3rd Row 4Runner Cargo Liners – The Husky Liner Cargo Liners
After using the WeatherStopper cargo mat for over a year, I started looking at other options that would fill up the entire cargo area. There was nothing really wrong with the WeatherStopper, except it had a tendency to slide down towards the back.
Mainly because the 3rd-row seats in the 4Runner cause a slight decent in the cargo area. So you can’t really blame that on WeatherStopper, although it would be nice if the mat had cleats that held it in place.
In any case, I wanted to see if there was something better (liners instead of a mat) out there that would stay in place and not move around so much. I decided to go with the Husky Liner Cargo Liner for our 3rd-row SR5 4Runner. We recently threw the Husky Liners on my 4Runner and I absolutely love those, no complaints. Because the Husky Liners worked so well on my 4Runner, I decided to buy Husky again.
I debated going with WeatherTech but was not able to find an actual picture of the liners in the back of an actual 4Runner. Clint recently wrote a post on his set of WeatherTech mats and he loved those, so the choice was close. If someone has some photos of the WeatherTechs in the cargo area, please send them over.
Liner options for the 3rd-Row 4Runner
- Husky Liner
- Classic Style Cargo Liner: Check Price
- Weatherbeater Cargo Liner: Check Price
- WeatherTech Cargo Liner: Check Price
There may be some other liner options out there that are “laser cut” for our 4Runner, but these are the two most popular companies that sell them. Eventually, we will grab the WeatherTechs and see what they are all about.
The large lip on the Husky Liners
The lip measures exactly 3″ from the bottom of the liner. I have the factory carpet mat underneath the liner here. If you take out your carpet (if you have one), you may be able to drop the liner down another 1/4″. The lip is very tall and a little bit awkward to me. It is not very straight as you can see in the image above and I also let it sit in the garage for a few days to flatten out before I threw it in.
Even if the liner is pushed back all the way against the seats, it does touch the rear hatch door when closed. I would imagine after some use, this mat will start to straighten out and take the shape of the rear hatch door.
The extended 3″ lip height would work great for owners who could potentially see a big spill down the road. The height and strength of this lip should hold in whatever you spill on it. With that being said, there is a bit of flex on the lip.
How much water will it hold?
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen the story. I added 3-gallons of water to a bucket and tested the lip strength. The liners will hold 1.5 gallons no problem. But at 2 gallons of water, the lip on the liner gave out and water started to pour over the edge. Now you know.
It would be a random day if you spilled 2 gallons of water in the back of your 4Runner, though. The liners should handle whatever spillage you have on a daily basis.
Tight Fit next to power outlets & compartments
These liners are a tight fit next to the power outlets. I read some reviews of people cutting a section out of the liner to make more room for the power outlets. The cover on both outlets will open without cutting the mat, though. The liner does rest up against the outlets so keep that in mind if you are making the purchase.
The liners also partially cover the storage compartment on the passenger side along with the spare tire tools on the driver side. If you need to access these compartments, you need to lift back the liners.
Using your 3rd Row Seats
In order to actually use your 3rd-row seats, you will have to completely remove the liners. In the last couple of years of owning this 4Runner, we used our 3rd-row once. If you use your 3rd-row often, you may want to consider a different option or just know that before you make the purchase. You could always roll it up and leave it in the back, but that might be kind of awkward.
Are the Liners worth it?
This is going to be about preference to you guys. There are very mixed reviews on this product. Some people love the liner, some hate it, and then there are a few general mixed reviews.
I don’t think this is a bad option, there are just a few items to consider when buying this liner. For the person who wants multi-purpose functionality, this is a great liner.
If you are all about the clean, slim, sleek designs with minimal functionality, you may want to consider another liner or a cargo mat.
I think this will serve it’s purpose well in our 4Runner as we rarely use the 3rd-row. We carry around a toddlers gear everywhere and if you know kids, then you know things can get messy fast. This liner should do its job against the day to day spillage we have in the 4Runner.
We will update the page down the road when we have something worth talking about.
Drawers have been top of mind too. Here are the ideas I’m trying to “balance” (lol):
ARB Elements (63L) fridge + Dobinsons fridge tilte slide either on a high/low drawer configuration or flat on a base plate.
Any chance of a 6 month update? Also wondering if it’s worth getting something like this to lay on top of a plate system (eg, Goose Gear) where I can strap a fridge down.
To be honest, I wouldn’t lay a hundred dollar rubberish mat on top of a $1500 GooseGear setup. I’d want people to see how cool it looks in there. I get covering it up with the liner, but then you lose the massive amount of tie downs you can use with goose gear. Personally if I were keeping a fridge in there and had the money for a goose heart, fridge, slide out for it, etc, I wouldn’t be putting down a husky cargo liner in there. My two cents.
Good call, Wea. Ideally, I was thinking something like a Husky that has tall sidewalls could help with spill protection. I could poke holes and add rubber gromets to access the tie downs.
I also realized that adding Dynamat Xtreme with a layer of Dynapad raised the rear cargo floor/carpet by an inch, easily solvable by taking out the foam. 🙂
For sure. I was thinking of adding some soundproofing there too, didn’t consider dynapad. I’m making some customers drawers back there, hopefully soon and will be selling the liner as I won’t need it anymore. Keep an eye out for it on @overlandmarket.
After 6 months, the cargo mat lip did straighten out but it still has a flimsy feel and look. It really does work though, so don’t let that hold you back. Really no other complaints but that awkward lip. I would rather have a lip than no lip, like the weather tech, though. This liner is really easy to pull out and hose off as well. Pretty solid mat actually.
Man, you’re fast! Thanks for the update here and all the goodness you guys do on this site.
Don’t forget, the Husky liners come with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. Not many, if any, other brands offer that.
So I have the Huskies for all my floor mats, including my rear cargo slider. Great mats all around, with the one exception of the rear slider. The Husky liner has that lip at the front, I wish it was a little more robust or stronger. It’s a little flimsy. The other thing that annoys me is the rear slider itself, but that has nothing to do with the liner.
Though the liner does cover over the slider handle and the thumb switch. Most times I have to lift the liner a little and use the switch. Moving it back requires the same effort.
Has anyone trimmed the cargo area lip on the husky liner? I hate how the lip is all wavy and flimsy on the Husky cargo liner. I love the way the mats fit in the first 2 rows, just not loving this cargo liner with a huge lip- I have it pushed all the way back too