Cool Hunting

Lineaus Athletic Company, based out of the artist's enclave of Marfa, Texas, makes old world-style leather sporting equipment. Handmade by Lineaus himself using the best materials, his beautiful work will last a lifetime.

To test their durability Lineaus puts his work up to the trials of prison life. For the first medicine bag he made (pictured below), he explains, "I gave it to the Oregon State Penitentiary in 1987 because they have a famous boxing program and I wanted to find out if it would last. I recently visited to check up on it and it looks great. If you want to find out if something will last forever, that's a good test."

The medicine bag uses triple locked-stitching with five cords of polyester thread and five-ounce leather. Stuffing, composed of waste-thread, fills an interior bag and Kapok makes up a middle layer between the inner and outer bags. Weighing in at 150 pounds, it's heavy but soft and naturally balances itself using a continuous rope hanging mechanism for minimal swing.

Like with the entire Lineaus line, the medicine bag gets better the more you use it, softening the leather and breaking in the stuffing. At $4,800 it's an investment, but one that lasts for generations to come.

In addition to the medicine bags, Lineaus crafts medicine balls (pictured above), foot and rugby balls and squat bars. He makes them all to order with an Alden sewing machine, numbering them and fire-branding them with the Lineaus name. Wisconsin chrome tanned leather (essentially the same as full-grain baseball glove cow hide) makes the products extremely durable but soft to the touch. Unlike vegetable-tanned leather, chrome tanning leather leaves it porous, softer and longer-lasting when cared for appropriately. Lineaus recommends regular oiling with R.M. Williams Saddle Dressing.

For more info and to purchase any of the products visit Lineaus Athletic.

Check out more images after the jump.