Introduction to Brain Tanning a Hide

In a long term survival situation, animal hides are capable of providing us leather we can use for a myriad of things including shelter and clothing. There are many different ways to treat or tan hides depending on the intended purpose for the leather. If you plan to use the leather for clothes, you want to brain tan it. Brain tanning produces a softer leather that is able to breathe much better than other tanning methods - which will keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Interestingly enough, every animal has just enough brains to tan its own hide. Earlier this month I was able to spend some time with a good friend of mine who practices 1840 Mountain Man methods. In his group you are not allowed to do outings with anything that the mountain men of 1840 would have used.