Review: Carhartt Force Line

Carhartt

Carhartt Force Line
Carhartt.com

Having grown up in a working-class household, I was introduced to Carhartt’s quality products at a very young age. In fact, I still wear a work coat that my old man bought in ’87—sure, it has a lot of burn holes and has changed colors a few times, but it still stops the cold air from getting in. The Force Line is geared even more towards the worker than the rest of their products. This new line has the answer for your apparel needs, whether they be sweat-wicking or flame-resistant. You will also find shirts that repel stains and fight odors. Most of the items in the line have been field tested to ensure that they can withstand whatever you put them through.

Carhartt hooked me up with a little bit of everything from their new line. Their shirts really do wick the sweat away from the wettest bodies. I spent an afternoon in July chasing the kid around the playground sans antiperspirant. I stayed pretty dry, and once the shirt was tossed in the hamper it didn’t take any odor with it. As I’m a fairly clumsy person, stains just happen to me, and these shirts only kind of handled my mess. I was able to get a stain on every shirt the first time wearing it, and it took a few washes to get them out all the way. I thought about trying to set the flame-resistant shirt on fire to test how well it resisted, but it looks too damn good, so I am taking Carhartt’s word on this one.

You will find shirts for you whether you’re a plain tee or print tee kind of person. Hell, they have shirts with breast pockets. I like to call those “Stoner Pockets,” because it seems like only stoners use them. Carhartt also offers the Tappen Cargo pant and shorts on the Force Line. I tried out a pair of both and they breathe better than I do in the triple digits. They also were almost impossible to stain—that says a lot to me. One of my favorite features of the pants and shorts are the pocket options. I may be a dude, but some dudes carry a lot of stuff and it’s not cool for dudes like me to carry a purse, nevermind the fact that I would lose a purse 24 times a day if I had one. Carhartt knows how to cater to dudes like me with every kind of pocket there is. Both pairs of these bottoms have your standard side pockets along with zippered knee pockets, Velcro flap cargo and rear pockets. Another thing I really liked about the shorts is that they weren’t that short. I am a modest man and hate showing my knees.

One complaint I have about the pants is that even though I ordered the shortest inseam they offered they were still about 18 inches long, leaving me drowning in tan fabric. The pants and shorts really lived up to the FastDry technology, claim as they kept me just as dry as the shirts did in the summer heat and after a dip in the lake they dried out in no time.

Carhartt has everything from footwear to headwear & underwear in their Force Line, and yes, the undies are sweat-wicking and odor-repelling, but not flame-resistant. If you need clothing that can be as hard-working as you are or just want to look like you work harder, drop your next paycheck at our local Carhartt store or online. And, ladies for the love of GOD stop wearing Carhartt beanies year-round like you’re always on the job site. –Eric Granato