Product Reviewed: Covercraft Evolution Car Cover

Manufacturer: Covercraft

Web Site: http://www.covercraft.com/

Cost: Varies by application

Bird droppings, acid rain, dust, dirt, snow and eggs. The latter ruining your paint if not removed promptly. Unless you have a garage at your place of work, you are open to the elements when you park your Land Rover outside. Worse yet, like me, your Land Rover has a roof rack and a modest lift. At this point, it doesn't even fit in your own garage at home. Every day mother nature throws its best at your Rover and you are left with little choice to defend it.

Enter Covercraft. One of the oldest and highest quality car cover makers in the world. My first experience with Covercraft was back in 1989. A Covercraft Technalon cover provided safety for my 1988 VW Jetta. It lasted many seasons and did its job quite well.

As my current daily driver, a 1997 Discovery XD, will not fit into my garage I decided to look for a good quality car cover. I again turned to Covercraft. Looking through their distributor sites I was not able to find a cover that would fit my Disco with its roof rack. I contacted Covercraft directly, and they graciously agreed to provide a custom fit Evolution cover. Covercraft prides itself on having the most patterns of any car cover maker. In the event they don't have a stock pattern, they can custom fit a cover for whatever vehicle you have. Rick at Covercraft asked me to measure my roof rack and supply them with the measurements. Easy enough. Here are some basics on the Evolution model:

Technalon® covers, made with Kimberly-Clark's Evolution® 4-layer non-woven polypropylene fabric, provide maximum protection in all weather conditions. The inner layer is constructed with similar processes used for our Dustop™ interior storage covers - gentle protection for fine paint finishes (inner layer is now light gray). Naturally Moisture Resistant - Acid rain, industrial pollutants, tree sap and bird droppings will not harm the fabric. Dries Easily - Moisture is not absorbed by the fabric fibers. Breathable - Allows air to circulate through the fabric. Dust / Pollution Barrier - The two middle layers of melt-blown fabric act as a filtration barrier against most airborne pollutants. Impact Absorption - 4-layer thickness absorbs impacts better than any other vehicle cover fabric to help protect the finish from nicks, dings, dents and scratches.

About 2 weeks later a brown UPS box arrived on my doorstep. Inside was a tan colored Evolution Custom fit cover for my Dicovery. "I sure hope I measured it right" were the thoughts running through my head as I unfurled the giant cover. Draping the cover over the Disco was relatively easy. Covercraft recommends fitting the mirror pockets first. Done. Standing on the rear bumper to drape the sides made the job much quicker. As I pulled the sides down and around the front and rear bumpers the whole thing came together. It fit like a glove! I was amazed at how well the fit was and how good the cover looked.

"Looks like a giant shoe" quipped my auto journalist friend, upon seeing the above pictures. Indeed, the whole thing looked like a giant shoe or a large foam sculpture. An optional cable and lock rounded out the package. On each side of the cover, right below the doors, is a sewn in plastic grommet. The cable is fed through the grommet on one side, looped through itself and passed under the car to the opposite side. There the cable is passed through the second grommet and the lock is attached. Mind you, the lock is a small luggage style lock. It won't deter the ambitious thief.

To make the task easier, removing the cover should be done in a certain way. Covercraft suggests that the sides be brought up and over each side, as you would fold a burrito, and placed on the roof. Then the cover gets rolled up, back to front. At this point the cover can be placed in its optional storage bag, or as in my case, tossed into the back seat of the Discovery.

Overall the cover provides great protection from the summer elements. The Evolution model is rated for year round outdoor use. Covercraft has models ranging from indoor dust covers to extreme weather outdoor covers. If you need a cover for you Land Rover, or any other vehicle, give Covercraft a try. You will be happy you did, and your vehicle's paint job will be that much better for it.

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