There’s something about slipping on a blanket-lined work jacket that makes winter feel a little less daunting. Maybe it’s because you get to take part of your bed with you. Whatever it is, these blanket-lined work jackets have always been a staple in workwear, and continue that trend present day.
One drawback is Carhartt currently only offers two types of blanket-lined outerwear: The Carhartt Detroit Jacket and the Carhartt Chore Coat. Because of this, below I listed a few other popular blanket-lined jackets in case you wish to increase your options.
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These are the two Carhartt blanket lined jackets, and some other alternatives you might want to consider:
- Carhartt Duck Blanket Lined Detroit Jacket (click here to view)
- Carhartt Blanket Lined Chore Coat (click here to view)
- Ben Davis Original Snap-Front Work Jacket (click here to view)
- DRI Duck Blanket Lined Maverick Jacket (click here to view)
- Wrangler Blanket Lined Denim Jacket (click here to view)
I’ve worn Carhartt blanket lined jackets for several years, and I’ve always maintained that, in my opinion, the Carhartt Blanket-Lined Detroit Jacket is the most versatile jacket they offer because it looks good both on and off the clock. It has a sort of trucker style and blends in effortlessly in many different types of settings.
Here’s what my Carhartt Detroit Jacket looks like:
Carhartt does not temperature rate their products. I have experience with a lot of Carhartt jackets, including both the Carhartt Detroit Jacket and the Carhartt Chore Coat. The blanket lining is quite warm, although as I will discuss later in the article, I wear the Carhartt J140 flannel lined jacket the most, and it is warmer than my blanket lined jackets. This is what the Carhartt J140 flannel-lined jacket looks like (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).
I like to describe my blanket lined work jackets as being suitable to handle mild to moderate winter conditions. If you are working in extreme conditions, I’d probably go with something a little warmer, but the Carhartt blanket lining keeps me warm on most all winter days I experience here in Kansas.
In this article let’s take a closer look at the best Carhartt blanket lined jackets and coats so you can find one that fits your needs. Let’s also discuss Carhartt’s linings and how they compare to the blanket lining.
Best Carhartt Blanket Lined Jackets & Coats
Carhartt Blanket Lined Detroit Jacket
Currently, the Carhartt Detroit Jacket is the only jacket that Carhartt offers with a blanket lining (they do also offer a coat). At one point, I think this jacket was made in the USA, although I’m not entirely sure it still is. I’ve worn this jacket for several years – here’s what mine looks like:
This is the current price of this Carhartt Detroit Jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about this jacket:
- Style – This is a rugged Carhartt trucker-style casual jacket that can be worn both on and off the clock. Although it has been around for many years, it has gained popularity in recent years because it was the jacket that Matthew McConaughey wore in the movie Interstellar (source).
- Canvas Shell – My jacket has a 12-ounce duck cotton canvas outer shell. I’ve also seen this jacket available in a weathered duck canvas version, which also uses the blanket lining. Click here to view the weathered duck version of this jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).
- Blanket Lining – Yes, this is a Carhartt blanket lined jacket. Carhartt does not temperature rate their products, but in my experience, this blanket lining can handle moderate winter conditions that I experience here in Kansas. Here’s a close-up of the lining on my jacket:
- Design – This Carhartt Detroit Jacket has a sort of trucker style that finishes near the waist. This jacket does not have a cuffed waist. This jacket does not come with a hood, but mine does have snaps under the collar where a hood can be attached. It is a full-front zip and has a corduroy collar.
- Pockets – My jacket has two hand-warmer pockets on the outside, and one external zip-close chest pocket. There are also two pockets on the inside, including a zip-close internal pocket which gives me a safe place to store essentials out of the weather.
It’s probably fair to describe this jacket as a sort of bomber style jacket or maybe even a mechanic style jacket. Just remember that it will finish near the waist. If you are searching for a drop-tail jacket that offers weather protection below the waist, you will want to consider the Carhartt Chore Coat we discuss next.
Click here to buy this Carhartt Detroit Jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). This jacket has a relaxed fit and in my experience fits true to size.
Carhartt Blanket Lined Chore Coat
Currently, the Carhartt Chore Coat is the only drop-tail coat that Carhartt offers with a blanket lining. When I first tried the Carhartt Chore Coat years ago it used what I believe was a fleece lining, but their chore coat (model 103825) has since been updated to include a blanket lining.
This is the current price of this Carhartt Blanket Lined Chore Coat available at Carhartt (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). Here’s what you need to know about this coat:
- Design – Unlike the Carhartt blanket lined jacket we discussed first, this Carhartt blanket lined coat has a drop-tail that finishes well below my waist, which helps add extra wind and weather protection. This coat does not come with a hood, but it does have snaps under the corduroy collar so you can attach a hood if needed.
- Shell & Lining – My coat has a 12-ounce firm duck cotton canvas outer shell which offers durability and protection from the elements. Yes, the updated versions of this coat do have a blanket lining. The sleeves however use a quilted-nylon lining to make it easier to slip this coat on and off.
- Pockets – Chore coats are useful mainly due to how many pockets they have. I believe the pockets have changed slightly since I last bought the chore coat. The bottom pockets on this newer version open from the top. Regardless, this coat has a classic chore coat construction with four external pockets and two internal pockets. One of the internal pockets is a zip-close pocket.
Click here to buy this Carhartt Blanket Lined Chore Coat available at Carhartt.com (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). This coat has a loose fit, but I would recommend ordering your normal sizing because in my experience, the loose fit give me plenty of space to layer underneath.
Carhartt Blanket Lined Jackets Warmth vs Other Options
Understanding the Warmth of Carhartt Work Jackets
Let me just start by saying that Carhartt does not offer a temperature rating for their products, and I certainly cannot either. The warmth listed in the table below is just simply my opinion from wearing these linings over the years.
I have found the Carhartt blanket lining to be warm enough to handle mild to moderate winter conditions that I experience here in Kansas. I would describe the blanket lining as medium warmth.
Yes, it is warm, but there are also warmer linings. If you are working in extreme winter conditions, I would personally opt for a warmer jacket (warmest Carhartt work jackets).
Here are Carhartt’s available linings, and my personal opinion on how they rank from lightweight warmth to warmest. Just for reference, I would consider the thermal lining something I’d wear on a mild winter day:
| Carhartt Lining | Warmth |
| Thermal | Mild Warmth |
| Fleece | Mild Warmth |
| Blanket | Medium Warmth |
| Quilted-Nylon | Medium Warmth |
| Sherpa | Warm |
| Quilted-Flannel | Very Warm |
| Arctic Insulation | Warmest |
Carhartt actually does offer a jacket for extreme weather too (J133 jacket), but I use the Carhartt J140 Jacket, which uses the quilted-flannel lining, as my go-to jacket for Kansas winters. ***Update, as of 2021 the Carhartt J133 Jacket that is built for extreme conditions has been updated and is now called style 104458.
But the main takeaway is yes, the blanket lining is warm, but in my experience there are warmer options in case you are facing extremely cold winter conditions. Let’s discuss my favorite Carhartt work jacket, the J140, in further detail since I think it is a warmer option than the Carhartt blanket lined jackets.
Carhartt J140 Jacket
If you want something a bit warmer than the Carhartt blanket lined jackets discussed in this article, then I would recommend the Carhartt J140 Quilted Flannel-Lined Jacket. This is one of the warmest Carhartt jackets on the market, and is my favorite work jacket.
This is the current price of this Carhartt J140 Jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). This jacket is made with heavyweight 12-oz firm cotton duck that is water-repellent and wind-resistant, and it also has triple-stitched main seams for increased toughness and durability.
As I said earlier, Carhartt does not assign temperature ratings to their jackets, but I can tell you from experience that this jacket is warmer than the blanket lined jackets that I have tried. The quilted flannel is very comfortable against the skin.
Again, I don’t want to represent the blanket lining as a lightweight lining. In my experience the blanket lining can handle most all moderate winter conditions I experience here in Kansas, but I just wanted to point out the fact that this J140 flannel-lined jacket is, in my experience, even warmer, and might be a nice option if you are concerned the Carhartt blanket lined jackets might not be warm enough for your climate.
Ultimately, maybe it comes down to style. For example, this J140 jacket has a cuffed waist and an attached hood, and the blanket-lined jackets we discussed earlier in the article do not. But I just wanted to at least discuss this J140 jacket so you have another option to consider.
Click here to buy this Carhartt J140 jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). This jacket has a loose fit, but I order my normal sizing. The extra space gives me room to layer. To read more, visit my article about the Carhartt J140 work jacket.
5 Things to Consider When Buying Carhartt Blanket Lined Jackets & Coats
Outer Shell
It’s easy to focus only on the lining and forget about the outer shell. Carhartt also offers a wide range of shells. Please understand that Carhartt does offer soft-shell jackets too, which means that not all their jackets use a canvas outer shell. But both of the blanket-lined options (Detroit Jacket and Chore Coat) use canvas shells.
Here are your options for outer canvas fabrics for Carhartt Jackets and Coats:
| Outer Fabric Duck | Details |
| Extremes Nylon | Toughest; Wind/Water Resistant |
| Firm Cotton | Toughest Cotton; Wind/Water Res. |
| Traditional Cotton | 2nd-Toughest Cotton Shell |
| Washed Cotton | Tough, but Broken-in Feeling |
| Sandstone Cotton | Tough, but Broken-in Feeling |
| Quick Duck | Lightweight, Flexible Blend |
Both Carhartt blanket-lined options we discussed in this article use a 12-ounce cotton duck. This type of cotton canvas is very durable, but is also a bit stiff at first, and will take time to break in. To read more, visit my article about the best Carhartt duck jackets.
If you want a canvas shell work jacket but want to skip the break in period, you will want to consider buying a pre-washed canvas jacket. The pre-washing process is used to help break the canvas in so it has a worn-in feeling on the first wear. Be sure to consider the outer shell fabric when buying a Carhartt jacket.
Attached Hood
Currently, you cannot buy a Carhartt blanket lined jacket that also has a built-in hood (best hooded work jackets). Both the Carhartt Blanket Lined Detroit Jacket and the Carhartt Blanket Lined Chore Coat come with a corduroy collar, but not built-in hood.
However, both options do come with snaps on the collar where you can buy a hood and attach it if necessary.
Shirt Jackets
None of the Carhartt blanket lined jackets we discussed are shirt jackets, but Carhartt does offer shirt jackets in case you are looking for something to use in more mild winter conditions. To read more, visit our article about the best lined shirt jackets for winter work.
Using a canvas work shirt jacket gives you something that is durable but more suited to take on mild winter conditions in comparison to the heavyweight winter jackets familiar to Carhartt.
Sizing
In general, most Carhartt jackets and coats have a loose, relaxed fit which gives you both space to move while you work and space to layer underneath. I order my normal sizing with Carhartt and don’t have any issues. To read more about sizing, visit our article about Carhartt Jacket Sizing.
Cuffed Waist
I briefly mentioned this earlier, but currently there is not a Carhartt blanket lined jacket that also has a cuffed waist. Not only does a cuffed waist help trap in heat, it also makes the jacket easier to pair with a tool belt.
If you want a jacket with a cuffed waist, you will want to buy a Carhartt Active Jacket. This is where you can view the entire line of Carhartt Active Jackets available at Carhartt.com (affiliate link takes you to Carhartt.com). To explore more options, visit my article about the best Carhartt work jackets.