Cave Bear Pelt

Cave Bear Pelt comes from the dark-furred cave bears of Skyrim and tans into four pieces of Leather.

Cave Bear Pelt is taken from the dark, grizzled bears that lurk in Skyrim’s caves and mountain passes, usually right where you were planning to rest. It is worth 60 gold, weighs 3 and tans into 4 Leather. Like the brown Bear Pelt, it counts for the Grin and Bear It quest and the Animal Pelt Collection.

How to get it

Hunt cave bears in caves and rocky highlands. Hunters and Orc hunters carry them, and general goods merchants such as Belethor and Aval Atheron sell them.

Loose pelts include 3 at Cliffside Retreat and singles in Largashbur, Katla’s Farm, the Thalmor Embassy barracks, the Solitude Lighthouse, Bruca’s Leap Redoubt, Bits and Pieces in Solitude and even Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun.

If you are leveling Smithing on Leather or Hide armor, a few cave bear pelts go a long way, since each one becomes 4 Leather. Sellers of general goods restock their inventory over time, so it is worth checking back when you need a larger batch. Just mind the claws while you shop.

Smelting and tanning

  • 1 Cave Bear Pelt → 4 Leather at the tanning rack

Used to craft

Cave Bear Pelt appears in 1 recipe in the game files.

Weapons and other items

  • tanning rack: Leather (1)

The number in brackets is how many Cave Bear Pelt each recipe needs. Bold labels are the Smithing perk the recipe requires.

Good to know

  • Worth 60 gold – a nice sell, but 4 Leather is usually the better deal if you craft.

Data from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): value, weight, ore veins, recipes and merchant lists. ID 0003AD53 is the item’s form ID for the console.

Where to find it

  • Hunt cave bears in caves and mountain passes
  • Loose: Cliffside Retreat (3)
  • Carried by Hunters and Orc Hunters
  • Sold by general goods merchants such as Hulda

Crafting materials

Lore notes

Dropped by

Quest reward from

Where it appears

Bruca’s Leap Redoubt in Skyrim: Forsworn camp and cave on the Karth River near Dragon Bridge – Briarheart ritual, many radiant quests, A Tragedy in Black.
Cliffside Retreat in Skyrim: a hunter’s shack south of Dragon Bridge with a trader, a bed, The Marksmanship Lesson skill book and a famous valley view.
Katla’s Farm in Skyrim: Solitude’s farm and stables – buy a Palomino horse, sell produce to Katla and meet Delphine for the Diplomatic Immunity quest.
Largashbur in Skyrim: Orc stronghold besieged by giants – The Cursed Tribe walkthrough start, Atub the Illusion trainer, Volendrung reward and loot.
Solitude Lighthouse in Skyrim: Ma’zaka’s lighthouse on the northern coast, the Lights Out! quest, The Lunar Lorkhan skill book and Treasure Map III.
Thalmor Embassy in Skyrim: Elenwen’s walled compound northwest of Solitude – the Diplomatic Immunity party, Malborn, Esbern’s dossier and the Stone of Barenziah.
Whiterun is the trading heart of Skyrim, a hilltop city on the central plains crowned by Dragonsreach. Districts, shops, quests and characters.

Characters connected to it

Aval Atheron in Skyrim: Dark Elf pawnbroker and meat vendor in Windhelm’s market who sells goods of doubtful origin. Shop, family and his rescue quest.
Belethor runs Belethor’s General Goods in Whiterun – the Breton merchant who’d sell his sister if he had one. Skyrim’s most quotable shopkeeper.
Hulda runs The Bannered Mare in Whiterun – rooms, food, drink and the city’s freshest rumours. Where to find her and what she offers.

More items like this

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Bear Pelt is a heavy, valuable pelt from Skyrim’s brown bears that tans into four pieces of Leather.
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Snow Fox Pelt is the white pelt of Skyrim’s snow foxes, light and slightly more valuable than a red fox pelt.
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Fox Pelt is a light, cheap pelt from Skyrim’s red foxes that tans into a single piece of Leather.
Hide & Pelt, Smithing Material
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Vale Sabre Cat Hide is the Dawnguard sabre cat hide from the Forgotten Vale, tanned into four pieces of Leather.
Sources checked: Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm, Dawnguard.esm, Dragonborn.esm): value, weight, ore veins, placements, merchant lists, recipes