Wanted to try a back quiver so I purchased one, Seems like it should work fine but it is stiff. Any suggestions on breaking it in. The leather is pretty thick,I used leather conditioner on it but can see that it will take ages to shape to my back. Ideas?

Sit on it.

Seriously. I think George recommended sticking it under the cushion of his easy chair.

It's never going to actually shape to your back. It's just going to soften up so that it follows the contour of your back. Your back changes it's shape avery time you bend, sit, or stand.

As mentioned, one thing you can do is to put it under your mattress, the cushion of your couch, etc. to help soften it.

Did you get a Howard Hill Style backquiver? I hope so.

Couch or chair that you sit on alot under the cushion will break it in in a few days. Bed usually doesn't work because your weights distributed.

Just like Old Buck said,I did this with the one I have but I only wore it for a litlle while.Let it form to your back and let it completely dry and then keep treating it with some sort of leather conditioner.

Another in the camp of wet it and wear it.

Soak it in hot water and lay it over a railing or chair back. Once it dries, use Lexol leather conditioner and rub it in.

Deno

Guys, I grew up with my dad building custom leather and I can tell you that wetting of the leather of a back quiver to mold it works wonderfully for things like holsters, knife sheaths, boots, anything that leather needs to actually mold around. A quiver doesn't do that, and in fact depending on the leather the quiver is made from it can make it even more stiff.

You can do it any way you wish, but you aren't accomplishing anything by setting it.

I agree with fdp. And I think he meant "wetting it" but spell check on smart phones sometimes take over.

Give this a Read

http://traditionalknowhow.blogspot.com/2014/03/hunting-with-back-quiver.html

Thank you Skeets. Your assumption is correct.

Thank you for all the ideas

Go to a sporting good store and get a clove break in kit. I had some but my grandson is using it.

Lay it on the ground...empty of course, and make sure there are no stones under it. Then run over it about ten times with your car wheel. Do any of you remember the dungarees of the early 1950's? They would stand up on their own and had to be 'broken- in'. :)

I have heard "Don't believe everything you see on the internet". I will add "especially when you see :) " . Dungarees were stiff until they were washed a few times. Leather is a different material.

Thick leather is not gonna get soft by any means. It is what it is, just use it. They are ok for 3D shoots or backyard stuff, but they are not great for hunting anyway if you hunt in any kind of brush. I made this one 35 years ago with 9oz leather, its still stiff and will be after I`m dead and gone.

Flattening by sitting on it or smashing it isn't the way you want it. Get advice from guys who use and break in their quivers the right way, not those who've just heard something. You want the quiver flattened along the spine laced area but not flat where the arrows lay. Let that area break in to your back. Oil it just enough to soften it a little. Too much Oil over the years actually weakens leather fibers. If you have veg tan leather it will always be a little stiffer unless you oil it alot and keep it oiled unlike a leather that is factory tanned with oils and waxes already

Neatsfoot oil

I stuck mine between the mattress and box spring on my side of the bed.You don't even know it's there plus there's enough weight from the mattress alone to do the job round the clock unlike a chair cushion.I also use Montana Pitch Blend leather conditioner.On hot days just leave it lying flat on the porch in the sun to soak up the oil after rubbing it in some.

What Sunset said. ^^ These are oil and waxed tanned leather with the right temper, weight and colors already dyed in. Not always easy to find all three in a side...at least not in the shades of browns and tans I like to use.

Some of what I've been working on, these are cowhide and that's American Bison on the left two....not finished yet. Little to no break-in required but will not fold over either.

If I had one of those stiff quivers that needed to be "run over 10 times....I'd run over it alright, and then leave it there. ;))

You'll figure it out after using it a few times. It may not be as horrible as some would think. My reference to the old dungarees was for fun....for those who can notice smiley faces at the end of a post.

I can love or hate any quiver on any given day.

Leave it stiff, it holds the arrows tighter and stops the sound of feathers rubbing together while you are hunting. I have found stiff is quieter.

oz

I would wipe it with a damp sponge of warm water, immediately oil it with your preference of oil, then wax. Use it. If I want it to soften faster, I smash it with my hands.

You shouldn't soak leather in anything. Water is good for vegetable tanned leather, since the animal matter of the leather has been replaced by plant matter in the tanning process, it lossens the fibers to allow it the accept oils better. Using too much water, or too much oil, can cause long-term instability in the fibers.

I like treating my quivers with kneets foot oil. I oil them up then use them. The more you use them the better they get. Works for me.

With a good bridle, harness, natural latigo or oiled latigo leather, you have enough oils and or waxes in the leather that you shouldn't have to oil a quiver for years after it's made. With veg-tan "carving" leather, that's not the case. Veg Tan makes great saddles, sidequivers and cases which don't need to be "soft" necessarily. They don't need to be "formed to your body". They can be wet-formed and carved due to the veg-tan properties but if you want it to be more flexible and soft, you must oil it. I know, I made quivers for 15 years out of veg-tan carving leather before I moved on to better Hill style backquiver leathers.

What Nate said once again^^^. Veg tan, also known as oak tan, is great for holsters, knife sheaths etc. Can be stamped or carved. The only Veg tan I have used in a quiver is a stiff piece sandwiched between two layers of oil/waxed leather for the bottom of my quivers.

Hang it on the wall with some pretty arrows in it. Then get yourself a proper back quiver made from medium weight leather that needs no break in.

Thirty years ago I was interested in buying my first back quiver. All I saw were hard things that felt like a scuba tank on your back. Arrows rattled while walking, then dumped out when I bent over. I bought some leather and made my own. I've made dozens since then with every one using the same flexible medium weight leather. I gave them away to family and friends. :)

Nate what ounce leather you prefer? Have you had any problem with the dyed leather staining your clothes? Thanks Greg.

If I say too much, I'll give away proprietary information :) but for starters....

Stay away from "oiled" latigo. It will bleed on your clothing and skin when wet from perspiration or moisture until the oil bleeds out....takes a long time. Oiled latigo is great for horse gear as it holds up well to the salts in sweat...don't need that for a backquiver durability.

The Latigo used by the old timers like Hill wasn't "oiled" latigo, hence the confusion. However, nowadays it's the cheapest version to buy because of volume produced for the equine industry.

Traditional Harness, English Bridle, and Natural latigo are color safe and will not bleed any colors onto skin or clothing.

All three of these leathers have different stiffness qualities so require different weights to get them to be the proper stiffness for a Hill style backquiver. Notice I said Hill style...there are wonderful backquivers made by guys like Art Vincent that are tooled and stamped....those are a different kettle of fish. A proper Hill style quiver....as made and promoted by Hill and passed along to Schulz, his sons (and then to me) has certain qualities that set it apart.

One of these qualities is weight in ounces. If you stay between 8-`10 oz you're in the ballpark for the above mentioned leathers.

But these leather sides aren't cheap for a good side.

Sunset Hill X2. Nothing worse than making a quiver that turns all your shirts purple. I have done it along with many others. I bought a purple shirt for a friend to go with the quiver he built. :)

Thanks Nate.

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