Wearing furs in the rain…

[dongleboy]

Does anyone have thoughts about wearing their precious furs when it’s raining?  I live in Scotland and, boy, does it rain here?!  Today, I took my gorgeous Grosvenor full length mink out when the rain was only spitting.  However, as my travels progressed , (by car),  the rain got heavier and heavier.  I did have an effective umbrella but certain parts of my mink got wet. Not absolutely saturated but clearly damp.  

Of course I hung my coat up in a warm area when I returned home and followed the advice given by the various books I have acquired over the years about caring for furs so I’m not too concerned but it’s always a bit of a worry. 

[minkme]

If you got the leather wet, you ight want to call a furrier to check and see if it will be Okay.  Also use a fan to help air it out. 

[Norwegian lynx]

I take care not to wear my fur or fur trimmed clothing in the rain, as it's certainly something that can limit it's longevity and visual appeal over time. However, I think different furs can take a light drizzle better than others. A beavers pelt for example is a 100% waterproof (as long as its firmly attached to the beaver that is) and minks aswell are quite aquatic animals. That kind of short haired dense furs won't let the water through to to the underfur and leather so quickly, which is what messes up the pelts. With longer haired furs like fox, where the pelts are often let out as well, your more in danger of getting water through to the pelt and messing up the underfur aswell, creating a messy, worn look.

I think if I were going to have a fur/leather jacket for wearing in the rain, I would have a special dedicated one made from beaver, either as lining or facing, and keep the pelts well saturated with oils like lanolin or mink oil. My other furs would be kept for dry or snowy weather.

[coastfur]

Hi Dongleboy, I also live in Scotland. Be great to chat some time.