Our Story- How Rugged Material was Born.

Rugged Material really got its start when I was in my 3^rd year of college studying engineering and was looking for a way to support my new wife and keep from going insane designing stuff on the computer. That Christmas my dad gave me a new Leatherman Multi-tool which I was very excited about. These little tools are so handy and he has never been seen without one on his belt which made it feel like he was passing on a part of his legacy. It turns out he was passing on a lot more legacy than I could have understood at the time. 

My Dad and I fixing some pack saddle panniers for his  81 yr old dad's buffalo hunt!

You see my dad and his father have always been horsemen and hunters and farmers all at the same time. I’ve spent countless hours around the house watching my dad repair his leather tack (Tack is the name for the gear you use when you ride horses) and make new things to make our friend’s and family’s lives easier and more beautiful. To this day he still uses a saddle that was made around the year 1900. He used to give me little jobs like cutting out simple patterns or rubbing thread down with beeswax and I always thought it a privilege. He always gave his best leather pieces away and I didn’t understand why we couldn’t keep them for ourselves.(I understand that joy now)

  As I grew older he kept making things and I always watched him and helped with projects but directed myself and most of my time toward many varied interests like art, welding, competitive mountain biking, photography, motorcycles and girls(with one in particular) that always took my time from my own little ideas about making things with dad. That is until I received that Leatherman tool and its cheap little genuine leather sleeve that was actually totally worthless functionally and also visually. These little tools used to come with good quality Vegetable-tanned( the stiff saddle leather) scabbards that lasted as long as the tool itself and people wore them like a badge of independence and confidence saying to everyone around them “I can fix that” and “I come prepared”  and I wanted that. I didn’t necessarily want to wear it as a badge but I did want a good quality case to protect that sentimental tool, and if it saved my life by carrying the tool while camping that would be cool too. So I decided I would make my own little case that would hold the multi-tool on my belt or backpack. I had a leather tools box that I pulled out of the closet that had some old leather and stamps in it and I got to it.

The Leatherman Multi-tool and my first scabbard for it.

 I had forgotten how much I enjoyed that type of making, and I surprised my wife and friends with a skill they hadn’t seen or remembered. The first little scabbard was terrible, and I knew it as soon as it was done even though most people who saw it thought it was fine. So I bought some fresh leather (makes a big difference) and some new tools and made a new one with some improvements.  The execution of the 2^nd one was much better but the design still wasn’t functional enough so I made a 3^rd one. 

By that time my rekindled excitement for this craft had been visible to quite a few people and I was even asked to make a few more similar cases for other people. Then I made a molded protective case for my iPhone(I actually had to make 5 to get what I wanted) and in essence Rugged Material was born, I was looking for ways to make everything I had last like my dad’s saddle has. I was on a mission to help people see that we shouldn’t have to throw things away after a couple years of use. That mission has turned in to my obsession.

Circa 1900 and still in use.

 The cost per year of my dad’s saddle is pennies and that thing has some awesome stories like the time his newly caught wild mustang ran away with him on her back for miles until she was tired enough to let him stop her! This saddle tells those stories and still doesn't miss a beat and that is what this is all about.

Our entire goal with Rugged Material is to improve the quality of people's lives with premium quality products for the modern and adventurous lifestyle. When we do that, I am totally content and happy!

Written By Tyler C. Founder of Rugged Material.

Company Values

Rugged Material is all about making things that you can easily use and rely on day in and day out no matter how hard life gets. I am obsessed with finding the best ways to produce our gear, at the highest quality possible in order to make something last a lifetime.  

When the business was created the real driving idea behind RM was that everyone deserves quality items that will last, not just the rich. At that point the top notch leather goods were sold at such a high price that only the very privileged could justify buying something that would save them money and I wanted people who really need to save money to have my products within reach.  Even if they have to save up for them since leather and real craftsmanship have their costs.

 I scoured the market intensely for the first year of preparation for RM and found 3 main things that I knew if I changed I would feel great about putting ridiculous amounts of time and energy into RM. So here are the problems and our solutions:

• ·         The practice of wholesaling goods to retailers and then retailers selling products at twice the original cost is not necessary in this day and age. By selling directly to my customers online my prices are half of what my competitors take which allows more people to experience the joy and true savings of buying things that last.
• ·         Most of the high-end brands outsource their production to cheaper countries which doesn’t do the United State of America any good. We are as committed to creating careers for the citizens of the US as we are to making a product that will last a lifetime.
• ·         Often times the Quality of other leather goods is sacrificed for ease of construction or for looks. Leather looks better and better as it ages so we are never going to sacrifice the integrity of our products. Instead we will create new processes and strategies to efficiently give us the toughest possible products.