Longevity, legacy of use, & patina are the basis for selecting the materials for Observer designs. This has lead me to favor leather & fabric that time imbues with incrementally greater beauty but forgoes the short term performance benefits of synthetic finishes. This places a greater responsibility for care & maintenance on Observers. The following is my experience based guide on maintaining & preparing your Observer Equipment. Method: I recommend Observer leather goods be cleaned & treated every 4 months, as non-seasonal designs, & in the hope that they are put to use daily. All removable straps & accessories should be taken off for cleaning. A brush down with soft bristle brush should be conducted across the design, a more detailed cleaning along the stitching lines, with special attention paid to fold areas, high abrasion points & folded edges. Avoid brushing the hand painted edges. While harder to reach cleaning the underside of leather straps is important. insure to brush out the inside of the product cleaning out any dust & debris that has accumilated Please note any loosened/ split stitches, fraying edge paint. Both can be serviced by Observer, & often a local cobbler. After cleaning apply a conditioning treatment gently with a soft clean rag by hand. Use medium even force when applying. After allowing time to dry any excess should be removed, & a lighter second layer can be applied if needed. regardless of the brand of conditioner 12 hours minimum rest time should be allowed for the design to fully absorb the treatment. Mind your clothes after a cleaning. But not too much. I base the following maintenance guides on age & operating environment. Initial treatment (4, 8 months): I recommend Saphir Huile De Vision (Mink Oil) which conditions leather against dryness & cracking but effects the color less than any other product I have tried, & leaves no residue rendering a even, matte finish. Mink Oil however does almost nothing for preventing stains from rain. Rainy and high humidity environments ( or 8 months +) For wet weather environments, or approaching a year of heavy use I recommend Pecard’s Motorcycle Leather dressing. This dressing both restores and conditions leather as well as defends it against rain & humidity. This will darken your leather noticeably, but draw out a greater patina. Well worn designs ( 2 years + ) For well & heavily worn Observer designs I recommend Pecard’s Antique Leather Dressing. Used by many museums to preserve archival pieces this gently conditions, draws out Patina but does not overly soften the leather which is better for longevity.