Can Leather Get Wet?

You want to protect your leather and keep it looking great for years. So, wondering if it can get wet is a very valid concern. First off, the best way to protect your leather from water is to take good care of it. You can waterproof it with lanolin oils and you can prevent the leather from losing moisture by conditioning it with leather oils regularly.

If your leather gets wet it can be a problem. It’s not the wetness that causes problems with the leather it’s the drying process. As leather dries it tends to lose moisture and this includes the natural oils of the leather that keep it soft. The important thing is to never try and dry your leather with anything like a hair dryer or leaving it out in the sun, this can cause the leather to harden and become brittle. 

Let the leather air dry by hanging it up somewhere in a cool but dry place. Once the leather has dried to where it is only slightly damp you want to apply a leather conditioner to the leather. This will help replace the oils that are being lost through the drying process and prevent more oils from being lost and it dries further. You want the coating of conditioner to be relatively thick. Massage it well into the leather and then leave it to dry for several hours or even overnight.

Once the leather has dried completely you want to check over the entire bag and make sure there are no dry or rough spots. If you find any, massage more leather conditioner into the rough spots and leave to dry again.

All of our bags and leather products can hold up to getting wet as long as they are treated with proper care afterward. For more tips on caring for your leather bag and other Yukon products please visit our care guide.