What are silicone full seats like? I’ve only ridden in the regular suede ones, but it seems to be getting harder to find that kind now.
Does the silicone hold up, or does it tend to fall off? Are they much stickier/ gripper than the suede ones?
They are somewhat more sticky. I found I get hip pain schooling dressage in silicon full seats because my thighs don’t move as easily on the saddle. I save them for the jump saddle now. They help with two point.
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My sample size is small, I think I bought one or two pairs with silicone and I can’t remember the brand. The fabric wanted to stick to the saddle and I wanted to move, it was all kinds of wrong.
I go out of my way to find (fake) suede and will not buy anything silicone. Irideon full seat cargo tights are my current favorite.
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Suede all the way. Maybe it was just the silicone ones I tried, but I couldn’t stand them. Way too sticky for my liking. I found I had to totally lift my leg off the saddle to make a minor adjustment, vs just sliding it. I know plenty of people who love them though.
I actually ride in cheap gym leggings…yes they can be slippery but I tend to find that if I feel like I’m slipping, that just means my position/seat/core aren’t doing what they should!
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Love the irideon full seat cargo. Had one pair of silicone, did not like at all. Would rather ride in knee patch , have two pairs of those… I have also heard, anecdotally, that silicone grippies can mess up the saddle’s seat.
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For your saddles sake, please not silicone. It can damage the seat leather.
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Some are stickier than others. My favorites are the PSoS ones. Sticky enough, but not so much as to weld you in place so you can’t get a flying change.
They do all lose some stick over time and laundering.
My horse has a wicked spook at times. I’ve been recovering from an injury and being out of the saddle for a while, and looser in the tack than I should be, so I’ve appreciated some stickiness during that process. I have a pile of nice clarino breeches that I would like to wear again once I’ve got my mojo back, though!
I haven’t noticed any appreciable wear on my saddle, personally.
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Suede all the way. Silicone is just too sticky and I hate feeling stick to my saddle/horse. Even with his ability to teleport at times 
I also think it isn’t good for the saddle leather.
Suede can he hard to find, and most of my breeches are Pikeur. They last, but aren’t cheap.
Euro-star, Horze, Rompf, Irideon, Kerrits (used to at least), Smartpak, Ariat (again, used to atleast idk about now), Dover’s own brand, Tuff-rider, all have synthetic Suede options.
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I guess I’m the outlier. I like my silicon Piper full seats. Been riding in them for years, and my saddle, with buffalo leather, still looks great. I find suede is just too heavy for me. I do like the FITS perforated leather, though!
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Yeahhh, I don’t love wearing suede fullseats in the heat/summer. I just switch to knee patch then.
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Too sticky for my taste.
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Team silicone, here. My oldest pair is four years old: no silicone has rubbed or fallen off. It is plenty grippy, but I can still move my bum around to change my hip angle, get a change, etc. No damage to any of my saddles, either. I ride multiple horses a day, and wash my breeches every week. After a few washes it is not as sticky, but still plenty of grip.
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Silicone. That said, feel the inside of the fabric. If it feels super soft and luxuriously silky, the pants will stick to the saddle and you will find yourself sliding around in the pants. I won’t make that mistake again but if I find another pair like that I will have found another pair of the best WFH yoga type pants ever.
Reasons I like silicone over suede/fake suede: wash and dry super fast (tights versions) wash and dry faster (zip breeches/heavier fabrics versions), no extra bulk, cooler in summer, and finally, if you are a heavy sweater in summer where the sweat runs down your back, no wet mark on the suede/fake suede butt that doesn’t dry for ages and feels gross and looks weird.
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Same. The other day I was finishing up a lesson off property. Cooling out on a long rein and my mare jumped sideways; my silicone butt took me with her. I declared that I will never apologize for my silicone breeches!
I’ve been riding in Piper Knit full seats for going on five years now, and the seat on my Black Country is just fine. Even if it wears out a little faster, that’s a price I’m willing to pay to avoid a fall or two over many years.
The stick varies a lot. Pipers are quite sticky. My older pairs are less so, and starting to wear off at the knees, but still have grip and IMO have lasted a long time. I have a new pair of PSoS that are not nearly as sticky, and the grip pattern on the new Pipers is not as sticky as the older ones.
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Silicone is often too sticky and I’ve have too many saddles damaged from it too. It leaves whatever pattern it’s in, behind on the saddle. Suede is a much nicer option, but I hear people don’t like it because it feels like your wearing a diaper… psht I’ve never thought that. A nicely and properly fitted pair of full seat suede breeches shouldn’t feel that way.
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May I suggest leather? I LOVE my fits with the leather butt patches. They feel like wearing leggings and are sticky too. I don’t care about the aesthetics-- why are you staring at my butt? You can’t tell once you’re in the saddle.
I do like my silicon breeches. I have some from Ariat, Le Meuix, and Romph, probably others but I can’t recall. My Romph breeches have gotten the most wear. Sometimes it leaves a dusty butt print on my saddle but it wipes right off. I don’t know what you guys are doing to your saddles or if the leather is much softer or something. I’m personally of the belief that good tack should be able to withstand a little wear and tear. This goes on a horse, after all.
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I like my silicone breeches but I do prefer them when they’re less sticky or have the sticky washed out of them 
My favorites are the Freeride ones which I find to be the perfect amount of stick, equivalent to suede.
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I love my full seats that are not silicone but purchased a couple pairs of Freeride tights with silicone and after washing a couple times are the perfect amount of stickiness.
I probably will go back to suede full seats but for lightweight tights and price Freerides are pretty nice.
I have not noticed any butt imprints on my leather or issues.
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Not if you ride in old German leather saddles! They’ll outlive us all 
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That’s my experience. No silicon marks on my 2 Passier. I can t speak to modern soft calf skin.
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