Carhartt & Dickies Coveralls

When it comes to coveralls, and work wear in general, two names loom larger than the rest: Carhartt and Dickies. I’ve been wearing Carhartt coveralls since ’83, when I got my start in the construction business working as laborer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Winters in St. Paul can be colder than my ex-wife’s heart, and those coveralls never let me down once. As for Dickies, I once wore a pair of their coveralls for seven winters straight. I’d probably still be wearing them today if it weren’t for a nasty paint spill.

In my opinion, there are a lot of things that make Carhartt and Dickies coveralls so great, but more than anything else, it’s the durability that really stands out. I mean it’s the durability that keeps guys like me coming back to these brands time after time for all my work-wear needs. Carhartt and Dickies coveralls simply won’t quite on you. This exceptional durability comes from the material these companies use to make their coveralls. Carhartt uses a tough duck made from %100 cotton. Dickies uses an equally rugged material made from both polyester and cotton. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

Aside from the durability, there’s also the warmth that a good pair of Carhartt coveralls can provide. Match them up with some nice thermal underwear and you probably won’t feel the cold much at all. The secret can be found in the quilted lining that most coveralls made by Carhartt have. The exterior of the lining is made from a smooth nylon, while the inside is made from extra warm polyester. The linings in Dickies coveralls are often made of a material called polyester brush tricot, which I like to translate as “a material that’s guaranteed to keep you warm”.

The only bad thing I can say about Carhartt coveralls is that they sometimes tend to shrink a bit after being run through the washer one too many times. So when you’re shopping for them, you might want to consider buying a pair that’s one or two sizes too big. As for Dickies, I think they could offer workers a bit more of selection. I mean construction workers don’t really pay much attention to how their clothes look, but the more diverse a company’s product line is the better chance they’ve got of making everyone happy. At least that’s my opinion. What’s yours?