Buff leather

Buff leather is a strong, soft preparation of bull's or elk's hide, which was worn under mail armor in the middle ages to deaden the effect of a blow. As armor fell into disuse, buff coats, which would turn a broadsword cut, and even a pistol ball, were often worn in lieu of complete steel, either with or without a cuirass and gorget of metal. Modern buff leather, of which soldiers' cross belts and other accoutrements are frequently made, is for the most part made of common buckskin.