What Happens When You Wear a Leather Jacket in the Rain?

Owning at least a leather jacket in your wardrobe is definitely a must. Whether you're out on a night with your friends or on your way to the office, a perfectly good leather jacket сan save you from any fashion mishap or any potentially uncomfortable situation.

However, there's one situation where wearing a leather jacket can be potentially problematic, and that's when it's raining outside. If you're соnсerned about ruining your leather jacket, or if you just want to make sure it looks top-notch at all times, we're here to discuss all that.

What Happens When You Wear a Leather Jacket While it's Raining

If you're worried that rain and water will damage your jacket, we're here to tell you that it's nothing that a little bit of maintenance won't fix.

In reality, water damage to a leather jacket will depend a lot on how much of your jacket gets wet. If the bottom of your jacket gets wet, for example, it's not going to be a problem because it's not as exposed to the elements.

A light drizzle isn't going to be a problem for your jacket, either, as long as you keep it dry as much as possible. The biggest problem with wearing a jacket while it's raining is not letting it soak for too long. Doing so will result in water spots or those unattractive stains that can be hard to remove.

How Does Water Affect Leather?

Water is the universal solvent, and it can have a massive impact on the structural integrity of the leather. Water can soften the collagen in leather and allow the fibres to separate. This is called hydrolysis.

When it comes to leather, you don't want this to happen. You may have seen it happen to a leather backpack, for example, when the leather starts to look like it's falling apart. In that case, you need to take the backpack and give it a good leather conditioning treatment.

This is not the same phenomenon as when you put leather out in the rain, however. When you're wearing leather in the rain, it's not getting exposed to the water for too long. This means that the water won't be able to really soften the leather.

How to Protect Your Leather Jacket from the Rain

As we've mentioned before, you don't want to let your jacket get too wet when you're out in the rain. However, that doesn't mean that you can't get it a little wet. All you have to do is be careful. Here are some quick tips that could be useful to you.

Dry Your Jacket Off - Right after you finish your walk in the rain or after you're out in the rain for a while, take a dry towel or your jacket and dry the outer surface of it. Avoid letting the water get too close to the seams of your jacket, though. The seams will come out of the rain сlean, but if the water gets inside the jacket, it can still cause damage.

Moisturise with Beeswax - If you want to avoid water damage to your leather jacket, you should make sure to keep it properly moisturised and conditioned. You can do this by using a beeswax conditioner. Just apply the conditioner to the leather and rub it in. Let it soak in, and be sure to work it in well.

Apply a Waterproof Solution - If you want to make sure that your jacket is always ready to wear (and be worn) in the rain, you can also use a waterproofing product. These usually contain silicone compounds and can be applied to the outside of your jacket.

Keep in mind that this won't make your leather waterproof, but it will make it water-resistant. You still have to be able to let the water roll off of the surface, but this will make it so that the water doesn't damage the leather.

Protect Leather Products at All Times

If you're a fan of leather jackets, there's a good chance that you'll want to wear them at some point in the rain. This is perfectly fine as long as you take a few precautions. You can make sure that your jacket is protected from water when you're out and about by wearing it the right way.