I've been caught in the pouring rain many times, living in Vancouver. None of my leather (unsprayed) purses have been ruined by getting poured on. I have a great $3000 Givenchy messenger bag that I thought for sure would be ruined the first time I got caught in a rainstorm, but it dried off without a hint of damage. The leather is like the Balenciaga bags. I don't feel like I need to really worry about the rain, but the rain here is very pure, not polluted, which might be the case in other cities.