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My two cents on riding gear:
Leather has better abrasion resistance but it comes at a high price. Its expensive. Maintenance isn't to bad if your only a fair weather rider. When it gets wet it loses some of its strength and get stiffer when it dries. You need to condition it to keep it soft. In Florida in the summer, heat stroke. If you ride in all kinds of weather leather might not be a good choice. There are a few companies that make compromise gear that has leather around the same areas where the armor goes. I have a jacket like this that I loved until it got wet. Forget chaps. If you slide you'll just grind your butt off before the leather wears through. Lots of leather and other riding gear for that matter is more about fashion than any thing else.
There is a lot of marketing hype and no standards to speak of for riding gear. I sure wish DOT would come up with some standards for riding gear.
I like textile gear better than leather. Easier to maintain and cheaper. Most of the year I couldn't wear leather anyway. Riding pants seem to be an after thought for most people so the choices are some what limited. A company that makes 25 or 30 different jackets might only make two kinds of pants.
I like over pants. I buy the jacket I like and then pick one of the pants that go with it. I like 3/4 jackets with lots of pockets and a zipper that zips them to the pants. In the summer I have to compromise because of the heat. I don't mind a little sweat but I'm talking about heat stroke. I gear up all the way or I don't ride. You will never see me riding in a tee shirt shorts and sandals. I see this every day here.
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