I recently bought a brand new J140 (0J0140-M) in a size Large. I am 6’1” 175lb. A Large was almost too bulky on me, but a Medium was just a bit too short in sleeve length for me and I figured any bit of shrinking from washing would render it too small of a jacket for me. So I bought the Large.

Washing:
Since I feel I am between the M and L, I wanted to give shrinking a go. I decided to wash my L jacket on hot and dry it on high (right-side-out) to see how much shrinkage would occur. I took before and after measurements. 

I am new to carhartt jackets, but familiar with the duck pants. I recall the double knee duck pants to shrink in both the length, width and waist. Taking that knowledge to the duck jacket, I figured a bulky L would shrink to a sweet spot for us people in between sizes. 

Measurements:
There are two photos of each measurement. The first measurement is before the wash. The second measurement is after the wash. 

First Impressions:
What I noticed was not much change in measurements, but the jacket visually looked less bulky on me. I prefer how it looks on me after the wash. The machine drying caused some wrinkling or creasing, although I’m sure this will sort itself out with use. Drying inside-out could probably prevent these unnatural creases, but I figured I’ll be washing it right-side-out regularly after dirt and stains from the garage.  The areas with the most shrinkage seem to be in sleeve width, shoulder width, and hem width. The hood is still a big Carhartt hood, doesn’t seem as big overall, and doesn’t feel like it comes as far outward past the face, even though it still does. 

FAQ:
Common conceptions are that washing and drying on high heat will shrink the jacket unevenly since the lined quilt shrinks differently than the unwashed duck, and will pull at points they are sewn together. I don’t notice any of this “unevenness” and the jacket still looks usual and cohesive. Some say the zipper will appear wiggly and unsettled after shrinking the jacket. I don’t notice anything major or that looks unnatural. 

Result:
It didn’t shrink much, but overall it does seem to have shrunk in the right spots to fit more of a happy medium between a bulky Large and a Medium that isn’t quite big enough. Just wanted to put a data point on the map for anyone that cares or is in between sizes.




J140 sizing / shrinkage results