In case you haven’t noticed, winter isn’t over… Adding insult to injury, many of us are staring down the barrel of a holiday-heavy credit card bill.
There isn’t much juice left for splurging on clothes, but when you’re cold you’re cold. You gotta do something about it.
Workwear brands know beating back the cold about as well as they know triple stitching and riveting. It’s in their collective veins. One brand, however, gets the job done for fewer dollars than the rest. It’s Berne apparel.
Related reading: Which is Better? Berne vs. Carhartt
You can spruce up your current workwear closet with some key pieces from Berne without breaking the bank.
The story of Berne apparel
When the Berne company set up in Berne, Indiana, the town was a magnet for Swiss immigrants. You know, the people who live near the Swiss Alps?
The Swiss hike as often as the rest of us brush our teeth, sun, rain or punishing snow? Those winter-hardened local people were the first customers Berne workwear had to serve.
No doubt, it was a tough crowd, even for 1915, but it was the perfect vetting pool for a brand of workwear tough enough to climb the Alps.
From the beginning, Berne manufactured competitive work apparel for hard-working American, Midwestern farmers, and then other laborers.
Nowadays, Berne makes a little bit of everything. They don’t just keep workers from getting cold, they keep them from getting too hot with flame resistant clothing, and they make them more visible with high-vis workwear.
Which do you need, a Jacket or a Coat?
Let’s clear the air on jackets versus coats, a matter that confounded this writer for far more years than he is willing to admit publicly.
You can add this one to your list of questions for social situations:
What is the difference between a jacket and a coat?
Some will say it’s the formality of one over the other. Some will lobby for seasonality. Both answers are incorrect.
If you’re reading this smugly nodding to yourself saying the correct difference is their respective lengths, you can open the champaign now.
Both fall under the category of outerwear, but jackets typically end at the waistline. Coats are longer, down to the thighs at least, but can extend to the ground as in a trench coat. Note, there are no trench-jackets.
Eisenhower made the jacket famous, but he certainly wasn’t the first to wear one. As far as which one you need, personal preference will play a big role, but consider a couple of other factors.
- Does your job require dynamic movement, up and down, but rotational as well? A jacket will likely serve you better.
- Does your job require you to stand around for long periods of time in the drop-dead cold? Get in a coat before you hit the ground.
- Do you wear overalls? Jacket.
- Are you in a vehicle a lot? Jacket.
Don’t believe the concept that in order to stay warm you must wear a coat. There are plenty of jackets which will keep you warmer than a herd of chamois (goat-antelope-like creatures found in the Swiss Alps.)
Why everyone wants a Berne jacket
As far as this online workwear company goes, Berne is one of our top-selling jackets, several times over.
If for any reason you think you’ll be the only one wearing Berne amongst a sea of Carhartt or Dickies jackets, think again.
Our customers love the Berne original quilt-lined hooded jacket as much as they love Berne’s original washed hooded jacket, which also happens to be quilt-lined, but they had to give them different names. They are two of four Berne jackets that make our best sellers list every darn year.
You could call the first jacket mentioned above the “heavy duty version” and the second the “super weight” one. That’s the big difference, anyway.
The heavy-duty hooded jacket is a weighty 10-ounces of cotton duck shielding you from the elements. That’s pretty heavy, but the super-duty one adds two more ounces.
If it were any heavier duty, it could stop bullets. Both are insulated and stuffed with taffeta, making them warmer and more comfortable than Grandma’s feather bed.
There is one more distinction, which may sway your decision. The heavy-duty jacket comes in tan. The other comes in forest green.
If you want an additional layer of Grandma’s comforting, Berne added sherpa lining to the super-duty version in a jacket that’s so warm and tough, it would make a chamois jealous.
In fact, all three jackets will be what you pack for that extended weekend getaway in the Alps.
So, to recap the Berne jackets:
Original Quilt-lined Hooded Jacket
Berne coats are no slackers for warmth
Just because Berne dominates our warmest jackets category, don’t imagine they’ve been snoozing on their coats. If you do a lot of standing around or generally don’t want the occasional draft that sneaks between a pair of pants and a jacket, there’s a Berne coat for you.
The Berne chore coat, sometimes called a barn coat, is built like a long version of the super duty jacket, but without the hood. It’s a 12-ounce cotton duck too, and quilt-lined, but offers a few more pockets than the jacket.
These types of jackets were designed for farmers to spend the day crushing their chores without suffering a winter chill so they’ll take care of most gigs that fall under OSHA regulations.
Berne was kind enough to make a version for the ladies too, the Berne Barn Coat, which adds a hood to the mix. The ladies’ version comes with a hood too, and is a little lighter, but not because it’s less capable.
On the contrary, this is one of our most popular coats for the ladies. These coats are so popular, Berne has struggled somewhat in recent history to keep up with orders.
In fact, we’re recommending you contact us if you’re interested so we can check inventory or contact our Berne rep if need be.
The coats:
Berne overalls keep you warm
If you prefer, we can call them Berne insulated bibs. but bibs always make this writer think of babies. Whether you call them bibs or overalls, they’re perfect for pairing with one of the jackets from above.
You could almost throw a dart at the Berne overall category to pick the ideal pair. They’re all warm as most of the styles we carry are either lined or insulated.
Where they divide is on features.
There are several pairs of overalls that come in camo, which are ideal for hunting or other outdoor activities where you want your legs to blend in.
Outside of those options, the pair of overalls that will keep you the warmest while being the most versatile is Berne’s quilt-lined, washed Insulated Bibs with the zip to hip zipper.
No other bibs from Berne will keep you so warm, but won’t trap you in something you can’t get out of. This is important for those of us who work long hours and often forget how much coffee we drank.
In a hustle to the restroom, these bibs come off faster than stripper pants, and arguably just as sexy. (Who knew workwear could do that??)
In any case, you’ll generally not want to whip these off, but you’ll take comfort in knowing you can in a second’s notice without sacrificing your warmth.
With bibs, one reigns supreme.
Quilt-lined, washed Insulated Bibs
Berne coveralls… um, cover ALL
For mechanics and technicians, Berne insulated coveralls might work better. Mechanics struggle with finding the right workwear when they work in places where garage doors fly open every few minutes.
A garage can get as cold as it does hot, and that change can happen faster than you can send that Snap-on wrench flying across the garage.
A solid solution for fluctuating garage temps is the Berne short sleeve coverall. I know, I know, short sleeves, but hear me out…
You’ll want to keep a jacket nearby for temperature drops, but at least you’ll have the option to throw on a jacket until the heater catches up.
Not only are they sensible, but these coveralls are also resilient. Berne designed them to take tough spills and laugh. It’s their blend of cotton and polyester, a comfy but resistant to stains fabric that will outlast the cold.
If you must absolutely stay warmer than a V12 cranking on a hot July day, Bern’s deluxe insulated coveralls were cut from the same cloth as the bibs mentioned above, but they do, in fact, cover all.
They’re heavy duty duck, insulated, quilt-lined, and zip all the way to the hip. Berne’s added a bunch of goodies for mechanics too, like hammer loops, and places to hang other tools.
In case you missed them…
Get warm and stay warm for the rest of this winter in Berne apparel. Your cold knees will thank you as much as your wallet will.
Of course, Berne makes other great clothes, which you should check out too, but mission accomplished here. These are the hard-hitting winter defenses you should consider before this winter comes back with something tougher.
About the Author
Nick Warrick
Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with hundreds of clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Nick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience.