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UltraLeather for seats?

A question for anyone flying with Classic Aero Designs seats made with their Ultraleather option? We're about to order a Classic Aero interior & we'd like to use Ultraleather since it is much lighter than leather, but are concerned about the product's "breathability" & durability. In other words ... do you end up sticking to the seats on a hot day or busy flight!

Thanks for any info.
 
I wore out a set of cloth seats in my RV. I replaced them with Sheepskin. Sheepskin is the most comfortable any seat will get. Sheepskin is what they use in the front of most airliners. Sheepskin is NOT hot after sitting in the sun all day at a fly-in or cold in the hangar on the coldest day of the year during a winter morning.
 
A few months ago I signed off an interior install in a Cherokee that was custom made with Ultraleather and I was highly impressed with the material. Super nice stuff.
 
I upholstered the seats in my 6 and my 10 with Ultraleather. I find them very breathable and comfortable. Definitely better than leather in the hot sun, but certainly not as breathable as cloth (I have cloth inserts on the 6 for soaking up sweat). I find the UL to be very durable and comfortable. I have no regrets going this way and saved a good amount over leather.

Larry
 
I have the Classic Aero Ultraleather seats. Bought them because my buddies Classic Aero Leather seats were hard to keep clean. As to the breathability, I have a small hand towel that I keep on the seat to protect them as I step my shoes on them when entering. It stays there during flight. It probably helps with the hot seat, breathability, etc. Keep in mind, on a hot day, the seat will make you sweat, Ultraleather or real leather.
 
Real leather smells better but that's about the only benefit over Ultra. The Ulta is thinner material and resists permanent creases, cooler, easier to maintain, etc.

But that real leather smell .. nice :p
 
I upholstered my own cushions with "eBay" Ultraleather in 2012. The mystery material turned out to be superior to leather in every respect: softer, cooler, no smell, no cracking, minimal creasing, cleans easily. Go for it.
 
I have 850 plus hours on my Classic Aero ultra leather seats and they look brand new. I highly recommend it!!!!!!!
 
Jeremiah at Classic Aero can give you a very good and unbias opinion on pros and cons for both with real numbers in terms weight, potential durability and cost. Not all Ulteraleathers are the same and those that are approved to be used in airplane (Classic Aero uses that type) are much more expensive.

I personally went with leather for the seat but using ulteraleather for the glare shield area.
 
Ultraleather is a brand name for the product made by Tapis. It is a urethane finish surface vs. most others are PVC. world of difference in weight and feel. Genuine ultra leather is like glove leather feel wise and much lighter than vinyl or leather.

Tapis has other lines of similar materials.
 
My Classic Aero ultra leather has about 600 hours on it. Very comfortable and holds up well. The only wear is on the tops from placing bags in a slider. Now that I’m more careful, they haven’t gotten any worse. Look new otherwise.
 
DJ at Cleveland made my seats on my last RV8 out of ultra leather. About 1/3 the cost of leather, much lighter, and they wear twice as long, according to what I read. Unfortunately I didn’t get to keep the airplane long enough to see this. My current ride has cloth seats. They’re a nice looking tweed, and when I get out of the seat in the summer, the back of my T-shirt isn’t all wet, like it is with leather, or ‘ultra leather’. If you think either of those materials “breathes”, you’re fooling yourself. Cloth is cheaper than ultra leather, but I’m not sure it will last as long, and the weight is about the same. Ask DJ.

When you sell your airplane, leather might make a small difference if it’s new, but if it’s nor new, it won’t - your onboard equipment will. Spend extra money and useful load for you, not for somebody else.
 
Frickin' Ultra Leather Mafia, I tell ya': trying to make me spend excess AMU's when I have no business doing so.

Must . . . stop . . . reading . . . thread . . . :)
 
Ultraleather is a brand name for the product made by Tapis. It is a urethane finish surface vs. most others are PVC. world of difference in weight and feel. Genuine ultra leather is like glove leather feel wise and much lighter than vinyl or leather.

Tapis has other lines of similar materials.

For what it's worth, when you sit on "genuine leather" you're not actually touching the cow, but the polyurethane on top of the skin that gives it durability. The more luxurious "napa" leather used in some cars doesn't last as long as the more plasticky "dakota" kind. My eBay Ultraleather feels like the best "napa" leather to the touch. Ymmv, but fabric samples are cheap or free so it's easy to compare the feel before you take the plunge.
 
I’ve seen other comments about sheepskin seats. How do you keep it clean? I was thinking about getting new cloth or cloth/leather for my -8 then adding a sheepskin cover that I could remove and clean.
 
I will join the group of satisfied ultra leather seats. The deciding factor to me was when I stepped into the seat to get in and realized I didn't want to get wet feet on leather. Ultra cleans easy.
 
Ultraleather here, and no issues with 6 years of use/abuse.
IMG_6262-M.jpg
 
~5 years, 5-600 hrs

Generally good results. Negative is the front seat back. The material is coming apart at a seam. Looks like the plastic coating over the fabric has separated in a 1/4" square area. I don't slide down in the seat a huge amount when entering. Obviously I did some initially until I noticed the damage. Have not inquired about a repair. Maybe this winter. If you get something on them, (mud, spilled drink, etc.) clean it promptly. So far everything I've got on them came off, but I get the feeling they might be stained if you leave something on the fabric.

Otherwise, generally good.
 
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