Wearing leather jackets in the rain

[Tom71]

depending where you live of course, but leather will dry from water quite fast when worn, water actually pooling down toward the hem and cuff pretty fast, faster than jeans.
upper part of the jacket will dry very fast, so if you wear it unzipped, and just walk or ride with the hem of your jacket blown by the wind, it will dry very fast, unless your liner is quilted and soaked... then it will take eternity probably.

This!

I hate carrying an umbrella, and I don´t mind walking in the rain (not that I am after it, but the occational shower while running errands is a non-issue for me), so leather is much more suitable than cotton or wool which soaks up the water and stays wet for ages.

 

[dlite90]

I have a Taylor Stitch cuyama and I got caught in the rain a few weeks ago running errands in Manhattan. It got a good soaking for 2-3 hours. I noticed some of those “aero fit” kind of creases forming from collar to pit, seemed a little warped and I was amazed how long it felt wet afterwards.
Now it doesn’t seem wet or warped but it does have more grain.

 

[Jin431]

I would use chrome tanned jackets or pigment finished jackets. Still weary of wearing veg tanned jackets because of possible shrinking issues like I had with my JL. Also if we can only get more rain here then we'd have less forest fires and I would have better grains on my jacket.

 

[navetsea]

So I guess wearing leather jacket in the rain is the equivalent of sea-washing jeans

I have yet to purposefully walk in the rain, but i have drenched my jacket few time since rain comes very hard here, so a brief walk from supermarket to my car is enough to get me drenched, it has more visible effect on smooth hides, on pebbled leather it doesnt show any more graining. But this effect to me can be replicated by putting your jacket over wide plastic hanger, and use hand shower to really wet it, and wear to dry.

The side of walking in the rain I really dislike is side splashes... dirty water wash from the street to my jacket and pants and feet. made everything smelly and disgusting. Even riding bike in the rain gets the same incident when big wheeled suv mpv blast pass me while i just ride at commuting cruising speed. People drive "sportier" here in our traffic when it starts raining.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

The only thing I wouldn’t wear in the rain is suede or rough out. That said, if it’s warm enough to be raining I’m more than likely wearing a Texas tux.

Good point. I wouldn't wear my roughout jacket in the rain. I haven't had it long so I forgot about it when I wrote my initial reply.

 

[mendelboaz]

Tough and heavy jackets from Aero, Vanson, Lost Worlds and the likes are made for any type of harsh weather conditions. Any thin, low quality leather jacket from any fashion brand won't stand up to a heavy rain storm, for sure. But when it comes to the stuff seen on this forum... wear it, enjoy it, beat the jacket up like it owes you money, and it'll end up looking all the better for it.

I've worn my Aeros and Vansons in any weather condition for the past 6 years, and they still show no sign of the quality of the leather degrading. If any, they look much, much better than they did when I got them. You'll likely wear out the lining before you notice any serious damage/dryness to the leather. When that eventually happens, apply a healthy layer of leather conditioning and you're good to go for another ten years.

These jackets are called outerwear products for a reason, folks! Don't be afraid to treat them as such.

 

[Flying Monkey]

I have an old cr that I had relined. no idea of brand, but it has that weird sort of plasticy feel to the topcoat of the leather. Sheds water like a duck. Important stuff here in Oregon. I know its not the greatest quality, Sears or Fidelity maybe, but it doesn't look half bad and is super comfortable. I generally don't wear most of my leather if I know I'm going to be in the rain. I'll dig out the Carhartt instead. Just too picky I guess.

 

[PilotJens]

I wear chrome tanned leather in the rain because it can withstand that .Chrome tanned leather can be washed in the washing machine.Veg tanned leather can start to mold because of tannage loss and loosing fatliqour .I just replenish the oil a little bit from time to time .

 

[willyto]

The only thing I wouldn’t wear in the rain is suede or rough out

Good point. I wouldn't wear my roughout jacket in the rain. I haven't had it long so I forgot about it when I wrote my initial reply.

Why not? They are actually easier to maintain after rain and you can put products that make them water repellent. As an example suede shoes are best for rainy days.

Makes no sense to me not to wear hem. Roughout is way tougher that regular leather, there's a reason why welding leather jackets are mostly roughout or the USMC and Navy wore roughout boots in WW2. Also cowboy chaps and the like.

 

[ton312]

Why not? They are actually easier to maintain after rain and you can put products that make them water repellent. As an example suede shoes are best for rainy days.

Just old fashioned I guess. Even with it covered in Scotch Guard, the thought of a soaked suede jacket just sounds wrong. I suppose because it’s totally absorbent.

 

[dopey]

Let me ask a variant of this question. I bought a fantastic LW jacket on the classifieds a month or so ago. It is fractionally big everywhere, though I still like it. It is heavyweight horsehide. Is it likely to shrink a little if I soak it through? I would love for the sleeves to magically shorten and narrow (any small amount would be fine). If the body shrunk a bit or narrowed, that would also be good.

 

[TREEMAN]

Trying to make a LW shrink is a losing battle ...

 

[Fifty150]

covered in Scotch Guard

excellent condition never needs conditioning

Chrome tanned CXL sheds rain well

When I was a kid, I was taught to use mink oil on leather. Boots & jackets. I don't have leather pants.

I wear my leather jackets in all kinds of cool/cold and snowy weather.

If I am wearing my leather jacket that day, and it's raining or snowing, then the jacket is worn in the rain and snow. I do have other rain gear. Modern textile like Goretex. Old school ponchos also do a great job, and it's what I prefer. And even if it's against "fashion sense", I have worn rain gear outfits, raincoats, and ponchos over my leather jacket. Especially if I'm riding my bike on a rainy day. That's what rain gear is for.

Unless I get caught accidentally in the rain I just open my umbrella.

I need both hands free. I haven't used an umbrella in decades. That's why I own waterproof clothing. It's also hard to use an umbrella on a motorcycle. These days, I try to drive a car when it's raining. Riding a bike in the rain is not my 1st choice.

 

[navetsea]

Why not? They are actually easier to maintain after rain and you can put products that make them water repellent. As an example suede shoes are best for rainy days.

Makes no sense to me not to wear hem. Roughout is way tougher that regular leather, there's a reason why welding leather jackets are mostly roughout or the USMC and Navy wore roughout boots in WW2. Also cowboy chaps and the like.

please tell me if you know maintenance product for suede, how to condition these stuff?
I know they don't show cracks or dryness, but I wonder if the structure of the fiber inside is OK if rained on and losing it's tannage oil, while I can't put on anything to replace it. Probably when used for military or in workplace they don't shy to just put on wax and oil to it to protect it better from elements, but that's not what we do when keeping the suede look.

 

[willyto]

please tell me if you know maintenance product for suede, how to condition these stuff?
I know they don't show cracks or dryness, but I wonder if the structure of the fiber inside is OK if rained on and losing it's tannage oil, while I can't put on anything to replace it. Probably when used for military or in workplace they don't shy to just put on wax and oil to it to protect it better from elements, but that's not what we do when keeping the suede look.

I use Saphir products, in particular this one in neutral:

I always brush with a regular tiny brush the suede to remove dirt and stuff in my shoes then when they're no longer waterproof and dirty I clean them with suede shampoo and apply that conditioner if I want full protection I spray the super Invulner on top of it.

Desert boots were also suede/roughout. The leather is tough.

 

[navetsea]

I use Saphir products, in particular this one in neutral:

I always brush with a regular tiny brush the suede to remove dirt and stuff in my shoes then when they're no longer waterproof and dirty I clean them with suede shampoo and apply that conditioner if I want full protection I spray the super Invulner on top of it.

Desert boots were also suede/roughout. The leather is tough.

now I remember one youtube video that showed this product, thanks, I only have casual chelsea boots and side zip harness boots in suede, I tried to let them just go dirty and have more variation in color, but I'm thinking to condition them incase they dryout.

 

[Monitor]

now I remember one youtube video that showed this product, thanks, I only have casual chelsea boots and side zip harness boots in suede, I tried to let them just go dirty and have more variation in color, but I'm thinking to condition them incase they dryout.

Any non-greasy leather lotion will work, too. Like Lexol. Or any equivalent. I've washed two suede jackets in a washing machine and covered them with Lexol. Ended up looking 10x better than before the wash x treatment.

Suede is just fibers, nothing's gonna happen to it.

 

[bn1966]

Might not be too keen on getting my A-1 Capeskin soaked but other than that I’m happy to get drenched in all the others...

 

[navetsea]

Any non-greasy leather lotion will work, too. Like Lexol. Or any equivalent. I've washed two suede jackets in a washing machine and covered them with Lexol. Ended up looking 10x better than before the wash x treatment.

Suede is just fibers, nothing's gonna happen to it.

So any waterbased leather conditioner from car interior maintenance isle? I wonder if the key is just putting it on a spray bottle with fine nozzle to mist it over the surface

 

[Monitor]

So any waterbased leather conditioner from car interior maintenance isle? I wonder if the key is just putting it on a spray bottle with fine nozzle to mist it over the surface

Since I don't really think they do much of anything at all, conditioners and lotions, I don't think you'll need anything more complicated than any cheap old car interior lotion. I've done the same thing, poured it into a spray bottle but it got clogged soon so best used it right away.