I am leaning towards the leather one...
I may have to hit up a couple more HD dealers and see if the nylon one is in stock somewhere.

 

You could get a Fox Creek leather jacket and a Tourmaster textile jacket for the price of an HD FXRG leather one.

 

A Fox Creek Leather that is in my size is $453 plus shipping. I can get the HD Leather for $480 shipped (or less)

 

Great to hear that the leather kept you that dry!

My question is, how wet did the leather itself get? Did the jacket gain more weight due to the leather soaking up the rain?

I know the jacket has a rainproof liner, and the leather is supposed to be rain resistent,

I have the FXRG in leather, but have yet to try it out in the rain for the very questions I have posed.

 

My brother has the leather one, my son has the nylon. Both did great on a trip accross Iowa the weekend of all the rain and flooding. We rode thru downpouring rain for 4 hours and they both stayed dry. I too would have a tough time deciding which one to buy.

 

OK, then.

But you actually get more leather for your money. Fox Creek jackets are some seriously thick/strong leather. FXRG jackets are like glove leather in comparison and have lighter-duty zippers, but they do have the armor, though.

 

Earlier this summer I was on a CBR1000R wearing my HD Heritage fabric jacket and hit a deer. Skidded for 35 looong paces and got up and walked; the jacket was trashed. No serious injuries or road rash...replaced it with an FXRG fabric jacket. I have a Belstaff Montana leather jacket that I now wear a lot less; mostly due to the weight and lack of armour. Wore the FXRG down to about 40F with the liner; no problem...and it is rain proof.

 

Well, I was thinking about this, too. The leather, I think, is water proofed as well, or at least water resistant. I didn't notice it get any heavier and I don't think the leather soaked up any water. As an example, 4 days later, my gloves were still soaked, the jacket was dry the next day. And, if you think about it, as long as the water's not getting through, even if the leather is wet, it won't matter.

Now, my chaps and jeans, that's another matter. I was soaked from the waist down...

 

Have had an FXRG in leather several years now and been caught in torrentials any number of times (it's the norm here) kept me warm and dry (good liner and good venting) but the zipper sucks - already had to replace it and the new ones not much better.

 

Thanks for the reply,

I read in a bike magazine about leather rain gear soaking up the rain and turning into a sponge, staying wet for days,

Possibly a cheaper jacket, but from all responses, it seems the leather FXRG is all it is advertised to be,

I will no longer pass up my FXRG when rain seems likely,