Green University® LLC Presents...
A Braintanning Competition

Braintan Marathon

River Camp: Cardwell, Montana. December 1 - 7, 2026

      How many hides can you tan in a week? The Braintan Marathon is a competitive event to finish hide projects started through the fall hunting season. Collect hides in November, flesh and salt them for storage, or better yet, start soaking and scraping them for tanning. You will likely tan your first hide(s) during the fall season, while stockpiling supplies for future projects. Advance them as far as you want in preparation for the Braintan Marathon.

      Braintanning that first deer hide is a truly magical experience, yet not terribly useful on its own. Tanning the second and third hides increases the options to make something useful. Tanning several more hides is necessary to make a complete head-to-toe buckskin outfit. Tanning a whole pile of hides makes you rich in buckskin. Now you can be choosy in deciding which hides to match together in making clothing, with plenty left over to craft bags, backpacks, or anything else you can dream up in the months or years to come.

      Any hides not yet softened may be finished during the Braintan Marathon. Scrape as many hides as you want in advance. Then gather around the fire to stretch, cable, and soften one hide after another.

      The purpose of the Braintan Marathon is to stimulate a little friendly competition to prepare an abundance of bucksin for the subsequent Sewing Buckskin Clothing class.

      To participate in the Braintan Marathon, apply to our semester or year-long immersion program and join us for the Fall Harvest Celebration.

Interested in more classes and events?
See our full schedule!

Looking for an extended immersion experience at a discount price?
Join us for a semester or a full year!

      Looking for life-changing resources? Check out these books by Thomas J. Elpel:

Green Prosperity

Roadmap to Reality

Living Homes

Participating in Nature

Foraging the Mountain West

Botany in a Day

Shanleya's Quest

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