My Shopping Coup of 2005- Lake N Trail Jacket

This is a Lake N Trail version of a Carhartt work jacket.It has held up well, and is actually almost too warm for me.

I had been looking for a jacket to replace my winter outside work coat which was so worn out that the patches on the patches were wearing through.But I didnt want to pay a lot of money.Just before Christmas 2005 I was in Meijer finally getting serious about this project.I looked at Carhartt jackets and couldnt believe the prices, so I also looked at the Lake N Trail brand. They were only $80 for a jacket.Wow...they were on sale for half price that week. So I decided what my family was going to get me for Christmas and took it to the cash register.When I got there I was told that it was also Santa Bucks day, and so I got my coat for only $35 which included the tax!I took it home, told my husband to give me the $35, traded him for the coat and told him to wrap it up!Brush off hands, smile smugly, Christmas shopping done! (Oh wait... Im supposed to buy things for them too!)

This is a brown canvas jacket with wide knit cuffs and bottom band.It has an attached hood with a drawstring, and a heavy-duty metal zipper. There are sweat-shirt-style front pockets. Shell 100% cotton, lining and fill are polyester.Made in China.

Here are some more of the good things (in addition to the great deal):

There is a hanging loop both on the inside of the neck, and a wide one sewn to the outer back at the top of the yoke.

There is an inside pocket with a zipper, and this is a feature that the Carhartts did not have!

The sleeves are lined with nylon so it slips on easily.

It doesnt say that its coated in any way to keep it clean, but I have to say that it is not looking filthy around the edges like so many of my coats become, all too quickly.And it is not showing any frayed places on the ribbing or the folds of the canvas where they are gathered into the ribbing. This is with three winters of use.

Here are the things that I have not liked so much:

The lining is black.Because my everyday not-for-work coat was also worn out Ive ended up wearing this for all except dressy occasions ever since I bought it.My hair is gray, and my dogs hair is red.That black lining just displays an entire layer of contrasting gray and red fur.

It is really too warm for me.This may not be a problem for most people.Im sure my husband would be quick to say its just average.But it is almost too warm to work in.I certainly cant layer it over a sweatshirt, or Im ready to peel something off in about ten minutes of being outside.If you prefer to dress in layers as I do, this is too heavy.

Its also a little too big for me.The smallest size they had was mens Medium, and I really need a Small.I realize that this would not be a problem for most people.