Dear Jerry,
  Thanks for writing.   Cut vest and collar Material, whats the best
material?   This is a good question, but even tho I have made vest and
collars for years, I cant give you a good answer.  The reason.  I
haven't seen the material you are wanting the name of yet but I know its
out there.

  I moved earlier in the year, and my present location doesn't allow me
the space to make vest and collars anymore.  so as far as my vest and
collar making, Im at a stand still unless I can somehow take it to my
job and make them after work.  However, I can say the wet felt collars I
make by the way I make them, I am proud of both in strength and
durability and protection.    As far as cut vest for true catch dogs, I
just haven't found the material or seen any material that I feel is the
best.  The wet felt if built properly is tough as heck.   I've made them
to where they would stop a 22 bullet..   The problem with it is water.
It soaks it up and becomes heavy.   I have tried for a number of years
to make a floatable wet felt vest.  I succeeded in making one that will
even hold me up in a pool, the problem with it is flexibility.
Usually, if I have a hog bayed in deep water, I simply take the vest off
the dog and send it with a collar only.   I NEVER run a catch dog
without at least a wide cut collar.

  I have seen some vest advertised as made with bullet proof material.
I thought about that also along time ago.   I thought about it until I
saw how much the material cost for me to buy it as a spare time
manufacture.  It was prohibitive for my cost and what I would have to
sell them for, no one would buy them..   A true bullet proof vest such
as what police and swat teams wear that can stop a 357 mag bullet is
VERY THICK AND HEAVY...   its several I mean several layers thick.  Im
not sure how many, but maybe 30 layers of a matrix type material.    I
just cant see how 1-3 layers of this stuff can stop a tooth.  However, I
can see how it would help some.   Because I guess if they are going to
be cut, a puncture hole is better than a rip.  I hope you know what I
mean in saying that.

  The best material I have seen so far that was light, flexible, tough
and non abrasive and I think would float was a material used for lining
holes in the ground.   I have located some of it, but due to the cost I
am unable to buy it.   A roll is something like 2000-3000 dollars.
But I am working on trying to find their scrap yard.

   I know there is a materiel out there that WILL DO what we hog hunters
want a vest to do, and that is being puncture proof, be light to where
it wont affect the movability or running of the animal, be cool, and
will float.  The problem is finding it, and when we do find it is to be
able to buy it at a reasonable cost to where we don't have to sell them
for $200 a vest.  I think the material to do most of it is out there.
The coolness part, well, i don't think it will ever be found.   Any time
you put a vest on a dog, its like a person wearing a jacket.  When its
hot day, its going to get hot on the dog no matter what you do.  In the
summer months, I usually don't even put the vest on the dog until the
hog is bayed up, and then pull it off him as soon as I get the hog tied.

   I don't know about other vest makers, but when ever I do  make a
vest, I put in alot of time, and effort  in to making the best one I can
make and one I would be proud to put on my own dogs.    The ones I do
turn out when ever I have the space to have my saw and sewing machine in
operation I feel like they are the best ones there is.   That's not
bragging, but I feel I must feel that way about the product Im making no
matter if I was making a rocking chair.   I would want to feel that the
chair was the best one there was and be proud of what I make.    Vest
are no different.   Sooner or later I am going to find the  material you
are asking the name of.     But at this time, I like the wet felt ones
for true catch dogs so long as they don't have to swim very far.   And I
like the light flexible vest that I see from time to time on the rough
bay dogs.   They do help.

   If I were going to make my self some cut collars and didn't want to
go out and pay a bunch of money to buy them, I would go to the local
fire dept. and get me some fire hose, split it down the middle, turn it
wrong side out, go to walmart and get me a couple of cheap 22 to 24 inch
dog collars and take them to the shoe shop or saddle shop and have them
sewn on.    We did this for years.   And fire hose is real tough.

I know I didn't answer your question very well, but hope you under stand
why.

Thanks
Jim

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