Carhartt Seat Saver Seat Covers on my 2nd gen (Review)

After much debating, I have decided to purchase the Carhartt Seat Saver seat covers in their signature duck material. TL;DR and pics at bottom of post. For reference I drive a 2010 with the sport seats. Seat cover part #:

$276 SSC2360CAGY | 1st Row Sport Bucket Seats | Compatible with 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma | Gravel

SSC2360CAGY

My thoughts and reasonings:

There seem to be a lot of reviews for Clazzio, Katzkin, Wet Okole, Coverking and Rough Country (and now luckyman clubs from Amazon) but not much info on the Carhartt covers that I could find so I hope this helps someone down the road at some point.

I didn't want leather or leather like seats, so that knocked Clazzio and Katzkin out of consideration for me even though they are almost certainly the best looking.

Wet Okole, Coverking and Rough Country seem like they fit well and the prices on the Rough Country are hard to beat, but I didn't want neoprene material for my seat covers either.

I hesitated to buy the carhartt's for a long time because they seem to leave a gap between the backrest and the cover itself, but ultimately I went with carhartt because:

• Custom, snug fit
• OEM+ like cloth material (Carhartt Duck material)
• Close color match
• Good quality
• Able to keep back seat pocket
• Full seat cover

While the covers are custom made for the tacoma and they are definitely snug enough to not move around at all, the backrest cover is indeed a bit lifted from the backrest inbetween the seat bolsters. I hope this will settle in with time as it's already much better even after just a couple short drives.

Install was easy enough, there are straps that go underneath the seat to hold the bottom taught. Had to take a couple clips off the seats themselves to access the underneath of the seats. Just took a bit of wrestling to slide them on and fish all the straps through after that.

I plan to eventually integrate some seat heaters into these covers, but that's going to be a summer project. If you plan to just slide the seat heaters inbetween the covers and the seats, I don't believe these are the right covers for you without modifications. They won't hold the heaters in place by themselves.


TL;DR: The covers are super snug and feel high quality. They will definitely not move around. Right out of the box there is indeed a gap in-between the backrest and the cover, but only on the area inside the bolsters. This will likely settle in with time. I will follow up with pictures in a while after they have settled in more.

 

Is the fabric breathable. The seats on my 07 are getting pretty rough looking. I tried another brand and they were HOT during the summer. I don't want anything too expensive.

 

Coverking has a product called Spartanshield that is fabric. It also retains the seat back pocket.

 

I've never found mine to be super-hot in the summer, not like the Wet Okole covers I had in my 1st gen for a while. They're definitely not 'breathable' though... it's Carhartt duck canvas, with a layer of waterproofing on the back.

I love the hell out of my set, I don't know what my seats look like underneath, but at I think 4 years old now the covers still look almost new. I yanked my seats & disassembled them to install them, which was a bit of a chore, but I'm only doing it once & it got them tight & the edges tucked to the point they look nearly factory.

 

Could you elaborate more on the cushion (seat bottom) part of the install, possibly with photos. I can't imagine my 3rd gen covers are much different but I've yet to figure out how to keep the bottom part in place. Every time I get in I have to push the small sponges in the crease between the cushion and the seat back back in place or it feels like I'm sitting in a hammock. And how did you tuck the cushion side into the seat 'cup'?

 

Nice !!!

 

I have a set on my front seats. I like them quite well. After some time, they stretched some and I have a problem with the retaining 'sponge' between the back and the bottom cushions. For me it is no dealbreaker. The fabric is dense enough that they brush clean, they are sufficiently waterproof and don't get too warm in the summer.

 

I can't comment on how they perform during the summer yet as I just installed them this past weekend and we're still pretty deep in winter up here in Canada. What I can tell you though, it feels like the exact same material as my yukon extremes Carhartt jacket. As was mentioned above, it also has a waterproof coating on it from the factory, but that doesn't affect the feel of it at all. I don't think I'll have any problems with the covers getting hot in the summer given they're light grey and duck cotton.

I was going to try and describe how I installed them via text, but decided to make my first youtube video instead. Here's a short clip explaining how I installed the seat bottoms and some other short thoughts on the covers:



Hopefully that answers some of your questions! Happy to provide more details otherwise

 

Thanks for the update. Unfortunately, the 2nd and 3rd Gen covers are different. Different straps on seat cushion.

 

4 bolts and a couple of electrical connections and the seats come out. Getting the cover straps nice and tight is much easier with seats on a bench. I also used a steam iron on the covers to remove all wrinkles before installation. I have had Carhartts for a few years now. They wear like iron and are comfortable in all seasons.

 

I was hoping it didn't come to this, but after everything I've tried I think you are right. If I had done this from the get go I'd probably be in tall cotton by now. Mine's a 3rd Gen so hopefully it's not too much of a pain.

 

Does anyone know if the 3rd gen carhartt seat covers fit a 2nd gen? Seen a complete set on ebay for $180 but theyre for a 3rd gen. TIA

 

My 07 has a little cut in the seat bottom fabric about 2” long. I’ve been meaning to do something but it’s really not that bad, like a little mouth saying weee. When it opens up bigger to say wow, then I’ll get serious out doing something.

I bought a rd350 in the 80’s that had a little cut in the seat. This makes me wonder if there’s some kind of code, like someone was killed in it or on it or something odd like that.

 

I had Carhartt in my first gen and I’ve had them in my second gen for the past few years. Absolutely no complaints. I wasn’t looking for nice comfy seat covers. I wanted something that would take some abuse. These seem to do the trick. Not one tear. Not one seam coming undone. Nothing. No punctures from keys in my pockets or dogs needing their nails trimmed. When they get muddy or dirty I toss them in the washing machine and they’re fine. They aren’t cheap, but they last so personally I think they’re worth the money.

 

That’s funny because way back then we used to say the rd stood for “rapid death”. The rd350 and 400s were screamers!

 

Btw, a few years and a couple of washes and the waterproof coating is there! Surprised the heck out of me.

 

Definitely. It’s the one bike I miss the most.

 

The year was 1973. I’m in HS. Talked my mom into letting me buy a m/c so my parents didn’t have to shuttle me back and forth to work etc. . Buying new, got the choice down to Honda CB350G and RD350. Didn’t think the 2 stroke would make a good street bike so bought the Honda. Decision probably saved my life. Because I crashed hard on the Honda and if I was on the RD it probably would have killed me. Me now, the Yamaha all day!
Carhartt content: still haven’t run the straps under the seats.

 

Yeah, you’re probably right about the motorcycle. A buddy of mine mangled the crap out of his left ankle. Almost lost his foot slamming into a curb. As for the straps, you really should get that done and cinched up tight. If I remember correctly it's what keeps it from pulling away from where the seat folds.
Edit: Btw I just noticed, thank you for your service brother!

 

^^ I’m actually looking on a set could anyone answer this question by chance ?

$293 SSC2509CAGY , 1st Row Bucket Seats, Gravel

SSC2509CAGY