I was watching my friend play and he didn't seem to have any trouble finding reinforced leather for sale and on corpses... I am level 19 and wandered the wasteland far and wide and have yet to see any...

My character is a combo of speed and strength I am trying to focus on light and medium armors that are decent but haven't had much luck... I picked up a recon suit but its broken now and I can't repair it.

Find and kill some Viper gang members.. I always find it on Vipers.

Go hunting around caves, look for Viper Gunslingers, the leader is usually wearing it.

I have had the same issue as the OP.

I played a character up to level 22 and found TONS of the stuff.

I played a different character up to level 22 and I've done the same quests and defeated the same foes and I havent found any Reinforced Leather anywhere.

Its a bit odd. I've left a pile of Viper, Jackal, and Field bodies as high as you can stack bodies, but no reinforced leather on my second character. So I said "screw it" and bought the Mark 2 Combat Armor around level 18. *shrug*

Weird distribution. I wonder if it matters that my 1st character is male and second is female. Probably not.

I first found it on a jackal gang member in the Nevada highway station

IMO reinforced leather is weak. I find it when Im level 2-10, but at Level 11, I NEVER see it anymore.

Maybe loot is dependent on what type of character you've made? I've hardly found any energy weapons.. but I've put no points into energy weapons. I have a low endurance and strength and all I find is small weapons and light armor.. Which suits me just fine because that's what I want to find. Random magazines seems to be tailored to my weaknesses and I barely find any for the skills I wouldn't need any for anyway because I've got plenty of points in them. I don't know.. I just figured it was supposed to be this way.
I'll have to see what happens when I make my next character and specialize in energy weapons.

ive never put a point in energy weapons and i find them all the time. I figure if there is some loot system its random and if there is a variable it would probably be your luck

There is suit of reinforced leather on corpse at
Bye the way it is ugliest armour I have found in game so far in my opinion. After wearing it for a while I dumped it away and rather use plain leather as light armour.