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Cool idea for custom seats...

jonrpick

jonrpick

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I've had this thought for a while now...

Anyone seen these office chairs that instead of having padding and upholstery, they use a mesh material? I thought about it a few months ago when I was in a nice hotel room that had a desk and chair for doing office work.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, here...

http://www.everythingofficefurniture.com/mesandvenofc.html

I see a few benefits to these types of seats...

1) extremely lightweight
2) self draining (any liquid would fall through onto the floor)
3) easy to clean, and less material to clean
4) well ventilated, therefore very cool during the summer and the heat would get to your back quicker during winter

The mesh material seems to have some structural rigidity to it.

Does anyone know if you can buy this stuff in kits to DIY or if anyone makes car/truck seats out of this stuff???
 
We have those style seats at work, and they suck. They started coming apart at about the six month mark.
 
Seems like four wheeling life would be 1000 times harder on them than office chair life, I bet they wouldn't last.
 
GotLabs said:
We have those style seats at work, and they suck. They started coming apart at about the six month mark.
Click to expand...

Which part fell apart? Was it the actual mesh material?

38377k5 said:
Seems like four wheeling life would be 1000 times harder on them than office chair life, I bet they wouldn't last.
Click to expand...

If they were built like office chairs, I imagine they'd fall apart quickly. I'm thinking a different frame altogether, but using that same mesh material for the seat cushion and back.
 
Back in the day the Aeron's were something like $5-700 a piece. Some of the ones in your link don't even have the mesh base, which IMO makes them pointless.

I used to sit in the chairs for 4 hour blocks, and until we got the Aeron's I really felt it. I feel the same way driving, after about 2 hours my rear is killing me. I *know* the Aeron design would solve the problem, but I had pretty much the same thought as 383...the chairs won't hold up very well to wheeling, let alone an accident. I guarantee the frames would crack, I've seen it even in the office.

Even besides the frame, I suspect used in a vehicle, the constant weight transfer of your body during driving would destroy the mesh. Never know, it might hold up. Putting the material in another frame would probably be tricky, it's gotta be under tension, and probably doesn't use an easy to replicate fastening method.

As far as I can tell, the mesh material is nothing more than the stuff used on trampolines.
 
Well, I guess they might make it easier to "blow wind". How high on your pro list is that?;)
 
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Structurally I wouldn't give them a farts chance in a hurracaine in an accident. I wouldn't sit my 6'3", 255 lb a$$ in them in an office for fear of the chair collapsing under me !!
 
dbabicky said:
Structurally I wouldn't give them a farts chance in a hurracaine in an accident. I wouldn't sit my 6'3", 255 lb a$$ in them in an office for fear of the chair collapsing under me !!
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I wouldn't trust them in an accident like I said. But they are pretty tough. I doubt anyone without jumping on them has much of a chance of destroying one in "normal" use. If you've used the "good" ones, I think you'd agree. I've seen cheaper knockoffs, they don't seem to be nearly as beefy.

But having seen the frames crack (not sure why that happened) a sharp piece of plastic like that could kill you, even if the impact didn't.
 
JBo... :haha:

To everyone else, I'm not thinking of using office chairs, or even their construction method. I'm talking about using a proper frame that would hold up to real use, but instead of using springs, seat foam and vinyl, using the mesh.

I disagree about winter time use, if your heater was worth a damn. I'd prefer getting the heat to my backside quicker. I hate sitting on a cold vinyl seat. My Saab has leather and heated seats, but by the time the heat on the seats kicks in, I'm starting to get warm air out of the vents.

Seems like heat and a/c would be more effective once it was blowing.
 
It would be an interesting development if you could make it work using that material.

Given that the frame is no longer a problem with your idea, the only problem I see is how to limit "travel". You'd need some sort of cushioning to stop travel in the event of an accident, or the frame would do some nasty stuff to your body. I suppose heavy duty seat foam set an inch or two from the mesh would work.

Believe me, I like the idea. If the chair I've got wasn't in use all the time, I had contemplated taking the base off, and mounting it in the truck, just to see how it felt. I see it as a major money maker, if you could test it and assure that it was safe for everyone.

AC would certainly work better, and you'd probably need less of it. Fabric is the best in cold weather (short of heated seats), until the cab heated up though, you'd be freezing dependant of course on ambient temp.
 
You know...................Have you ever seen cargo netting like the Air Force uses? Maybe you've even had the pleasure UGH!!!, of sitting on web seating in a C-141, C-130, or the like. (military Transport Aircraft). If you could get ahold of some of that material it would definitley hold up to rigors of off-roading set in a well designed aluminum frame. The problem is that I know for a fact after sitting in them for 14+ hours in an Aircraft is not that comfortable. Maybe it would work just fine for a 4-5 hour trail ride in a truck, I don't know, just a thought.
 
Hey I used one of those in my office for a few months. It was great the air flow you got from them, my ac is behind me and my office has 6 computers, 6 flat sceen monitors, plus to 4'x4' elecrical boxs that run the place. It did feel really nice as far as that, but yeah it just started to come apart on me. I was really hoping it would work just cuz the air flow was awsome, but now Im back to just a leather manager chair.
 
dyeager535 said:
It would be an interesting development if you could make it work using that material.

Given that the frame is no longer a problem with your idea, the only problem I see is how to limit "travel". You'd need some sort of cushioning to stop travel in the event of an accident, or the frame would do some nasty stuff to your body. I suppose heavy duty seat foam set an inch or two from the mesh would work.

Believe me, I like the idea. If the chair I've got wasn't in use all the time, I had contemplated taking the base off, and mounting it in the truck, just to see how it felt. I see it as a major money maker, if you could test it and assure that it was safe for everyone.

AC would certainly work better, and you'd probably need less of it. Fabric is the best in cold weather (short of heated seats), until the cab heated up though, you'd be freezing dependant of course on ambient temp.
Click to expand...

If cold weather was bad enough, some slip covers could easily be fabbed up to help keep you warm.

When you say "limit travel", how do you mean? Like bouncing up and down?
 
Yobtaf said:
Hey I used one of those in my office for a few months. It was great the air flow you got from them, my ac is behind me and my office has 6 computers, 6 flat sceen monitors, plus to 4'x4' elecrical boxs that run the place. It did feel really nice as far as that, but yeah it just started to come apart on me. I was really hoping it would work just cuz the air flow was awsome, but now Im back to just a leather manager chair.
Click to expand...

How is it falling apart? Is the mesh separating from the frame? Is the frame breaking? I'm still trying to understand where the problem is in terms of durability in these seats...
 
Thought of another problem. Chair I'm sitting on now has exposed frame that touches my legs, and if I sit back, hits about mid-spine. You'd have to be able to cover all frame portions from touching the body. I don't think you could anchor this material and still have a padded surface under the frame.

Just look at factory seats. There are no sharp/hard edges that you are likely to come in contact with while wearing a seatbelt.
 
dyeager535 said:
Thought of another problem. Chair I'm sitting on now has exposed frame that touches my legs, and if I sit back, hits about mid-spine. You'd have to be able to cover all frame portions from touching the body. I don't think you could anchor this material and still have a padded surface under the frame.

Just look at factory seats. There are no sharp/hard edges that you are likely to come in contact with while wearing a seatbelt.
Click to expand...

Actually, a little padding right around the frame probably wouldn't hurt performance, but will solve the problem of a stiff metal frame digging into you.
 
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