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A/C Alternative: Bring Back the Hippie Seat

ecomodder.com — A few months ago in a post about A/C alternatives I promised you I ’d try some of the gadgets and get back to you. Well, summer has finally hit and in between sweaty drives around town I’ve been doing a little research. Here’s what I’ve learned.

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  • drfnord, on 07/16/2008, -1/+27Now all we need is a hybrid VW Minibus...
  • Eavesdropping, on 07/16/2008, -1/+23Excellent tip. Prying my thighs off my leather seats after they've fused together following even the shortest drives in our heat makes me bitchy. I'm bringing home the hippie beads.
  • MattgUP, on 07/16/2008, -1/+13I almost forgot about these, they work awesome! Why don't I have these anymore?
    • zer0nix, on 07/17/2008, -0/+5because they're ***** looking and make your car look cheap, not to mention that some of them are actually uncomfortable to sit on. also, as the article mentions, it's quite easy to get long hair caught in the beads.

      i've been pinched in the thighs by these.

      not for me, thanks.
  • MetroMPG, on 07/16/2008, -2/+14I've never owned a car with A/C, and I swear by these things being much more comfortable than sitting on fabric/leather when it's hot out. It's all about airflow, baby.
    • audiooeric, on 07/17/2008, -3/+9That's why I bought a car with air conditioned leather seats.. That way, you get the durability of leather, with the breathability of fabric, plus cold air being blown through the seats.. Feels great!
    • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -3/+8Good leather seats will have holes to allow airflow. I never sweat in my leather seats, and I am a sweaty mother *****.

      And get a real car with AC.
      • expert01, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2Your computer chair doesn't count, you sweaty mother *****.
    • quetranza, on 07/17/2008, -3/+1The smug is strong with this one. And the *****. What car doesn't come with AC?
  • h0ser, on 07/16/2008, -1/+16I wonder if they'll work for my computer chair.
  • alapoet, on 07/16/2008, -6/+35Hippies were (and are) right about lots of things.
    • shutaro, on 07/16/2008, -2/+35Their bathing habits however, are not one of those things.
      • tkr2099, on 07/17/2008, -2/+5And grooming habits; shag carpets went out of style a long time ago.
      • campigenus, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2Shagging, on the other hand, is still as popular as ever.
      • expert01, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2If they made a dark blue one that was easy to clean, I'd be all over it.

        Or maybe blue grass that I can plant indoors...
    • dthebear, on 07/17/2008, -0/+3or the tree setters in berkeley california, if you have read on the news
  • SVOboy, on 07/16/2008, -1/+9I might even start using these in my car with A/C, as your back can still get warm on long drives.
  • mthd, on 07/16/2008, -15/+5No thanks I don't like my car's interior looking like an indian take away
  • xanadu2113, on 07/16/2008, -3/+5groovy beads man!
  • quakerorts, on 07/17/2008, -0/+19I tried one once. Only problem was it grabbed the hairs on my legs when I wore shorts. Shorts were shorter back then. :~)
  • selmer, on 07/17/2008, -0/+13Those ***** always pinched the crap out of me.
  • KevinRWright, on 07/17/2008, -3/+9I sick of this sac-on-leg weather.
  • rubaaan, on 07/17/2008, -2/+6that looks really uncomfortable.
    • McSwankypants, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1I thought so too, but a couple of years ago I did a roadtrip across the US and my dad told me to take his. I begrudgingly did. After a few hundred miles, my ass cheeks were starting to hurt (and sweat...along with my back). I put this on my seat and the next however-many hundreds of miles were FAR more comfy.

      Of course, your mileage may vary.
  • allaboutdatiki, on 07/17/2008, -2/+4I can hardly wait until a green plastic hula girl post hits the front page.
  • clokwise, on 07/17/2008, -1/+6Here in Asia these bead seat covers are commonplace, particularly in taxi cabs. I've never heard of them referred to as hippie beads though.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1What is respectable, normal, conservative in Asia gets to be hippie or exotic in west.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1What is normal, regular or conservative in Asia gets to be hippie or exotic in west.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Whatever is regular and normal in Asia, even conservative, gets to be called hippie or exotic in west.
  • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -9/+7Looks dumb as ***** and uncomfortable. The AC is such a small hit to a car with even a mid sized engine that you are one sad sack of ***** if you turn it off to save .00312 MPG of gas.

    And good leather seats will have holes in them to allow airflow anyway, mine do. I never sweat on my seats, and I am a big sweaty *****.
    • mushoo, on 07/17/2008, -2/+11We get it, you're a big sweaty *****.
      How many times are you going to post this all over this page? Here's an idea, make that your user name, then you won't have to remind us about your glandular problems in every fricking post you make.
      • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -4/+1Sorry if the whole two times I said it (once as a reply and once here) makes you butt hurt, but get the ***** over it.

        The day I give a ***** what a Kuctard thinks is the day I put a ***** bullet in my own head.
    • foofightrs777, on 07/17/2008, -3/+2I'm selfish and have to consume, consume, and consume some more. And then I go on the Internet and post about how much crap I consume and how miserable I am and how I have to lay still in a refrigerator all day to not sweat. Blah blah blah. You know what else kills gas mileage? Weight.
      • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -1/+1If you want to be a sweaty dirty hippie thats all you, some of us can afford things like cars with an running AC.
      • foofightrs777, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2So apparently you've decided to troll my all posts. It looks like another apparently traditional values republican comes out of the closet. But really, it's cute that you have a man crush but I really can't help you with that. You may want to check your local bar where the men all walk in wearing pink.

        Oh and btw, I do have a car with a running AC, thank you very much.
    • foofightrs777, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1...
  • dantidote, on 07/17/2008, -3/+2Nixon would not be happy
  • braeden0613, on 07/17/2008, -2/+10screw that...shutting off your a/c probably saves like $20 a year...who freakin cares
    • ElectricKetchup, on 07/17/2008, -0/+5I used to have an older truck with broken A/C that would have cost over 500$ to fix and convert to the new refrigerant. I would have loved to have tried one of those hippie beads when it's over 100F in Texas on some summer days.
      Even now with a car that has working A/C, my back is a lot warmer because of lack of airflow.
    • MikeFallopian, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2Plus, when you have your windows open the aerodynamics of the car are affected - there's more drag and your fuel efficiency goes down. Not by a ton, but in some situations (i.e. highway driving) it can offset the fuel drain caused by running the AC.
    • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -3/+1Dirty smelly self righteous hippies, and no one else.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1AC does cost more than $20 a year but the concern about clean car and aerodynamics is not misplaced either. However using the beads would have a low AC give more effect.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1AC does cost more than $20 per year but the concerns about aerodynamics are right and so is about clean cars - but using bead seatcovers might help keep cooler with less level of AC.
  • MASTERPL, on 07/17/2008, -0/+6People in Arizona have tried these. They just catch fire between (april-october)
    • tightscrummy, on 07/17/2008, -1/+2Good, nothing worthwhile has ever come from Arizona.
    • expert01, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1The people caught fire, or the beads?
  • heymike, on 07/17/2008, -0/+4You would think he would drive for and hour with the beads; then drive for another without them on the same day to be a little more scientific in his approach. Perhaps use a thermometer instead of a sweat puddle to gauge the products worth.

    I will put one out there and venture a guess the portable AC will also get a good review.
    • MacEnvy, on 07/17/2008, -1/+2I imagine he's of the mindset that doing an actual test would be a waste of gas. But hell, if you're going to spend $26 on beads, you may as well spend another $10 and actually do a real test.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Feeling good and cool is not enough ..? Try for yourself and if you don't agree that is your experience, valid for you as his is for him.
  • Sharky35, on 07/17/2008, -2/+3As I drive down the street here in Dallas... Top down, A/C blasting...
    • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -3/+3No *****. I run the AC with the T-Tops out all the time, in anything but a god damn go kart the AC is such a small hit on the engine that it hardly matters if you have it on or off. If .00213 MPG makes a big difference in your life, you have made some poor ***** choices.
  • hollywoodphony, on 07/17/2008, -0/+5Who are these people who can afford leather seats but not air conditioning?
    • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -2/+1People that love the smell of their own farts.
    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Leather is onetime expense and feels better than vinyl, but AC is running expense and not ecofriendly. Beads help make low AC feel cooler.
  • p51d007, on 07/17/2008, -9/+1Tell ya what. You people in the "cool" climates during the summer. We here in the south, where the humidity level sometimes is higher than the temperature will give up our AC in the summer, if you will give up your furnace (or whatever you use to keep warm) in the winter. How's that for a deal?
    Plus, I'm about tire of all this WHINNNNNNNNIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG from the like of politicians, hollywierd types telling EVERYONE to change their lifestyle, but, they keep jetting all over the place, living in mansions that use more energy than I ever will. Screw U.
    • foofightrs777, on 07/17/2008, -1/+3What about those of us in the mid-Atlantic (NJ, MD, VA, NYC, DE)? We get cold ass winters (compared to you) and nearly as hot summers with just as much humidity.

      Just grow a set. People are meant to sweat and as long as you drink some water and stay hydrated it's good for you. People evolved on the savannas of Africa not in a goddamn refrigerator.
      • mike17032, on 07/17/2008, -2/+1You can stick to living in trees and worshipping sticks if you want, the rest of us can enjoy the fruits of modern life. If you want to be a bi-sexual tree hugging smelly hippie, go nuts. I will drive around in my nice ACed sports car getting 15 MPG.
      • foofightrs777, on 07/17/2008, -0/+2Where did I say that? I'm clearly posting from a computer in a house which is likely using power produced by coal (coal is 50% of US power). So please quit the logical fallacy BS, it just makes you look like a retard. The point is, unless you're horribly out of shape or old, air conditioning is far from the necessity people make it out to be. Then again, I love the heat.

        Oh, and btw, this "putting words in the peoples' mouths", and completely illogical ones at that, is really getting old. Strangely it always seems to be some form of the hippie/treehugger meme. Thinking outside of logical fallacies must be difficult for you and your ilk.

    • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Life in U.S. south states is not as hot as in Sahara after all. People did live life well in your states before AC too. There are ways to do it more intelligently, especially at home.
  • cam0man, on 07/17/2008, -2/+4"When I removed my A/C (most of you will think I’m a fool, but it never worked anyway)"

    A $10 recharge kit from Napa/Walmart/Autozone/Kragen probably would have been a better investment...wouldn't be cluttering up landfills with his A/C or cutting down trees to make his wooden beads...plus it would actually work.
    • absurdist, on 07/17/2008, -1/+2That would have actually involved knowing something about his car.
  • DrJG, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1Bead seatcovers are good for more than just the cool and air circulation at back that is healthy - they are also a good massage, to the area in contact. Use them with low AC and you might feel much cooler.
  • HulkPI, on 07/17/2008, -0/+1I'll stick with the A/C thanks!
  •  

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