Custom Chaps
Custom Leather Chaps
Standard sizes fit standard bodies. If your inseam runs long, your thighs or calves are muscular, or your boots are wider than most, off-the-rack chaps will be tight in one place and baggy in another. Our custom leather chaps start from the designs below and are cut to your own measurements, for motorcycle, western, rodeo and everyday riding, in men's and women's styles.
What "Custom" Means for a Pair of Chaps
Chaps are sold in three broad ways:
- Ready-to-wear: cut to a standard size chart, like the sizes on our men's leather chaps. Many riders need nothing more.
- Made-to-measure: a proven chap pattern adjusted to your body measurements. This is what custom chaps usually means, and it's how ours are made.
- Bespoke: a pattern drafted from scratch, often with in-person fittings. It's the most expensive route and has the longest wait.
Made-to-measure keeps the tested shape of a design while fixing the places standard sizes go wrong: length, thigh, knee and calf.
Who Should Choose Custom Chaps?
Custom chaps make the most sense if any of these apply to you:
- Your inseam is long or short for your waist size. Standard chaps either drag under your boot heel or ride above your ankle.
- You have muscular thighs or calves. Leather gives only a little, so chaps that are tight across the thigh stay tight.
- You wear tall or wide-shafted boots. The lower leg has to close over the boot, not only over your jeans.
- Your measurements fall between two sizes. You'd otherwise be choosing between too tight and too loose.
- You ride in an unusual position. Forward controls, a long stirrup, or hours in the saddle all change the length you need.
- You want a particular look. For example, changes to color, fringe or trim on one of our designs.
How to Measure for Custom Chaps
The Measurements We Need
Put on the jeans and boots you'll ride in, then measure:
- Belt line. Measure around your hips where the chap belt will sit. This is usually at or just below your jeans' waistband, not your natural waist.
- Upper thigh. Measure around the fullest part of one thigh, over your jeans.
- Knee. Measure around the knee with the leg slightly bent.
- Calf over boot. Measure around the widest point of the calf or the boot shaft, whichever is larger.
- Outseam. Measure from the belt line down the outside of the leg to the floor, wearing boots.
- Inseam. Measure from the crotch down the inside of the leg to the floor, wearing boots.
Tips for Getting Accurate Numbers
- Get someone else to measure. Measuring your own leg while bending over shortens the figure.
- Keep the tape snug, not tight. It should lie flat without pressing into the denim.
- Say which kind of measurement you're giving. Body measurements and measurements taken from a pair of chaps you already own (laid flat) aren't the same numbers.
- Measuring a favorite pair can be the most reliable option. Send those figures along with a note on what you'd change, e.g. "2 inches longer, looser at the calf."
- Write each number down right away, and remeasure anything that looks out of line.
If a figure looks unusual, we'd much rather clarify it with you before cutting. Contact us with any questions before you order.
Measuring for Your Riding Position
Chaps that fit while you stand can still fall short when you ride. Bending your knees pulls the hem up.
- Motorcycle riders on forward controls or highway pegs extend their legs, so they usually need extra length to keep the boot covered. See Motorcycle Chaps.
- Horseback riders bend the knee more deeply and need freedom through the knee and thigh. Stirrup length matters too. For western-specific fit, see how western chaps should fit and our Western Chaps.
Tell us how and what you ride, and we'll take it into account.
Specialty Custom Chaps: Rodeo, Show, Woolies and Hair-On
Some chaps are nearly always made to order:
- Rodeo and show chaps. These carry bold color, fringe and decoration, like our Ice Maiden white western chaps. If you're choosing for bull riding, our guide to custom bull riding chaps covers the features that matter.
- Woolies. These have hair-covered legs, traditionally made from angora goat or sheep hides, and are valued for warmth in northern ranch country.
- Hair-on chaps. These are made from hides with the hair left on, for a natural, patterned finish.
These specialty and heavily detailed pieces take longer to make than standard chaps. The details are in the next section.
How to Order Custom Chaps
- Choose a design from this collection as your starting point.
- Measure using the guide above, wearing your riding jeans and boots.
- Send us your measurements, plus any design requests and a description of how you ride.
- We review your order and contact you if anything needs clarifying before production starts.
Before You Order: Timing, Rush Orders and Returns
- Production time. Custom chaps are made after you order, and specialty or heavily detailed work takes longer. Current timelines are listed in our Shipping Policy.
- Rush orders. A rush option is available on many products for an extra fee. Ask before ordering if you have a deadline, such as a show date.
- Changes and cancellations. Request them as soon as possible, within 24–48 hours of ordering. Once cutting starts, changes may not be possible.
- Returns. Chaps made to your measurements generally can't be returned. Our Quality Policy covers workmanship and materials. It does not cover fit problems caused by measurements supplied incorrectly, which is why careful measuring matters so much. Full terms are in our Return & Refund Policy.
