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I recently tried 6 different Carhartt hoodies, including this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie. This hoodie is very warm, and functions almost like a jacket. It has water-repellent fabric which repels light precipitation.
But one thing to understand about this hoodie is it is not insulated. Yes, it uses a heavyweight fabric (13-ounce) that helps trap heat, but this is an unlined hoodie. Carhartt actually offers three midweight Rain Defender hoodies that do have a lining, and even though those hoodies use a midweight fabric (10.5-ounce), because they are insulated, they are warmer.
These are the three Carhartt insulated zip hoodies:
- Carhartt 104078 Thermal-Lined Rain Defender Hoodie – This hoodie uses a polyester fleece thermal lining for warmth. The major difference here is this option has a loose-fit design, and the other two options below above have a relaxed fit. This will be the loosest of the three Carhartt insulated hoodies. Click here to view this Carhartt Thermal-Lined Hoodie (paid affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).
- Carhartt 103312 Insulated Quilt-Lined Rain Defender Hoodie – In my opinion, this is the warmest. It has a quilt lining with poly-fil insulation. Despite being the warmest, it was the lightest in weight due to the lightweight, non-bulky nature of the poly-fil insulation. Think of this almost like a jacket. It keeps me warm in basically everything except the absolute bitter cold. Zips to the chin and has a zip-close chest pocket that the other styles do not have. Click here to view this Carhartt Quilt-Lined Hoodie (affiliate link takes you to Dungarees.com).
- Carhartt 103308 Sherpa-Lined Rain Defender Hoodie – This hoodie has a Sherpa lining. I listed this as the second warmest, but it was very close to being the warmest. And this hoodie has more of the traditional, soft feel that you think of with a hoodie. The Sherpa insulation is warm and soft, but is a bit bulkier than the quilted-lining from the hoodie above. This hoodie zips to my chin and keeps me warm in basically everything except the bitter cold. Click here to view this Carhartt Sherpa-Lined Hoodie (affiliate link takes you to Dungarees.com).
If you might be interested in those insulated hoodies, you can read more by visiting my article about the best insulated Carhartt hoodies. In this article I will also compare and contrast those hoodies to this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie so you have a better idea how they all compare.
Although I like this heavyweight hoodie, I find myself using it much less than I do the other Carhartt hoodies. I use those insulated hoodies during cold weather, and a midweight pullover Carhartt hoodie (K121) for more mild temperatures. Let’s discuss some of the pros and cons of this hoodie.
Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie 100614 Review
My Overview
This hoodie uses a heavyweight 13-ounce fabric, which makes it one of the most durable hoodies that Carhartt offers. This heavyweight fabric also provides warmth, and you can expect this hoodie to provide more warmth that standard midweight hoodies.
Although this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie is warm, in my opinion there are actually three midweight Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies that are warmer because those hoodies have insulating liners and this hoodie does not.
Another design difference is this hoodie has a standard zip-front that ends at the base of the neck. The three midweight Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies that are insulated zip all the way to the chin for extra weather protection. If you are interested in those insulated hoodies, you can read more by visiting my article about Carhartt insulated zip hoodies.
Regardless, you can expect this Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie to be quite warm even though it is not lined. One benefit of being unlined is it weighs less and is not as bulky as those three lined hoodies. Let’s take a closer look at the specific details of this hoodie.
Warmth
When I recently tried 6 different Carhartt hoodies, I listed this Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie as the fourth warmest. Even though it is a heavyweight hoodie, there are three midweight Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies that have a lining, and this hoodie does not.
Regardless, don’t think of this hoodie as a lightweight hoodie. It still provides more warmth than standard migweight hoodies, and is capable of keeping me warm even in moderately cold temperatures. But I did think all three insulated midweight hoodies provided more warmth than this hoodie.
Here is a look at the inside of this unlined heavyweight hoodie:
Below is a table on how I think the six Carhartt hoodies I tried rank regarding warmth. Please understand that this is just my opinion from wearing these hoodies – I haven’t scientifically tested them and Carhartt does not assign a temperature rating to their products.
I think this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie is the fourth warmest. Here is how I think they rank regarding warmth:
| Style | Weight (lbs) |
| Carhartt 103312 Quilt Lined Zip | 1 (Warmest) |
| Carhartt 103308 Sherpa Lined Zip | 2 |
| Carhartt 104078 Thermal Lined Zip | 3 |
| Carhartt 100614 Heavyweight Unlined Zip | 4 |
| Carhartt 100615 Heavyweight Pullover | 5 |
| Carhartt K121 Midweight Pullover | 6 (Mildest) |
Fabric
This Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie uses a 13-ounce heavyweight cotton/poly blend. This is a Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodie, which means the fabric is treated and is water repellent.
Don’t expect this fabric to keep you dry in a monsoon, but it is very capable of defending you against light precipitation and snow. Here’s my Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodie beading up moisture and preventing it from soaking in:
Weight
My size medium Carhartt 100614 hoodie weighs 2.14 pounds for a size medium, which made it the fourth heaviest out of the 6 Carhartt hoodies that I tried. One benefit of being unlined is this hoodie weighs less than the three insulated midweight hoodies.
Here’s a look at me weighing the hoodie that I own:
Here is how the weight of this hoodie compares to the other Carhartt hoodies that I tried:
| Style | Weight (lbs) |
| Carhartt 103308 Sherpa Lined Zip | 2.70 |
| Carhartt 104078 Thermal Lined Zip | 2.48 |
| Carhartt 103312 Quilt Lined Zip | 2.31 |
| Carhartt 100614 Heavyweight Unlined Zip | 2.14 |
| Carhartt 100615 Heavyweight Pullover | 1.98 |
| Carhartt K121 Midweight Pullover | 1.62 |
Thickness
Just like we discussed with weight above, because this Carhartt 100614 hoodie is unlined, it isn’t as bulky as the Carhartt hoodies that do use a lining. This hoodie is very easy to layer under a work jacket during the brutally cold winter days. My size medium measured at 1.63mm thick:
Here is how the thickness of this hoodie compares to the other Carhartt hoodies that I tried:
| Style | Thickness (mm) |
| Carhartt 103308 Sherpa Lined Zip | 6.28 |
| Carhartt 104078 Thermal Lined Zip | 4.04 |
| Carhartt 103312 Quilt Lined Zip | 2.01 |
| Carhartt 100614 Unlined Zip | 1.63 |
| Carhartt 100615 Heavyweight Pullover | 1.66 |
| Carhartt K121 Midweight Pullover | 1.29 |
Sizing
This Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie has the loosest fit that Carhartt offers. It will not hug tight against the skin and gives you plenty of space to move around freely while you work.
Here I am wearing this Carhartt 100614 hoodie:
Here is my size medium compared to a size medium Hanes undershirt straight out of the package:
My recommendation is to order your normal sizing for this Carhartt hoodie, but expect a loose fit.
Details
One other major design difference about this Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie style 100614 is it does not zip all the way to the chin like the insulated Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies do. Here is a look at this hoodie zipped all the way up:
As you can see, it stops near the base of the neck. Now, compare that to one of my insulated Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies that zips all the way to the base of the chin:
This may come down to personal preference on design. Obviously, zipping to the chin provides extra weather protection, but not everyone likes that. If you prefer more of a standard design that stops at the base of the neck, this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie style 100614 might be your best option.
It’s also worth mentioning that this hoodie has standard hand-warmer pockets pictured below, and the three insulated Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies all have flap hand-warmer pockets that help keep weather out. Here is a look at the handwarmer pockets on this Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie:
Carhartt 100614 Hoodie Alternatives
If you want to browse through a wide variety of options, visit our article about the best work hoodies. In the next few sections, I will briefly discuss other Carhartt options to compare and contrast to this Carhartt 100614 hoodie.
What Carhartt Hoodie Has More Warmth?
I thought all three of the lined midweight Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodies offered more warmth than this unlined heavyweight option. In my opinion, the warmest option was the Carhartt Quilt-Lined Hoodie style 103312.
It is a quilt-lined hoodie that has Poly-fil insulation that is very good at trapping heat, but is also lightweight and non-bulky. Please understand that Carhartt doesn’t offer a temperature rating, and I am just basing this off my own opinion from wearing these hoodies. These two hoodies are both very warm, and it’s honestly difficult to judge which is warmer.
Here’s a look at my Quilt-Lined hoodie in case you are interested in that:
This Carhartt Quilt-Lined hoodie has the same water-repellent fabric, and zips all the way to the chin. This Carhartt Quilt-Lined hoodie also has an external zip-close chest pocket. To read more, visit my Carhartt 103312 Quilt Lined Hoodie Review.
What is the Best Mild Weather Carhartt Hoodie?
For mild spring and fall temperatures, I like to use my Carhartt Midweight Pullover Hoodie style K121. I’ve been using this hoodie for years. I think it is that perfect hoodie to keep in your truck to wear on days that turn unexpectedly cool during the fall and spring months.
This midweight hoodie has a very standard pullover design. It weighs less than the Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie, and is not lined. Here’s what mine looks like:
This K121 hoodie is my choice for the best mild weather Carhartt hoodie. But if you prefer a zip-front design, this Carhartt Heavyweight Hoodie that we discuss in this article will be a nice option since it is not lined.
What’s the Warmest Carhartt Pullover Option?
If you prefer a pullover hoodie, and want the warmest option, in my experience that is the Carhartt 100614 Heavyweight Hoodie. This hoodie is not lined, but it is water-repellent, and uses a heavyweight 13-ounce fabric blend that keeps me warm even on days that get down near freezing.
Here’s what mine looks like:
I’ve been using this Carhartt Heavyweight Pullover for years as a nice base layer under my work jacket during brutally cold winter days. This hoodie fits true to size with a loose fit.
Conclusion for my Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie Style 100614
My Summary: Think of this as a warm hoodie, but also understand that there are warmer Carhartt hoodies. Although this hoodie uses a heavyweight fabric (13-ounce), this is an unlined hoodie. Carhartt actually offers three midweight hoodies that are lined which I think are warmer. Regardless, this hoodie is warmer than standard midweight hoodies. The fabric of this Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie is water-repellent, and because it doesn’t have a lining, it isn’t too bulky, meaning this hoodie can easily be layered underneath a work jacket.