If you travel and in particular love adventure travel, no doubt you have plenty of gear. I know I certainly do and I live in a small abode in San Francisco, so don’t have the luxury of space that many may have if they live in more rural areas or a suburb.
Let’s be honest — the basement, closets and attic overflow with stuff that you collect over the years. Your patio or backyard could look neater. One of the things that occurred to me as I started visiting friends for barbecues earlier this summer is how many people didn’t either cover their gear or if they did, the covers looked dingy, as if they were falling apart and frankly, unattractive — in other words, they didn’t all look like the lovely visual you see below, where the covers blend in with the environment and are matched with the furniture itself.
When you leave home on a trip, it’s important to cover your gear so it’s protected from rain and other climatic ailments when you’re gone — even in the summer. Rain rusts your gear and I’ve noticed, even after staining and putting weather resistant slabs on my outdoor wooden tables, its pealing back and starting to rot. Wood needs protection. Metal needs protection. Steel needs protection. We’ve all been there. Even if we have covers, we might get lazy at times and forget to cover up our gear and furniture. Some of you may have found covers in a local hardware store or Home Depot because it might seem like the simplest thing to do.
I realized that even though my grill at home was under a covered area and even had a cover for it, it was ugly, beaten up and I rarely wanted to use it. I wondered how big of an issue it was for others who travel a lot and had even more gear and outdoor furniture than I had.
In my research, I came across CLASSIC ACCESSORIES, which seemed to have a boatload of covers that protected everything from boats, fishing, golf, garage, patio (chairs, chaise, umbrella, fire pit, love seats, tables and more) to pet beds, RVs, summer gear and toys. Whoahh Nelly! I found that I couldn’t stop browsing their site.
We had mocked up a cover for our heat lamp (you need one if you live in San Francisco) which started flapping in the wind, annoying and ineffective at best. If you have durable and reliable covers that LOOKS great, you’ll want to proactively cover your gear and it won’t be an afterthought.
Take a look at this attractive blue/gray slate colored Heat Lamp Cover in a two-tone style that fits well and isn’t an eyesore for you or your neighbors. The Classic Accessories StorageSaver system includes an attached stuff sack which makes storing easy. Also, the tough but lightweight weather-resistant fabric takes up less space when not in use. The drawstring in hem ensures a tight, clean fit and a stylish silhouette and the covered vents reduce moisture buildup and prevent cover from ballooning. The model below fits heaters up to 95”H x 34” DIA dome with 18.5” DIA round base although there are plenty of size options for most of their covers.
One of the things I really love about Classic Accessories lines is how many options they had to choose from — not just for different types of gear, but color choices AND varying degrees of durability, which is a huge factor if you want the covers to last for awhile. Take a look at the Hickory Grill Cover below, which comes in tough Weather 10 Fabric which is really rugged, weather protected and also looks great.
The Weather 10 fabric features a rugged fabric top with a protective water-repellent and wipe-clean PVC undercoating. The heavy-duty fabric and tough interlocking seams that they use add strength and durability, making it a great choice for Weber, Charbroil, Jennair, Cuisinart & Napoleon and other propane and natural gas grills. There are air vents which reduce inside condensation and wind lofting and padded handles for easy fitting and removal. ( I LOVE their handles)!
The other thing I love is the elastic hem cord with a toggle allows adjustment for a tight and custom fit and their click-close straps which snap over legs. Also, the material and the look-and-feel is “classic.” In other words, their covers are tasteful and beautifully designed. Have a look at a close up of the above cover to get an idea of the level of detail in their stitching and design.
This is apparently a Classic Accessories customer favorite, largley for its fashionable design, durability and extensive collection of covers. The Veranda line features heavyweight Gardelle woven polyester fabric and special water-repellent and resistant undercoating. Like the grill cover, it has tough Weather 10 fabric and a protective dark splash guard skirt (useful and not all covers provide this feature).
Air vents reduce inside condensation and wind lofting and they have padded handles for easy fitting and removal as well as an elastic hem cord with a toggle allows adjustment for a tight and custom fit and click-close straps. This one covers with a 3 Year Warranty — each cover offers a warranty but they differ in length depending on the durability of the style you choose and which line.
A few other fire pit cover styles to give you an idea of their diversity of range.
Okay, so you may not have a fire pit, but nearly everyone has a love seat and Classic Accessories offers a wide range of choices from color and shades to style and durability. I fell in love with their Hickory Series, which again offers an attractive style with rugged material in a neutral color that will go with most patios or backyards. In my research, I hated the fact that so many other cover manufacturers only provided covers in black or that dark masculine green that is so common (and boring….)
Like their other products, their love seat covers are made with the Weather 10 fabric, a protective water-repellent, wipe-clean PVC undercoating,and tough interlocking seams for additional strength and durability. Regular features as already noted include their air vents, padded handles, elastic hem cord with a toggle allows adjustment for a tight and custom fit and click-close straps snap over legs to secure cover on windy days. I can’t praise the click-close straps enough, especially for a love seat. They also have a few different sizes too depending on your set, allowing you to choose a snugger one for a better fit. We made the mistake of getting one that is too large for the love seat and should have gone with a small size, so be sure to measure your furniture and gear correctly before ordering.
Other gear you have may be oddly shaped so it’s easier for a cover to stay put when the wind is up, however for a fairly square structure, it makes it so much easier for your cover to simply fly off. I started to use this cover for a love seat on the front patio which gets excessive wind on a regular basis — I don’t even need to secure all of the straps — one or two will easily do the trick to keep the cover securely fitted and in place. I LOVE this feature!
A few other designs to give you an idea of colors, two-tone options and styles. If you read this site enough, you know how much of a fan I am about color choices! Bravo team at Classic Accessories!!
They have durable bags and accessories for carrying firewood.
They tout themselves as animal lovers and so it shouldn’t be a surprise that they have plenty of gear and covers for dog owners — for inside the car, a very cool folding dog bowl, which is GREAT for long road trips with your pets. They even have a kennel jacket for transporting your dogs from A to B, all of which are godsends for travelers who don’t want to leave their dogs home.
Since it’s summer, many of us spend time on lakes and oceans. The Classic Accessories folks also offer pontoon boats and float tubes where they’re proud of their attention to detail that demonstrates that they understand the demands of the sport.
TWO THUMBS UP – we love the wide range Classic Accessories has to offer, with its diverse colors and varying degrees of durability.
All stock photos from the Classic Accessories website.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
