Shop the story: Sheepskin Car Seat Covers | Longwool Sheepskin Car Seat Cover
Motorhome and caravan seats have to work harder than an ordinary car seat. They are often sat in for whole weekends at a time, parked up overnight in weather that ranges from a damp Welsh campsite to a frosty layby in February, and built around a captain's chair design that does not always match the shape of a standard car seat. A cover that was designed for a hatchback does not always translate well to a motorhome, which is worth knowing before you buy.
Sheepskin happens to suit this kind of use particularly well, for reasons that are a little different from why it suits a daily commute.
Why motorhome seats are a different problem
A typical motorhome or caravan captain's chair has a taller, more structured headrest built into the seat back itself, rather than the separate, adjustable headrest post found on most cars. Many swivel to face into the living area when parked. Some fold flat or recline much further than a car seat would. Covers designed around a standard car headrest clip or cut-out do not always sit well on this shape.
There is also the question of how the seat is used. A motorhome seat is as often a place to sit while parked, reading or having a cup of tea with the awning out, as it is a place to sit while driving. That means more total hours of contact with the seat per trip than a commuter car ever sees, and more exposure to the kind of damp, variable weather that a touring trip tends to involve.
Why sheepskin works for touring
Wool's temperature-regulating properties, covered in more detail in our guide to sheepskin in hot and cold weather, matter more over a long weekend away than they do on a twenty-minute commute. A seat that stays comfortable whether you are parked in direct sun on a rare warm UK afternoon or tucked into a layby on a cold autumn morning is a genuine quality-of-life improvement on a touring trip, not just a nice-to-have.
The same moisture-wicking property that helps on a hot commute also helps with the particular dampness of UK caravanning and motorhoming: condensation, wet coats brushing against the seat, the general humidity of a vehicle that has been closed up overnight. Genuine sheepskin absorbs and releases moisture rather than holding onto it, which matters for a seat that spends long stretches parked rather than ventilated by a moving car.
Fit on motorhome and caravan seats
Our Longwool and Short Wool seat covers are cut as a single sheepskin sheet that drapes over the top of the seat and headrest, rather than a tailored cover built around one specific headrest shape. That drape-over design is what makes it suit the taller, built-in headrests common on motorhome and caravan captain's chairs, where a cover designed for a standard car headrest clip often will not fit cleanly.
If your seat shape is unusual enough that you are not sure the standard cut will sit right, particularly on older or imported motorhomes with non-standard chairs, get in touch before ordering. Covers can be customised to fit, and it is a much easier conversation to have before a purchase than after.
Living with it on the road
Dust and grit are more of an issue in a vehicle that spends time parked on gravel pitches or farm campsites than in a car that mostly sees tarmac. A weekly shake outside and an occasional brush with a sheepskin care brush keeps the pile looking fresh between trips. If a cover does pick up a mark from mud or spilled tea, a wool-specific wash such as our Woolskin Wool Wash handles it without stripping the natural lanolin the way a general upholstery cleaner would.
Because the cover is not fixed to the vehicle, it also travels well between seasons: many owners move theirs between a motorhome used for summer touring and a daily car for the rest of the year, which spreads the cost of what is otherwise a seasonal purchase.
FAQ
Will a sheepskin seat cover fit my motorhome's captain's chair?
In most cases, yes. The drape-over design is well suited to the taller, integrated headrests common on motorhome and caravan seats. If your seat shape is unusual, get in touch and a custom fit can be arranged.
Is sheepskin practical for a seat that gets damp or dusty on tour?
Genuine wool manages moisture better than synthetic fleece, and a weekly shake and brush handles dust from campsite use. Avoid machine washing; use a wool-specific wash for anything that needs more than a surface clean.
Can I use the same cover in my car and my motorhome?
Yes. Since the cover is not permanently fixed, many owners move theirs between vehicles by season.
A motorhome or caravan seat earns its keep differently from a car seat, and a cover that was designed with daily commuting in mind is not always the right fit for it. Browse the full Kiwi Sheepskins car seat cover range, or get in touch if you have a question about fitting a specific motorhome or caravan seat.
