“Cheap” Work Jacket Shootout

We compare eight affordable work jackets to see which is best for those on a budget.

Disclaimer: I purchased all these jackets on my own. No brand had input or influence over the results or recommendations within this comparison.

What does “cheap” mean, anyway?

I work with guys every day who wear their clothes until they’re falling apart. Even then, seeing duct tape or zip tie repairs isn’t uncommon. Workwear is a balance between function, durability, and value, so most workers aren’t willing to pay hundreds of dollars for a good work jacket.

The criteria for this comparison is limited to jackets from workwear companies with a traditional layout (zip-front, at least two pockets, and a hood) under $160.

There is no such thing as a perfect work jacket

Depending on what you do, where you work, and the features you need, one of these jackets may be better suited to your application. The intent with this comparison is to focus on value and getting a work jacket that will fit your requirements without spending more than you need to. Lets meet the contenders!

The Contenders

While I would love to compare every workwear brand, the logistics would be monumental. Instead, I chose the brands I see most on the job site here in New England, along with a few lesser-known companies that may be new to you.

Red Kap: Blended Duck Zip Front Hooded Jacket

• Price: $78.49
• Color: Brown Duck
• Shell fabric: 10oz duck canvas
• Shell material: 65% Polyester, 35% Cotton
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: Mexico
• Exterior pockets: 2 (unlined)
• Interior pockets: 1 (left side)
• Cuffs: Single snap
• Hood: Exterior drawstring
• Zipper: YKK (small)
• Back gussets: None
• Main seams: Double-stitched

Helly Hansen Workwear: Berg Insulated Winter Jacket

• Price: $160
• Color: Red/black
• Shell fabric: 6oz polyester canvas
• Shell material: 100% Polyester
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: China
• Exterior pockets: 4 (lower 2 lined)
• Interior pockets: 1 (left side)
• Cuffs: Velcro strap
• Hood: Stowable, sizable, external drawstring
• Zipper: YKK with double storm flap
• Back gussets: None
• Drop-tail hem with drawcord
• Main seams: Double-stitched

Walls Mingus DWR Duck Hooded Bomber Work Jacket

• Price: $100
• Color: Pecan
• Shell fabric: Duck Canvas
• Shell material: 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: China
• Exterior pockets: 3 (lower 2 lined)
• Interior pockets: 2
• Cuffs: Storm cuffs
• Hood: External drawstring
• Zipper: Brass
• Back gussets: Yes
• Articulated sleeves
• Main seams: Triple-stitched

Berne: Heritage Duck Hooded Active Work Jacket

• Price: $72.99
• Color: Navy
• Shell fabric: 10oz Duck Canvas
• Shell material: 100% Cotton
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: Bangladesh
• Exterior pockets: 2 (unlined)
• Interior pockets: 3
• Cuffs: Rib knit
• Hood: External drawstring
• Zipper: Brass
• Back gussets: Yes
• Articulated sleeves
• Main seams: Triple-stitched

Ariat: Rebar Washed DuraCanvas Insulated Jacket

• Price: $129.95
• Color: Wren
• Shell fabric: 9oz Washed Stretch Duck Canvas
• Shell material: 68% Cotton, 30% Polyester, 2% Spandex
• Lining: 100% Nylon
• Origin: China
• Exterior pockets: 3 (Lower 2 lined)
• Interior pockets: 1
• Cuffs: Storm cuffs
• Hood: Internal drawstring
• Zipper: YKK w/ plastic teeth and storm flap
• Back gussets: Crosscut back
• Articulated sleeves
• Main seams: Double-stitched

Truewerk: S3 Solution Hoodie

• Price: $159
• Color: Black
• Shell fabric: 9oz Three-layer bonded fabric w/ stretch
• Shell material: 86% Polyester, 14% Spandex
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: Bangladesh
• Exterior pockets: 3 (unlined)
• Interior pockets: 2
• Cuffs: Velcro strap
• Hood: Internal drawstring, sizeable
• Zipper: YKK w/ plastic teeth
• Back gussets: None
• Drawstring hem
• Main seams: Double-stitched

Dri Duck: Cheyenne Work Jacket

• Price: $94.99
• Color: Saddle
• Shell fabric: 12oz washed duck canvas
• Shell material: 100% Cotton
• Lining: 100% Polyester
• Origin: Bangladesh
• Exterior pockets: 2 (unlined)
• Interior pockets: 2
• Cuffs: Rib knit
• Hood: External drawstring
• Zipper: Brass YKK
• Back gussets: None
• Articulated sleeves
• Main seams: Triple-stitched

Carhartt J130 Washed Duck Insulated Active Jac

• Price: $119.99
• Color: Carhartt brown
• Shell fabric: 12oz washed duck canvas
• Shell material: 100% Cotton
• Lining: 100% Nylon
• Origin: Nicaragua
• Exterior pockets: 2 (lined) w/pencil slot
• Interior pockets: 2
• Cuffs: Storm cuff w/ Cordura reinforcement
• Hood: Internal drawstring
• Zipper: Brass YKK (360 deg. articulating) w/ storm flap
• Back gussets: None
• Articulated sleeves
• Main seams: Triple-stitched

Price Comparison

Water resistance

Not all work jackets need to be water resistant, but depending on your situation this may be a necessity. Some fabrics are inherently hydrophobic while others require a DWR coating, so this test will help show the difference.

To perform this test, 1ml of water was left on the shell fabric of each jacket for 1 minute to assess absorption.

Red Kap

Red Kap doesn’t have any DWR coating, nor does the product description state water resistance. The 10oz poly/cotton blend absorbed water like a paper towel.

Dri Duck

The Dri Duck shell fabric is a washed duck canvas, which means it’s pre-broken in and soft. Unfortunately, this also means that it tends to absorb water easily, though it performed marginally better than the Red Kap jacket.

Ariat

Ariat refers to their shell material as DuraCanvas and don’t claim this jacket to be water resistant. Still, it performed decently and would probably shake off the occasional splash on the job.

Carhartt

Carhartt uses the same 12oz duck for many products, but the difference is in how it’s finished. This washed duck goes through a process to soften and make it more flexible, but in doing so it loses the water resistance of their firm duck. Still, for incidental water exposure at work, it should be just fine.

Berne

The Berne 10oz cotton duck canvas is treated with a DWR finish, and very little absorption was observed over the course of one minute.

Walls

Walls treats their duck canvas with a DWR finish (as the name suggests) and this jacket showed almost no water absorption after one minute.

Truewerk

The proprietary three-layer fabric from Truewerk means that the shell, membrane, and insulation is all in one fabric. This material resisted any water absorption after one minute.

Helly Hansen Workwear

Helly Hansen is well known for their outdoor gear, and their workwear follows the same ethos. The 100% polyester fabric showed no water absorption after one minute.

Insulation

Most of these jackets feature the same quilted polyester insulation, with the more expensive models using more high tech alternatives.

Red Kap

Red Kap uses 100% Polyester insulation. The weight is unknown, but it feels like the lightest and least warm of the group.

Carhartt

Carhartt chose to use Thinsulate insulation from 3M. This insulation provides more warmth with less bulk, making the Carhartt warm but not big and puffy. It’s safe to assume this feature adds to the higher price.

Helly Hansen Workwear

Helly Hansen uses 100% polyester insulation but uses more in the body (160g/m) than the sleeves (120g/m).

Walls

Walls use 100% polyester insulation and also line this jacket in synthetic sherpa, making it the heaviest and among the warmest jackets on this list.

Ariat

Ariat use 140g of something called Cool Climate insulation. It’s a warm jacket and should work very well on all but the coldest days.

Berne

Berne uses a generic 100% polyester batting of unknown weight.

Truewerk

Truewerk use a three-layer fabric as previously mentioned, and the hexagonal fleece backing is part of the shell fabric. For additional warmth, Truewerk sell an insulated hoodie which is designed to be used in conjunction with the S3 Solution jacket.

Dri Duck

Dri Duck use a generic 100% polyester batting which feels exactly the same as that within the Berne jacket.

Penetration Test

Using a square-drive bit in a drill press, a sample of shell fabric was secured over a ½″ socket. The force required to penetrate each section of fabric was measured with a digital scale.

The Carhartt was by far the strongest, requiring almost 50lbs of force beating out similar cotton fabrics. The Red Kap was weakest, needing only 26lbs to penetrate the fabric.

Abrasion Test

Using a Martindale abrasion machine, 220 grit abrasive was passed over each shell fabric for a total of 10,000 passes. The machine cycles the abrasive in an oscillating circle and is the best way to simulate normal wear in a measurable way. This machine is a common fixture in textile laboratories to determine abrasion and pilling resistance.

All but the Carhartt and Ariat survived the test, with Ariat wearing through at approximately 5,000 passes, and Carhartt at 6,000 passes. Truewerk and Helly Hansen showed the least abrasion overall.

Burn Test

This test was performed to show the flammability of each fabric, but is more useful to those working with heat or sparks. Unsurprisingly, the 100% cotton fabrics burned and then disintigrated while the synthetics tended to melt. Most surprising was how quickly the Ariat fabric burned, taking only a few seconds to fully burn away.

If you work near sparks or flame, it pays to spend a little more on Flame Resistant gear designed for that purpose.

Conclusion

It’s easy to see why nearly any of the tested jackets could be best for various conditions. For example, the Helly Hansen would be my pick for grounds maintenance where snow and rain may be a mainstay.

Alternatively, the soft and comfortable Dri Duck jacket might be best if I were working in a warehouse or similar dry location. Still, there are definitely outliers in this group.

Best on a Buget: Berne

At only $73 the Berne jacket is the least expensive of the group, but offers an impressive array of features for the price. You won’t get luxuries like fleece-lined pockets, but instead get a dead-simple work jacket that could be your winter go-to or even a backup when things get cold.

Best Value: Walls

With most of the features on the more expensive models, the Walls jacket is a formidable contender. It’s warm, feature-rich, and only $100. The jacket is heavy and bulky, but this could easily be the only work jacket you’ll ever need.

Best Overall: TIE

I went back and forth about this for longer than I care to admit. You could make a strong argument for either of these jackets, but they’re both a generation ahead of similar jackets. They both have safety and convenience features absent on the less-expensive models but at additional cost.

The Ariat is made with some very trick features: crosscut back, internal drawstring, and a great pocket layout. However, it didn’t score well in many tests, being the worst in abrasion and seeming to catch on fire easily.

The Carhartt has a lot of tricks up its Cordura-lined sleeve. The 360 degree articulated zipper is excellent, the internal drawstring means it won’t get caught in rotating tools or equipment, and the fabric took nearly 50lbs to penetrate. You can certainly tell Carhartt has been in the workwear game for over 100 years. Still, the abrasion result was worse than almost all the others, and it’s $40 more than the Berne.

Bottom Line

I can see a scenario where almost all of these jackets would be ideal respectively. I was most impressed by the Walls and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. The Red Kap and Dri Duck were most disappointing, offering fewer features at a higher price than the competition.

Many other jackets exist from these brands, and I suggest checking out their catalogs in case one of these selections isn’t quite what you’re looking for.

Brands Mentioned: Ariat, Berne, Carhartt, Dri-Duck, Helly Hansen Workwear, Red Kap, Truewerk, Walls, Work Jacket, Workwear