Western Wear Items: Leather Chaps

Leather has always played an important part in the Western lifestyles of cowboys. Leather has been used for many western wear items, including cowboy boots and cowboy hats. Today I wanted to focus a little more on leather chaps and what role they have had in western wear.

Leather chaps have been around for a long time. Starting from the 1600s there have been plenty of reports about the use of leather chaps, and they have continued to be revamped. If there has been any livestock handling the leather chaps have been around to help out.

During the Nineteenth century is when leather chaps become a little more well-known. Armitas were leather chaps that people in Mexico wore. Armitas were usually attached to a belt that a person had to step in to to wear. Armitas were made out of leather of calfskin, deer or sometimes even goats.

Texas cowboys evolved their own style of chaps from the Armitas. They were one of the first to use full leather britches. The only problem with this shotgun style was that they did not have a seat and were often referred to as closed legs.

By the late 1880s chap makers were beginning to evolve again. They started to make leather chaps in pieces. This solved the stiff problem, and later even curved the waistband to fit cowboys better.

Batwing chaps provided cuts that were wider, which provided more movement for the cowboys. This was needed for cowboys that needed to perform stunts in Rodeos or Wild West Shows. Batwing chaps were also decorated more than other chaps because the performers wanted to be noticed more.

In the hot summers full length leather chaps were uncomfortable for some cowboys. A new western wear item became popular around the 1940s called Chinks. Cowboys had been cutting off the bottoms of their chaps to get rid of the restrictive nature of the full length chaps, and in the 1940s they finally started producing them that way. Chinks usually only went a few inches past the cowboys knee.

Leather chaps have continued to play an important role in western wear. Chaps have been used during herding and outdoor yard work for hundreds of years. They may continue to be used for Centuries after today.

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