Radio chest harness

[krummark]

Hello, I believe this may be my first time posting on here, although I've been a viewer for about 6 years. 

So, I need to wear a radio harness for work. We have the nylon ones available by Conterra and other brands which is what I use currently. However I'd like to spruce things up and make a leather harness. 

I was planning on cutting the nylon and elastic straps from my current rig and using them on the leather harness. So just the body of the harness, pouches, and backplate would be leather.

Ok, backstory aside, what would be a good leather to use? Very general question, I know! I'll give some details as to how it would be used and what I would like on it. 

It's essentially an imitation of the Conterra harness in the attached photo. I'll be wearing it over 1-2 layers of clothing, so not next to skin, although I can't rule it out as an option! It will be in cold, wet, snowy, and sweaty environments

What would be a preferred liner? Do I need a liner? Chrome tan vs veg tan? (I'm thinking I'll need/want to mold some pouches, so veg tan for that at least). What weight leather would be ideal for the backplate, the backing, for the pouches, etcetera?

Ok that's about all the information I think I know to give, I apologize for any dumb questions, but I'm open to any and all comments and suggestions.

[Dwight]

I think I posted the pics of one I did some time back for a guy in Tx . . . needed a radio on one side . . .  pocket for cell phone and tablet on the other side . . .  ink pens / pencils / inside.

I made his out of 5/6 veggie tan . . . as it can be molded to the dimension you need.  Chrome tan can be all floppy . . . if it is cut close to size . . . kinda hard to put stuff back in it if it does not have a backer.

I would not line it . . . but I would make sure it got several coats of Resolene (mixed 50/50 with water) . . .  or Mop N Glo (same 50/50 mix) . . . as a protection from your environment.

Use these pictures for ideas . . . as I know yours is much different.

May God bless,

Dwight

[krummark]

Thanks for the advice Dwight!

So, no liner. Veg tan all the way. I have some natural veg tan currently, I believe I have some 4-5, 5-6, and I just got a double shoulder of 8-9. Would the 8-9 be too bulky for a project such as this?

Also, kind of leading to my last question about the finish, but would a leather such as English bridle work better because of the oil content (i.e. water resistancy)? I don't really want to buy more leather, I just ordered that double shoulder and a single of the 5-6. 

Now, for the finish, I have a question. People around here (Alaska) love using SnoSeal on their gloves and whatnot. Would a beeswax mixture like snosneal or another product be a better choice than resolene? I have limited experience with resolene, I have a small bottle of it, I've used it probably 2-3 times, but personally not a fan of how shiny it makes my products look. But if you feel like that would be better for what I'm using it for, then I have no problem giving it a go.

 

Thanks again for the advice and the photos! I'll try to post some pics along the way.