The Carhartt Detroit Jacket is possibly the one item (aside from the Carhartt knit cap) which has made its way into the style world along with being a nearly perfect work jacket. I’ve had my J97 Detroit Jacket since my early days as a mechanic, and now there’s a new version of the Detroit Jacket with some updates!
My old Carhartt J97 Detroit Jacket has been with me through my days as a mechanic and a tow truck driver, my first day as an apprentice, and on through my career. And aside from a few scrapes and scratches it’s no worse for the wear. In a lot of ways, it’s perfect. The short hem means that it works well with a tool belt, the classic look, the fact that it’s light enough to wear on a spring day. In a lot of ways, it’s just the perfect work jacket.
Want to learn even more about the Detroit Jacket? Read my deep-dive into the The History and Legacy of the Carhartt Detroit Jacket.
But recently Carhartt redesigned the Detroit Jacket entirely from top down and we’re going to explore the differences between the new Detroit Jacket and my old J97 model.
The Detroit Jacket
The Detroit Jacket is wonderfully simple and effective and it’s one of the few workwear items which has been embraced by the men’s style community as well as workers across the world, thanks in part to its prominent appearance in the movie Interstellar. There’s a whole subreddit dedicated to this particular jacket and which version it is!
The Detroit Jacket was introduced in 1954, and was known as simply the “zipper jacket”. Until that point Carhartt had mostly produced jackets with snaps or buttons like the chore coat. The zipper was what set this model apart, and the very first versions were denim rather than duck canvas. The famous 12oz. Carhartt duck would come a year later in 1955, product code: 6LJ which changed to 6BLJ in the late 1960s.
The Carhartt Detroit Jacket built a reputation for toughness on the backs of warehouse workers, farmhands, and ranchers across America.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Detroit jacket is the Detroit cuff, but the first models only had a plain straight cuff. Through the years the zipper jacket would see a variety of insulations and linings with the earliest being a blanket lining from troy mills. It would later go on to be quilt lined (6QLJ), and even lined in something called Scott Foam which was an experimental (and short-lived) foam lining (6SJ). The zipper jacket wouldn’t become known as the Detroit jacket until 1998, nearly 45 years after its introduction and rumor has it that the name was adopted from the Carhartt work in progress line.
As you’d imagine, a jacket with a 67-year long history has gone through several updates with my favorite model still being the USA made J97. These have a blanket lined body with quilt line sleeves, they were generously cut and work very well with a hoodie or a sweatshirt underneath. Some people don’t care for the short hem of the early Detroit jackets, but I’ve found that they function especially well when you’re doing work in them!
These early J97 Detroit jackets did have their drawbacks however, and if you wore one casually you probably didn’t like the scratchy blanket lining which was designed with durability in mind. The sleeves were also wide, which does help with layering but isn’t a modern look compared to the high armhole jackets of today. Finally, there’s the length which is more like an old school trucker jacket than the longer hems we see on modern day jackets.
Carhartt redesigned the Detroit jacket recently to address some of these concerns and give it a more updated look. The sleeves are narrower- not slim cut by any means, but there’s a difference between these and the older versions. The lining is a softer blanket material which is quite nice against your skin. But probably the biggest and most controversial difference though is the hem. It’s longer and features a drop tail for coverage while bending over. Critics of the new Detroit jacket will say that it lost some of its charm with the new length, and that the iconic silhouette is gone.
I reached out to Carhartt to find out more about this decision, and they told me that people would regularly order the long version of the previous model because they didn’t like the shorter length. So based on the feedback that they were getting, the jacket was lengthened.
You’ll also find features from their Full Swing designs like the elbows and the shoulder gussets, so it wears and moves easier too. One of the things that they changed which I don’t care for is the elimination of the Detroit cuff in favor of a straight cuff. To me this was one of the signature design characteristics, and one that really completed the look. However, if we’re looking at history- the original didn’t have the Detroit cuff either. It was probably a cost saving measure since sewing a straight cuff is probably simpler.
The Carhartt Detroit Jacket is one of those core items which should be in your closet, even if you don’t work in construction or on a farm. It’s a jacket that you can throw on to do just about anything without worry. When it comes to utilitarian functionality and old school cool, no jacket does it better than the Carhartt Detroit.
List of Carhartt Detroit Jacket Styles and Colors:
(Thanks to Dave Moore and Reddit U/N Anthonydelillo for help compiling this list)
Unlined Firm Duck:
- 6J Unlined Firm Duck Jacket, replaced with JU1206, JU1216
- BV2697 Carhartt x Hurley Waterproof Detroit Jacket
- JU1205 Unlined Firm Duck Jacket
- JU1206, Carhartt Detroit Jacket, replaced with J108
- JU1216, Carhartt Brown, replaced with J108
- J108 Unlined Firm Duck Carhartt Jacket
Unlined Sandstone Duck:
- EJ196 Unlined Sandstone Duck Lightweight Detroit Jacket
- J310 Unlined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket, No Chest Pocket
Blanket Lined Duck Canvas:
- 103828 Blanket-Lined Duck Detroit Jacket
Blanket Lined Denim:
- J110 DST Blanket-Lined Washed Denim Detroit Jacket
- 8LJ Blanket-Lined Firm Denim, Blue Denim
- J110 Blanket-Lined Washed Denim Detroit Jacket
Blanket Lined Firm Duck Canvas:
- JB104 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket, Green
- 101209 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck FFA Detroit Jacket
- 101211 Women’s Blanket-Lined Firm Duck FFA Detroit Jacket
- 6LJ Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Jacket
- 6BLJ Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- 6BLJL Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- 6BLJT Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB242 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB102 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB104 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB105 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB112 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB115 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket, replaced w/ J01
- JB0817 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB0866 Blanket Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB0873 Blanket Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- EJ001 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J01 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J24 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Southwest Detroit Jacket
- J001 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J172 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J200 Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket, No Chest Pocket
- J209 Blanket Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- UJ01 USA Made Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQW226 Women’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
Blanket Lined Weathered Duck Canvas:
- 100457 Blanket-Lined Weathered Red Duck Detroit Jacket
- RNJ001 Blanket-Lined Naturally Worn Duck Detroit Jacket
Blanket Lined Sandstone Duck Canvas:
- 100798 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Tennessee Detroit Jacket
- 100807 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Alabama State Detroit Jacket
- 100829 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Georgia State Detroit Jacket
- 100919 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Michigan Detroit Jacket
- 100928 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Penn State Detroit Jacket
- 100940 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Wisconsin Detroit Jacket
- 100958 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Iowa State Detroit Jacket
- 100961 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Michigan State Detroit Jacket
- EJ097 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- F00137 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J43 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J64 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J65 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J76 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J97 Blanket-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J146 Blanket Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket, No Chest Pocket
Blanket Lined Washed Duck Canvas:
- J204 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket, No Chest Pocket
- JB1215 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB1236 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB1266 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB1866 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket
- JB2266 Blanket-Lined Washed Duck Detroit Jacket
Blanket Lined Nylon:
- J128 Blanket-Lined Nylon Detroit Jacket
- J129 Blanket Lined Nylon Detroit Jacket
Fleece Lined Nylon:
- J192 Soft-Shelled Detroit Jacket
Quilt Lined Canvas:
- JQ0438 Quilt-Lined Boulder Canvas Detroit Jacket
Quilt Lined Firm Duck Canvas:
- 101024 Imported From Detroit Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- 101040 Women’s Imported From Detroit Blanket-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J30 Women’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- 6QJ Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Jacket
- 6QLJ Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- 6QLJL Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J18 Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- J80 Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket, No Chest Pocket
- JQ500 Youth Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQ505 Youth Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQ506 Youth Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQ600 Boy’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQ605 Boy’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- JQ606 Boy’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- Y04 Youth Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
- Y20 Boy’s Quilt-Lined Firm Duck Detroit Jacket
Quilt Lined Denim:
- 8QLJ Quilt-Lined Denim Detroit Jacket
Sherpa Lined Sandstone Duck Canvas:
- J297 ARG Sherpa-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- J297 Sherpa-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
- WJ097 Women’s Sherpa-Lined Sandstone Duck Detroit Jacket
I purchased the Detroit jacket with the corduroy collar being bulkier than the original Detroit nice looking but nothing like the original I purchased 30 years ago and needed a replacement I come across the short version and that was thru Dicks Sporting Goods Carhartt was always on back order it’s a lighter jacket not much of a lining It’s a shame that the original design with the blanket lining is no more the pockets are wore it’s a little snug but I still use it for there are no more Still I purchased both Detroit styles hopefully wishing to come across the Original
Ok. I have the new version. It’s alright. But I wish I’d paid attention. I would have bought more of the original jackets before they changed it to this current model. Now if I want an original style Detroit Jacket I have to pay 300 through WIP or Ebay. I’m a traditionalist I liked the original boxy Detroit Jacket at its original price point. If I’m gonna pay 300 I want some “made in Japan/USA” quality blanket for the liner and similar appointments. Not an”aged canvas” version that’s pre destressed.