Have A Seat

Before we left on the Ultimate Adventure this year, we had to do something about our butt and back comfort. Before you crack any jokes about us losing 50 pounds, note that we're talking about some super-supportive seats for the long haul across the country. Most factory 4x4 seats, while possibly comfortable, do a terrible job at keeping you steadied in the middle of the seat and in control of the vehicle. Our seats were even worse because the side bolstering was now pointing toward the ground, slowly giving us a case of scoliosis while we drove it. It was definitely time for some seats.

But be careful with what seat you order, and make sure you can fit in it. Lots of performance seats are made for tuner or sports cars, and are also for smaller people. The Corbeau Legacy seats we ordered were big enough to fit our 36-inch waist, while still fitting into our Jeep with no extra modifications using the bolt-on seat brackets. If the seat's 38-inch waist limit is a little slim for you, Corbeau also has wide versions of its seats for big guys.

The Legacy is an injection-molded foam seat with an orthopedically designed base for lower leg and thigh support. It has holes in the upper back for four-point harnesses, and reclines via a side-mounted handle. It gets its strength from a tubular frame, and has generous bolstering at the thighs and around the shoulders. Notice how the side bolstering grabs around the shoulders and holds at the waist, comforting the kidneys. The bottom cushion has two concave indents for your legs to sit in, while more bolstering on the bottom keeps your butt and legs from sliding around.

How'd They Feel?
How'd they feel?! Freakin' awesome! We first jumped into these seats and were practically grabbed and kept from trying to crawl back out. The high-side bolstering and injection-molded foam made these seats real "huggers," and while we knew they would definitely keep us in place, we weren't sure if they would be great lounge chairs, much less great sleepers. But we put them to the test, doing a 26-hour jaunt across the USA. Jones driving, Kennedy sleeping. Kennedy says the sleep test was very impressive with little to disturb him in his comfy dream world, but he could have benefited from a pillow option on the passenger side. Jones administered the lounge-chair test, with the seat tilted back and watching the windshield like it was a 26-hour highway-TV marathon. He was incredibly impressed with how wrong he was about this seat getting uncomfortable after a few hours. The Legacy actually left Jones not feeling sore at all, and instead like he had only physically driven half the distance. We attribute that to the shape of the seat, the support of the stiff foam, and high bolsters. The high bolsters made it a little more difficult to get in and out, but the added support and comfort given by the seats was well worth it.