Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket – Cold-Challenging Coat
There’s no such thing as bad weather! Just bad gear. Carhartt has known that since Hamilton Carhartt sewed the first stitch of his still-in-circulation Chore Jacket way back in 1889. Working directly with railroad workers enabled Carhartt to research and develop workwear for the people who would wear it. Since then, their motto of “Honest value for an honest dollar” is woven into each and every piece of clothing they stitch together, and that ethic remains unchanged with the new Yukon Extremes Jacket. There’s no shortage of great winter jackets these days, but Carhartt’s legacy ensures that what they sell, they stand behind.
The Carhartt Yukon Extremes Jacket is the brand’s flagship when it comes to serious cold protection. It’s the warmest coat in their lineup, and it promises to keep you working even when Old Man Winter wants you to turn in for the day. Let’s take a closer look at its features and construction and see if this is the right coat for your workaday wear.
Features
The construction of this jacket urges you to get to work. With work comes the need for specific features that help you get the job done, regardless of the conditions. The jacket’s exterior features two very dense handwarmer pockets up front, with the addition of a left-chest, waterproof zipper pocket upfront.
The Thinsulate-insulated hood is deep, adjustable, and designed to keep you working. Big enough to pull over a helmet or large hat, the headcover’s front window is cut wide enough to ensure that you can maintain a full field of vision, even when cinched down tight. Speaking of visibility, a reflective Carhartt patch adorns the chest pocket, while 3M reflective strips flank the front pockets and a single strip flocks the back. This moderate amount of reflective material is no comparison to an all-yellow, high visibility jacket, but it will help you stand out when direct light shines your way.
Construction
Carhartt promises that this jacket will help you fight off the most bitter cold, blowing winds, and light rain. We’ll return to the rain thing in a second. To achieve this level of warmth, Carhartt chose their Arctic Quilt as a liner, which is a 150-g featherless 3M Thinsulate fill that is very dense and warm. Rib-knit storm cuffs work to keep the cold from coming in the sleeves, while triple-stitched main seams ensure that nothing sneaks in between the jacket’s panels.
The Yukon Extremes is not a rain jacket, but Carhartt says it can handle light rain. It’s important to keep that in mind if your work requires heavy exposure to precipitation — something with a Goretex shell would be a better fit. However, this coat’s exterior comes treated with Rain Defender, which is a durable water repellant that should help stave off moderate drops.
Carhartt knows that people come in all shapes and sizes, which is why this jacket ships in sizes ranging from Small to XXXL. Some reviews point out that the jacket fits a tad on the small side, which is probably a result of adding layers below the coat. So, consider that when ordering, and consult the convenient sizing guide on their website.
Cost
At $190, this fully-insulated, stormproof jacket has the same features and build quality of something twice the price. If you’re a Carhartt loyalist, the Yukon Extremes Insulated Jacket is a no-brainer. If this is your first purchase of the iconic brand, just compare the features and build qualities to something in the same price range; you’ll see why people have been brand fanatics for 130 years.
