Ode to the Carhartt

I saw a guy yesterday walking into Smith’s with a crumpled wide-brimmed hat on and a jacket with what looked liked dried mud all over it. I can’t say for sure it was mud — it was whitish stuff, maybe asbestos, or plaster.

The coat was battered and creased and lived in. In other words, it was just about perfect for a Carhartt.

I’ve spent thousands of dollars on jackets over the years, those with fancy fabrics or insulative properties that are supposed to be the best in the world.

I’ve also spent less than $200 on Carhartts. The last one I bought was on sale at Murdoch’s years ago and I snatched it up for 50 bucks. I wore the one before that until the pockets completely wore out and the elbows had no fabric.

The “new” one, which is at least 6 years old, has a hood and quilted lining. The cuffs are beginning to fray and there’s oil stains and dirt all over it. I suppose I could wash it, but then again, it’s not like I’m going to wear it to church, and the smell of motor oil and manure has its own charms.

It is not waterproof or particularly warm or lightweight — sure, I can put an extra layer or two under it, but when the rubber meets the road in December, I usually hang it up until spring.

It’s the perfect coat for the 50-degree day with a raw wind when busting through a thicket of hawthorn bushes. You just put your head down and bull through it. The coat more than takes the punishment, seems to enjoy it, really.

It’s also very quiet. Gore-tex is a great fabric, but it’s noisy. The canvas cotton of the Carhartt is not. It also has an inside pocket that’s actually useful, which is to say stuff doesn’t fall out of it all the time. Mine has about four pens and a crumpled notebook inside most of the time and if I can’t find my wallet, chances are I’ve stuffed it somewhere inside that coat.

Having said all that, I suppose I should buy a new one. It takes awhile to break a Carhartt in and get to know it, years, really. Like a fine wine, it’s the work coat that gets better with age.

Chris Peterson is the editor of the Hungry Horse News.