Carhartt Shoreline Jacket Review [Pros and Cons Explained]


This is a Carhartt Shoreline Jacket J162 review. This jacket is a mid-weight waterproof jacket with a breathable membrane so that your heat can get out but the rain can’t get in.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front-zipped

If you are looking for Carhartt rain gear, you have several options you should consider. These are some of your options:

Carhartt Rain Gear Options

  • Carhartt Lightweight Rainstorm Coat – Lightweight option for warm, rainy days. Hooded with adjustable cuffs. Snap-closure.
  • Carhartt Midweight Shoreline Jacket – Midweight option for cooler spring rainy days. This is the jacket we review in this article.
  • Carhartt Insulated Shoreline Jacket – Insulated for extra warmth. Perfect for those cold, rainy days. Hooded with storm cuff sleeves.
  • Carhartt Angler Jacket – Jacket made for anglers. Fast-dry lining. Odor-fighting. 10K/10K protection rating. Easy movement.

In this article we will review the Carhartt Shoreline Jacket (mid-weight). This is a very popular Carhartt jacket because it provides breathable rain protection, but also is a nice mid-weight which gives it more warmth than lightweight rain jackets, but not so much warmth that you sweat out of it.

Here’s a look at me wearing this Carhartt Shoreline Jacket (style #J162):

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front-zipped
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front-flap

What You Need To Know

This is a breathable, waterproof jacket that is tough enough to withstand work-site conditions. This is not a flimsy, easy-to-tear rain jacket. It is a mid-weight jacket with a 100% nylon oxford outer shell.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-logo

This jacket does not have inner-lining, so you won’t sweat out of it. The mid-weight outer nylon shell does give you some protection against the cold, but if you are dealing with colder rain conditions, I would suggest the insulated version of this jacket.

Think of this jacket as a go-to work jacket for rainy days during the spring and fall months. During the summer months, you may rather opt for a lighter-weight option.

This jacket is breathable so that your body heat can escape (but the rain can’t get in). It has a detachable hood and adjustable, storm cuff sleeves. The hood has a front visor to help keep your chin and jaw line dry.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-hood-3

Even though this is rain gear, it still has that Carhartt toughness and triple-stitched main seams to stand up over the long haul.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-seams

This Carhartt Shoreline Jacket has 5 pockets (3 on outside, 2 on inside). The 3 outside pockets are all zip-close pockets, which gives you a dry place to store essentials like keys, wallet, and phone.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-frontside

This jacket does not have a cuffed waist, but it does stop near the belt line and also has a drawstring adjustable waist. If you needed to, you could probably pair this jacket with a tool belt and make it work even though it doesn’t have a cuffed waist.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-drawstring

Overall, this is hybrid jacket that is both tough and waterproof, and gives you a go-to jacket when the job site is getting hit with precipitation. Again, it is mid-weight, and thick enough to provide some warmth also. It is a spring/fall jacket.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front-zipped

Carhartt Shoreline Jacket Review: Fit

In general, most Carhartt jackets run big. This is for obvious reasons: you need room to function and you need room to layer. This is especially true for a rain jacket that needs to work as an outer-shell layer. How does the Carhartt Shoreline Jacket fit?

How Does the Carhartt Shoreline Jacket Fit?

The Carhartt Shoreline Jacket has a loose, relaxed fit, but I do not recommend sizing down. In my opinion, it has the proper sizing for the purpose of a weather jacket.

I usually wear a size medium in shirts. For reference, here I am wearing a medium t-shirt (6’3″ 200 pounds):

Here I am wearing a size medium Carhartt Shoreline Jacket:

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front-zipped
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-front
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-back

As you can see, it has a loose, baggy fit so that you can quickly layer it over the top of a sweatshirt or flannel. The relaxed fit also gives you plenty of room to move and operate inside this jacket.

Here is a look at my size medium Carhartt Shoreline Jacket compared to a size medium Hanes undershirt straight out of the package:

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-vs-t-shirt

Carhartt Shoreline Jack Review: In-Depth Breakdown

So far we have discussed a summary of the Carhartt Shoreline Winter Rain Jacket and also discussed how it fits. Let’s take a deeper dive now into some of the finer details of this jacket.

Weather Resistance

This jacket’s purpose is to protect your from precipitation, while still providing enough toughness to survive a job site. Here’s what you need to know about the waterproof features of this Carhartt Shoreline Jacket:

  • Waterproof fully-taped design to protect your from precipitation.
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-frontside
  • It is made with Carhartt’s Storm Defender® waterproof, breathable technology, which stops water from getting in but allows sweat to get out.
  • The full zip front has both inner and outer storm flaps to keep precipitation from leaking in through the zipper. The outer flap snaps down (with buttons) over the zipper. The outside hand-warming pockets zip close and also have weather flaps so that water doesn’t leak in.
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-zipper
  • It has storm cuff sleeves so that your wrists are shielded from the rain to help keep your forearms dry.
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-cuff-2
  • Drawstring waist allows you to tighten the jacket so that water does not splash up through the bottom of the jacket. This drawstring waist also keeps the jacket from hanging loose and bothering you while working.
  • It has a drawcord-adjustable hood with front visor that helps keeps as much of your face dry as possible. The hood is detachable.
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-hood-3
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-hood-2
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-hood

Warmth, Toughness, Comfort, and Flexibility

As we discussed earlier, whether or not this Shoreline Jacket is right for you may come down to warmth. This is a mid-weight jacket that is not meant to be used in the middle of winter (unless you layer).

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-lining

This Carhartt Shoreline jacket does not have inner lining, but the durable outer shell does provide some warmth. It will likely be too warm to wear during a summer rain shower. Think of this as a spring/fall rain jacket that is still tough enough to wear for a work jacket.

The outer shell material is 100% nylon. It doesn’t feel slick and flimsy to the touch like some rain jackets. It has a bit of a canvas feel to it, without being stiff. Think of it as a flexible, tough outer shell.

Will this outer shell be as tough as Carhartt’s premier Duck fabric work jackets? No, it won’t. But this is undoubtedly one of the tougher rain jackets you can buy. It is built with Carhartt’s signature triple-stitched main seams:

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-seams

This jacket is comfortable against the shoulders and does not feel restrictive at all. Moving around and functioning in this jacket will not be a problem. My size medium weighs in at 2.49 pounds:

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-weight

As we mentioned earlier in the article, this jacket does have 5 pockets. The three outside pockets all zip close. The two inside pockets have a top-side close.

shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-velcro-pocket
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-chest-pocket
shoreline-jacket-carhartt-review-frontside

It fits the role of a rain jacket you can keep in your work truck and quickly layer over your normal clothes if you are stuck in a storm. It is perfect for construction workers, farmers, or just for rainy-day outdoor yard and house work.

Paul Johnson

Paul is a lead content creator for Workwear Command. He has had several blue-collar jobs which have provided him a wide range of experience with tools and gear. He also has a business degree and has spent time in business casual office settings.

Recent Posts