>>2467052I’m glad to hear it! Let’s see some pictures, Sven. My current grease is cheapish Tallipoika saddle grease, which does slightly darken the leather over time. I also use the significantly more expensive Delara Lederpflege, but only if I really wanna avoid darkening the leather. I’m guessing this stuff is called “läderfett” in Swedish. Just make sure that whatever you get is “clear” (the grease will be white or yellow or a similar pale hue) and not mixed with dyes.
Disassemble the pack first. Don’t try to use gloves or a rag to scoop the grease, just use your fingers. Lather all the leatherwork up nicely, make sure to get edges and corners and especially add extra to reinforced parts that are stitched together, since there’s more leather than meets the eye there. Don’t worry about accidentally greasing the canvas a bit. Be careful not to bend or fold the leather sharply, since dry leather will crack (and that’s a pain in the ass to try to repair). The leather, being an organic material, will absorb the grease like your skin absorbs moisturizer. By the time you’ve gone over everything, the first piece you started with is probably ready for another go. Do this maybe once or twice more, depending on how dry the leather is. You can easily let it stand overnight in between greasings. Some of the cheaper greases will leave a dry whiteish film on top of the leather afterwards, which you should rub off with your fingers before applying more grease. If you’re not applying additional grease, you can leave the film on the leather, since it technically adds a bit of protection at the cost of looking odd until it rubs off. If you have leather seams that you would like waterproofed, use beeswax instead. This also works well to waterproof canvas by the way. I have a big poncho that goes over my pack, so I haven’t done this to mine, but you could easily rub beeswax onto the canvas lid and top of the pack to add some rain protection.
