Hey y’all! I just got a new S & W concealed carry bucket bag and I was wondering if I need to condition it before carrying it and if so, what should I use? I have a tin of Mink Oil but I don’t want to ruin my beautiful new bag. I don’t want the rain (if we ever get any here in Texas) to ruin it. This is my first posting so I apologize if I did anything wrong. Thanks y’all!

Don't use mink oil on any holster, even leather ones. It softens the leather.
What material is your "S&W concealed carry bucket bag"???

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Science plus Art

It's a concealed carry, leather "purse". You don't tinker with such items. They're designed to be used as is, off the shelf. You will ruin it if you tinker with it; such items are NOT intended for oiling or other leather treatments until and unless it dries out and cracks, which will probably never happen. If it gets wet in the rain dry it with a soft cloth.

It rained in North Texas last week. A lot. How did you miss that?

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Come and take it!!

The bag is all leather

Had to look this up, next time give us a link or an images. The leather in it is a chrome tannage with a painted surface, it will shed water like a duck does. No care needed. Now, if you SCUFF it then I would use Fiebing's Tan Kote to renew that area, unless the painted colour is complete gone, in which case a well-versed shoe care shop will be required to restore that area.

Smith & Wesson Bucket Bag



– Cameleon Bags

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The Holstorian

Yes, designed to be carried a lot and left alone unless something bad happens to the high quality leather. I looked it up. Make sure that the holster it comes with sticks in place so that it does not come out when you draw the gun. It's velcro so ensure it's very tightly held in that pocket or don't use it.

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Come and take it!!

Central Texas here, Canyon Lake. We got a little over an inch of rain, but that was the first in quite awhile. Thank you so much for your reply. I have been wanting to use it but wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t ruin it

Red Nichols has it right.

Sorry you missed the rain. We had a frog strangler here.

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Come and take it!!

Welcome to the forum, Karen.
What's your carry gun? We love pictures...

Thank you! It’s a S & W 9 mm Equalizer. I have arthritis in both hands and have had surgery on both wrists so I needed something that wouldn’t be too difficult to rack the slide. I had no problems handling it and I was happy with how easy it was to use at the range

Karen, I'm glad you have found a system that works. That is key to not falling into starting to leave your self-defense weapon behind which happens all too often.

Holsters have to maintain shape and stiffness; oil softens the leather allowing it to stretch.
Your bag with its construction and materials should be good with just dusting and mild cleaning. Some neutral or light brown shoe polish buffed with a soft brush should be okay.

Welcome to the Forum! I am definitely the wrong guy to advise you about caring for your "bucket bag". I love the look of vintage leather, so I tend to "age" some of my leather products. For example, this buffalo leather bag was my daily briefcase/messenger bag for years but it looked too "new". It was very similar to the color and finish of your bucket bag. When it got a little scuffed, I decided to make it a vintage bag. Same with a brand new Bianchi California Outlaw holster and belt that I bought for my Uberti 1873 Cattleman NRA Edition .45 Colt revolver. Needed some aging, too...

Actually, for leather products that don't need to be aged, I use Dawn and water for a gentle cleaning, wipe off and air dry. If the piece needs better cleaning or conditioning I use either Lexol or Kiwi leather products.

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Welcome Karen,
you picked a good place to come for info.
Please use your shoulder strap when ever possible, Purses are on the bad guys radar for a quick grab, one of my worst fears is having to tell law enforcement my gun got stolen.

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Carry on....

Welcome, Karen, glad to have you here. I can sympathize with the arthritis,
it’s rough getting old but it beats the alternative.
Regards,

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turnerriver

While I've sometimes used Ballistol to revitalize one of my wife's vintage (1940s) Chanel purses, she generally uses this (Coach lotion - ignore the "access denied" on the link) on all her bags. It's delicate and doesn't mess up the leather.

Access Denied

Access Denied

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How God has blessed us!

Karen, welcome to the forum from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Welcome to the forum Karen.

My wife is the Imelda Marcos of fine handbags and she never uses any leather treatments on any of hers.