Vicenza in dark seal is a good hide. It has a drier hand than FQHH but is flexible and slightly more pebbled. The Mariner I have in it looks like goat due to pebbling. It survived being stored in damp conditions for weeks in a Shanghai depot, being sprayed with anti-covid liquid and a cold cycle in the washing machine. No harm done.Thank you so much, and I definitely appreciate the picture. Badalassi is only cowhide, yes? The fact that I see horse as a more majestic animal has me leaning toward Vicenza, though I do think that the Badalassi looks better. If both are durable, though, I suppose I can't go wrong. Another member said that CXL will degrade and literally crumble over time, so I don't think that's really what I'm looking for.
I've not seen CXL crumble in any of the jackets I've owned. The top coat will get scaly and crackly, but the topcoat isn't what holds the hide together. I live in high-humidity climates and have also never seen HH get mouldy - but I reckon that for true impenetrability, get goat. Lost Worlds gets good reviews on here, but I find the website accidentally and hilariously camp. I might have bought one if only 'blog queen' as a phrase didn't make me snicker in such an unmanly fashion. LW peacoats are a thing of beauty, though.