[Momaru]

It's probably obvious, but: focus on something you're going to wear. If it's too much a hassle to deal with and gets left at home because of that, it'll do you no good.
As many people have said, textile protection is at least comparable, if somewhat inferior to leather. But the leather's gonna require a different level of care and it will start to smell weird after a few months of riding with leather pants in the heat. Good modern textile (I've heard 600denier material is a solid rating) should hold up well in a crash. One difference I've been told several times is that leather will (generally) survive a spill and still be usable, while textile will need either repair or replacement. But either way, it's better repairing/replacing gear than parts of yourself.