ELMC Californian review.

[Carlos840]

I love wearing my leather jackets & boots in the rain if it's good quality leather, it can take it and look the better for it. If it's a new jacket, all the better because the jacket will mold better and break in faster. Just wear it, treat the jacket with your choice of conditioner when need be after a dozen years of wear and forget about it

Selvedge denim in the rain though... Stiff as heck.

Oh im not worried about it! I just find it a bit ironic that the leather is not remotely water repellent considering they are marketing it as a "motorcycle jacket".

I am still going to wear it in the rain and wear the crap out of it. Most of my jackets have been on the bike, in the rain, in the sun, you name it.
I don't believe in buying things i can't wear. And you are right, wearing it in the rain and keeping it on until it dried did help the break in a lot.

 

[ButteMT61]

I've found that jackets made by some companies are treated to resist soaking up rain. My Hein Gerrick's did that (90's) and I think one Vanson as well. If you get a riding jacket made by a proper riding jacket maker, it seems that they consider such things as opposed to Aero or other "fashion" maker. Then again, you can treat your leather to make it better in that regard, if you have the need. Personally, I started using the Cortech jackets which were treated and have armor. More comfortable and did very well in the rare SoCal rains...

 

[Sloan1874]

Rare SoCal rains...

I wish! *looks outside at deluge* We're on to our second day of continuous rain. You'd need a jacket made from oil skins to keep the water out over here.
I actually stuck my russet A-2 on to got out earlier, forgot that it's aniline, and by the time I got to where I was going, it was virtually black. It's dried out fine, though.

 

[ButteMT61]

I wish! *looks outside at deluge* We're on to our second day of continuous rain. You'd need a jacket made from oil skins to keep the water out over here.
I actually stuck my russet A-2 on to got out earlier, forgot that it's aniline, and by the time I got to where I was going, it was virtually black. It's dried out fine, though.

When I was there, it of course was raining. I wore the new HBD and HG-5 and they did just fine. Those jackets saved me there. Between the wind and rain, it was nothing like home!
And it was really cold as well in Kelso. But I was so excited to have my new jacket that I did not care!

 

[HPA Rep]

<snip>

I am still going to wear it in the rain and wear the crap out of it. Most of my jackets have been on the bike, in the rain, in the sun, you name it.
I don't believe in buying things i can't wear. And you are right, wearing it in the rain and keeping it on until it dried did help the break in a lot.

Your jacket looks superb on you and I'm happy this had a good ending, too. But please do be careful with vegetable-tanned jackets and water; it's okay to get them wet, but never attempt to hasten the drying with heat or anything that removes moisture rapidly. Gary Eastman and I have both learned the hard way over the years, using a hair dryer to speed up drying, with the result being a jacket that suddenly goes to concrete where it was wet and now dried, and then it crumbles like a biscuit upon touching it. Lost a mint original Luftwaffe sheepskin jacket this way ...

 

[Sloan1874]

When I was there, it of course was raining. I wore the new HBD and HG-5 and they did just fine. Those jackets saved me there. Between the wind and rain, it was nothing like home!
And it was really cold as well in Kelso. But I was so excited to have my new jacket that I did not care!

Apparently, the Jet Stream has dropped down to somewhere around Spain, letting endless crappy weather systems to come scooting in from the north, hence: autumn comes early! :eeek: I can't imagine what it's like for people visiting us at this time of year and finding weather that they'd hardly encountered back home, even in winter!:eusa_doh:

 

[willyto]

Your jacket looks superb on you and I'm happy this had a good ending, too. But please do be careful with vegetable-tanned jackets and water; it's okay to get them wet, but never attempt to hasten the drying with heat or anything that removes moisture rapidly. Gary Eastman and I have both learned the hard way over the years, using a hair dryer to speed up drying, with the result being a jacket that suddenly goes to concrete where it was wet and now dried, and then it crumbles like a biscuit upon touching it. Lost a mint original Luftwaffe sheepskin jacket this way ...

That sounds painful.

So if I ever get caught in the rain with my Aero Leather A-1 it's just better to let it dry naturally rather than speeding up things. It is good to know as I'm a newbie in the leather jacket world.

 

[morrison2951]

Yep- patience is a virtue. Just let it air dry over time.

 

[Monitor]

For what it's worth, I've spent entire day in the rain wearing my Aero HH, the water was literally running down the jacket in streams for hours, how rainy it was. I thought it was soaked, but once I got home and wiped the jacket clean, it was completely dry! Didn't even do nothing to break it in. So far only Vanson, Schott HH and Aero HH have proven to be waterproof though right now Aero wins simply because I've never got any of my other jackets through this kind of weather and for so long.

 

[tmitchell59]

I posted my ELMC Californian a couple of months back. I wore this jacket a good deal in the cooler summer evenings and really gained an appreciation for it. As much as I like it I would not wear it in the rain. Lost Worlds jackets are great for water repelling but they are a much heavier jacket. Your jacket looks great!

 

[Carlos840]

I posted my ELMC Californian a couple of months back. I wore this jacket a good deal in the cooler summer evenings and really gained an appreciation for it. As much as I like it I would not wear it in the rain. Lost Worlds jackets are great for water repelling but they are a much heavier jacket. Your jacket looks great!

Thanks, seeing your pictures was definitely what sealed the deal for me!
The more i wear it the more i like mine to, i think it has definitely become my favourite in the week i have had it...
I would not wear it in the rain on purpose and would definitely go for something else if i was going out in a downpour, but i don't think a little drizzle would hurt it either.

 

[HPA Rep]

Two things to keep in mind about the ELMC Californian vs. other leather jackets that repel water well:

1) The Cal. is vegetable tanned, which doesn't take water well, whereas chrome-tanned leathers are much better at repelling water.

2) The Cal. is aniline dyed, whereas leathers that have been dyed with heavy pigment using rollers or sprayers have a substantial coating of opaque dye that will allow water to bead up and roll off vs. aniline-dyed leathers, which have no sealer coat, thus the water will be immediately soaked up.

A vegetable-tanned leather with heavy pigment dyes will repel water but not as well as chrome-tanned leathers of the same dye type, and chrome-tanned leathers with an aniline dye will absorb water just about the same as the vegetables-tanned leathers.

Unfortunately to many of us, the aniline dyes look better, allowing more of the natural depth and beauty of the leather to be seen much as stain allows wood grain to be more appreciated than a paint finish would provide. Personally, the ELMC Cal. wouldn't look as great in a pigment dye, but that's a subjective position.

 

[Monitor]

HPA, but regardless of how well aniline dyed jackets handle water, getting the jacket wet still shouldn't do any harm to it, right? Also, do aniline-dyed leathers also soak up leather lotions better?

 

[HPA Rep]

HPA, but regardless of how well aniline dyed jackets handle water, getting the jacket wet still shouldn't do any harm to it, right? Also, do aniline-dyed leathers also soak up leather lotions better?

Monitor, getting a leather jacket mildly wet should not pose a problem, but you really don't want to get one saturated. Even if you allow the leather to dry naturally, which is the only way to dry leather without causing problems, if the jacket is saturated, you will experience some amount of shrinkage in all directions regardless of the tanning process (I experienced this first hand in 1993 water tanking a jacket).

Leather lotions will be absorbed somewhat more quickly by aniline-dyed leathers, but if you work it in the leather, any of the typical finishes will allow for proper absorption, so if faster equates to better in your mind, then aniline would be better. But be careful on aniline-dyed leathers in lighter colors (anything lighter than black or dark brown), because some lotions will permanently darken the leather, thus you'll want to test a hidden area on the jacket before attacking the prominent parts. Eastman's Liquid Leather that we sell has proven to not darken any of the aniline garments we handle, and Connolly's is also a safe choice on any of the leathers among our offerings. I'd like to say Lexol is also safe, but it's been so long since I used it and we have so many new leathers now, that I don't want to make a claim I'm not certain about.

There are some water repellants safe for leather, so this is something that may be worth considering for any leather goods that don't repel moisture well.

 

[Monitor]

Monitor, getting a leather jacket mildly wet should not pose a problem, but you really don't want to get one saturated. Even if you allow the leather to dry naturally, which is the only way to dry leather without causing problems, if the jacket is saturated, you will experience some amount of shrinkage in all directions regardless of the tanning process (I experienced this first hand in 1993 water tanking a jacket).

Leather lotions will be absorbed somewhat more quickly by aniline-dyed leathers, but if you work it in the leather, any of the typical finishes will allow for proper absorption, so if faster equates to better in your mind, then aniline would be better. But be careful on aniline-dyed leathers in lighter colors (anything lighter than black or dark brown), because some lotions will permanently darken the leather, thus you'll want to test a hidden area on the jacket before attacking the prominent parts. Eastman's Liquid Leather that we sell has proven to not darken any of the aniline garments we handle, and Connolly's is also a safe choice on any of the leathers among our offerings. I'd like to say Lexol is also safe, but it's been so long since I used it and we have so many new leathers now, that I don't want to make a claim I'm not certain about.

There are some water repellants safe for leather, so this is something that may be worth considering for any leather goods that don't repel moisture well.

Thank you for the info, HPA! I'm glad to hear that the shrinkage is the worst that can happen as that's something I can live with. I wouldn't want to accelerate drying and consequently cracking of leather on any of my jackets, which is something I always feared getting the leather wet could do.

I'm asking about the leather lotions and aniline leather because some of my jackets absorbed, say, Peckards, faster than the others, while it took more than a week for some of the others. Don't like to wait this long, is all.

 

[ButteMT61]

It's funny because there are a couple guys here that refuse to believe leather jackets shrink when soaked.

 

[Seb Lucas]

In my case I'm not refusing to believe - my jackets have not shrunk after soaking. There were a few I wish had shrunk. I have washed most of the leather jackets I have owned in a washing machine, a full cycle with detergent. No difference. My Schott, G&B, Mars, Johnson Leathers retain their pre-washing measurements. This is a mix of steer, goat, cow, and kangaroo. Mind you, I've only done this to chrome tanned jackets.

I suspect it might be more accurate to say there's a small risk a leather jacket will shrink when soaked.

 

[Peacoat]

It's funny because there are a couple guys here that refuse to believe leather jackets shrink when soaked.

I'm a believer. One I shrank intentionally because it was a size or two too large. A good soaking, followed by natural drying gave me a much better fit. Another, a vegetable tanned Schott, shrank after a fairly light misting on the road. Unfortunately the sleeves shrank more than the body. Still fits, but I would like for the sleeves to be longer. I now use this as my rat jacket as the UV exposure has caused good patina to develop; it has become grey, rather than black, over much of the jacket. It enhances my reputation as a salty rider.

BTW, that is a nice Californian.

 

[Monitor]

It's true, some jackets simply will not shrink. Same as Seb Lucas, I've had a few jackets that I wanted to shrink but it just wasn't happening no matter what I did. Tried soaking them in warm water first, then the washing machine treatment... Only one jacket that I have had shrunk and ONLY after I've had it through a full cycle at the temperature of 190F in a washing machine. It's not that I don't believe that the rain can shrink leather, it's just something I'll fully accept as a fact once I see it with my own eyes.

 

[bretron]

It's gotta be attributed to the tanning and leather thickness, as referenced by HPA above.

Never tried a fully chrome tanned jacket, but veg shrunk like a wool sweater in a Florida spa