Rukka Coriace 2.0 trousers in black

The Rukka Coriace is a laminated, waterproof, leather suit. And in that it is unique. The thinking behind it is impeccable, if somewhat niche. There are those who like to wear leather, but who would like some degree of waterproofing should it rain. The problem with any leather garment is that the material is hydrophilic, meaning that it will will suck moisture in; and this isn’t great in the rain. A drop-liner membrane may keep the wearer dryer for a little longer, but won’t prevent wetting out. And so there are those who, historically, have thought that the solution would be to laminate a waterproof membrane to the leather. A number of people have tried this including Rukka with their Merlin suit and, more recently, with the original Coriace R. Well, this is the new version, the Coriace 2.

One of the key problems with laminating a membrane to a fabric is that it makes it stiffer. That can be bad enough on a textile garment, but with a leather one the result can be almost unwearable. The original Coriace R fell into that category, hence the Coriace 2. But there is a problem, in our view. The original was not nice to wear, but frankly the new version is not much better. It may be made from thinner leather, have more stretch panels, and come fitted with lighter armour, but in a world where rideability is inexorably linked to comfort, the Coriace scores poorly.

The Coriace 2 pant is made from a perforated, aniline leather. The membrane that is laminated to the inside of the leather is, unusually for Rukka, not from Gore-Tex. You get two, external, zip pockets. Concertina stretch in the knees and the back yoke. There is stretch in the waist band. You also get long zips on the legs to allow the trousers to be worn over tall, touring boots. The 60g. thermal liner can be removed. And there are fixings to take Rukka’s Defence braces.

The pants are rated AA under EN17092, and come equipped with Level 1 D3O in the hips and knees.