Carhartt Took Us to a Detroit Tigers Game to Show Us a Jacket You Need This Fall

The Detroit-based company hooked us up with their latest product.

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They say people in your life are seasons, but Kanye would agree that this applies to your clothing as well. Fall is fast approaching, and as the summer comes to a close, so too does the dresser drawer containing all of your favorite summer style items. Shorts and tank tops will no longer do against the oncoming elements; and, when it comes time to attend all those autumn ball games and tailgates, you don't want to get caught shivering in the stands. Yes, it's difficult for all of us to accept (especially when it's still 90 degrees in New York City), but it's going to get colder soon. 

Thankfully, Carhartt is here to help. This summer, the official apparel supplier of the Detroit Tigers grounds crew took us out to Detroit to show off one of their newest products: the Full Swing Sandstone jacket, a roomy and well-insulated model which incorporates trademark technology to offer more comfort and a greater range of movement for the wearer. It has the "Freedom Gusset", the "Mighty Back", and the "Flex Elbow", which all sound like pieces to assemble a J.J. Watt action figure; but, basically, these mean that you're going to be plenty comfortable wearing this jacket, and you should buy it one size smaller than you normally would wear. 

In recent years, Carhartt has gained recognition for its A.P.C. collaborations, and the Work In Progress offshoot—the attention has been well-earned. But anyone who really knows the brand knows that its origin lies in the workmen's wear and its appeal to blue-collar buyers. This is the stuff that's made for building streets, not posing on them for Tommy Ton. And it's that difference, along with Carhartt's Michigan roots, which accounts for the brand's popularity in Detroit, a city that prides itself fiercely on its gritty, no-frills attitude.

The Full Swing Sandstone jacket fits perfectly into this mold. It may boast some flashy technology to make the user-experience more friendly, but it's all woven into a design that's understated and simple. It's a jacket for the outdoorsman in us all, the type who's taking a weekend away from the city to hike the Catskills or hole themselves up in a log cabin and record that fire acoustic folk album they've been meaning to drop all these years.

It seems to work pretty well for the Detroit Tigers grounds crew, too. They were gracious enough to take a group of writers around the field, showing us the ropes of their trade before an early-season match-up between the Tigers and the Minnesota Twins. We're weren't scaling any scoreboards...

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...but on a cool morning, as the ball park readied for the day's game, the fresh grass and sunlight provided a welcome toast to the baseball season. Say what you want about this sport, but it's nothing if not fan-friendly. Every ball park features its own set of entertainments to complement the action on the field. In Comerica Park, you've got the Comerica Carousel, and the Fly Ball Ferris Wheel, among other ostentatious delights. But the hustle the grounds crew puts in every morning before each home game is what really makes the field pop.

Whether they're raking the in-field dirt, watering the grass, or making sure every detail on the Olde English "D" is just right, the men and women walking out in their Carhartt jackets are the ones who put together the perfect, pristine image of America's pastime. They aren't jacking homers into the bleachers, but baseball isn't baseball without their monk-like dedication to the horticultural arts. 

With the Full Swing Sandstone jacket, this crew has apparel that can match their hustle. And, while it's going to find more use in the coming months, it turns out that this item isn't limited to any one season. As our day at the park wore on, the sunlight held, but a too-cool breeze began to blow across the park in the early afternoon as the game progressed into the later innings. Sitting in the shade, I was doing anything I could just to stay warm.

I'd left my jacket back at the hotel. Of course. Don't find yourself in the same position this fall.

Purchase the Full Swing Sandstone Jacket here.

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