Caribou rug/blanket

[Santa]

Hi All. Does anyone have experience as to whether a caribou hide can make a high quality rug or throw blanket? I'm familiar with whitetail and mule deer hides and feel they make poor "hair-on" rugs, and are best used for buckskin. I didn't know if Caribou (even though they also have hollow-hair) might work better. Thanks for your feedback. Relatively new to the forum and really appreciate the wealth of info on so many subjects.

 

[Yellowknife]

Caribou hair is very stiff and brittle and also shed badly at times. Even less soft than deer or elk. I wouldn't use one anywhere I couldn't put up with a certain amount of broken white hairs.

Caribou rugs were traditionally used for insulation, and are top notch for that. I'm not sure I'd want on on the back of the couch.

 

[VernAK]

Caribou hair is very stiff and brittle and also shed badly at times. Even less soft than deer or elk. I wouldn't use one anywhere I couldn't put up with a certain amount of broken white hairs.

Caribou rugs were traditionally used for insulation, and are top notch for that. I'm not sure I'd want on on the back of the couch.

YK is correct and reflects my experience with tanned caribou hide as a rug but great for a warm mattress. I gave up on any hides on the floor as girl friend's cats always piss on em.

 

[mooster]

Reindeer Hide

All proceeds from our web-store benefit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center and help support our animals.

www.alaskawildlife.org

the animal conservation center in Anchorage had some nice hides that were very soft, only $255, cheaper than having your own tanned I think

 

[2rocky]

Hair on hides are notoriously poor performing from a rug durability standpoint. We have so many durable synthetic rug materials we are really spoiled.

I think it would be interesting to have a traditional First Nations Caribou garment made.

Caribou Skin Clothing - Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

Caribou Skin Clothing Beats High-Tech Expedition Clothing

For those living in extreme cold winter conditions, this article from NoTech Magazine may be of interest. Dated from 1995, it analyzes the capabilities of three different types of winter clothing …

warriorpublications.wordpress.com

 

[2rocky]

For the special woman in your life.....

19th century 'naatsit' thong made from seal fur on display in Denmark

The garment (pictured) is part of an animal-skin display at National Museum of Denmark. Known as a 'naatsit', it was worn during the 19th century in Greenland and other arctic regions.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Santa]

Thanks to all for the feedback.

 

[VernAK]

Alaska fur Exchange has tanned reindeer hides quite cheap.

 

[Low_Sky]

I had my first bou rugged. It looks good on the wall, but as others have said I wouldn't put it somewhere high traffic like on the floor or the back of a couch or chair. The hairs are fragile and it does shed a bit. I love digging my fingers into it from time to time, it's pretty cushy. When I first brought it home I very carefully took a few steps on it with socks on and it was like walking on a cloud.

 

[wanderin39]

Tried it with a pronghorn, similar hair, did not work well.

 

[22lr]

Ya, just another person to say they work pretty poorly as a rug. But if you want one and dont mind that it isnt from the exact animal that you shot, they are pretty dang cheap. Way cheaper to buy a tanned hide from one of the places listed above than getting yours done.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Caribou hides aren't durable for high traffic use. Eventually broken and slipped hair will be everywhere.

I once made a rocking chair pads (seat and back) out of caribou, deer, sheep, and beaver. HUGE disaster of hair, especially sheep and caribou.

My two cents

 

[alexanderg23]

Arctic raw fur (NOT Alaska raw fur) in Fairbanks sometimes has reindeer hides for about $150 tanned I think. They are very nice and think. They would be cool for throwing over the back of a couch or something like that.