yuck fighting cusion covers... making new cusion covers... any suggestions?

[Itsavanman]

so, standard open cell foam sucks when moisture gets in it.. it draws moisture in, and then you get a botany project growing inside the foam. its unhealthy and its gross.. there are other options, like large cell fast dry foam, and then there's closed cell foam, which doesn't let moisture in, but its firm, and its expensive, and seems to be hard to find in 2" or thicker pieces..

So what I'm thinking is, standard medium density regular open cell foam, and use a waterproof cover. right now I have two options for material. the first two options i came up with were neoprene, and treated waterproof canvas. as of right now I'm leaning towards neoprene, as its naturally waterproof, soft, and the waterproofing won't wear out and eventually let moisture through. however it could be hot to sleep on, possibly..

right now that's the only drawback so far I've got for neoprene, other than the fact that its slightly more expensive than treated canvas. the whole point of this is this camper is used to tote around the atv's and we will find ourselves muddy, wet, etc etc, after riding, and may find ourselves sitting to change etc etc, or after swimming etc etc, and since its a popup, it will also give the cushions a fighting chance if a roof leak develops, which is quite possible seeing as this thing will be towed over rough terrain. so anyone have any thoughts on using neoprene? or some other material?

 

[Louisd75]

so, standard open cell foam sucks when moisture gets in it.. it draws moisture in, and then you get a botany project growing inside the foam. its unhealthy and its gross.. there are other options, like large cell fast dry foam, and then there's closed cell foam, which doesn't let moisture in, but its firm, and its expensive, and seems to be hard to find in 2" or thicker pieces..

So what I'm thinking is, standard medium density regular open cell foam, and use a waterproof cover. right now I have two options for material. the first two options i came up with were neoprene, and treated waterproof canvas. as of right now I'm leaning towards neoprene, as its naturally waterproof, soft, and the waterproofing won't wear out and eventually let moisture through. however it could be hot to sleep on, possibly..

right now that's the only drawback so far I've got for neoprene, other than the fact that its slightly more expensive than treated canvas. the whole point of this is this camper is used to tote around the atv's and we will find ourselves muddy, wet, etc etc, after riding, and may find ourselves sitting to change etc etc, or after swimming etc etc, and since its a popup, it will also give the cushions a fighting chance if a roof leak develops, which is quite possible seeing as this thing will be towed over rough terrain. so anyone have any thoughts on using neoprene? or some other material?

I've read complaints about neoprene seat covers and "swamp butt." Not sure how it would do if you were sleeping on it, the neoprene smell would be a deal breaker for me. I've looked at heat sealable coated nylon materials. They come in different weights, and I think it's the material that air mattress companies like ThermaRest use to make their inflatable pads. I've used it before to make dry bags. I'm planning on using it to make an oddly shaped inflatable pad for a teardrop trailer I'm working on. To use the fabric, you simply overlap the seams you'd like to seal together with smooth sides facing, then run an iron over the seam to melt it together.

Seattle Fabric has it in different weights and colors, along with a sample pack:
http://www.seattlefabrics.com/nylons.html#heat sealable oxford

I've got a couple of air valves from old sleeping pads that I plan on using to make it inflatable.