By Dave Solberg
I have been in the RV industry “officially” since 1983, when I started working for Winnebago Industries. However, my family started RVing years before that, renting pop-up trailers first and then small hard-siders. I have been conducting RV seminars at shows since 1988, first with Winnebago, then on my own. I have conducted more than 1,000 seminars.
Pay attention to quality in an RV like in a house
Over the years I have been amazed at what people will accept in an RV that they would never accept in their house. This is mostly because they do not pay attention to the same detail. They get wrapped up in a floorplan and get overwhelmed by what I call the “WOW!” factor: items such as full body paint, solid surface countertops, full-wall slide rooms, and five TVs!
When you buy, build, or remodel a house, most people spend a great amount of time researching the quality of carpet, flooring, cabinetry, furniture, and other items. But in an RV, most RV buyers shop like they would for a car or truck. They assume that the quality, craftsmanship, and amenities are the same. That is not true. There are some big differences in almost every aspect of an RV, from construction to furnishings, and even something as simple as a dinette cushion.
Anatomy of a dinette cushion
A cushion actually has three components that you want to look for. First is the foam used inside the cushion, next is the fabric, and third is the design.
The foam
The challenge with selling a new RV is that the furniture needs to not only look good during the display, but also be comfortable when the potential buyer sits on it. This means a good-looking fabric and a lightweight foam that is not too hard and feels like a slab of granite.
However, the lightweight foam that feels good initially will break down in less than six months. It leaves the owners sitting on the plywood panel underneath. A heavy foam insert will last much longer. However, it feels too hard and is difficult to sell at the initial walk-through. Customers want instant gratification, not to know that the cushion will be comfortable in three months. So it is hard to find a good balance.
When I was at Winnebago, we, or I should say someone else, designed a dual-density foam that was used in everything that Stitchcraft built. It had a dense foam bottom with a laminated light foam on top. Heavy traffic areas such as the dinette had a coarse foam upper layer that would not separate or break apart. So when owners slid in and out, it would not break apart or tear and leave the lumps that were uncomfortable.
What does the dinette cushion say about the RV quality?
So, lift up the dinette cushion, unzip the edge, and look at the foam inside. It will tell you a lot about the attention to detail of the manufacturer.
Fabric 101
Another sign of quality is the grade of fabric. Most manufacturers purchase their furniture from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) such as Patrick and Lippert. As one OEM rep stated, “It’s a race to the bottom!” All they want is to look pretty and for it to be cheap.
What is a Wyzenbeek rating?
Fabric is rated by the Wyzenbeek double-rub method of testing fabric-wear capabilities. No, I did not make that up! Heavy-duty fabrics must withstand 15,000 double rubs of a wire brush. That means the fabric will last longer, will not fade as fast, and is stronger to hold threads and not pull apart.
It is hard to tell what the rating is by just looking at it. However, once you start looking at different coverings, you will see a difference. I dare you to ask a sales representative what the Wyzenbeek rating is of their fabric. If they do know it, you have found someone that has done their homework.
Ever wonder why some dinette cushions have fabric on one side and vinyl on the other? You can turn the vinyl side up so the kids can eat lunch in their wet swimsuits!
You might also enjoy these posts from Dave
- Why is there no industry-wide RV quality control?
- Why so many issues with our RV, and why no recall?
- Looking for new RV. Part 1: Why isn’t RV quality the same throughout a manufacturer’s lines?
- Looking for new RV. Part 2: Why aren’t there many 26′-28′ travel trailers? Best time to buy?
- What advice would you give to someone buying a used RV?
DAVE HAS ANSWERED MORE THAN 1,000 readers’ maintenance and repair questions. Read a directory here. There is so much to learn!
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
RVDT2735
I looked up Wyzenbeek rating & didn’t see anything about using a wire brush, only a piece of cotton cloth rubbing back & forth on the fabric! I wonder what kind of test they do for vinyl coverings? There are a lot of RV’s out there that the vinyl didn’t last very long as the material just flaked off!
Thanks Dave
Snoopy
We bought our new RV in December and like most of it but recently upgraded all the cushions in the dinette because the factory ones just sucked. We found ones we really liked at an RV rally – they’re much better foam and are a cloth instead of vinyl.
A few years ago we toured a Lippert furniture factory and the guide indicated that they had begun testing for bug spray and sunscreen which, apparently, deteriorates fabrics pretty significantly. I thought that was interesting. But your article is, as usual, spot on.
We quickly figured out soft cushion foam with our small camper. Fortunately, you can replace the foam in most dinette cushions with something much denser for a reasonable cost. As our dinette is smaller than ‘standard’ I purchased bulk foam and cut blocks of the correct size – hint: use one of those old electric carving knives to make your cuts! And if at all possible save the inner sleeve from your old cushion. It will make it much easier to ‘slip’ the new foam into the cover.
A 2nd hint if you also have one of the small dinettes. The mattress covers for the popular ‘Pack N Play’ portable crib are the perfect size. We bought 4 in a more neutral solid quilt. 2 cover the seat cushions and 2 cover the seat backs with a 360 wrap (can’t tell when the backs are in place. Easily installed and removed, machine washable, liquid resistant and highly pet friendly.
Our 2010 Nash had decent cushions for about 2 years. We then replaced with a special firm foam cushion that was ordered & sent from Seattle. Using an electric knife cut it to fit. Stuffed in a large garbage bag to get it into the original cover. Slid the garbage bag off, pulled the zipper closed and done. Only regret is we didn’t do it sooner. Love our Nash & still enjoying it.
We replaced the entire dinette benches in our 5th wheel. Last year we added a layer of foam & put new cushion covers over the original seat & the new foam. Worked ok but looked terrible. We decided to heck with it & got new benches from RecPro & we love them. Not hard to install at all, they look great & are very comfortable. I thought the price was reasonable too.
Thank you for the information, Dave! Great idea to see how well made some lesser important aspect of an RV is, in order to infer quality. Have a great day and safe travels!