There’s a lot of competition when it comes to seat covers. You’ll undoubtedly see the Carhartt SeatSaver Custom Seat Cover when you google best seat covers for my truck.
Everyone loves Carhartt. You’ve got the hat, the jacket, and maybe the coveralls, so it’s natural to want to deck your truck out with it too. You’ve relied on Carhartt on the job, but can you rely on it in your vehicle?
And how do these covers compare to TigerTough seat covers?
We’ll take an unbiased approach (no…seriously, we will) in comparing these two seat covers.
Covercraft Carhartt vs. TigerTough–who’s going to take home the gold? We’re about to find out.
Watch the video comparison:
Packaging
We love the box the Carhartt covers arrived in. It was straightforward, said what it was, and branded so that you knew what to expect. The only thing we didn’t love was it wasn’t clear which cover went on the driver’s seat. Since these are airbag-safe, putting the correct cover on the seat is important.
The Covercraft instructions are pretty simple and what you expect from a standard seat cover company. It’s a universal one-sheeter designed to work for any vehicle.
TigerTough covers come in a branded bag. If you’re ordering a lot of covers (like a fleet), you’ll get a box filled with these bags. Not as shelf-ready as Carhartt, but it does the job.
Unlike Carhartt, we send a detailed full-color instruction packet with our covers and a link to an install video for your specific vehicle. It might not be necessary for everyone, but we try to avoid troubleshooting by offering as much detail upfront.
Materials: What are they made of?
Carhartt SeatSaver Custom Seat Covers are made of “heavy-duty, firm-hand Carhartt® Duck Weave fabric and triple stitched main seams.” This is the same 100% cotton fabric you know from your favorite Carhartt gear. You can feel it already, can’t you? Like their apparel, the seat covers are water-resistant but not waterproof.
TigerTough seat covers are made from 1000 Denier CORDURA®️. That’s a mouthful, so what does it mean? It’s made in the U.S., waterproof, nearly indestructible, and so tough that it meets Military Specifications. It’s designed and tested to withstand some of the most brutal conditions.
Carhartt Duck Weave is tough but won’t withstand the same abuse as 1000 Denier CORDURA®️—seats in a vehicle experience more friction than an article of clothing. So if your truck’s interior will be used well, you’ll want to consider your options carefully.
Derrick had some great things to say about the durability of his TigerTough seat covers:
“These are great quality, tough, very good fitting seat covers. I have had similar covers in the past on a previous Tundra, and they lasted 16 years until I sold that truck. I expect the same from these.”
Design and Fit
The fit of the Carhartt Seat Savers is the number one complaint we hear about them. These covers are made in a single piece (plus the headrest), so you won’t get a secure fit. Covercraft's Carhartt Precision Fit comes in separate pieces and fits more like TigerTough seat covers, but they flaunt a price tag starting at $429, so we didn't use them for this comparison.
The SeatSavers look alright at first but shimmy and shift as you slide in and out of your vehicle.
TigerTough seat covers come in multiple pieces: the seat bottom, back, and headrest cover. You’ll get an accurate fit, no matter your vehicle.
More pieces = better fit
Just take a look at a recently installed Carhartt seat cover vs. a TigerTough seat cover that's been installed for eight years. The seat portion on the Carhartt cover is already shifting:
Headrest
Both headrest covers protect well. We’re happy that Carhartt covers them (because we’ve run into some covers that don’t). If you’re in any type of blue-collar line of work, chances are, you’ll want a cover protecting your headrest.
Just below the headrest, around the headrest supports, there’s a difference.
The Carhartt covers have a visible bias tape around the edge. TigerTough covers are designed to fit under the plastic mounts of the headrest supports for a cleaner look. If you have the headrest all the way down, you wouldn’t notice. None of this affects function; it’s just a difference in design.
Seat back
Covercraft’s option has the Carhartt patch in the area between your shoulder blades. TigerTough arrives bare. If you’d like, you can add embroidery, whether stock or custom, for an additional fee. As far as we can tell, you can't add custom embroidery with Covercraft.
As you move down the seat back, both covers fit well, but TigerTough fits more securely. We make our covers in multiple pieces, so there are additional points for the cover to stay secured to the seat.
On the actual back of the seat, Covercraft gets points for having a pocket come standard on their vehicle seat covers. This is an upgrade feature for TigerTough and will cost you extra.
Seat crease
OK, this is where the difference is most obvious. It all comes back to one-piece vs. two, and the two-piece options just look neater.
Even if you shoved your hands into the crevice to get a neat look on the Carhartt cover, it would shift as soon as you slid into the vehicle. WeatherTech's seat covers are the same way. It makes for an imperfect fit, but you judge which look you prefer.
Seat bottom
These are pretty comparable. Both covers allow access to the seat controls and tuck in nicely on the side.
We wish there were additional contact points on the seat bottom, but overall it works.
Ease of Installation
Installation on the Carhartt covers was about seven minutes. Since their cover is one piece, it made things simpler. There are little pillows that you shove into the seat crease for the covers to stay in place.
TigerTough took about nine minutes. That extra piece adds some complications to the installation process.
💡Helpful tip: When we installed the Carhartt seat covers, we couldn't find any indication of which cover went on which seat. In order for these to be airbag-compatible, they need to be on the correct seat. Take a look at the inside of the seat cover for a tearaway seam. That seam should be on the side of the seat closest to the door.
Warranty
Covercraft offers a three-year limited warranty on these particular seat covers.
“Covercraft’s warranty coverage protects against defects in material and workmanship, as well as the fabric becoming unserviceable during normal use. After factory inspection, at its option, Covercraft will repair or replace the unit or specific panels or parts judged to be unusable. Warranty does not cover fading, which occurs naturally on all products used outdoors, or weather resistance of fabric.”
This is pretty good, but in the end, Covercraft can determine what they’ll cover and what they won’t.
Our warranty is shorter at just two years, but we believe in the durability of our products, so we’ve made it an unconditional warranty. It doesn’t matter how your seat covers got wrecked (but we bet there’s an epic story there); we’ll repair or replace them for you.
Three-year limited vs. two-year unconditional warranty. Would you rather have limited love or unconditional?
Price
We want to compare apples to apples here, so we used a 2023 Ford F150 as our test model for pricing.
Covercraft Carhartt SeatSavers: $422 (this base price seems to fluctuate with their sales)
TigerTough Seat Covers: $297
The Covercraft covers cost about 44% more than the TigerTough option. However, you’ll be able to find coupon codes for Covercraft, whereas we keep things straightforward with no-fuss pricing on our site. What you see is what you get.
Customer Reviews
With a 4.5-star rating and over 2,000 reviews when this was published, there’s no denying that people love their Carhartt seat covers. A lot of the reviews echo the same, but we liked how specific Matthew H. got:
“Exactly what I expected. Had put these in my landscape work truck three years ago and have been pleased. When I got a new-to-me CR-V, twelve years old but very clean, there was no question I wanted to invest in seat covers to keep the nearly new interior in good condition. Good fit, decent attachment, and I expect no durability issues.”
TigerTough covers don’t have as many reviews, but we average a 4.9-star rating, which is pretty great! We love what John T. has to say about his TigerTough seat covers:
“As advertised. I tried to jam a screwdriver through them with acceptable (non-extreme) pressure. They held up just fine. I’m sure the friction from my backside over the years getting in and out of the truck (2009 F150) will never wear these covers out. Wish I had bought a set when the truck was new. Would have saved the original seats from wear and increased the resale value. Pursuing ordering a set for my 2019 F250 to just prevent excessive wear.”
Summary
Seat covers are a small investment that can save you thousands of dollars, so you want to choose the right kind.
We often say that the Carhartt covers are the second-best covers for work trucks. If TigerTough doesn’t have a cover available for your vehicle, definitely go get your Carhartt fix. And if you love the Carhartt brand but want your seat covers to fit like a glove, you might want to consider upgrading to Covercraft’s PrecisionFit Carhartt Seat Covers, with two pieces (plus the headrest); they're designed to fit better.
When it comes down to the facts (and not our paychecks), TigerTough is cheaper, more durable, and has a more forgiving warranty.
Covercraft Carhartt SeatSavers | TigerTough | |
---|---|---|
Cost | $422 | $297 |
Stars | 4.5 | 4.9 |
Warranty | 3 years (limited) | 2 years (unconditional) |
Material | Duck weave fabric | 1000 Denier CORDURA®️ |
Fit | Custom | Perfect Fit |
Waterproof | Water-resistant | Waterproof |
Colors/Patterns | 2 | 8 |
Airbag Safe | ☑️ | ☑️ |
Made in the USA | USA and Mexico | ☑️ |
Seatback Pockets | Yes | Optional |
Installation Time | 7 minutes | 9 minutes |