Leather jackets are the epitome of casual and a refined cool that is easily wearable no matter who you are. Leather jackets have always been such a vital staple in most wardrobes and it’s very practical for most situations but the question I will be helping you answer today is are leather jackets warm?
Leather jackets are warm because a lot of the cold you will feel will come from cold winds blowing against you and going through the item of clothing you have on. Leather jackets will typically be able to block out any form of wind and will help to retain the heat the body generates to keep you warm. However, things like the type of leather used, style, lining, etc determine how much warmth you will get from a leather jacket.
To learn more about what factors that help to make leather jackets warm, keep reading this article.
1. Type Of Lining In The Leather Jacket
Leather jackets being the cool staple it is can also be warn as a very functional piece of clothing against the cold weather and the type of lining used on the interior will determine the degree of warmth you will actually get from your leather jacket.
Leather jackets with no inner lining will usually feel colder than those with some lining. However, the amount of warmth will not be the same as different linings will effect different amounts of warmth in the leather jacket.
Generally, there are different types of linings often used for creating different variation of warmth on our skin.
A few examples of the common types of lining used for leather jackets include cotton lining, fleece, shearling lining, wool lining, faux fur lining, quilted insulation, to mention a few.
While something like a wool lining will generally wear and feel warmer than a cotton lining in a leather jacket, what I find pretty helpful for all types of leather jackets are those that have extra room for a layer of insulation.
This means that during very cold season and you would want the very best of the best warmth in your leather jacket, you will need to wear a layer or a couple layers of insulation clothes underneath the leather jacket or go for leather jackets that have a higher level of insulation in its lining.
Also, the leather jackets with an in-built liner that goes through the sleeves of the leather jacket helps to keep the arms and the overall leather jacket extremely warm.
2. Type of Leather: Real Leather Jackets vs Faux Leather Jackets
Real leather as a material is very porous and a breathable material. it will absorb and adapt to whatever temperature it’s exposed to in its environment.
This is why you will often find that your leather items will be somewhat cold during the winter until you turn the heater up or wear them.
In light of this leather jackets made from high-quality real leather will usually give you superior levels of warmth and protection by effectively adapting to your body temperature and then absorbing your body heat while sustaining the same amount of heat as you continue to wear it.
This is why real leather jackets are such a bang for your buck and a really great investment.
But there’s a little catch though and that is leather jackets made with leather that is thick will usually be a lot warmer than jackets made from thinner or light-weight leather materials.
On the other hand, leather jackets made from faux leathers will not be able to offer you with the same exceptional quality real leather has.
Faux leather jackets may be super less expensive than those made from real leather, but it’s a low-quality material will simply will offer you very little to no protection from cold.
3. Style Of The Leather Jacket
One of the best things about the leather jackets I have seen over the years has been the variety of styles and designs they come in.
A good leather jacket wouldn’t only last forever, but instead, it will be timeless and highly versatile. Some leather jackets will come with certain special features that enhances their ability to help you deal with cold weather.
A classic example are the leather jackets made with quilted leather. As odd as this may sound its one of the best types of leather that when used helps to keep you warm.
The way the quilted leather helps to make leather jackets warm and cozy feel is that the quilted leather jackets are designed with a certain unique quilting construction which help to create patches of insulation throughout the material – with the resulting leather jacket made from such materials being very versatiles and warm.
Another style of leather jackets that has gained a lot of popularity are the hooded leather jackets. This design also allows for a massive amounts of body heat to be released and retained in the leather jacket.
This hooded leather jacket style or design helps to add another layer of insulation on top of your head which helps to reduce the amount of heat that would have been lost through your head – keeping you significantly warm.
4. How You Keep The Leather Jacket
Another factor that will determine how much warmth you could get with your leather jackets is how you store it. As a matter of fact, storage is everything when it comes to anything made from real leather – as it’s also an important factor that determines how long your leather items lasts.
On the issue of whether leather jackets are warm, leather jackets that has been stored properly will be able to offer you the right amounts of warmth the body needs.
How? It’s very important to keep your leather items dry especially during the cold seasons. If not stored right, leather jackets, I mean real leather jackets will absorb moisture from the air when exposed to humid conditions and cause the leather to become damp.
When you wear leather jackets that have become from their exposure to humidity it will lower your body temperature and your leather will always feel very cold.
So you would want to ensure you store your leather jackets properly and dry at all time. In the unfortunate situation and your leather gets wet you will want to ensure you dry it first before use.
5. The Color Of The Leather Jacket
It’s a common fact that dark-colored items are naturally warmer than light-colored items. The little science behind this is that dark-colored items including leather materials will absorb heat or sunlight the most.
On the other hand, light-colored items will often have the opposite effect of reflection heat or sunlight away from them – meaning that fewer amounts of heat will be retained.
This can only mean one thing and that is, you guessed right, the color of the leather jacket will play a role, to some extent, how much heat or warmth you will be able to get with your leather jacket.
During cold weather, you would want to go for dark-colored leather jackets so that you will be able to maximize the warmth you will feel on your body.
Dark colors such as black, dark browns, etc are must haves if you’re planing to combact cold with your highly fashionable leather jackets.
6. Leather Protectants
Before I go on any further, let me mention that applying leather protectant alone will not make a significant difference when it comes to how much warmth you’re going to have in your leather jacket.
But when the application of leather protectants on your leather jacket is properly combined with some of the other factors discussed in this article, you will be able to maximize the overall warmth and coziness of your leather jacket.
Now let’s jump right in! Applying leather protectant on leather jackets is usually to protect the leather jacket from harmful UV rays, water stains, daily wear and tear, etc.
But when leather jackets have gotten proper and consistent application of leather protectant, it can add such a significant side benefit to how much warmth the leather jacket will be able to retain.
How? Leather protectants help to create a transparent layer over the exterior of the leather jacket. Most of the time, this layer of leather protectant goes into the natural pores of the leather and seals it off, serving as a reinforcement to keep any form of cold air at bay.
7. How You Wear The Leather Jacket
Now here’s what actually makes a significant difference when it comes to how much warmth you will get with your leather jackets. They way you would wear your leather jacket will also help to determine how much warmth you will get from it.
The first and most important thing is how many multiple layers of clothes will be worn underneath the leather jacket. As you may already know, this does not only apply to leather jackets but also other fabrics of coat and winter jackets.
The item of clothing you wear underneath your leather jacket will create additional insulation which will help to generate and trap more heat and warm air than wearing only a leather jacket will do.
A good example of what you can wear under your leather jackets to keep them warm is wool, fleece, or knitted tops.
A little pro tip is that you would want to ensure your leather jacket is a little be loose so that the undergarment feels comfortable.
This will ultimately ensure more heat is generated but less heat is lost from your body, and in the end, your leather jacket will feel comfortably warm whenever it’s cold outside.
In addition to wearing a layer of insulation on the inside of the leather jacket, you would want to ensure the heat generated stays within the leather jackets so that you continue to experience the warmth. You can do this by ensuring your leather jacket sleeves are worn down and buttoned-up or zipped up.