The truth about leathers is an extremely important piece of knowledge to share so I’m going to start this post off with an apology: I am sorry that I did not write this post earlier! Today I make up for over 2 years of slacking and offer up the full truth about leathers for traditional lacrosse stringing.
A Brief “Truth About Leathers” History
Conservative estimates date the sport of lacrosse back at least 500 years in history. Others place the game at over 1000 years old. French missionaries observed the game in 1636, and gave it the name Lacrosse. While leather has not been in every lacrosse stick ever (some used twine or other woven materials), the vast majority of historical sticks had leather in them somehow. Some used the leathers only as runners, weaving with twine, while others used leather for the runners as well as the netting. You can still find older sticks today with complete leather pockets, and some of them are actually in pretty good shape!
Once plastic heads were invented, the game changed quickly, and so did the equipment. Over the last 30-40 years we have seen a quantum leap in gloves, protective arm padding, helmets, cleats, uniforms, shafts, heads, and even pocket technology. As bucket helmets gave way to one piece designs, and old bulky gloves made way for tight fitting slim fit hand protection we currently enjoy, leather has given way to synthetic mesh. The reasons for each change in equipment might be slightly different, but it all boils down to consistent quality, ease of production, cost, and break in time. Really good mesh is cheaper to produce, easier to string, breaks in faster, and has a consistency only great traditional stringing can live up to.
As leathers became less popular, companies put less time and resources into selling them, which makes perfect sense. At some point, a switch was made to a lower grade of treated leather, and traditional stringing took a further dive down in popularity, due to the poor performance of much of the leather out there.
Recently, traditional stringing has seen an uptick in popularity, and more kids are learning how to string traditional pockets. 5-10 years ago the game was almost exclusively played with mesh pockets, but today you do see some traditional pockets out on youth and high school lacrosse fields. The numbers are still much lower than mesh, but the traditional community is alive and well it seems. There is now a lot of leather to choose from, so knowing what the different types offer is important.
Wait, What Was That New Type Of Leather?
If I were reading this post, I’d be asking myself the above question right now, so I’ll answer it immediately. Or somewhat immediately. You need more background info first.
Leather is created by taking the hide of an animal and then cleaning, soaking, and treating it. Animal hide can produce Rawhide (your dog’s favorite chew toy/bone for example), which is hard and stiff when it’s pretty much left alone. When I say left alone I mean it hasn’t been tanned. Tanning is a process of treating cleaned animal skin to “change” it into leather. The word comes from Tannin, which is an oak tree derivative originally used to process hides into leather. Tannin is an acid and it permanently alters the protein structure of the hide. Even though leather treatment is called tanning, and leather treatment facilities are called tanneries, oak tree Tannin is not the only way to create leather. You can use vegetables (these are used to produce tannins), animal brains, plant extracts, or mineral mixes to tan leather.
The first process lacrosse leathers can undergo is Vegetable Tanning, which as the name suggests, uses vegetables to change the hide into leather, and it’s one of the oldest methods of tanning. Vegetable/Tree/Anil tanned leathers can be found in most truly old wooden sticks. The chemicals are derived from plants, and these ingredients are often found in the bark and leaves of a plant. The hides are soaked in different Tannin baths for weeks, and the leather is flexible, but can still be somewhat stiff often times. Typical uses for vegetable tan leather include luggage, furniture, horse tack, and other hard, durable uses. Once Veg Tan leather is broken in though, it is tough, and soft, and pretty amazing. But it will take time, lots and lots of time.
Today, the only lacrosse leathers that I know of which are vegetable tanned and widely available are the thick MinLax leathers. Back in the day, vegetable tan leathers (or leather tanned with brain derivatives, seriously) was what was used in lacrosse sticks as the chemical tanning processes weren’t invented until the mid 1800s in Europe.
Another popular process is called Chrome Tanning, and this is where a lot more of your lacrosse leather retailers come into play. Almost any traditional kit you buy from a large equipment manufacturer is chrome tan. We have chrome tan leathers in our shop. JimaLax sells chrome tan leathers. Throne of String uses them for their leather base. Rock-It Pocket uses chrome tan. So does StickDoctor, ComLax, and… ok, you get the point. Chrome tan leathers are everywhere and their names come from the fact that they are treated with a chromium based tanning solution.
And these are the leathers that suddenly popped up in the game that changed everything.
Chrome tan leathers CAN be good for lacrosse pockets, and some of the chrome tan leathers out there are pretty darn solid. They are relatively thick, still soft, and don’t stretch much. They even have good durability to them. But not all chrome tan leathers were created equal… and some of the stuff out there is absolutely terrible. It wouldn’t even pass a toughness test for a cheap purse.
Have you ever strung a stick, went outside, played wall ball for 10 minutes, and then come back inside because one of your leathers broke? Yeah, me too. It’s awful. And there is a 99% chance that you were using chrome tan leathers when that happened. At first you find it shocking, but when you learn that chrome tan leathers are typically used for fashion purposes (leather pants, skirts, purses, shoes, etc), it becomes pretty clear that you might be using the wrong leather in your lacrosse stick.
To be fair, there are plenty of chrome tan leathers out there worth using, and many can give you good results, but that type of leather is really not designed to withstand the abuse that a lacrosse pocket has to endure over a full season or more unless you really take care of it. You can’t put a purse through the ringer like you can a lacrosse pocket, so why do we think the same leather will work in both cases? I used, use, and will continue to use chrome tan leathers in my sticks and sticks I string for others, but I am very picky about my materials. If my chrome tan leathers aren’t perfect, they’re out. So use them, but be smart about it and always look for quality and feel above appearance.
So What DO I Use, Smart Guy?
Fair question.
Ideally, we’d want a leather specifically designed for the rigors of sport, and thankfully, there is actually something out there which fits the bill, and those are Sports Leathers! I’m not making that up, it’s a leather industry term. Another name for the process by which these leathers are made is called Alum Tanning. Chrome tanning uses chromium alum, and alum tanning uses other alums. Alum can also be used in Tawing, another process used to create leather, which is technically not tanning. Technically, chrome tanning is alum tanning, but the two are differentiated here as chrome and pure alum processes produce very different results on average.
When sticks were strung 50 years ago, many used alum tan leathers. When you see an old wooden or even plastic stick with dark brown leathers with yellowish sides on each leather, and the pocket is still in decent shape, that’s alum tan leather. Some older stick stringers won’t use anything but an alum tan leather and they are proud of it. The Thompson Lacrosse kits, Stringer’s Shack Beaver Leathers, and a couple other places sell alum leathers. Most have been treated or waxed, but you can find raw alum leather as well, which is quite stiff and sturdy. Raw alum leather is great for oiling, stretching, and a long break in period, but it could also create the last pocket you ever need.
This is the same stuff you find in the webbing of a baseball glove or in a hockey goalie’s catching glove. Got an old football or basketball from your grandpa? That’s very likely alum (NOT chromium alum tan) tan leather. It’s been used in sports for decades now, and I still can’t figure out why it started to disappear in lacrosse!
Maybe it’s because the alum tan leathers take more work and are more expensive… but we all know work is worth it! Alum tan leathers can change a lot when they get wet, so it’s important that they are waxed or treated before they are used. You can buy waxed alum tan leathers, or you can buy raw alum tan leathers and then treat them yourself with baby oil, or another similar product.
How Do You Know Which Is Which?
I’m still learning how to tell exactly myself, but I’m pretty good at it by now, and I have picked up some tips and tricks for you lacrosse leather enthusiasts out there:
1) If the leather is white, (or any color) and there is a blue tint to the side of the leathers, they are very likely chrome tan leathers. The chrome tan process uses a blue chemical bath, which colors the sides of the leather just slightly, and this is an easy way to tell.
2) If the leather is literally tan, and kind of stiff, then it is probably a vegetable tan leather. This can be tricky though because un-treated (no wax, oil, etc) alum tan leathers can meet those criteria, however they usually have a lighter colored streak running down the side.
3) If the leather is not tan, brown, black, or some other “natural” color, it is probably a chrome tan leather. Alum leathers can come in many different colors, but the vast majority of lacrosse leathers on the market right now are definitely chrome tan. This does not mean that black, brown, and tan leathers are always alum leathers!
4) If the leather stretches when you pull it from both ends, it is probably chrome tan. Alum leathers may stretch just a bit, especially if they are treated, but if you stretch them both at the same time, you will notice a difference. Vegetable tan leathers do not stretch much either, but again, MinLax is the only company I know of that makes them.
Is There A “Best” Leather?
I actually like all three types of leather we currently see in lacrosse. They are all different and serve a variety of purposes while meeting different people’s expectations and needs. At the same time, vegetable tan leathers are a bit stiff for my tastes, and the chrome tan leathers are often unreliable. While I love the tan look of the vegetable tan leathers, and the multitude of colors from the chrome tan world intrigues me, at the end of the day it all comes down to performance.
For me, really good chrome tan leathers or treated alum leathers are the way to go. If I could get thinner vegetable tan leathers I might change my tune. If you want colors or white, order a bunch of chrome tan leathers (8 per stick) and pick out the best ones to use. Discard the rest. Or you can order from Rock-it Pocket or Throne of String (or us!) because those are solid chrome tan leathers. But if you don’t want any worry and you need to KNOW that the four leathers you are buying are going to be good, last a long time, and work perfectly, my money is on the alum leathers.
Usually these leathers are dark brown or almost black on the front and back, and then tan or light brown on the sides. Find these leathers. String with them. Connect to the past. And join me in wondering why the heck we ever got away from using alum tan leathers in our lacrosse sticks.
A special thanks goes out to Brad Fitzpatrick for our conversations about leather. Without Fitzie’s push, knowledge, and passion I probably wouldn’t have written this article for another two years!
