... look, we hate these animals, but we do like the fact that we’re using hides from animals that lived in the wild and were never part of the factory farming industry.
This is Mike, who runs the Bad Leather Goods workshop.
On the environmental side, supporting Bad Leather Goods improves just about every part of the environment you can think of.
Fewer wild boar means better biodiversity, soil productivity, water quality, and healthier domestic livestock, wild animals, family pets, and people. They carry so many diseases and parasites that they’re literally considered a national biosecurity risk.
And because we don't discard scarred leather the way almost every other leather business does, we also produce way less waste than similar operations.
When a friend of ours from upstate New York told us he was opening a small workshop making leather products, we knew we had to try this idea out.
We think Bad Leather Goods has a really cool mission: it gives back to our country, makes products that last, and our gear looks really, really cool.
With a little luck and with your help, we'd love for there to be no more wild boar left for us to make products from.
Core Values
At Bad Leather Goods, we craft high-end, durable pieces from sustainably sourced feral swine hides.
We know buying online means trusting people you’ve never met with products you’ve never handled. That’s why we’re here before and after your purchase, ready to answer any questions and make your experience better every time.
Design Principles
We balance craftsmanship with utility. Every piece is designed to look sharp, function beautifully, and stand the test of time.
We obsess over the details: using larger cuts of leather for stronger builds, even when it costs us more, and covering interior hardware to protect your belongings. Because lasting quality isn’t just how it looks, it’s how it’s made.
