By Phil Bourjaily

Rather than run yet another picture of me holding a gun or dead thing in this space, today we have Field & Stream’s Kristyn Brady modeling a Carhartt Women’s Work-Dry Base Layer Quarter Zip Shirt and a live trout.

Kristyn and I, along with millions of others since 1889, love our Carhartts. I wear the basic brown dungarees in the field all the time because they are tough and comfortable, and because I hope they make people mistake me for somebody who actually works for a living. Besides, brown duck is a great camo pattern if you sit still--just ask your father and grandfather.

In a world where almost every garment you wear is made offshore it was a surprise to read “Made in the USA” on a pair of new brown duck bibs I picked up recently. (I was also happy to discover that sometime since I bought my last set of Carhartt bibs the button fly has been replaced by a zipper, which is progress if you drink a lot of coffee.)

Many--but not all--Carhartt garments are sewn in the United States. Their factories in Kentucky and Tennessee employ around 2,000 people. They even have a “Made in the USA” line of clothing that is not only made here, it is sewn from cotton that is domestically grown too. That line consists of seven of their most famous and popular garments including the cotton duck Detroit Jacket and the Double-Front Work Dungarees. It will be expanded if there is sufficient customer demand, which I hope there will be.

While Carhartt continues to make their classic work wear they have a lot of new stuff, too, including a lighter weight duck they call “Quick Duck” and an expanded lineup of women’s clothes, which brings us to the picture of Kristyn, the shirt and the fish. Kristyn is picky about the fit of her outdoor gear (“Taking a small man’s coat and making it in pink doesn’t make it women’s clothing,” she griped at SHOT) but she approves of the way Carhartt cuts their women’s clothes.

This base layer shirt, she tells me, has the all-important princess seam (I know. Who knew from princess seams?) to help it better fit a woman’s shape. She says it layers nicely, is warm and versatile, and that the extended cuffs--they have thumbholes, not seen in this picture--help protect the easily burned backs of her hands from the sun. And as you can see it doesn’t scare fish. What more do you want?

Comments (13)

from Koldkut wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Maybe if it matched the nailpolish? :) Love my carhart gear, it's functional and rugged.

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from Ontario Honker ... wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Sorry, but I do not find their stuff to be rugged. Not at all. I bought an expensive pair of camo dungarees two years ago and within weeks the bottom of the cuffs were already fraying. Half a dozen times through the washer and they were shot. Sorry, but I have better luck with Dickies even though their canvas fabric seems to be lighter weight. I'm guessing Dickies uses better quality cotton. I do, however, love the Carhart camo caps. They fit me very nicely. Pricey though. My brother is a professional cabinet maker and he too has given up on Carhart work clothes in recent years. Their jackets, for example, seem to wear out in the oddest places. I love the fit of the Carharts jacket my daughter's boyfriend donated to me. However, it is also starting to look a bit threadbare in the stress points after just a couple of years. And I certainly don't wear it all the time. Prefer my London Fog wool blend jacket. It seems to wear like iron. Go figure.

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from deadeyedick wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Honker, Maybe their newer stuff is not as good as the older clothing. I have a Blanket coat and a pair of bibs that are 15 years old and they are still going strong even after countless trips hunting for rabbits and upland birds.
I also hear that the company is thinking about putting out a new hunting line of clothing. That style was discontinued some years ago.

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from RES1956 wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

No complaints on Carhart Apparel from me, I've a pair of pants that have been through it over the years (10 or so) and still going strong, although a bit faded.

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from natureonthefly wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

When working and living on the farm, I don't think Carhartt clothing can be beat. I appreciate the high tech clothing I own for rock climbing, fly fishing, hunting, and those things, but I'd be scared to wear really any of it in rough & tough type work and play of the farm setting. Hopefully the technologies can blend to make more burly 'technical' outerwear.

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from PbHead wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

My old Carhartt clothes could be torn up but not worn out.

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from RJ Arena wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

the problem I have with any of these cross-over to women's lines of clothes, is that they for the most part do not make their clothing lines for bigger women my waistline has grown with my years, and so has my wife's, but when she goes looking for her version of the hunting clothes I buy, all she seems to find are petite stuff, no plus sizes, what gives?

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from 99explorer wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

I also favor the Dickies line. The pants have a higher waist with more room in the seat, and you can't wear them ut.

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from haverodwilltravel wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Phil, as much as I enjoy your writing and show, please feel free to replace your photo with Kristyn's anytime. :)

She's a doll.

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from Longbeard wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Now y'all got me confused. I've tried on a few Carhartt jackets and could never find one I really liked. But is the stuff tough enough or not?

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from Longbeard wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Now y'all got me confused. I've tried on a few Carhartt jackets and could never find one I really liked. But is the stuff tough enough or not?

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from scratchgolf72 wrote 30 weeks 2 days ago

longbeard, the stuff is tough.

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from nelsol wrote 30 weeks 2 days ago

Kudos to Carhartt. Made in the USA. Also New Balance, a company started by a podiatrist. Unlike all the other sports related footwear made offshore. A lady (I use the term loosely) recently told me that guys over 50 wear New Balance shoes because "It makes them look sporty". My reply was, "No, it's because they fit, and they unlike most of the others are made right here in the USA".

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from Koldkut wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Maybe if it matched the nailpolish? :) Love my carhart gear, it's functional and rugged.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Ontario Honker ... wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Sorry, but I do not find their stuff to be rugged. Not at all. I bought an expensive pair of camo dungarees two years ago and within weeks the bottom of the cuffs were already fraying. Half a dozen times through the washer and they were shot. Sorry, but I have better luck with Dickies even though their canvas fabric seems to be lighter weight. I'm guessing Dickies uses better quality cotton. I do, however, love the Carhart camo caps. They fit me very nicely. Pricey though. My brother is a professional cabinet maker and he too has given up on Carhart work clothes in recent years. Their jackets, for example, seem to wear out in the oddest places. I love the fit of the Carharts jacket my daughter's boyfriend donated to me. However, it is also starting to look a bit threadbare in the stress points after just a couple of years. And I certainly don't wear it all the time. Prefer my London Fog wool blend jacket. It seems to wear like iron. Go figure.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from deadeyedick wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

Honker, Maybe their newer stuff is not as good as the older clothing. I have a Blanket coat and a pair of bibs that are 15 years old and they are still going strong even after countless trips hunting for rabbits and upland birds.
I also hear that the company is thinking about putting out a new hunting line of clothing. That style was discontinued some years ago.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RES1956 wrote 30 weeks 5 days ago

No complaints on Carhart Apparel from me, I've a pair of pants that have been through it over the years (10 or so) and still going strong, although a bit faded.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from natureonthefly wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

When working and living on the farm, I don't think Carhartt clothing can be beat. I appreciate the high tech clothing I own for rock climbing, fly fishing, hunting, and those things, but I'd be scared to wear really any of it in rough & tough type work and play of the farm setting. Hopefully the technologies can blend to make more burly 'technical' outerwear.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from PbHead wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

My old Carhartt clothes could be torn up but not worn out.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from RJ Arena wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

the problem I have with any of these cross-over to women's lines of clothes, is that they for the most part do not make their clothing lines for bigger women my waistline has grown with my years, and so has my wife's, but when she goes looking for her version of the hunting clothes I buy, all she seems to find are petite stuff, no plus sizes, what gives?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from 99explorer wrote 30 weeks 4 days ago

I also favor the Dickies line. The pants have a higher waist with more room in the seat, and you can't wear them ut.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from haverodwilltravel wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Phil, as much as I enjoy your writing and show, please feel free to replace your photo with Kristyn's anytime. :)

She's a doll.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Longbeard wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Now y'all got me confused. I've tried on a few Carhartt jackets and could never find one I really liked. But is the stuff tough enough or not?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Longbeard wrote 30 weeks 3 days ago

Now y'all got me confused. I've tried on a few Carhartt jackets and could never find one I really liked. But is the stuff tough enough or not?

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from scratchgolf72 wrote 30 weeks 2 days ago

longbeard, the stuff is tough.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from nelsol wrote 30 weeks 2 days ago

Kudos to Carhartt. Made in the USA. Also New Balance, a company started by a podiatrist. Unlike all the other sports related footwear made offshore. A lady (I use the term loosely) recently told me that guys over 50 wear New Balance shoes because "It makes them look sporty". My reply was, "No, it's because they fit, and they unlike most of the others are made right here in the USA".

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.