When it comes to your Mercedes Sprinter, your seats are probably the most used and abused next to your floor mats. This is why seat covers are typically the first mod new owners get when they take possession of their vehicle.
Seat Covers can not only extend the life of your seats to avoid tears and damage from Sun and rubbing against with belts and jeans, but they can also improve the look and comfort as well.
In this article we will be covering the some of the best seat cover fabrics you can get for your Sprinter and the Pro’s and Con’s of each.
Before we begin I will need to explain that seat covers usually fall into 1 of 2 categories, Universal and Custom Fit. For this article we will only be focusing on the Custom Fit ones. Those are ones that are actually made with the specific seat dimensions in mind and fit the best. Universals are one size fits all, and while cheaper, they generally don’t last as long and will have to be replaced more frequently.
Neo-Supreme
Neo-Supreme seat covers makes it to the top of the list for a few reasons: Looks, Cost, and Fit. Weighing all the categories together, and it scores overall as the best option. Let’s look at how it scores in those categories.
Looks:
Neo-Supreme has a top layer made of cloth which when rubbing your fingers on feels nearly identical to that of a cotton t-shirt. It can come in a dozen different colors and comes with stitching lines that give it great style. These covers are usually sold in a complete package that comes with separate headrest covers and armrest covers.
Cost:
Neo-Supreme is quite affordable ranking in the cheaper tiers of the custom fitted category of seat covers. A pair usually runs around $300 USD and it includes headrests and armrests.
Fit:
Neo-Supreme can be best described as a stretchy material similar to Neoprene (as in the wet suites you may have used before). The number one benefit of this material is that due to its stretch factor, it molds to the seat really well after being on the seats for a couple of weeks. This results in a great custom look which at first glance your friends might think its the original upholstery.
Genuine Sheepskin
Sheepskin seat covers are probably the most common choice for Sprinter Vans especially ones that have been converted to Camper Vans and Motorhomes. The reason they are so popular is due to their unique properties that cannot be synthetically recreated with modern fabric technology. Genuine sheepskin ranks as the top choice in comfort and temperature regulation, which is very important if you live in a hot climate such as Arizona or one where it can get extremely cold such as in the Midwest or Alaska.
Comfort:
Sheepskin is great for comfort because the wool fibers which are about 1 inch in length add a ton of support and more evenly distributes your body weight so there are less individual pressure points. Since you won’t get a sore bum, sheepskin is the top choice for a seat cover if long drives are something you frequently embark on.
Temperature Regulation:
Another often unknown benefit of a sheepskin seat cover is its amazing temperature regulation properties. If you have leather seats, you would have noticed by now how hot they get in the summertime and how cold they can get in the middle of winter. Well with sheepskins, that is simply not an issue. In the summer the sheepskins wool fibers never get scorching hot and so you won’t need to open all the doors and windows to allow the car to cool a bit before sitting on the seats. Alternatively, in the wintertime, the sheepskins don’t feel all cold when you first sit on them, making the first few minutes of sitting on them far more pleasant than leather.
Cost:
Sheepskins are definitely not the cheapest seat cover option available as a single seat cover can cost about $300. However, they bring incredible value for the money in that they are generally the longest lasting seat covers you can buy. This is because the sheepskin leather hide is extremely durable and the wool over top of it protects the hide. A pair of sheepskins, when taken well care of, can easily last 10 years without the hides tearing. So while the initial expensive can be a bit expensive for some buyers, if you average it out over the lifespan of its use, it can actually be one of the cheaper seat cover options available.
Cordura
If you need tough and waterproof seat covers for your RV or camper van, then a Cordura seat cover is a great choice due to its strong, high quality Invista fabrics, known for its abrasion resistance and high tensile strength. Cordura feels like the canvas texture you might be familiar with on heavy duty jackets or boots. While not the most comfortable fabric to sit on, it’s durability and waterproofness is a good tradeoff for those that like to get dirty or have pets.
Durability and Pets
The number one reason one chooses Cordura seat cover is because of its ability to protect your seats against liquids (of all kinds), tools, dirt, and pets. The canvas material is tightly woven together and prevents cat or dog claws from ripping the fabric apart. If you get them dirty, just simply spot clean them with a rag and some basic detergent and you are done. When it comes to dog hairs, the best solution would be a lint roller, as no other solutions works better from the testing we’ve done.
Cost
Cordura is quite affordable, at $300 for a pair, its a cost effective way to extending the life of your seats and boosting your resale value when it comes time to sell. Cordura won’t harm your expensive leather or cloth seats as the covers are backed with a soft liner underlayer which is not abrasive on the seats themselves.
Installation
If there is a drawback to Cordura, it’s probably in the installation category. Since the canvas material does not have much stretch factor to it, often times, installation can be a bit tricky the first time around. Usually it takes about 30 minutes per seat for someone who has done it before but first timers might need a solid hour per seat before they get a hang of it.
