Quote Originally Posted by CDNSushi View Post
Respectfully, I disagree. If this were the case they wouldn't ship leather goods (jackets, shoes, etc) with silica gel packets. The time it would take to draw the moisture out of the leather would probably be measurable in decades and not months.
All I know is that the furrier who stores my wife's fur coats says not to use silica desiccants as it is harmful to the hairs, and may cause them to fall out. Since most jackets and shoes are made from leather that has had the hair removed the silica gel pacs may be perfectly harmless. I suspect their use in shipping is to reduce the possibility of staining caused by damp or mildew, but as I am not a currier I really couldn't say with any certainty.