Fit Matters: Field Testing Husky Liners® WeatherBeater™ vs. WeatherTech® DigitalFit Floor Liners

Design & Craftsmanship

Right out of the box, each of these products feel great and give off an immediate feeling of craftsmanship and quality. 

WeatherTech uses a patented High-Density Tri-Extruded (HDTE) material. In layman's terms, the WeatherTech DigitalFit Floor Liners are thick and rigid and offer very little give when bent. While this may sound like a good thing, this extreme rigidity did lead to some issues during my testing, but we will get to those complaints later. In general, the impression of quality is solid, which you would expect from a brand like WeatherTech. 

The engineers at WeatherTech design their mats with deep channels and a large capacity to channel water away from muddy shoes and keep your pant cuffs clean and dry. Plus, they offer ample coverage of most of the driver and passenger footwells, including up the sides. However, coverage under the pedals is lacking, leaving some potential opportunities for water to creep under the mat. 

Husky Liners WeatherBeater opts for a more flexible, elastomeric material and rubberized thermoplastic that feels thinner than the WeatherTech mats but not in a negative way. They still feel plenty durable (more on that later) and have a similar grooved design to pull water away from shoes and pant cuffs. Husky mats also offer a deep reservoir for catching debris and water, just like WeatherTech, but with slightly less height on the sides. This shorter height caused no issues in my testing. 

One of the best things about the Husky Liners WeatherBeater lineup is the rubberized thermoplastic that offers a grippy texture on the bottom of your shoes when wet. I quickly noticed this when sliding into my Subaru Outback because my foot slid across the WeatherTech mat but did not budge on the Husky Liners mat. This may seem like a slight criticism, but in practice, it’s nice to have this additional grip when out in the field. 

Installation 

Since each mat is designed to offer an exact fit, installation is relatively straightforward. 

Thanks to the ultra-thick HDTE material, smooth bottom, and laser-fitted design, the WeatherTech mats were easy to shove into place. Husky’s patented FormFit Design provides the laser-tight fit you need, but instead of a smooth bottom, Husky offers StayPut nibs to hold the liner firmly in place. This makes the Husky mats a little more challenging to install but provides the benefit of the mats not shifting while driving, making it worth the extra effort. 

Each mat hooks onto the factory floor mat pegs easily, although the fit on the Husky mats required a bit firmer shove to lineup, thanks to those StayPut pegs. Installing the cargo liner was especially easy, and it required nothing more than simply unrolling it and shoving it into place. 

Fit and Function 

Both Husky and WeatherTech strive to achieve a nearly perfect fit, and for the most part, they nail their mission of complete coverage. 

In my testing, both mat designs offered a tight fit in the footwell of my Outback, but the Husky WeatherBeater emerged as the clear victor with a nearly seamless fit in the front and the rear. Husky really shined in areas around the door sill, and specific to my Subaru Outback, the fuel filler door release handle by the driver entry. Credit the clever rubber-like material and the StayPut pegs for this excellent, genuinely glove-like fit. 

Unfortunately, WeatherTech didn’t shine so well in the fitment test.

On both the driver and passenger sides, there were significant gaps caused by curling on the edge of the mats. Gaps ranged from under an inch on the driver’s side to several inches on the passenger side. In the rear, fitment was better, but there were still plenty of gaps around the edge of the mat that could lead to long-term issues. 

Thanks to the ultra-hard HDTE material, the WeatherTech® mats are unyielding to molding by hand and would require an industrial heat gun to put them back into shape again. Given these immediate issues, I am also not confident that these mats would retain their shape in frigid temperatures typical throughout much of the country. 

Another glaring difference between the two products is that the Husky Liners WeatherBeater fits entirely underneath the pedals of my Subaru, while the WeatherTech mats do not. Instead of ending up in the reservoir of the mat, water from shoes or on the pedals can drip down underneath the mat, completely negating the purpose of a floor mat.

Cleaning and Care

Each of these mats is easy to remove and even easier to clean with a basic garden hose. 

If you’ve got some seriously muddy mats (like I did), you may need dish soap and a stiff brush to remove all the gunk, but these things can take it. Once you’re done cleaning, all you need to do is let them dry (you do NOT want to put wet mats back in your vehicle), re-install them, and get on the road to your next adventure. After the cleaning process, the mats still look factory-fresh.

Overall, I found the WeatherTech mats to be a bit easier to clean because there are fewer grooves in the mat, and the material is slicker than the rubber-like finish on the WeatherBeater, but these are minor concerns. Overall, both mats were easy to clean and even easier to re-install.

Both Husky Liners® and WeatherTech offer a Lifetime Limited Warranty that promises their products will be free from any defects in materials or workmanship for the product's life. 

Video: Cleaning Husky Liners® WeatherBeater™ Cargo Liner

Wrapping It Up 

Thanks to the superior fit, additional coverage, non-slip, rubberized finish, and durable design, the Husky Liners® WeatherBeater™ is the clear winner in this comparison. 

WeatherTech® is a long-standing, trusted brand that was one of the original players in the custom-fitted floor mat marketplace. Their products are durable, well constructed, and offer a high level of fit and finish. However, the Husky Liners® WeatherBeater™ offers all those positive attributes with a superior fit and a more functional design with a larger coverage area. Installation and cleaning are simple with both mats, and I am confident that both would give many years of service. 

Bottom line: if you want to purchase a durable mat from RealTruck® that fits like a glove, the Husky Liners® WeatherBeater™ is all you need.