Smittybuilt G.E.A.R. seat covers

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Smittybuilt G.E.A.R. seat covers

Post by Jigg »

Split topic-HJ

Crap, i forgot to tell you guys... the seat covers are in stock now. $99.95 + shipping (typically $10 or so). There are only 3 left at this point.
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Post by F9K9 »

Brule, How do you plan to handle the front bottom sides?

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Post by Jigg »

I'm not Brule (obviously)... but i'm going to cut out an opening and stitch it tight. That, or i might just cut it out and use fabric glue to hold the seam back underneath.
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Post by F9K9 »

I tried a seatcover once and the powered seat made it impossible to stretch straps under the seats. I guess you have power seats, Justin?
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Post by Jigg »

Yes Sir.

I'll probably just extend the velcro or whatever's used underneath. I'd anticipated having to do some modifying to the cover, since it's made for a jeep.
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Post by F9K9 »

Jigg wrote:..........I'll probably just extend the velcro or whatever's used underneath. I'd anticipated having to do some modifying to the cover, since it's made for a jeep.
I'll definitely wait to see what you do on yours. I might get 1 for the Heep while waiting. I have to figure something for the pup too. I'm gonna miss four doors.
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Post by knaffie »

I got mine today and I think its sweet! Very well made. Very heavy duty. not a cheap piece at all! Maybe I'll uncover the Z this weekend and do a test fit. Its been since October since I've been in it!

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Post by F9K9 »

Looks good on the chair Chris :wink: I may have second thoughts looking at all that velrco and remembering my dog hair battles :lol:
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Post by HenryJ »

f9k9 wrote:Brule, How do you plan to handle the front bottom sides
Actually I have backed way off from ordering one. I am glad I was somewhat cautious.
I am watching a thread where they have been in service for some time now and the problems are showing up.
The shock cords are coming apart. The buckles are cheap and failing. The packs are really a problem for back seat passengers. Some smaller bags low on the back seem to be the fix.
The covers pull forward and need a strap to hold the bottom of the cover back at the hinge point.
Consensus seems to be that the material used is best suited for southern climates. The cordura has a "plastic" backing that gets hard when cold and cracks. It starts coming apart and making a mess in quick order. It does appear to be pretty durable. Too bad it is not just a heavy canvas.

Comments have been that they had a good thing going if they had taken another couple weeks to design it a little better.
They have been marketed as a seat cover, when they are really just more of an organizer. I thought the coverage was a little better than I now see. If they were half the price I might consider one. That would give me room to improve them.
While they do sport a US flag, the report is "Made in China". I know we really do not have much choice there, but it is nice to know where it is made.

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Post by Jigg »

Got mine in today. First impressions are very positive. We'll see how they hang in there. They do seem very well made though.
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Post by HenryJ »

Careful of the hooks. I guess they have been coming off the shock cord. Adding a piece of cord to hold the seat to the hinge point might be a good idea too.
Be sure to fill us in after some seat time :D

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Post by Jigg »

Will do. I might just replace them off the bat with bungee cords. For the rear, i'll probably sew in a couple of loops on the back of the hinged part so i can run a loop back underneath the seat.

They do have a 1 yr warranty though... so if that backing starts cracking and making a mess, i'll make sure to send 'em back in. :D
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Post by HenryJ »

I think stitching a loop is a great idea. I bought some good quality shock cord a while back. I am sure you can upgrade it.
Another owner mentioned using bungie cords too, so that might work.

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Post by knaffie »

Sorry guys, all the snow on the cover on my truck has my truck held prisoner at the moment. Literally, the cover is frozen to the body of the truck. I heard its supposed to be a bit warmer this week. I'll try to get out there and throw the cover on and get some pics for y'all.
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Post by Jigg »

Got it installed today. Still need to mess around with it a bit, but it'll work just fine for now, since i'm not driving the BlaZeR2 until April :lol:

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Post by Jigg »

HJ, do you have the link to where the guys said the underside was cracking and making a mess? I read a few reviews saying it was crackling (i.e. noisy), but none that said it was actually coming apart.
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Post by HenryJ »

There are two threads on Expedition Portal. One of them had the guy with the backing coming off and cracking.
Fifthpro wrote:Well, a few days has passed with one of them being on......
Not as "Jim Dandy" as first glance would have one believe.
1. One of the shock cords came out of the connector on the hook leaving me to tying it into a knot to hook it back on.
2. Fitting and seat coverage leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to the seat cushion.......(99 TJ Stock Seats)
3. It was such that I only put one on yet the other sat in the box in the garage.
4. The Cordura is coated on the underside. When coated Cordura gets cold it becomes brittle and crackles.....works great in Central & South America. Kinda sucks in Northern Virginia when the temp drops below zero.
Looks like I was wrong. It has not been long enough to flake off yet. Give it time. I had a boat cover made of Cordura. Made a real mess of the boat before it was done. That was exposed to UV over a long period though. I didn't notice the cracking in cold weather, but then I never messed with it in cold weather.

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Post by Jigg »

Gotcha... that's the same post i'd read.

Oh, and one cool thing... any accessory you find that works with the Molle/Pals system will work with these seat covers:

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[size=75][url=http://www.synergyoffroad.com]Synergy Offroad[/url][/size]
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Post by HenryJ »

I found a seat cover on clearance, so I bought one. I just had to check them out.

My vote is to "resist the urge". I know that I am not easily impressed, but these are not very close.

The quality is just not there for a $100 seat cover storage system. The stitching on mine is coming apart in several places. The piece of plastic stitched to the straps to aid weaving is separating on a couple pouches. The webbing is thin as is the material the cover is made from. I expected something like a boat cover material. This is half that weight at best.

It does offer that military cool factor, and the little flag is neat. The garbage pouch is kinda cool. Too bad they really screwed up the straps to mount it. The smaller pouches are strange. Must have been built for something specific. Only the one medium sized bag is generic and suited for most anything. I stowed my BP cuff, stethoscope and CPR mask.
The small pouch would fit a multi tool nicely. Why did they have to mess it up by adding elastic straps to the sides making it nearly impossible to get the tool in without both hands.
The next size pouch is just right for a small set of folding binoculars. Why did they mess with the top flap? It pinches inward at the back so the flap doesn't quite cover the top right.
The next one is a miniature back pack? Tiny pockets everywhere. Might make a neat camera bag if it had a more forgiving interior. Not really practical since there is no way it can be quickly or easily removed. I filled it up with bandaids, alcohol swabs, sanitizer, latex, and nitrile gloves to make a first aid kit.
The largest bag sits on on its side. Why? About all it might be good for is to stuff a rain jacket. Have fun. Gravity will be fighting you. Right now it contains the gaming controller and a plastic bag.
There is one more that I have not dumped on yet. A smaller one that , I guess was to be mounted on the front of the seat bottom. Nice try. The lower portion of our seats must be a little too long. The webbing is up way to high on mine to mount the bag there. This little bag is lined with elastic for holding shells? I guess I just don't get it. Would have been nice without the elastic on the inside. I put AA and AAA batteries in all the little loops and that filled it up.

Now the cover itself. It somewhat fits our seats. Our seats must be taller and longer than the Jeep these were designed for. Not having a strap to keep the cover back at the hinge point is ridiculous. I added a strap to hold it back.

Will I return it? No. Not really an option since it was clearanced and "all sales final". I don't think it is worthless and may change my mind later.

If you have been thinking about one, but just can't quite make up your mind...forget about these. There has to be a better solution. A back pack tossed on the rear seat beats these. And with that you might still have a little leg room in the back seat ;)

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
"Speed is just a matter of Money - How fast do YOU want to go?"-Mechanic from Mad Max-
If at first you don't succeed - Don't take up Skydiving!
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Post by HenryJ »

Sierra Expeditions wrote:We can still get the Smitty Built covers, but we took them off our site. Many people were experiencing the center portion of the seat ripping within the first few weeks. With that information, we decided that they did not meet our high quality standard.

"Speed doesn't kill, suddenly becoming stationary does." - Richard Hammond
"Speed is just a matter of Money - How fast do YOU want to go?"-Mechanic from Mad Max-
If at first you don't succeed - Don't take up Skydiving!
- ThunderII KE7CSK