TESTCENTRE
Wet kit , dry seat
Water-Repellent Car Seat Cover
COMPANY : DRYROBE PRICE : £ 50 ( SINGLE ) £ 70 ( DOUBLE ) WEB : WWW . DRYROBE . COM
Over the many years I ’ ve been diving and launching boats I ’ ve been searching for a way to keep my car seats clean and dry . As most clubs and individuals will know , slipways aren ’ t often the best of places to de-kit into civvies before hitching the RIB trailer and driving it away .
It can be a bit of a mad rush , especially in the summer months with other boat-users queuing for access , so for a quick getaway jumping into the driver ’ s seat clad in dripping wet kit is often the easiest option . Depending on your upholstery you ’ ll soon end up with sodden ( cloth ) or cracked / ruined ( leather ) or even both to contend with .
I ’ ve tried thick towels , bin-liners and tailored ( and not-so-tailored ) nylon seat covers in the past with varying degrees of success . The latter of those examples worked to some extent but while the seats remained dry , I ’ d be left with a pool of water which would end up a nuisance in itself .
Dryrobe , famed for their wild-swimming robes ( they ’ re ideal for RIB diving too ) also make the car seat equivalent . With an outer shell of 100 % nylon , approved by the Global Recycle Standard , and treated with a PFC-free water-repellent treatment , these seat covers benefit from a synthetic lambswool finish .
Suitable for the majority of car and van seats , excluding those with side airbags , the covers slip over the seat , including neck support , and are elasticated in order to hug the bottom of the seat . Several Velcro fastenings are utilised to prevent
" The plush ‘ lambswool ’ keeps you warm when it ’ s cold and vice versa "
any movement or riding up . The addition of a couple of dowling tabs ( which push between backrest and seat ) as seen on other such products , would perfect this system .
The plush ‘ lambswool ’ keeps you warm when it ’ s cold and vice versa , during normal driving . When I jumped in and out during recovery after a dive in my wet wetsuit or drysuit the covers kept my Freelander ’ s driving and passenger seat ( usually of the wet canine variety ) bone dry .
Any pooling of water was absorbed by the ersatz wool cover , and rapidly dried by the sun . On cooler days I whipped off the cover and let the clothes line do the business . It ’ s still early days as far as the longevity of the product is concerned , but if they ’ re as durable as the robes then I will have no complaints .
The covers are available in black , pink or grey colours , in single or double seat configuration . NH
SCUBA SAYS
Dryrobe ’ s Water-Repellent Car Seat Covers are the perfect way to keep your car or van seats clean and dry when launching or recovering on the slipway . If you ’ ve got dirty dogs or messy kids then it ’ s a double-win .
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