The Tanning Process and Its Impact on a Leather Laptop Bag

Most people forget to think about one of the most important elements that make a leather laptop bag. You look at the compartments, the shape and the zipper. But did you know that the leather tanning process influences the overall quality of a leather computer bag? The durability and beauty of a bag depend on all of the details that make it up. This article takes you on a little tour through the steps of this interesting and complicated process.

What Is Leather Tanning?

The leather tanning is the process of treating raw animal hides. This process makes the hide resistant to decay, more durable and more flexible. You cannot make anything out of leather if you are not tanning it first. Variations of this process have been around for thousands of years, and will continue to exist as long as we want to use leather. This process is about making the hide worth being transformed into a luxurious object. You want to ensure that your leather computer bag won’t rot, and this is the way to do it. The two main tanning options are vegetable tanning and chrome tanning.

Everything is impacted by the tanning process. Depending on the tanning methods used, and how it is executed, a leather laptop bag will look different. The bag’s color and smell will be different, and the way it will look in a few years will also depend on this. Which is why it’s essential to know something about the main tanning process options. This way, you can choose the perfect bag. As an example, vegetable tanning is the oldest and most reliable technique. While it’s true that the process takes a long time and it’s labor-intensive, it is considered to result in the highest quality leather.

Chrome tanning is a modern tanning technique, that uses chromium salts to transform the hide. It actually accounts for more than 90% of the global leather production. If you want to learn more about tanning, you should check out this article. So, depending on the tanning methods used, and how it is executed, a leather laptop bag will look completely different. And, as a little tip, if you want something really high-quality, you need to go for a vegetably tanned leather. It tans the leather naturally, which automatically gives better results.

Vegetable Versus Chrome Tanning

If you want to know how the two techniques differ, we need to make a quick comparison. Vegetable tanning can take up to a few weeks, while chrome tanning takes only a few days. As chrome tanning is done with chemicals, it can be dangerous for the environment if those chemicals are not handled correctly. The vegetably tanned leather is eco-friendly and even biodegradable.

Vegetable-tanned leather has a stiffer structure, while chemically-tanned leather is softer. With the first option you can get natural tones that will look amazing even after a few decades. It develops a unique patina that chrome tanning cannot help you achieve. So, do you want something special and durable, or something softer but with a larger range of colors?

Impact on The Quality of the Leather

As we keep mentioning, the tanning process has an impact on the quality and the appearance of your leather computer bag. Think about it like this, your leather laptop bag will always be with you. You carry it to work and back home. It sits on tables and on chairs, and most importantly, it sits in the sun. Over the years, you will touch it again and again. It’s not one of those things that you buy and just use for decoration. A leather computer bag is used and that will be seen. What you can do is choose a quality bag, so that the fact that you use it will only make it look better.

When choosing your bag, you want to consider your fashion style. Bags can look stiffer or softer, darker or lighter. Depending on how you tend to dress, you can choose a bag that would match that. If you are a laid-back man, wearing jeans and a shirt, a dark leather classic bag might not be such a good fit. But, if you like wearing suits and Oxford shoes, you should look to buy a leather computer bag.

The Future of Leather Tanning

We become more and more aware of environmental problems, and the leather industry has its toxic practices. Chrome tanning is a practice that is highly used, and can be very toxic. Which is why people started talking against it, encouraging people to buy more vegetable-tanned leather. But the better option takes longer, and it’s overall more expensive. Many brands cannot afford to pay professionals to do vegetable tanning, so they stick to the chemical one. The solution would be to find a way to bridge the gap between the two methods.

Investing in a hybrid option, which would be quicker than the natural tanning, but not as toxic as chemical tanning. Thanks to all of the technology available today, we might be able to find this solution one day. One emerging trend is eco-leathers, which some people love and others hate. Some brands even use bio-based materials like cactus or mushroom leather to create something better for the environment. Learning how to blend tradition with technology surely seems to be one of the highlights of this century.

Conclusion

The tanning process deeply influences how many years your leather laptop bag will last. More than that, it determines how it will look throughout these years. Depending on how you want your bag to look, you can choose vegetable-tanned or chrome-tanned leather. If you really care about the environment, you could try the mushroom leather. The whole idea of this article is that people ignore the importance of leather tanning, and take it as a given. It’s definitely not a given, because the quality of leather tanning can either make or break your bag.