Suede and rain/snow: conventional wisdom vs. reality?

[Al Rick]

I came to this forum looking for answers, but couldn't find them so I figured I might as well just ask. In case this is one of those "it's been done a thousand times" topics, my search-fu is inferior and I would appreciate some guidance to the right place

Either way, I've always heard and believed that suede is incredibly sensitive to wet weather and that one under no circumstances should ever wear suede when there's even risk for rain. Then one day a while back, I noticed a local cobbler wearing suede shoes during the winter and I asked him about it. He said he even prefers suede shoes to regular leather shoes when it's raining, because they are better at rejecting the water when properly treated. He showed me by holding a suede shoe under running water - and it just ran off without leaving even a droplet.

Not giving this too much thought since then, other than simply treating my suede shoes and not caring about the weather. I haven't had any issues at all, no spots or anything of the sort, and when it's raining I've never gotten wet socks in my suede shoes - which I have in regular leather shoes. Then a few days ago, I read an article about which shoes to go for this fall, and I once again encountered the argument that suede shoes should never be worn when wet out.

Basically, I have no idea whether the cobbler I talked to is an authority on the subject, or if my experience is due to dumb luck. But I do know that suede definitely is more durable and versatile than I previously thought.

Google gives me contradicting information, with the only actual "real life proofs" I can find come from the "suede and rain are good buds"-camp, where people show suede shoes that have been worn in wet seasons and how they look like they should, whereas the "suede and rain are mortal enemies"-camp tend to repeat the exact same arguments but really staying in the purely theoretical domain.

So, my question is this: what are your personal experiences when it comes to [treated] suede shoes and wet weather?

 

[Murlsquirl]

I came to this forum looking for answers, but couldn't find them so I figured I might as well just ask. In case this is one of those "it's been done a thousand times" topics, my search-fu is inferior and I would appreciate some guidance to the right place

Either way, I've always heard and believed that suede is incredibly sensitive to wet weather and that one under no circumstances should ever wear suede when there's even risk for rain. Then one day a while back, I noticed a local cobbler wearing suede shoes during the winter and I asked him about it. He said he even prefers suede shoes to regular leather shoes when it's raining, because they are better at rejecting the water when properly treated. He showed me by holding a suede shoe under running water - and it just ran off without leaving even a droplet.

Not giving this too much thought since then, other than simply treating my suede shoes and not caring about the weather. I haven't had any issues at all, no spots or anything of the sort, and when it's raining I've never gotten wet socks in my suede shoes - which I have in regular leather shoes. Then a few days ago, I read an article about which shoes to go for this fall, and I once again encountered the argument that suede shoes should never be worn when wet out.

Basically, I have no idea whether the cobbler I talked to is an authority on the subject, or if my experience is due to dumb luck. But I do know that suede definitely is more durable and versatile than I previously thought.

Google gives me contradicting information, with the only actual "real life proofs" I can find come from the "suede and rain are good buds"-camp, where people show suede shoes that have been worn in wet seasons and how they look like they should, whereas the "suede and rain are mortal enemies"-camp tend to repeat the exact same arguments but really staying in the purely theoretical domain.

So, my question is this: what are your personal experiences when it comes to [treated] suede shoes and wet weather?

Spray them with a good protector (like Nanoprotector) and suede holds up great in wet weather.