My first Brooks B17 was comfortable right out of the box and still is a few thousand miles later. I thought my padded shorts helped but one day I ended up doing my normal commute in jeans (15 miles one way) and it was still comfortable. This year I ordered another B17 for my other bike. We'll see if it is comfortable right out of the box.

BTW, my Brooks has gotten wet and been ridden through the rain and is doing just fine.