Customer Reviews

Carhartt Men's Extremes Arctic Quilt Lined Zip-To-Waist Biberall, Black, 40x28

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since I couldn't afford the $887.00 Aerostitch Roadcrafter suit, nor could I try some on, for sizing up before ordering, I went to my local Tractor Supply while they were having a sale on all Carhartt. I never really paid no mind to Carhartt, always just thought, "Farmers" and never thought I'd ever rock "Biberalls" in my life.

One day, I was examining my old jeans, and wished they were made of Cordura, and began searching for pants made from Cordura. These things from Carhartt, and the Coveralls, and the two jackets, all in the "Arctic Extremes" series, and all in beautiful black, were the only apparel that google search uncovered, that weren't motorcycle specific gear. I already have a Cordura suit for riding, and that's what got me yearning for Cordura jeans, just regular style that I could wear off the bike. I guess no one really wants to make said pants, because you'd only need to buy one pair, and they'd last the rest of your life, so the company can't keep making money. Cotton wears out quickly enough to constantly need replacing. Motorcycle gear get's crashed and sandblasted by gravel trucks, etc, so they can get away with using Cordura, and still sell their garments.

My Motorcycle Cordura stuff is armored, and isn't really suitable for everyday wear, looking like a power ranger and what not. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of 1000Denier Cordura, i have bags made from the stuff as well. I still need some regular jeans, but anyway...

It's winter, and I like being warm, so I go these things. I like how they can easily be used for motorcycle riding, because of the zip to waist side zips (#10 YKK Brass Metal), but not look like the traditional leather chaps on the Village People. Yet, they are incognito enough to be worn as "regular" clothing, and not be near a bike.

My own personal views differ from all these people here claiming how incredibly warm these things are. Yes, they're warm, but nothing magical. They have a polyester fill (synthetic) insulation, which, if compared to PrimaLoft, (my opinion, and a rough estimate) would be about equal to 120 - 135 grams of PrimaLoft One fill. It's warm, but I'm an exceptionally cold person. I treat this kit as my "shell" for ultimate protection, from wind, rain driblets, flying swarms of hornets, hail, whatever - it's 1000D Cordura! Here, look at this copy and paste of a comparison chart from some website, that may or may not be accurate:

Tear and Abrasion Strength by the numbers

Product / Material Pounds of force until fabric tears Abrasion cycles until fabric fails

Cotton Jeans 4.5 pounds to tear 50 cycles to failure

70 Denier Standard Nylon 4.5 pounds to tear 165 cycles to failure

500 Denier Polyester 8 pounds to tear 180 cycles to failure

200 Denier Standard Nylon 7.5 pounds to tear 275 cycles to failure

500 Denier Cordura 22 pounds to tear 710 cycles to failure

620 Denier Cordura 35 pounds to tear 1200 cycles to failure

Competition Grade Leather 80-110 pounds to tear 1200-1700 cycles to failure

1000 Denier Cordura 110 pounds to tear 1780 cycles to failure

Air Mesh Kevlar 1260 pounds to tear 1800 cycles to failure

Stretch Kevlar Blend 420 pounds to tear 1800 cycles to failure

I love them. They have some caveats, that no one else has mentioned, but let me just tell you. The snaps don't line up right. All of them. It's like they positioned the snaps to work with a thin zipper, then put this huge zipper in there, which makes the pieces that huge zipper width apart, so when you snap them up, you have to struggle, almost like you're trying to crush the zipper. The zipper doesn't lay flat when the snaps are snapped. That's what I'm trying to say. It's very hard to snap any snaps, and all the ones at the store were all the same way.

The huge, burly, metal, toothy fly - it's... um... scary to pee. You don't really want to only utilize that "fly", because it's so high up, almost like belly button height, and doesn't unzip low enough to really be of any use to humans. I have to un-do the top, and lower the entire situation enough to have a LOT of clearance away from that zipper. You would lose that battle. It's hard to keep the huge zipper away from tender parts, without really un-doing most of the bib.

There are a LOT of options out there, for black, insulated bibs (bib overalls, dungarees), but none of the others are Cordura nylon, that melts if you weld, or throw sparks at it, but is eighty million times more stronger than cotton. So, even with the above design flaws, this was the only choice for me.

Sizing. I don't know how much this will help, but whenever I look for sizing suggestions, I never get enough information, so here goes. I'm six feet tall, 195 lbs, 43" chest when relaxed, and I may have slightly broad shoulders. I wear 36" waist x 32" inseam pants, that fit loosely, but gives me more room in the rear and the thighs and stuff. I tried on a lot of different bib overalls, and I found the perfect size for me, which was 36" waist, 30" inseam. My "real" inseam is 34" measured with a book pressed into my bicycle seat area, and measured against a wall, but I hate when my pants touch the ground and get dirty if I walk in a public restroom. The 36"x30" Carhartt Extremes Arctic Cordura Bib Overalls are SO CLOSE to touching the ground, but the don't. It's about as perfect as they can get. The reason I needed slightly shorter inseam, is because the girth of the leg openings are much more open, so they don't hit my shoes and wrinkle - they fall over more of the shoes and don't "break". While sitting, my 32" inseam jeans stick out the bottom slightly, but while standing, my overalls are longer than the pants, and are millimeters from touching the ground when I walk.

I got the same size waist measurement as my normal jeans, because these are built like a jacket for your pants, I think they're cut for fitting over other clothing, and these fit over my jeans just fine. I'm currently wearing a synthetic vest, under the bib (upper) portion, and it's nice to have all that room for layerings. I was also able to get the size 34" overalls over my pants, and they looked very fitted, but the 36's were just very pajama-like comfortable. Just loose enough. I have a bit of a gut, so while sitting, my stomach fits nicely in the upper portion of these bibs.

Maybe I have a long torso, I don't know how to measure that, but these bibs do not come undone and hit me in the chin, like another reviewer said. I was worried about this, but mine fit so they never come undone while sitting and the top of the bib just goes to the top of my sternum, no where near hitting my chin, and it's all really flush against my front. I thought they looked baggy in the upper portion when I first tried them on, but it seems like they're "breaking in" and molding to my figure or something, the top sits pretty flush now, and I love it.

I do think I'll replace the breast pocket zipper pulls with 550 paracord, because those zipper pulls are bright brass colored and pretty large, and positioned right where nipples would be - so if I move a certain way, I can spin them like pasties, not really - but they do remind me of pasties, or large gold piercings there. Maybe they'll tarnish with age, and not be so blingy, but if not, I'll be paracord knotting those zippers.

As everyone else has talked about the stiffness, but my Cordura motorcycle pants broke in nicely, and they aren't stiff, so I've been wearing these constantly for the last few days, and they're breaking in nicely. They'll never be soft like cotton, but I like it.

Another thing to note, the side "carpenter" pockets, are smaller than on my jeans. All my jeans are that style, so I have an EDC (Every Day Carry) system that fits those pockets, and the smaller side pockets on these bibs messed up my swag. But these did add another similar pocket on the other side, while my jeans are all one-sided.

I got the Coat, with detachable hood and these, instead of the coveralls, for more versatility, but also a lot more insulation in the chest. The bib is insulated, and tall, so it's like a built-in insulated vest, it's really warm, and helps with cold billowing up your jacket. I can layer insulation under and over it.

Be sure to get the PERFECT size, because these will be around the rest of your life, if you keep away from heat/flame. They won't really shrink, like the cotton ones, so find a place to try on with the boots and pants you're going to wear under them, and take your time - really make sure you have enough room for a vest under the top portion, and don't let them drag on the ground, because that's the only way these things could prematurely wear out.

They're not Gore-Tex, but they have a water resistant coating on the underside of the 1000 Denier Cordura, same as Spec Ops Wallets. This coating also protect the material from fraying.

The pockets are DEEP and nice, but I think the interior of the pockets is a cotton, like a linen. It's a nice weave. Like probably a duck cotton, and feels like the inside pockets of a new pair of Dickies Work Pants, like crispy, starchy. I really like how it has both back pockets, but you can access your pants underneath through the top part of the zip to waist side zips.

This jacket and pants are my "shell" layer. For supreme protection. It's also very lightweight, I'm betting a lot lighter than the cotton duck versions. I'm constantly amazed at the lightness of the jacket.

I purchased these puppies couple nights ago from Big R in town. I wanted to share my experience with them. I ride my motorcycle to save on gas here in Colorado. It feels like this is the coldest place on earth. Sometimes I google temperatures around the states and some nights we have the coldest freakin cities in the mountains. Cold weather, high elevation, riding the motorcycle creates a lot of wind chill as well.

I wanted to save money so I started dressing in layers (before I bought these biberalls)... it took so much time to dress and undress at my destination, that I finally gave in and decided to buy something. Well...

I logged onto walmart.com and purchased their 12oz duck coveralls. I figured they would work pretty good and had a 5 star review. I got them in... and they are pretty warm... but not as warm as I wanted riding in 3 degree weather. I ended up returning them and going to Big R and buying the Carhartt biberalls. Oh my goodness... they are freakin WARM. Wow... yea they are worth the money for sure.

They are stiff, so if you want comfort and softness go somewhere else. Carhartt is for the working man boys.

They are awesome. Heavy duty zippers. I read on one review that the zippers were crap. That reviewer must have been an idiot. Everything on them are high quality.

If you need the best protection from the cold, then buy them. If you are gonna complain about the stiffness then dont buy them and quit reading these reviews.

Very warm and fits great. Pay attention to the sizing suggestions, they were a little long in the inseam until I drew in the suspenders all the way. Not the traditional "duck" material-all poly so I doubt they will ever "break-in" like the other carhart stuff I own. Only complaints-the suspender latches come undone when you get in the truck and the upper portion of the bibs are very stiff and will hit you in the chin when sitting. Welders-these babies will burn up quick from the sparks.

I ordered the men's Carhartt 36 X 30 extremes arctic quilt lined black biberall (style #R33 on the Carhartt website) from Amazon on a Saturday with standard shipping and received them at my house on a Thursday. These are the best and warmest biberall's Carhartt makes. Carhartt has a company owned store in my state which I did visit and bought my Carhartt extremes arctic quilt lined coat from, but they did not have any of the extreme biberall's in stock on October 30th 2011. The Carhartt company store referred me to Cal Ranch who did have them and I tried on several different sizes there, but they did not have the exact size I needed. Cal Ranch had the 36 X 32 size which was the best fit overall for me except they were a little too long and the 34 X 30 size I tried on was the perfect length, but a slightly tight fit around my chest and stomach area. They did not have any of the 36 X 30 size that I knew would be the perfect size for me. The perfect fit is critical when buying Carhartt clothing gear and I recommend you only buy the best size for you because Carhartt clothing is extremely long lasting and you will own them for a very long time. Since I had such a hard time finding the exact size I needed locally I ended up ordering these biberalls from Amazon. They arrived in four shipping days and the 36 X 30 size fit me perfectly.

Why did I buy the Carhartt brand and why did I want the warmest heavy duty biberalls they make? I have had outdoor jobs for the last twenty two years, so I am out in the extreme cold for eight hours a day during the winter months. I used to work outside as a switchman on the rail road at a steel mill and I bought Carhartt brown coveralls with the black quilt lining (these were the heaviest weight and warmest they made at that time) 20 years ago after spending an eight hour graveyard shift freezing half to death on an extremely cold night when the wind was blowing about forty miles an hour. I was dressed pretty warm that night, but not warm enough for the wind chill factor. The older more experienced guy's that I worked with on the rail road recommended that I buy the warmest heavy weight Carhartt's. This single brand was the only brand recommended to me 20 years ago by the guy's who worked with me outside in the cold on the rail road. Carhartt's are wind proof. I have wore the same Carhartt coveralls every winter for 20 years and they are still in good condition and keep me very warm every time I wear them! There are no rips anywhere on these 20 year old Carhartt coveralls even after climbing up into steel rail road cars for eight winters. The only wear they do have is the bottom of the coveralls have frayed where they touched the ground (the rail yard was filled with a larger size of rough gravel). These 20 year old coveralls I have are beyond tough. I never have owned a piece of clothing that lasted this long ever. 2010 was the last winter I wore these still good old Carhartt coveralls because they are a little too small for me now with the layered clothing I wear under them. I was 23 years old when I bought them new and I am 43 years old in 2011, so I'm a little bigger now then I was back then. I still kept the old coveralls if I have to work on a greasy car in the winter. The brown color of the old coveralls I have looks very dirty since I have always had dirty jobs. They have a black dirty staining on them which will not come out and I always washed them in regular detergent without bleach. My friend sprayed spray and wash stain remover on his Carhartt coat and it caused the material to fray in the areas around the cuffs where he sprayed spray and wash on the coat (do not use it). I wanted the black color on the new ones and I wanted the Carhartt extremes arctic quilt lined biberalls with an extemes arctic quilt lined coat instead of the coveralls (I bought the style #C55 Carhartt coat). The black color will still look good when they get dirty and the coat with biberall is actually superior to the coveralls when the temperature warms up a little too warm for wearing Carhartt gear. You can take the coat off and keep the biberalls on. I wear layered clothing under the Carhartt's. I have been wearing a sweatshirt with a light Polartec fleece jacket under the new black extremes arctic quilt lined Carhartt coat when it gets really cold outside. Under the biberalls I will usually wear thermals and blue jeans. If it gets really cold I will wear thermals with a pair of Polartec fleece sweat pants I have. The biberalls and the coveralls both fit over the Sorel Glacier snow shoes I own which are rated to negative 100 below. Those Sorels are big shoes and the Carhartts fit over them just fine. These extreme Carhartts are very stiff when new, but they get softer with age and washing them helps. My old Carhartt coveralls were very stiff when they were new also, but they are very soft now after 20 years of wearing and washing them.

I would like to thank Carhartt for helping me keep warm for the last 20 years and making the toughest cold weather gear I have ever owned. I will only buy the Carhartt brand due to it is worth every penny. This brand lasts and it is hands down the best you can buy for tough working conditions. If you work outside in the extreme cold weather then I cannot recommend anything else but the Carhartt brand to you because I know it works better than anything else. I would also like to thank my friends again who recommended Carhartt's to me 20 years ago.

I am very satisfied with this purchase, they are well worth the money. I wear these ice fishing. If you you need some warm, rugged bib overalls, look no further.

Very warm and comfortable bibs. Inseam sizes are dead on so I recommend you not buy them long so you are not walking on the bottom of the legs while not fully zipped. They have handy snaps on bottom to keep them closed while walking/working, and the double zippers on legs make it easy to reach inside pants pockets. I work outside most of the day here in Montana and I love this product, look no further.

I got the biberall because I was moving up to Grand Forks, North Dakota to work for the railroad. As I'm sure most people know, it's frigid up here during the winters. Standing outside for 8+ hours in -10 degrees (or colder) with 20-30 mph winds can take a toll on your body heat. I Put these baby's on and I feel no wind, and I'm kept quite warm. I pair them with a pair of insulated jeans for the extra cold days and I'm all set. They're extremely durable and handy. It's tough to fit my gloved hands in the pockets if I'm waiting for instruction, but I can jam my thick gloves in there if need be. Although the pockets aren't lined with any insulation, that's what gloves are for. The zippers are nice and big so I can work them with my gloves. The snaps don't line up very well on the leggings as others have said, but it's not an issue for me. They are a bit stiff (especially when it's super cold), but I can climb up on the rail cars/locomotives without any issues. In my work environment, there's nothing better than these (almost everyone I work with has some form of insulated biberall). If you're looking for something long lasting and warm, look no further.

These carhart products are the warmest set of work cloth I have found. I'm working in a lignite powered plant outside in all types of weather even when up on conveyors that are 8 to 12 stories up the wind and cold does not get through these carhart coat and cover alls.

Bought these for my husband for christmas. He loves them. He says they a very warm and rugged. He wont buy anything else. And he is very hard on his clothing.

these things are warm and not the sweating kind the kind where you feel no wind and they are water resistant also