You've finally tracked down that legendary bear. It took three health tonics and a very stressed-out horse, but the beast is down. Now what? If you're standing over a massive carcass in the Grizzlies, you're likely thinking about the rdr2 trapper crafting list. Most players see the Trapper as just another shopkeeper, but honestly, he’s the gatekeeper to the best gear in the game. He doesn’t just take your skins; he turns Arthur Morgan from a rugged outlaw into a mountain man draped in the literal history of the American frontier.
Tracking this stuff down is a grind. It really is. You aren't just looking for "deer skins." You’re looking for perfect deer skins. Then you need a legendary elk. Then maybe a couple of goat hides you had to steal from a rancher near Emerald Ranch because, let's face it, goats are surprisingly hard to find in the wild.
Why the Trapper is Actually Better than the Fence
While the Fence handles your trinkets and talismans, the Trapper is all about the aesthetic and the stat boosts. If you want those reinforced pieces of equipment to finish your Challenges, you're visiting this guy. He has four main locations—Saint Denis, near Annesburg, Riggs Station, and way out west near the Proving Grounds—plus his mobile stall.
The rdr2 trapper crafting list is categorized mostly by "Garment Sets." These are full outfits that require a specific combination of legendary pelts and perfect (3-star) animal skins. If you bring him a "Good" pelt, he’ll buy it for a few bucks, but you can’t craft anything with it. It’s useless for your collection. That’s the first rule: if it isn't a 3-star animal, don't even bother wasting the arrow unless you’re just hungry.
The Legendaries are the Easy Part
It sounds weird, right? But legendary animals are actually the simplest part of the rdr2 trapper crafting list. Why? Because they always drop a legendary pelt regardless of how many times you shoot them. You can blast a legendary wolf with a shotgun five times and the pelt is still "Legendary."
Compare that to finding a 3-star Moose. Moose are the rarest spawns in the game. You find one near Lake Isabella, your heart starts racing, you pull out the Springfield Rifle, and... you hit it in the leg. Now it's a 2-star pelt. You’ve just wasted three hours of real-world time. That’s the kind of frustration that makes people quit the hunt, but the rewards—like the Ghost Bison outfit—are just too good to pass up.
Breaking Down the Essential Garment Sets
Let’s talk about the heavy hitters. You aren't going to craft everything at once. Nobody has that kind of inventory space or patience. You usually start with the Legendary Bear Skin Rug. It’s the first one the game throws at you during the mission with Hosea.
To finish the "Bear Stalker" set, you don't just need that big bear. You also need a perfect bison pelt and a perfect bull hide. Bulls are annoying. You have to sneak into a farm at night, kill one quietly, and skin it before the law arrives. It’s a whole process.
The Dreamcatcher set is another favorite. It requires the Legendary Beaver. Beavers are found near the pool at Butcher Creek, but they are surprisingly skittish. If you don't get the headshot, they dive into the water and you lose the body.
Then there's the Huntsman set. This one is for the completionists. It requires:
- Legendary Coyote Pelt
- Two Eagle Feathers
- Legendary Fox Pelt
- Perfect Muskrat Pelt
Muskrats are the worst. They’re small, they bite your ankles, and finding a 3-star version in the swamps of Lemoyne feels like a cruel joke from Rockstar. But once you have that Coyote Half-Chaps? You look like the king of the trail.
The Secret Ingredient: Feathers and Small Pelts
Everyone focuses on the big game, but the rdr2 trapper crafting list will absolutely stall out because you forgot to hunt birds. Seriously.
Woodpeckers. Songbirds. Cardinals.
You need these for the hats. The Trapper has a weird obsession with sticking feathers into everything. To get a perfect bird carcass, you must use the Small Game Arrow. If you use a Varmint Rifle on a Robin, you'll ruin it. I’ve spent more time squinting at the sky near Fort Brennand trying to tell a Blue Jay from a Sparrow than I care to admit.
The "Rat Pelt" is another sleeper requirement. You need a bunch of them for various flat caps and the Rat Hardie Hat. The best place to find them? The saloon in Saint Denis has a random encounter where the owner asks you to clear out an infestation. Use your small game arrows and you can knock out half that requirement in five minutes.
Reinforced Equipment: The Hidden Stat Boost
Beyond the fancy hats, the Trapper sells Reinforced Equipment. This is tied directly to your Challenges (Sharpshooter, Herbalist, etc.).
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When you finish Tier 1 of a challenge, the Trapper unlocks a piece of gear. When you finish the whole set (all 10 tiers), your base stats—Health, Stamina, or Dead Eye—get a permanent boost. This is why the rdr2 trapper crafting list is mandatory for anyone trying to hit 100% completion. You can't reach maximum stats without him.
The "Master Hunter" set is arguably the coolest looking. It’s all dark leather and bone accents. But to get the holster, you have to kill three bears with knives. It’s a nightmare. It’s supposed to be.
How to Optimize Your Hunt
Don't just wander around. Use the map. The Trapper’s inventory is "global." If you sell a pelt to him in Saint Denis, you can go to his stall in the woods near Strawberry and he will still have that pelt in his "Ingredients" pool. You don't have to carry everything at once.
- Get the Buck Antler Trinket immediately. This is the single most important item for hunters. It increases the quality of skinned animals, meaning a 2-star animal sometimes gives you a 3-star pelt. It saves hours.
- Study everything. Use your binoculars. If the animal isn't a 3-star, let it go.
- Manual saves are your friend. If you have a legendary pelt on your horse and a random gang ambush kills you, that pelt is gone. It goes to the Trapper automatically (you don't lose the ability to craft), but you lose the money from selling it.
- Use the right tool. * Small birds/squirrels: Small Game Arrow.
- Rabbits/Beavers/Raccoons: Varmint Rifle.
- Deer/Boar/Cougars: Springfield or Bolt Action (Headshots only).
- Bison/Elk/Bears: Improved Arrows or Sniper Rifles.
Common Misconceptions About the Trapper
A lot of people think you have to buy the outfit all at once. You don't. You can "deposit" pelts by selling them to him. Think of the Trapper like a bank. Once you sell him a Perfect Panther Pelt, it stays in his inventory forever until you use it for a craft.
Another mistake? Thinking the "Legendary" gear provides armor. It doesn't. RDR2 isn't an RPG in that sense. A bear-head hat won't stop a bullet better than a regular Stetson. What it does do is provide weather protection. Most Trapper outfits are "Very Cold Weather" gear. If you wear them in the swamps of Saint Denis, Arthur will lose stamina and sweat himself to death. Always check the temperature rating before you head out.
The complexity of the rdr2 trapper crafting list is really just a reflection of how deep the game's hunting system goes. It's meant to be played slowly. It’s a reason to sit by a campfire in the heart of the Grizzlies and actually watch the ecosystem move around you.
Essential Next Steps for the Master Hunter
If you're ready to clear that list, stop what you're doing and head to the northwest corner of the map. Hunt the Legendary Buck first to get that trinket. From there, move into the Big Valley area near Hanging Dog Ranch. This is the best "shopping mall" for hunters. You'll find wolves, bears, deer, and boar all in one valley.
Keep a checklist on your phone or a piece of paper. The in-game menus are a bit clunky for tracking exactly how many perfect goat hides you still need. Once you start checking those boxes, the game opens up in a way that makes the "outlaw" life feel like a side hustle compared to being the greatest hunter in the West.
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Check your map for the nearest Trapper icon, load up your horse with some predator bait, and get into the high country. The gear is worth the trek.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Session:
- Target the Buck Antler Trinket first by hunting the Legendary Buck west of Strawberry; it’s the only way to reliably get 3-star pelts from imperfect shots.
- Clear the Saint Denis rat infestation encounter to quickly satisfy the "Perfect Rat Pelt" requirements for various hats.
- Prioritize the "Legendary Panther" (Giaguaro) only after completing Master Hunter Rank 9, as he won't even appear on the map until then.
- Keep your "Small Game Arrows" crafted at all times; the rarest items on the crafting list aren't the big predators, but the tiny songbirds that require specific ammo to keep their quality.