How important is Leather for winter prep?

[ToothedMammal]

I want to make leather armor and backpacks and other stuff, but I am still looking for any rock strata that I can grind for lime. I don't feel ready to go cave diving so for now I'm just prospecting on the surface, but as the greenery turns orange I'm wondering if there's more important things I need to do before winter...

I have a rammed earth house, and a cellar, and copper tools, but my amor is still just sticks and logs, and I only have one container vessel of vegetables and berries stored away for winter

[LadyWYT]

I can't think of anything that you need leather for in order to survive the winter. Larger bags will help you carry more stuff, of course, and better armor will help you fight off stronger enemies. But for just basic survival you don't absolutely need either. I'd say the most important winter supplies are warm fur clothes, plenty of food, and plenty of firewood or peat so you don't need to go gather it should you need to warm up.

For food preservation, I'd cook whatever ingredients are starting to turn stale, and seal the meals into crocks. You'll need fat to seal the crocks if you don't have access to beeswax, which you'll need to go hunting anyway to acquire fat and hides to turn into pelts for fur clothing. Any meat acquired along the way can simply be added to the winter stores.

[ToothedMammal]

Do you not need to make leather to make fur? I might have been mixing those two things up...

[LadyWYT]

1 minute ago, ToothedMammal said:

Do you not need to make leather to make fur? I might have been mixing those two things up...

Nah. Just oil a raw hide with a piece of fat, and it'll turn into a pelt after a short time. Use a knife or shears to turn pelts into various clothing in the crafting grid. And if you don't have access to twine/linen/sewing kits to repair your old clothes, or otherwise have a way to purchase new, you can craft rawhide shirts and trousers using the raw hides and shears/a knife.