QUESTION

I received my Ruitertassen bag today.
Should I waterproof the leather? How?

ANSWER

None of the Ruitertassen bags need waterproofing when new.
Note that rain isn’t leather’s enemy and occasional exposure is harmless.
What’s important is to allow for the leather to dry slowly and naturally.

The tannery finishes our leather in order to minimise rain damage risks. The treatment differs depending on the leather:

The ‘vintage’ brown leather from the HERITAGE and VANGUARD range as well the LEISURE’s olive leather are waterproof oiled leathers. The impregnated oil does not let humidity settle in the leather.
Heavy rain will darken leather, but given the chance to rest in a dry environnement after exposure, it will dry naturally thanks to the oil. It helps to empty the bags so it can dry thoroughly.

The ‘vintage’ brown leather of the HERITAGE and VANGUARD range is richly oiled while the LEISURE’s leather is a moderately oiled nubuck. Given its nature, it is more susceptible to humidity, but it can handle occasional and short exposure as long as it gets a chance to dry the same day.

When leather is not oiled, it is finished with a thin waterproof coating.
On that type of leather, water will pearl on the surface. That’s the kind we use for the rest of our collections. It’s not necessary to further waterproof this leather either when new.