Car interiors get soggy and dirty in the winter – especially if your dog is riding shotgun. Dog Sport Enthusiast Kevin Roberts took WeatherTech’s Cargo Liner and Pet Barrier out for a spin – do they stand up to the mess of his snow-loving dogs?
In our blended family of people and pooches, we live for adventure – this means we spend a lot of time on the road and in our SUV. Whether we are off to a skijoring race, out for a scenic hike or loading up for a canoe trip, our dogs are always with us. While all of this is awesome, I have to admit that awesome comes at a price… we have never owned a clean vehicle.
Rain or shine, snow or… well, more snow, our team is out in the midst of it. That means there’s a good chance our dogs are coming home muddy, sandy, wet or plain old dirty. And while I love my pack dearly, they tend to shed as much as small herd of buffalo and track in a host of gross things on their paws. All this mess takes a toll on my vehicle’s interior, from front to back.
The secret is out – now you all know why I refuse carpool.
In an effort to stem the grimy build-up, I would place old blankets in the cargo area. The idea would be that the dogs would have a comfy little spot to hang out in (away from the driver’s seat), and I could air the blankets out when we got out. But after discovering the blankets were a haven for hitchhiking ticks, I switched tactics.
My next strategy was purchasing cargo mats made of thick durable rubber. Sure, they put me out a few bucks, but the muck was too much for me. Sure, they had cargo mats at the local automotive store, but they were generic mats they just didn’t fit right – you know, the “one size fits none” brand. Some were slightly too long, or even worse, too short to cover the cargo area. Eventually, the ones I bought started to curl until they were useless.
And just as I was about to toss my old cargo mats and laminate the entire interior, I get the chance to review WeatherTech’s Cargo Liner. This just happens to be one of the company’s best sellers – and I’m about to tell you why…
WeatherTech Cargo Liner
One of the appealing features of WeatherTech’s Cargo Liner is that it’s custom molded specifically for your vehicle’s make and model… without the custom fit price you’d expect. You order online – choose your vehicle’s make and model from the dropdown menu, and the perfect fit for your car pops up.
When it arrived, I found the Cargo Liner easy to install and it even tucked in perfectly around the sides – which means no more curling up (and even if it did, it wouldn’t matter, because it comes with a lifetime warranty)! It holds all the mud, snow, and sand the dogs track in, and it’s easy to wipe clean at the end of each outdoor adventure. My cargo area carpet no longer needs to be detailed because the back of my SUV is always clean and dry.
Another feature that made me a fan of the Cargo Liner is that it’s made of skid-resistant material – now when you take those turns, your dog isn’t going to be slip and slide from side to side.
WeatherTech Pet Barrier
Any pet safe SUV needs to be outfitted with a gate – one that will keep the dogs in the cargo area, so they don’t join you in the front seat to see what’s so interesting about driving.
And I’m glad to say that the good folks at WeatherTech are on point with its Pet Barrier.
The gate installed in minutes, and while I am definitely not one to follow the instructions, I did for the sake of this review. The instructions were clear and easy to use, the way that instructions should be (but rarely are).
The Pet Barrier includes wide rubber feet on each end – and they are huge! In this case, bigger is better, because it made finding a secure spot to tighten the brackets simple. The barrier holds itself in place with tension mounted rods. You adjust the length of the rod by locking them into place and then tighten it securely with bolts located on bottom of the barrier.
Other gates I have used the in the past relied on a single mechanism to adjust the tension rods. They were easy to use, but guaranteed to fail. Over time, those other models all began to skate lose, and required constant checking and readjusting. We test drove the WeatherTech Pet Barrier on some pretty fun off-road and bumpy trails – it stayed up and didn’t require any readjustments after!
I’m super impressed with the quality and durability – my dogs put them to the test and they passed with flying colors.
Because I know that the custom-fitted WeatherTech Cargo Liner is going to last me the lifetime of my SUV, the $159.95 (prices vary depending on vehicle) is worth it. Besides, the generic liner I bought before was $20 cheaper and only lasted one winter. That’s $20 I don’t mind spending!
On par with prices for vehicle pet barriers ($169.95), WeatherTech Pet Barrier offers superior functionality and safety support to other brands we’ve used – I’d definitely recommend the Pet Barrier to pet parents who want to keep their canines in the cargo area.
