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I recently tried 6 different Carhartt hoodies, including this Carhartt 104078 Hoodie. I evaluated them on weight, comfort, thickness, and warmth. Here is my conclusion: This Carhartt Thermal Lined Hoodie keeps me warm in most all conditions except for extreme cold, and the zip-to-chin design and water-repellent fabric helps keep the precipitation out.
These are the three Carhartt insulated zip hoodies I tried:
- 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).
The Thermal lining used in this Carhartt 104078 hoodie almost makes this sweatshirt feel more like a jacket. It is probably best to think of this hoodie more like a sweatshirt jacket that will keep you warm on cold days, but won’t be warm enough to replace a heavy duty insulated work jacket on those brutally cold winter days.
But the thing I like about these Carhartt Rain Defender hoodies is they also make for great base layers to wear underneath your work jacket during those brutally cold, extreme winter days. In this article I want to discuss this Carhartt Thermal Lined Hoodie in more detail, and compare it to other Carhartt hoodies so you have an idea how this hoodie compares, and what its strengths and weaknesses are.
Carhartt Thermal Lined Hoodie 104078 Review
My Overview
This hoodie is thermal lined, and very warm. That said, it’s important to understand that Carhartt has three types of lined Rain Defender Hoodies: this hoodie, a quilt-lined option, and a Sherpa-lined option. Out of those three, I though this was the mildest lining.
Now, to be clear, that is just my opinion from wearing these hoodies. This Carhartt thermal lined hoodie is still very warm, and much warmer than standard hoodies, but I just though the quilt-lined and Sherpa-lined versions offered a little more warmth (to read about those options, visit my article about the best insulated Carhartt hoodies).
The inside of this hoodie feels like the lining that you’d find inside of a jacket. If you prefer more of a jacket feel to your sweatshirts, this might be the best option for you. My size medium weighs 2.48 pounds and measured at 4.036mm in thickness.
It’s also important to note that this hoodie has a zip-close internal chest pocket, and the other insulated Carhartt hoodies I tried do not. This gives you a nice place to store essentials out of the elements. It also has the two front hand-warmer pockets, and a small media pocket inside the right hand-warmer pocket.
One thing that distinguishes this hoodie compared to the other Carhartt hoodies I tried is this hoodie has the loosest fit. If you prefer extra breathing room in your outerwear, this will be the best insulated Carhartt hoodie for you. Overall, this is nice water-repellent option especially for those of you who want an insulated hoodie that feels like a jacket when you wear it.
Warmth
When I recently tried 6 different Carhartt hoodies, I listed this Carhartt Thermal Lined hoodie as the third warmest, but it was very close to being the warmest. Carhartt currently offers three different types of insulated hoodies, and those were obviously the three warmest that I tried.
All three of those insulated hoodies are very warm, and keep me warm in most all conditions except the bitter cold. But if you made me choose, I thought the Quilt-lined and Sherpa-lined options were a little bit warmer than this Thermal-lined option.
Here is a look at the thermal lining in this 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 the Carhartt Thermal Lined Hoodie is the third warmest. To read more about the warmest options, visit my article about insulated Carhartt hoodies. 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 Unlined Zip | 4 |
Carhartt 100615 Heavyweight Pullover | 5 |
Carhartt K121 Midweight Pullover | 6 (Mildest) |
Fabric
This Carhartt Thermal lined hoodie uses a midweight external fabric made with 10.5-ounce cotton/poly blend. This is a Carhartt Rain Defender Hooded Sweatshirt, 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 104078 hoodie weighs 2.48 pounds for a size medium, which made it the second heaviest out of the 6 Carhartt hoodies that I tried. 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 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 104078 hoodie uses a thermal lining, it is heavier and bulkier than some of the other hoodies. Overall, this really didn’t bother me much at all, but it is something to consider. My size medium measured at 4.04mm 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
One thing that distinguishes this Carhartt 104078 hoodie compared to the other Carhartt hoodies I tried is this hoodie has the loosest fit. If you prefer extra breathing room in your outerwear, this will be the best insulated Carhartt hoodie for you.
Here I am wearing this Carhartt thermal lined 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
This Carhartt 104078 hoodie zips all the way to the chin to give you extra weather protection around the neck. It has the small zipper pocket at the top so the zipper doesn’t bother my chin. Here’s a look at mine:
This Carhartt thermal lined hoodie also has external hand-warmer pockets that have a flap that covers the top to help keep rain out of the pockets. The right hand-warmer pocket has a small media pocket hidden inside. This hoodie also has an internal zip-close pocket which gives you a nice place to store essentials.
This Carhartt thermal lined hoodie has a standard zip-front design with a cuffed waist and cuffed sleeves. The attached hood is also lined for warmth.
Carhartt 104078 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 104078 hoodie.
What Carhartt Hoodie Has Similar Warmth?
The Carhartt Quilt-Lined Hoodie style 103312 is what I consider to be the warmest Carhartt hoodie. 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. This Carhartt quilt-lined hoodie also weighs less and is thinner than the Carhartt thermal lined hoodie.
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 also zips all the way to the chin. One design difference is this Carhartt Quilt-Lined hoodie 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 104078 thermal lined hoodie, and is not lined. Here’s what mine looks like:
This K121 hoodie is my choice for the best mild weather Carhartt hoodie. If you prefer a zip-front design, I’d recommend the Carhartt 100614 Rain Defender Hoodie which is unlined, and another nice option for mild weather.
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 Thermal Lined Hoodie Review
My Summary: Think warmth and comfort. The thermal lining keeps me warm in everything but the bitter cold, and the water-repellent fabric helps keep out light precipitation. This hoodie zips to the chin and has a cuffed waist, cuffed sleeves, and a lined hood. One unique feature for this hoodie compared to other insulated Carhartt hoodies is this hoodie has a zip-close internal pocket.