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How do they fare? I know most leather jackets are not made to be water proof. But how do they hold up to the rain? If I wear my JR Blaster jacket out for an hour in a torrential downpour, will it shrink, warp, or otherwise damage or ruin the jacket in any way? Thanks.

Pittance wrote:How do they fare? I know most leather jackets are not made to be water proof. But how do they hold up to the rain? If I wear my JR Blaster jacket out for an hour in a torrential downpour, will it shrink, warp, or otherwise damage or ruin the jacket in any way? Thanks.

Let's just say that it's not a good idea.

The getting wet part isn't really the bad part. The drying is. Leather takes a LONG time to dry, and, when it does so, tends to get stiff and brittle. You will want to clean it thoroughly while it's still wet, and treat it with conditioner as it dries at room temperature.

Wear a waterproof textile jacket in the rain.

I see. So I guess until I get a bit of experience and can afford a second jacket, I should just invest in a cheap rain suit to try to keep water off the jacket. But if I get caught out in a light rain and the jacket is mostly just wet on the outside, so I still need to completely condition it with leather chemicals? Or is that only if it gets soaking wet? Also, if it isnt soaked, will just drying it with a towel work, or do I always need to let it air dry? Thanks.

Pittance wrote:I see. So I guess until I get a bit of experience and can afford a second jacket, I should just invest in a cheap rain suit to try to keep water off the jacket. But if I get caught out in a light rain and the jacket is mostly just wet on the outside, so I still need to completely condition it with leather chemicals? Or is that only if it gets soaking wet? Also, if it isnt soaked, will just drying it with a towel work, or do I always need to let it air dry? Thanks.

If it's just a little damp, pat it dry with a towel and let it just dry naturally in the room. If it's taking more than half an hour or so to dry completely, it's soaked pretty well and you want to condition it as it dries.

It's never a bad idea to condition leather.. and if you can only afford one jacket, you better take care of it.

saddle soap then mink oil

Well, the great thing about cheap rain suites is they fit in tank bags, and go over clothing, so whenever you see it is about to rain or light rain you can pull over and change... that is what we do, and since it rains a lot here in the summer I carry it with me always... you never know