These are the Warmest Carhartt Jackets for Winter Work 2024

I have tried over 15 different Carhartt jackets, and my conclusion is this: The Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket is the warmest Carhartt jacket. It uses a wind-resistant and water-repellent outer shell and it zips all the way to the chin for extra protection around the neck.

It is insulated with 150g of 3M Thinsulate, and it keeps me warm even in the bitter cold. I also like the fact that the hand-warmer pockets are lined to help provide additional warmth.

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These are my choices for the warmest Carhartt jackets:

*Men’s Jacket* Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket (click here to view)
*Men’s Jacket* Carhartt Quilted Flannel-Lined Duck Active J140 Jacket (click here to view)
*Men’s Coat* Carhartt Yukon Extremes Full Swing Insulated Coat (click here to view)
*Men’s Parka* Carhartt Men’s Yukon Extremes Insulated Parka (click here to view)
*Women’s Jacket* Carhartt Women’s 80g Thinsulate Active Jacket WJ130 (click here to view)
*Women’s Coat* Carhartt Women’s Super Dux Relaxed Fit Insulated Coat (click here to view)
*Women’s Parka* Carhartt Women’s Yukon Extremes Insulated Parka (click here to view)

***Here’s my advice. If you want a quick understanding of the warmest Carhartt jackets on the market today, then watch my short 45 second video posted below that quickly explains the differences. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the button below. Thanks!

The two parkas included on the list above will be (in my opinion) the warmest options, but not everyone wants to wear a parka. All three of the men’s jackets are very warm, but for extreme conditions I would stick with one of the top two. I live in Kansas, and the men’s J140 jacket above is the jacket that I wear the most during the winter. It keeps me warm in basically all conditions.

The Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket at the top of the list is built for extreme conditions, and although I think the J140 is extremely warm, the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket is even warmer. It uses a durable nylon shell that is wind-resistant, water-repellent, and abrasion resistant, and is insulated with 150g of 3M Thinsulate for warmth (the parka version included in the list has even more insulation).

I own all three of the men’s jackets listed above. Quickly, here’s what you need to know about those three Carhartt jackets:

Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket – This jacket is part of Carhartt’s Yukon Extremes collection, which is outerwear made for extreme winter conditions. It combines Carhartt’s toughest outer shell fabric (Cordura Nylon) with Carhartt’s warmest insulation (150g 3M Thinsulate). It is wind-resistant, water-repellent, and abrasion-resistant. This jacket has an attached, insulated hooded, and the hand-warmer pockets are lined for warmth. This is the current price of this jacket at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s mine:

Carhartt J140 Jacket – This jacket has the quilted flannel-lined insulation, which is, in my opinion, the second warmest lining. This is the jacket I wear the most. It is very warm. Firm cotton shell instead of the firm nylon shell of the Carhartt Yukon Extremes jacket above. This jacket has an insulated hooded with a standard front zip. It does not zip to the base of the chin like the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket above does. This jacket is very warm and comfortable. This is the current price of this jacket at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s mine:

carhartt-duck-active-jacket-review-lining

Carhartt Insulated Washed Duck Jacket – This jacket used to be called the J130, but was recently updated. It now has 3M Thinsulate for insulation. It uses 80g of 3M Thinsulate (remember, the Carhartt Yukon Extremes jacket from earlier uses 150g of 3M Thinsulate). It uses a pre-washed cotton shell fabric which makes it feel broken-in (the first two above will feel firm). Although this jacket is very warm, I like to describe it as a jacket to use for moderate winter conditions. For extreme weather, I’d stick with one of the first two above. This is the current price of this jacket at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s mine:

In this article I want to discuss these warmest Carhartt jackets in more detail. First, I want to take some time to explain the different types of Carhartt insulations, and how I think they differ regarding warmth.

I’ll also use examples of the jackets I own, and link you out to our other resources where you can read even more about these jackets and how they differ.

Table of Contents

Warmest Carhartt Jacket Insulation

Probably the first thing you need to do if you are trying to find the warmest Carhartt jackets, is understand the different insulation linings that Carhartt offers, and how they differ on warmth. The table below should help you understand the options and how they differ.

**As a disclaimer, please understand that the table below is my opinion based on wearing these jackets over the years. Carhartt does not offer a temperature rating for their jackets, and the “warmth” that I’ve assigned to the linings below is just my opinion, and may not reflect Carhartt’s opinion on this matter. Contacting Carhartt directly for warmth advice is my recommendation.

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 Lining	Medium Warmth
Quilted-Nylon	Medium Warmth
Sherpa	Warm
Quilted-Flannel	Very Warm
Arctic (3M Thinsulate)	Warmest

Update 2024 – The Arctic Insulation used to be used in the Carhartt J133 jacket, but as of 2024, that Carhartt J133 has been updated to the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket style number 104458. This updated version uses 150g of 3M Thinsulate as insulation, and is the warmest Carhartt jacket.

When shopping for the warmest Carhartt work jackets, I would recommend sticking with either the quilted-flannel lining used in the Carhartt J140 jacket, or the 150g of 3M Thinsulate used in the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket. Both of these jacket, in my opinion, offer plenty of warmth for winter conditions.

I personally use the quilted-flannel active jacket (J140) the most. I live in Kansas, and although we do not get extreme winters like Canada, we do have some dangerously cold days. The quilted-flannel lining keeps me very warm even on the coldest days this region experiences.

I consider this Carhartt J140 jacket to be the best workwear jacket on the market today. Here is a look at the quilted-flannel lining:

But again, if you are living and working in areas that have consistent blizzard and sub-freezing winter days, and absolutely must have the warmest, then stick with the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket. It is made to keep you warm and protected in those dangerous environments.

Warmest Carhartt Jackets for Cold Weather

As we have discussed throughout this article, if you are looking for the absolute warmest Carhartt jacket for extreme cold weather, then I would recommend the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket. Let’s discuss it in further detail, then also discuss other options.

Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket

The Carhartt Yukon Extremes Active Jacket style 104458 is Carhartt’s toughest and warmest jacket. This Carhartt heavy duty jacket uses a durable 500D Cordura nylon duck outer shell fabric. The jacket is insulated with 150 grams of 3M Thinsulate, which is a synthetic insulation that is lightweight and non-bulky, but very good at trapping heat.

This is the current price of this Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about this jacket:

Shell – If you are looking for the most durable Carhartt jacket, this is it. This Carhartt heavy duty jacket uses a 500D nylon duck outer shell that is abrasion resistant, wind-resistant, and water-repellent. In my experience, the only drawback is it is a bit noisier than cotton. Here’s a close-up look at the nylon canvas:

104458-carhartt-jacket-pocket-reflective

Insulation – This is, in my opinion, the warmest Carhartt jacket. It uses 150g of 3M Thinsulate to insulate the jacket. 3M Thinsulate is very lightweight, which allows this jacket to weigh less than other Carhartt heavy duty jackets despite the fact that it is Carhartt’s toughest and warmest jacket. My size medium only weighs 2.80 pounds:

Design – This jacket has a zip-front with a built-in, insulated hood. What I like about this jacket is it zips all the way to the base of my chin for extra coverage. It has two insulated hand-warmer pockets and has two internal pockets, including a zip-close pocket to give you a safe place to store essentials. It also has a zip-close external chest pocket.

Fit – In my experience, this jacket fits true to size, but do expect a loose fit. This loose fit is on purpose so that you have plenty of room to layer underneath this jacket in harsh conditions. Here is my size medium compared to a size medium Hanes undershirt straight out of the package:

Again, the Carhartt J140 we will discuss next is actually the jacket I personally wear the most, but this Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket is the warmest Carhartt jacket that I have worn. Carhartt refers to their Yukon Extremes series as the “the warmest, most durable jackets and coats we make.”

If you need something for brutally cold conditions, this will be your best option. Not only does it have 150g of 3M Thinsulate for insulation, but it also zips all the way to the chine to provide protection around the neck. The shell is water-repellent and wind-resistant.

Click here to buy this Carhartt Yukon Extremes jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). This jacket has a loose fit, but I order my normal sizing. This jacket used to be called the Carhartt J133 jacket, but was updated in 2020 to this new version. To read more, visit my Carhartt 104458 Review.

Carhartt J140 Flannel Lined Cotton Canvas Jacket

The J140 jacket is my favorite Carhartt jacket. It has a firm duck 100% cotton canvas outer shell. Yes, it will be a bit stiff at first, but it breaks in just fine with time. This is Carhartt’s toughest cotton outer shell fabric and one of their warmest linings (quilted flannel). Overall, this is a very durable and warm flannel lined canvas jacket.

carhartt-duck-active-jacket-review-front

carhartt-duck-active-jacket-review-back-layer

This is the current price of this Carhartt J140 flannel lined canvas jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about this J140 active jacket:

Shell – This jacket has a heavy duty shell. It is made with Carhartt’s 100% cotton firm duck cotton canvas shell that is durable and both water-repellent and wind-resistant. Firm duck canvas will feel stiff at first, but it breaks in just fine with time. This is Carhartt’s toughest cotton outer shell fabric. Here’s a close-up of the shell fabric on my jacket:

Lining – This is one of Carhartt’s warmest jackets. It has a quilted-flannel lining that is very thick and comfortable. I have tried over 15 Carhartt jackets, and I think this is the second warmest Carhartt jacket that I have worn (second behind the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket we discussed first). This flannel lining is why I’ve made this jacket my go-to work jacket for many years. Here’s a close-up of the flannel lining:

carhartt-duck-active-jacket-review-lining-2

Design – This bomber style jacket has a zip-front with a built-in, insulated hood. Cuffed sleeves and waist help trap in the heat. There are two internal pockets, including a zip pocket, that provide you a place to safely store essentials. In my experience, this Carhartt jacket fits true to size. This jacket has some extra room built in so you can layer. Here is my size medium compared to a size medium Hanes undershirt:

Made in the USA – This Carhartt J140 Jacket is still made in the USA. Not all Carhartt jackets are made here in the USA. If you want a list of USA work jackets, visit our article about the best work jackets made in USA.

Comparing this to the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket we discussed first, one major design difference is this J140 jacket does not zip all the way to the base of the chin, and the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket does. And this J140 jacket uses a firm cotton shell instead of a firm nylon shell like the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket.

Carhartt does not assign temperature ratings to their jackets, which can make things a bit tricky to understand when comparing jackets. Here is my opinion based off wearing this jacket for years: this jacket will be warm enough to handle winters in most all continental US states (yes, there may be some extreme exceptions).

But it also will likely be too warm for mild winters in the southern US. If you are in a milder climate, and want this firm cotton canvas shell, the Carhartt J131 jacket will be a better option for you.

Click here to buy this J140 Carhartt duck 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 jacket.

Carhartt Washed Duck Insulated Active Jacket

One issue when shopping for the warmest Carhartt jacket is outer shell fabric. The first two jackets we discussed both use a firm outer shell fabric. This is actually helpful because not only is the firm shell abrasion resistant, it is also wind-resistant and water-repellent, so it adds weather protection.

But not everyone likes the firm shell because it can be stiff when you first buy it. Many people prefered the Carhartt J130 jacket, which used Carhartt’s popular Sandstone Duck which was micro-sanded and pre-washed to help break it in.

Unfortunately, as of 2024, Carhartt no longer offers the Sandstone Duck line. Because of that, they updated the popular J130 jacket and it is now called the Carhartt Washed Duck Insulated Active Jacket style 104050. Although this jacket still has a broken-in pre-washed shell, there were some changes in comparison to the old J130. I won’t go into deep detail here, but you can read about those changes here: New J130.

I own this new version. Here’s a look at mine:

This is the current price of this Carhartt Washed Duck Insulated Jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about this jacket:

Updated – This updated version (style 104050) does has some differences compared to the Carhartt Sandstone J130 Jacket that it replaces. For example, this new version does not have the quilted-flannel lining. Instead, this updated version has a quilted nylon lining with 80 grams of 3M Thinsulate for insulation (if you preferred that quilted flannel lining, it’s still available in the Carhartt J140 we discussed earlier).

Warmth – This Carhartt 104050 is what I consider warm enough to handle most all winter conditions that I experience here in Kansas. But it only has 80g of 3M Thinsulate as insulation, compared to the 150g of 3M Thinsulate used in the Carhartt 104458 Yukon Extremes Jacket we discussed at the top of the page. This jacket won’t be as warm as that Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket.

Outer Shell – The outer shell in this jacket is pre-washed, meaning it will feel more broken in on the first wear. If you hate the stiff feeling of a canvas jacket, this might be a nice option. But, in my experience, the pre-washed shells don’t offer as much weather protection as the firm canvas shells.

Design – This jacket is a full-front zip, but it doesn’t zip all the way to the base of the chin. It has an attached, insulated hood. It also has the storm cuff sleeves to help keep weather off your wrists. The waist is cuffed to help trap heat

In my experience, this new version fits true to size, but has a loose fit. Here’s my size medium Carhartt 104050 compared to a size medium t-shirt:

One improvement I really like about this new version is it has a lining in the hand-warmer pockets, and the older version of this jacket did not have that lining. Overall, this is a warm Carhartt jacket, but in my opinion it is not as warm as the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket and the Carhartt J140 Jacket.

Click here to buy this Carhartt 104050 jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Overall this updated version of the Carhartt Sandstone J130 is a very comfortable Carhartt jacket and is suitable for moderate winter conditions.

Women’s Warmest Carhartt Jacket

If you are shopping for the warmest Carhartt jacket for women, unfortunately Carhartt does not currently make a women’s version of their Yukon Extremes series. They do however make a women’s version of the Washed Duck Insulated Jacket that we just discussed above.

This is what the women’s Carhartt Washed Duck Insulated Jacket looks like:

This is the current price of this Carhartt women’s work jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Here’s what you need to know about this jacket:

Weather Protection – This Carhartt 104053 uses 80g of 3M Thinsulate as insulation. It is a full-front zip and has two lined hand-warmer pockets. The waist is cuffed to help trap heat. This jacket also has storm cuff sleeves to help keep the weather off your wrists.

Outer Shell – The outer shell in this jacket is pre-washed, meaning it will feel more broken in on the first wear. If you hate the stiff feeling of a canvas jacket, this might be a nice option.

Design – This zip-front jacket has an attached hood that is also insulated. There are two internal pockets and two external hand-warmer pockets. The elbows are pleated for increased freedom of movement.

Click here to buy this Carhartt women’s work jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). This jacket is the updated version of the women’s Carhartt J130 jacket.

Warmest Carhartt Jacket vs Coat: Which is Better?

Do you want a Carhartt jacket or a Carhartt coat? Although design can vary style by style, most Carhartt jackets have a cuffed waist that helps trap heat. But the advantage of a coat is it has a drop-tail that finished past the waist and provide extra weather protection below the belt.

But most Carhartt jackets come hooded while the coats do not (most Carhartt coats have buttons where you can buy and attach a hood). The cuffed waist on the jacket might also be beneficial for construction workers, electricians, and other types of trade workers who wear a tool belt.

UPDATE – As of 2024, Carhartt no longer makes the C55 Yukon Extremes Coat. They now have a newer version, style 104460, that is very similar to the C55 in that it has the durable nylon duck shell and is made for extreme conditions. It features 150g of 3M Thinsulate for insulation, and is water-repellent and wind-resistant. Click here to view this new Carhartt 104460 coat (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

Carhartt used to offer a coat version of their Carhartt Yukon Extremes Series. It was style C55, here’s a look at mine:

yukon-arctic-Carhartt-extreme-coat-review-closed-front-chest

If you remember, at the top of the page we discussed the jacket version of this coat (Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket), which is, in my opinion, the warmest Carhartt jacket. But as of 2024, Carhartt no longer offers this coat version.

Carhartt does offer a blanket-lined chore coat, which I own. Although this blanket lining is warm, I’d describe it more as a medium-warmth, and not something I’d personally use in extreme conditions. If you prefer a coat, then I would recommend considering the Carhartt Sherpa-Lined Washed Duck Coat.

It has a pre-washed canvas shell that won’t feel stiff, and has the Sherpa lining for warmth. It has a drop-tail that finished past the waist for extra weather protection.

Click here to view this Sherpa-Lined Carhartt Coat available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). If you prefer a coat, and want more options, visit our article about the best waterproof insulated coats.

Warmest Carhartt Jacket Summary

If you are looking for the warmest Carhartt jacket, in my opinion, it is the Carhartt Yukon Extremes Insulated Active Jacket that uses a water-repellent, wind-resistant outer shell in combination with 150g of 3M Thinsulate for insulation. This is the current price of that jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com).

If you want to read about more options, visit our resources linked below:

I also love the Carhartt J140 jacket, and it is the jacket that I wear the most here in Kansas. It uses a firm cotton outer shell, and has a warm flannel lining. This is the current price of the J140 jacket available at Amazon (affiliate link takes you to Amazon.com). Although I think the Carhartt Yukon Extremes jacket is the warmest Carhartt jacket, this J140 jacket is a very close second.