Aero leather water resistance

[RMF308]

I'm about to order my next Aero jacket and I'm trying to decide which leather to choose; I currently have a dark seal Vincenza, and one in Black FQHH. Though I feel fortunate to live in Seattle (home of Thurston Bros and Goodwear) it tends to rain quite a bit here. Of the Aero leathers choices... would Steerhide provide the most water resistance (and spotting resistance) or are they all (Vincenza, FQHH) about equal?

Has anyone done extensive rain tests with the various Aero leathers?
Thanks.

 

[Big J]

Why not goat? Goat is waterproof.

 

[Sloan1874]

I think it's much of a muchness, really. Only if you're dealing with aniline or semi-aniline does rain become an issue.

 

[dan_t]

I was just thinking 'goat' as I was reading this. Mine from Aero is extremely comfortable to wear. Particularly compared to the FQHH.

 

[RMF308]

Thanks all. I agree goat is very nice and a great choice but I already own a beautiful goatskin Star G-1 Navy that John Chapman (Goodwear) made for me. I like goat for its toughness and wearability on all weather conditions, but what draws me to horse or steer is the patina/character wear marks that end up personalizing it. My heavy goatskin Goodwear is so tough it hardly shows wear or marks. I'll probably end of going with FQHH again..perhaps in brown or cordovan.

 

[Dav]

Had to wear my FQHH jacket for a couple of hours in the pouring rain recently, it didn't keep me dry I'm afraid, held out for a while but eventually it went right through the lining. It is a few years old now with much of the shine gone, on the plus side though it feels even softer now it had dried!

 

[Sloan1874]

Blimey, can we get a pic of what sounds like a properly broken-in jacket, Dav?

 

[Dav]

Yea sure, I'll pop some in my HWM thread.

 

[Monitor]

All my Aero FQHH jackets were holding up just fine in the rain but then again, these were all (relatively) new jackets.

 

[avique]

Been wearing my Hudson in the Seattle rain for two years with no problems.

 

[avique]

Btw my Hudson is FQHH. It seems to resist the rain well enough for everyday use.

 

[rocketeer]

Has anyone done extensive rain tests with the various Aero leathers?
Thanks.

Hi, not clocked in for a while but thought I could make a contribution here.
I wore a Front quarter horsey Highwayman for a most of a rain soaked day on the Isle of Wight some years back. Ranging from that fine drizzley rain to some heavy spots, the jacket stayed fairly dry inside but after around 8 hrs some rain had soaked through and a little colour bled through but not excessively.
Why was I walking around in the rain? I was not booked on a ferry till afternoon and a rainy day said lets try for an earlier boat. But there are only so many cafes and charity shops(looking for books) I can handle. Looking on the brighter side, at least the jacket got a fair bit of natural cold water treatment Though my hat shrank

 

[rocketeer]

Haha reply to my own above post. Just been caught in the rain again wearing my brown Highwayman(same jacket as above). Everyone huddled under the shop awnings afraid to get their jackets wet be they wearing leather or fabric and carrying umbrellas. The only others walking were wearing wet weather Gortex styles and me!
No colour bleed now

 

[ButteMT61]

My 2011 break-in of the FQHH 50's HBD was in Scottish/UK/French rains in November/December. It sucked up some water, but I don't recall getting wet.
Not what I call a rain jacket, but it was more than warm enough (with the attached shearling collar) and held up just fine. Probably helped a bit in breaking that hide too.

 

[tblay]

I've ridden in FQHH in surprise storms. Occasionally, very intense rains after which I poured water out of my boots. My shirts were always dry.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

No leather is naturally waterproof/rain repellant, it's only the products that are applied to the leather, oils/waxes etc. that render it water repellant. Some leathers have an artificial coating which offers a certain water repellancy but they can't really be called genuine leather. In good quality new leathers it will take longer for rain to seep through as the leather fibres are still tightly knitted as opposed to older or lower quality leathers but they can't claim to be water resistant, they will absorb water. In general water & unprotected leather don't go together.

 

[tblay]

No leather is naturally waterproof/rain repellant, it's only the products that are applied to the leather, oils/waxes etc. that render it water repellant. Some leathers have an artificial coating which offers a certain water repellancy but they can't really be called genuine leather. In good quality new leathers it will take longer for rain to seep through as the leather fibres are still tightly knitted as opposed to older or lower quality leathers but they can't claim to be water resistant, they will absorb water. In general water & unprotected leather don't go together.

Well said. You can always put a coat of wax (examples abound, but Obenauf's and Pecard's are my favorites) on the jacket. It'll also help with break-in.

 

[tropicalbob]

Rocketeer -- I had a good laugh over your cold-water treatment, as it sounds like I don't know how many days I spent in England. In addition, and as I've reminded folks before, let's not forget Stu at Lost Worlds. His jackets LOVE the rain! You can stand outside in a hurricane in one of those and shake your fist at the sky like Charleton Heston!

 

[thor]

Maybe it's the chrome tanning on the LW horsehide but I gotta say, my LW A-2 is as waterproof as gore-tex. I've worn mine in the worst downpours imaginable; that jacket does repel the rain!

 

[Seb Lucas]

No leather is naturally waterproof/rain repellant, it's only the products that are applied to the leather, oils/waxes etc. that render it water repellant. Some leathers have an artificial coating which offers a certain water repellancy but they can't really be called genuine leather. In good quality new leathers it will take longer for rain to seep through as the leather fibres are still tightly knitted as opposed to older or lower quality leathers but they can't claim to be water resistant, they will absorb water. In general water & unprotected leather don't go together.

My experience is that leather and water are fine but not to excess. Chrome tanned is almost waterproof. Leather has traditionally been worn as a wind breaker and shower proof outerwear. Older jackets I own just as waterproof as the newer ones. I think veg tanned leathers and naked hides do worst, but even my naked cowhide car coat dries up fairly quickly with no ill effects.