My main character is a down-to-earth kinda guy, so he looks out of place in the more "fantastic" armors (Elven, Glass, even Dragonscale). Unfortunately, he's outgrowing the more basic-looking armors. Are there any mods out there that add higher-tier "realistic" light armors? Alternatively, are there mods that allow you to upgrade leather and scale armor for higher levels?

A google search scared up some possibilities, but I'm not sure how well supported they are (most of the ones I found were dated 2012).

Thanks in advance for any help.

Smithing can upgrade almost any armor to hit or go beyond the armor cap; you just need a combo of enchanting and alchemy to do it.

Leather, Hide, Fur, and Iron armors are the only ones that can't hit that cap, even with smithing.