The Perfect Chore Coat: A Personal Journey

The search for the perfect chore coat has taken me far and wide, all stemming from my love affair with my first Carhartt C01 Chore Coat purchased at Dave’s on 6th Avenue in NYC back in the mid-90s when I first moved to the city.

Love at Second Sight

I wasn’t immediately smitten. In fact, the coat languished in my closet unused for years. Then we started building a house, and that old chore coat came out of hiding, quickly transforming into an essential workhorse. That’s when the real love affair blossomed.

What made it perfect? It was a swing back coat, providing excellent mobility for chopping wood and full range of movement. The thick canvas construction meant you could wade through pricker bushes without issue (though it couldn’t protect your head, hat, or pants, unfortunately). It excelled at keeping me comfortable during chilly yard work, cutting and gathering firewood, and all manner of outdoor tasks. Above all, it was supremely comfortable, surprisingly stylish, and tough as nails.

The Search Begins

Around 2020, my beloved C01 was literally falling apart at the seams, and I needed a replacement. To my dismay, Carhartt had “updated” the classic, replacing it with model 103825. While similar in appearance, it lacked one of the most crucial features—the signature Carhartt cuff. They’d switched to a more jean jacket-style cuff, which completely ruined it for me.

After some initial research, I settled on a Dri Duck chore coat, which seemed the closest alternative at the time. It had its merits: the pocket configuration was arguably more useful than the C01 (with hand-warming pockets and a convenient phone pocket), it came at a reasonable price, and it was a bit warmer. It even featured the full swing shoulders, which I appreciated.

But it wasn’t perfect. The color was odd and developed a pinkish hue as it aged, and the canvas wasn’t nearly as tough as the C01. I couldn’t bear to retire my tattered original, so I used the Dri Duck for errands and light chores while reserving the increasingly threadbare C01 for serious work.

The Quest Intensifies

As time passed and my trusty C01 continued to deteriorate, my fondness for it only grew. And as the Dri Duck started taking on more demanding jobs, I found myself longing for a new C01—or something as close to it as I could find.

I embarked on an exhaustive search, exploring options from the reasonable to the ridiculous (if budget isn’t a concern for you). I decided I’d either find an authentic C01, reluctantly overpay for a hipster Carhartt alternative, or settle for the Dickies waxed canvas chore coat.

After much searching—and nearly settling for the 103825 before realizing it had the wrong cuffs, and even considering used C01s on eBay—I stumbled upon a miracle: a brand-new medium C01 on Poshmark! What were the odds? Perhaps the last new one on the planet. It wasn’t quite the original (they used chest sizes back then rather than small/medium/large), but desperate times called for desperate measures.

I almost bought a Full Swing Chore Coat Model 102707, which is quite similar to the C01 and features the Carhartt cuff. The key differences are its fleece collar, fleece lining, and larger pockets (accessible from the side like the Dri Duck). But it, too, was sold out and possibly discontinued.

An Open Letter to Carhartt

Dear Carhartt: If you genuinely want to improve the C01, here’s my wishlist:

Keep the shape and the unwashed thick duck canvas and full swing shoulders
Use a thicker, genuine wool blanket lining
Update the bottom pockets so you can slip your hands in from the side, with proper lining
Add a phone pocket on top
The buttons work fine, though they tend to scratch vehicles during repairs (I’d be curious to see snap buttons and a zipper like the Dri Duck, which proved quite practical)
And above all: KEEP THE CARHARTT CUFF!
Easiest would be to take the OG Detroit Jacket, and just make it longer like the chore coat, with the unwashed char hart brown canvas and brown corduroy collar. Just stop there or add a snap flap over the zipper for good measure.

The Carhartt OG Winter Chore coat comes close, but you’ve ruined it with that “Peanut” color, added a black collar (is nothing sacred?), and priced it at nearly $300, clearly targeting hipsters from Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Carhartt, please heed my suggestions: bring back the C01 for regular working folks. If you want to update it and charge $300, make the changes I’ve suggested, and perhaps regular people might justify spending that much on a work coat.

Final Thoughts

If you’re in the same boat as me—looking to replace a classic that seems impossible to find—check out the @DriDuck and @DickiesWorkwear options, or prepare to pay the hipster tax for the @CarharttWorkInProgress OG. But if you’re lucky, like I was, you might just stumble upon the real deal when you least expect it.

What’s your experience with chore coats? Have you found the perfect one? Share your thoughts in the comments below and tag @Carhartt if you agree they should bring back the classic C01!

Saved you some time by including the links.

Okay, here are the names of the items as clickable links, now with the price listed next to each one:

Carhartt