uncomfortable captain seats

I dont know if its me or the seats - but i find going for more than say 100 miles in my merc winchcombe and i have a numb bum - which is annoying as i plan to be going to spain next year - is it me or are they just too hard ?

The front seats in our 08 Puggie Sigma were rock hard, one of the reasons we dumped it after 3 years.
Boaby

Peter are you saying the seats we have are sprinter seats ?

doubt it - this will be standard as fitted, i was just surprised they are something from mb and not sourced by auto sleeper, but it does mean they will be firm and robust for the working sprinter market

Personally, I find the Sprinter seats supremely comfortable, but of course we humans come in innumerable shapes and sizes, with different ratios of leg to body length.

It did take me some time to get the seat and steering wheel adjustment just right, but with the number of adjustments on the seat and wheel (unlike Fiat/Peugeot), I eventually found the perfect setting. In fact, with the softer suspension and refined driving dynamics, plus the raised view provided by the van, I drive along with a smile on my face, covering hundreds of miles in comfort. I much prefer it to driving my car - until I have to find a parking place!  

Who remembers the days when buying a car, the salesman would advise and assist on the proper adjustment of the driver's seat (depending on which adjustments were available).  Getting the angle of the seat back correct so it supports your spine. Correct adjustment of the lumber support and tilt of the seat base, etc. No such luck these days (in my experience) with a car, or motor caravan/home, even when you are parting with eyewatering amounts of money.

My advice is to try various adjustments until you find one that suits you best. If you Goggle "Adjusting your car seat for comfort", you will find lots of advice.

I'd recommend buying a square of 1" memory foam from eBay.

You can cover it too, as it'll soon go a very strange yellow colour.

I find the seat in my sprinter, is o.k. driving, but when turned around for the evening uncomfortable so use a chunk of thick memory foam wrapped in a pillowcase.

The first very long trip in our MB Malvern was to Austria and I had the same experience as the OP. I did as Peter L suggests and lowered the front of the seat so it wasn't pushing into my thigh and it was fine for the next eleven years - very comfortable.

Mollytardis wrote:I find the seat in my sprinter, is o.k. driving, but when turned around for the evening uncomfortable so use a chunk of thick memory foam wrapped in a pillowcase.

Exactly my issue!  Can drive all day did 7hrs once.  But 30mins turned around and I’m uncomfortable, will try a foam cushion. Thanks.

We find the captain seats on our A/S Bourton very comfortable.

We never turn them for lounge use. as the two settees are ideal for lounging about on.

The only fault we find is they do not have two armrests, apart from that they are perfect.

Yes I miss two armrests too

I have bought some thick sheepskin covers so looking forward to trying those out, and I will try the angles too.

I'm disappointed they are sprinter chairs though rather than say the sumptuous leather ones you get on the more luxury motorhomes and .. are they interchangeable ?

Like Wandering Dave, we never turn our seats around. As he says, the two lounge seats are very comfortable. You can use a number of soft cushions against the fridge and wardrobe bulkheads to get comfortable with your feet up. If you want a little extra width, then partially pull the seat/bed frames out until the seat back cushions drop down. Sitting, or lying in this position also gives you the best view out through the windscreen and side windows.

Another reason for not turning the seats around, is the narrower width of the Merc cab means you have to open the doors and then carry out the multiple manoeuvres to turn them through 180 degrees. Then, of course, when you turn them back into the driving position, you have try to find that perfect adjustment that took you weeks to perfect!!!

On the subject of only having one armrest, this is not a problem for us when parked, as we don't turn the seats around. When driving, I have made soft cushioned armrests which slot into the window blind channels and can be removed at night.

grahamsb wrote:Like Wandering Dave, we never turn our seats around. As he says, the two lounge seats are very comfortable. You can use a number of soft cushions against the fridge and wardrobe bulkheads to get comfortable with your feet up. If you want a little extra width, then partially pull the seat/bed frames out until the seat back cushions drop down. Sitting, or lying in this position also gives you the best view out through the windscreen and side windows.

Another reason for not turning the seats around, is the narrower width of the Merc cab means you have to open the doors and then carry out the multiple manoeuvres to turn them through 180 degrees. Then, of course, when you turn them back into the driving position, you have try to find that perfect adjustment that took you weeks to perfect!!!

On the subject of only having one armrest, this is not a problem for us when parked, as we don't turn the seats around. When driving, I have made soft cushioned armrests which slot into the window blind channels and can be removed at night.

would like to know more about the armrests you have made.

Hi Wandering Dave,

My armrests are a bit of a work in progress, although the current design works well. They are simply 3" thick memory foam off-cuts with a step cut into it to slot securely down into the window blind channels, while the top, wider section extends over the plastic edge of the channel. They are covered in material to improve the appearance. This provides a wide, soft armrest. Invaluable on long journeys. I'm sure other owners will be able to fabricate something similar.

With regard to the VW Crafter door armrest, the door panel shown in the photo differs from the 2018 Sprinter model. I did try to make up an armrest which fitted here, but found I needed it to be much higher, hence the use of the window blind channel.

grahamsb wrote:Hi Wandering Dave,

My armrests are a bit of a work in progress, although the current design works well. They are simply 3" thick memory foam off-cuts with a step cut into it to slot securely down into the window blind channels, while the top, wider section extends over the plastic edge of the channel. They are covered in material to improve the appearance. This provides a wide, soft armrest. Invaluable on long journeys. I'm sure other owners will be able to fabricate something similar.

With regard to the VW Crafter door armrest, the door panel shown in the photo differs from the 2018 Sprinter model. I did try to make up an armrest which fitted here, but found I needed it to be much higher, hence the use of the window blind channel.

Thank you for your reply, I will have to look further into it. 

As you say the V.W. one's are to low. It needs to be on the blind channel.

hi dave, any chance you coukld show us your work in progress ? its sounds a very good option to a proper armrest - has anybody any idea why there isnt an armrest in sprinters ?

The built in one works fine when driving:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Peter Brown wrote:The built in one works fine when driving:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

I find that it is too low, I like to have the seat up high when driving, it gives you more visibility. That's only my opinion.

road warrior wrote:hi dave, any chance you coukld show us your work in progress ? its sounds a very good option to a proper armrest - has anybody any idea why there isnt an armrest in sprinters ?

Not having much success at the moment, but will keep trying.