MENU Exit Icon

Archives: Resources

Resource Description

Why Seat Covers Make Sense in Work Trucks

Sheldon explains why seat covers should be considered in Work Trucks, and how to choose a seat cover that's right for you.

If you own or manage work trucks, you’re familiar with what happens to seats after a little time on the road.

Every day a truck is in service, it’s getting beaten up, stained, and dirty. Different industries run into different issues. In package delivery, all of that in-and-out action breaks down the side of the seat and eventually tears the seams to bits. In equipment service, grease, dirt, and sweat build up and slowly ruin the vinyl or cloth. Either way – the seat damage compounds the longer that the truck is in service.

Three ways seats affect your bottom line: 

  1. REPAIR. Especially if you keep your trucks for longer, you’ll want to repair ripped-up and damaged seats to keep conditions better for the driver and keep the truck image clean. This is doubly expensive – the seat is expensive to fix, and there’s downtime while it’s getting fixed.
  2. LOST RESALE VALUE. Some people never fix or replace the seats. When it’s finally time to sell the truck, it gets shipped off as-is. When someone opens the door of that vehicle (whether it’s the dealership or the next owner), they’re greeted with an interior that looks like trash. That gives them the instant impression that it’s had a rough life, and that’s how you’ve taken care of the rest of the vehicle maintenance for the whole time you’ve owned it.
  3. LEASE CHARGEBACKS. Maybe you’re not repairing your seats OR reselling your vehicle because you lease them. Fine. Check into the charges that you get after turning in that leased vehicle – it’s normal for leasing companies to work in charges for seat damages. They’ll either be repairing that seat themselves before they remarket it, or they want to recover some of the resale value they will lose from you.

What to look for in seat covers:

There should be four major checkboxes on your Seat Cover Shopping List:

  1. SAFE. Some covers out there aren’t airbag compatible. Not cool. Make sure that the covers you buy have been independently tested to work with your seat airbags. Another detail to look out for: car seat latches. Make sure that they’re still accessible when the cover is installed. 
  2. TOUGH. Some cheap seat covers admittedly look great the first day they’re installed. But check into what they’re made out of and the warranty that’s offered. You want a cover that will last you the life of the vehicle, not one that your crew will pitch into the dumpster four months in.
  3. FITS WELL. Nobody wants to fight with the shifting, rolling edges.
  4. KEEPS EVERYTHING OFF OF YOUR SEAT. The whole point of a cover, right? It should stand up against dust, dirt, oil, spilled coffee, sweat, and any other nasties that the work day will bring on.

Skip Googling to find seat covers that meet this criteria. We’ve done the heavy lifting and found the best seat covers of 2023.

Is TigerTough right for you? Check out this article to determine if we’d make a good match.

TOP QUESTIONS BEFORE ORDERING

I’m just here today to answer everyone’s questions.

 

What color should I get?

When picking your color, consider the color of the dirt and dust that you usually deal with. Is it light? Is it dark? Black will hide more of the darker oil and grease. Gray is best for light-colored dust like drywall dust. 

Are they safe with heated/cooled seats?

Yes, they are! They are perfectly safe to use with heated/cooled seats, and won’t prevent either function from working. You won’t notice much of a difference with the heated seats. With the cooled seats, the cover will restrict most of the airflow.

Are they safe with my airbags?

Yes! If your airbag deploys (and we hope it doesn’t have to) the cover will not restrict it. Any airbags will be covered by a lab-tested tearaway. More science on this here.

How waterproof is waterproof?

Pretty waterproof. Water can’t get through the fabric, but a seam is perforated. Look, you’re not gonna want to use them as a bucket if you can help it, but spills and liquid won’t penetrate the cover (remember it can get around the edges though). We still recommend cleaning up liquid as quickly as possible.

How long until I get them?

Our lead time varies – check the product description or the top bar on the website to see when orders are shipping. Want to see if your item is in stock? Chat/email/call/text us to find out.

How long do they take to install?

If you’ve never installed a set of our covers before, we guesstimate about 30-45 minutes to put on a front bucket set. Make sure and watch the install video and read our installation expectations, and it will go as smoothly as possible for you!

What’s the warranty?

All of our covers have at least 2 years of unconditional warranty (HEAVY has lifetime warranty). Unconditional means… unconditional. The warranty only applies to the original owner, and it covers all physical damage to the cover, no matter how it happened. (If your covers are stained, that just means that they’re doing their job! Although stains can be minimized by cleaning up spills right away)

Click here for the full rundown on the warranty & returns.

SHIELDTECH VS. IRONWEAVE

TLDR: They are made from the same base fabric, but ShieldTech is infused with odor & microbe-killing superpowers.

Base Fabric

Let’s start with what’s the same. They’re both built from 1000 denier Cordura because:

👍🏻 Grown, woven, and dyed in the USA (super important)
👍🏻 It’s nearly impossible to tear.
👍🏻 It’s crazy abrasion-resistant. You’ll find versions of Cordura in products from motorcycle clothing to backpacks.

Ironweave Properties

The Ironweave fabric receives a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) treatment. This treatment allows the fabric to stay breathable, but liquids bead up and run off. 1 point for the covers, 0 points for the spilled coffee.

ShieldTech Properties

ShieldTech doesn’t get the DWR treatment. Its treatment is leveled up and it’s infused with silver & copper ions and waterproof properties.

✅ Waterproof
✅ Anti-Microbial
✅ Anti-Odor

Back to the example from the beginning – if you’re part of a team that shares vehicles, ShieldTech is a great choice. If your vehicle is your own, Ironweave will give you the protection you need without the anti-microbial properties.

Is ShieldTech right for me?

ShieldTech is specifically engineered for:

👮‍♂️ Police, Fire, and EMS
👷‍♀️ Blue collar workers in hot climates
🚚 Delivery drivers
🤹‍♂️Fleets with crew vehicles or hot-seat vehicles

For example: if you are a one-man-band landscaper, Ironweave is a perfect option. It’s going to give you all the protection you need at a slightly lower price. However, if you are part of a landscaping crew that all piles into the same vehicle at the end of the day when you’re hot, sweaty, and dirty, ShieldTech is going to be the prime choice. It’s going to go to work killing the odors and microbes that come along with the shared vehicle environment. Fancy that.

Read more on the science behind ShieldTech here.

WARRANTY & RETURNS

Unconditional Warranty

Lucky for you, we hate fine print. There really isn’t any. Here’s everything you need to know about your warranty:

👉 Warranty only applies to the original owner.
👉 The warranty covers all physical damage to the cover, no matter how it happened. (If your covers are stained, that just means that they’re doing their job! Although stains can be minimized by cleaning up spills right away)

 

Ironweave 2 years
Sportweave 2 Years
ShieldTech 2 Years
ShieldTech Responder 2 Years
ShieldTech Service 4 Years
HEAVY Lifetime 

 

If you have a warranty claim, flick an email to [email protected] with:

  • A photo of the damage
  • The affected part number
  • Your original order # 

From there, we’ll check it out and decide whether we’ll be replacing or repairing the piece. 

Returns

If you change your mind, you’ve got 30 days from when your covers are delivered to return them!

If there’s an issue with the covers, shipping is on us & we’ll provide a return label. If it’s a matter of preference (color change, no longer need them, etc), shipping is on you & you can ship it back with USP, USPS, or FedEx. 

Return Address:
TigerTough
Attn: Returns
165 Hwy 19 S
Vesta, MN 56292

You’ll need to make sure the covers you’re returning are in mint condition (not dirty, stained, no pet hair, etc) and reach out to us at [email protected] to get a return authorization. Return authorizations must be included in the box. If your return arrives in anything other than re-sellable condition, the returns team gets all riled up about it and ships it right back to you before we get a chance to refund you.  Sorry for being so mean about it.

IRONWEAVE VS SPORTWEAVE: why Ironweave is recommended for work trucks

TLDR: Ironweave is the best option for work trucks. Sportweave is a great choice for personal trucks, but because it’s not as sturdy or colorfast as Ironweave, we don’t recommend it for hard-working vehicles.

The comparison

Let’s briefly compare the fabric differences between Sportweave and Ironweave seat covers. 

Ironweave and Sportweave are both:

✅ Covered by the same 2-year Unconditional warranty
✅ Waterproof
✅ Going to save your seats. 

The fabric itself is different. Sportweave is made from a 900 denier polyester, which isn’t as high of a denier as the Ironweave seat cover. Ironweave is made from 1000 denier Cordura which has a higher abrasion rating than Sportweave’s polyester. 

The dye process is also different. Think of it as a paint vs a stain – with Ironweave, the fabric is dyed all of the way through. There won’t be any fading or color variations over time. The camo print of the Sportweave is printed on top. That means that after two or three years of light-medium use, you’re likely to notice some color wearing away on the leading edge of the seat. In heavy-use applications, the color wear will show up much earlier. The color wear is a cosmetic issue – structurally, the covers are still performing and still protecting your seat.

At the end of the day, Sportweave will look awesome in the interior of your weekend or personal truck, while Ironweave is going to be a win in the long term for any vehicle that takes more abuse. Looking for some fabric samples so you can check these out in real life? Right this way: fabric samples