I wanted to start off by saying, the coat is very WARM and has helped me survive this very cold winter two months that I have owned it, I love it for that...but...

I purchased this item Dec 26 2010.  Feb 6, 2011 I first contacted Carhartt about some quality issues.  After less than than 2 months of wear (probably more like a month),  and washing the item, maybe once a week, if that,  in a manner as instructed on the label, in an HE washing machine, which is more gentle on clothing, premature wear is occuring. The cuffs are already starting to fray and there is a thread-bare hole starting on the back of the coat about the size of a pea.  It's not from getting caught on anything, or from trauma, it's thread bare, which means it's defective.  The dark brown faded a lot, but doesn't bother me as much as the other issues.  I am a female truck driver the hardest things I do are turn the steering wheel, shift gears, and open trailer doors. Plus I do wear long cuffed gloves over the sleeves when I do have to do anything. I get road salt on my coat going in between the trailers, so I did need something washable.  I contacted Carhartt and the representative, in lieu of returning it for inspection, (which would have taken two weeks and during the coldest winter I can remember in a long time with no backup coat) suggested I take it to where it was purchased so that the manager was authorized to examine it for defects on behalf of Carhartt.

So I took the coat back to where it was purchased, showed the manager my receipt from Dec 26th 2010, (again, not even two months of wear) told her I drive for a living, no hard labor, and was told that's the nature of the sandstone material. Was also told it's washed with rocks, which apparently makes the fabric fragile. I was then scolded for washing it too much and was told it should be washed once or twice a year....?? (Label in coat states it is machine washable and does not say anything about how many times it should be washed.)  She did tell me if the hole got any bigger bring it back again and that Carhartt will only do replacements for the zipper, not the premature type of wear that I showed her.  She also told me if I got a replacement coat, "IT WOULD DO THE EXACT SAME THING".

I emailed Carhartt again about what this manager told me and he replied with this e mail  Feb 14th "We have passed your email along to our Canadian division so that they can contact the store.  The information that you were provided is incorrect.  We do expect our garments to withstand everyday wear.  Additionally, our sandstone garments are not rock washed but rather micro sanded, which does not weaken the fabric in any way.  Please reply with the style number (example...C26 BLK XL REG) color and size of the garment and we will do all we can to get this taken care of for you.  Thank you for your patience."  Feb 15th I gave him the information he requested and I guess I got the brush-off, It's now March 5th, never heard anything more about it.

When I purchased this item, I thought I was buying a work coat for a working person, such as a big tough lumberjack type man who's rough on things. And I thought the coat would be made with material that wolves couldn't bite though and such.  I also thought since I don't do heavy construction,  pour cement, do lumberjacking activities, etc that this coat would be more than adequate for me. I did not think I was buying a wimpy "dress coat" that had to be babied and fussed over all the time, and couldn't be worked in because it will get dirty before your allowed once a year washing.

This is the first Carhartt coat I ever purchased and I expected a tougher product. My husband and I have other garments many years old that we've used in much much rougher fashion that show no signs of wear. Not a fray on the sleeves, not one hole...Work clothing, Denim jackets, hunting jackets, etc.  I paid a lot of money for this coat, after two months it looks like it's 2 years old.  Maybe it's because it's made in Mexico now instead of the USA?

I'll try a different company for the coat next time.