Carhartt Rain Defender vs Midweight Hoodie: Sized for a Crew

Key Takeaways

• We customize five Carhartt hoodies in two weights: 10.5-ounce midweight and 13-ounce Rain Defender.
• Carhartt says Rain Defender keeps you dry in light rain; it runs warmer, so heated shops rarely need it.
• Four of the five are labeled Loose fit: between sizes, take the smaller one.
• Every one takes a left-chest logo up to 4 by 4 inches.

Table of Contents

• Which Carhartt Hoodies Can You Customize?
• Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodie vs Midweight: Which Does Your Crew Need?
• How Big Can Your Logo Go on a Carhartt Hoodie?
• How to Size a Carhartt Hoodie Order for a Crew
• Carhartt Shirts and Jackets That Take the Same Logo
• Ordering Carhartt Hoodies with Your Logo: No Minimum, Proof First
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Picking Your Weight, Size, and Logo

A Carhartt Rain Defender hoodie or a Carhartt midweight hoodie: for a crew order, that is the first call. We customize five Carhartt hoodies, and one number separates them. Three are 10.5-ounce midweight fleece and two are 13-ounce Rain Defender fleece. The two heavier styles also carry Carhartt's water-repellent finish, so one choice settles warmth, light rain, and comfort in a heated shop.

Below, the five styles sit side by side from their spec sheets. Then come the questions the sheets leave open: logo size, crew sizing, and which Carhartt shirts and jackets take the same logo.

Which Carhartt Hoodies Can You Customize?

Here are the five we carry as of October 2026, three midweight and two Rain Defender, from their manufacturer spec sheets. Every one has a three-piece hood with a drawcord, at least one hand warmer pocket, and rib knit cuffs and waistband reinforced with spandex.

The fabric column carries one detail the spec sheets bury: the blend varies by color. On the midweight styles, the core colors (Black, Carbon Heather, New Navy, Moss, Carhartt Brown) run 50/50 or 59/41 cotton to polyester. Heather Grey runs 70/30. Brite Lime and Brite Orange, offered on CTK121 and CTK122 only, run 50/50. The Paxton styles run 75/25 or 55/45 in Black and New Navy and 55/45 in Carbon Heather.

Carhartt is moving select colors from 50/50 to 59/41 on the midweights and from 75/25 to 55/45 on the Paxtons. Its spec sheets say weight and fabric properties stay the same, and an order may arrive with a mix of both blends.

None of the five is 100% cotton: the current fleece is a blend in every style and color we carry.

If you already know which one you want, browse custom hoodies and put your logo on the real Carhartt product photo before you order anything.

Carhartt Rain Defender Hoodie vs Midweight: Which Does Your Crew Need?

The 10.5-ounce midweight is the everyday branded layer, and the 13-ounce Rain Defender is for crews that work outside in weather. Midweight is the lighter of the two, and 10.5 ounces is still heavy next to the 8-ounce fleece of a Gildan Heavy Blend. Carhartt says it works as a layer or by itself. That means under a jacket in winter, or on its own in spring and fall.

Rain Defender adds three things. In Carhartt's words, the durable water repellent "keeps you dry and moving in light rain." It is not waterproof, so it does not replace a rain jacket in a downpour. The hood is lined with jersey, a lining the midweight spec sheets do not list, and the hand warmer pocket hides a security pocket inside.

The cost is heat. Thirteen ounces of fleece is a warm garment. In a heated shop or a southern climate, the crew will have the sleeves pushed up by ten in the morning.

Here is how the five sort out by the work:

• An everyday branded layer, indoors and out: the Loose Fit Midweight Hoodie (CTK121). It is the plainest canvas of the five, with one pocket and nothing on the sleeves.
• Crews that take the layer on and off all day: the Loose Fit Midweight Full Zip Hoodie (CTK122). It fits service techs, delivery drivers, and anyone moving between a van and a building. The zipper splits the front, so the logo goes on the left or right chest or the back.
• A crew that wants the Carhartt name visible: the Midweight Hooded Logo Sweatshirt (CTK288). Carhartt's own logo runs down the left sleeve, so your logo goes on the chest or the back. It is also the only one of the five that runs to 5XL.
• Outdoor work in light rain and cold: the Rain Defender Paxton Heavyweight Hoodie (CT100615). It suits landscaping, framing, utility, and farm crews, and anyone who works through drizzle.
• People who want a zip collar: the Rain Defender Paxton Quarter Zip Hoodie (CT100617). It keeps the lined hood and adds a mock neck on an 8-inch brass zipper, so the collar zips up or opens.

How Big Can Your Logo Go on a Carhartt Hoodie?

A left or right chest logo on any of the five Carhartt hoodies we carry runs up to 4 by 4 inches. A printed design across the back runs up to 14 by 16 inches. The Design Studio shows each spot's limit as you place the design, and the design proof confirms the exact size. Our hoodie vs sweatshirt comparison lists every hoodie placement and size. It also covers what a hood seam and a drawcord do to a design.

Three placements matter on a Carhartt specifically. On the three pullovers, the hand warmer pocket takes the lower front, so a full-front print sits above it. The full zip and the quarter zip offer no full front. On the Midweight Hooded Logo Sweatshirt, the left sleeve already carries Carhartt's mark. A sleeve design of yours, up to 3.5 by 3.5 inches, goes on the right. On the Paxton Quarter Zip, the mock neck and its zipper sit above the chest, and there is no center chest spot. A left or right chest logo sits clear of the zipper.

You can choose embroidery, print, or a hand-stitched patch for each side, and mix methods across sides. On a work hoodie, embroidery is the usual choice for a company mark. We stitch up to 9 threads in each spot, and the number doesn't change your price. Print is our full-color method, so a multicolor logo, a photo, or a big back design goes there. A patch gives the badge look that can match a crew's hats.

Carhartt's core palette is dark: Black, Carbon Heather, Carhartt Brown, New Navy. When you upload a logo in the Design Studio, it detects each color in the file and gives it its own swatch. A black wordmark drawn for paper swaps to white thread for a black hoodie before you order. Thread colors are matched to the closest production thread, and we do not promise an exact color match in thread.

How to Size a Carhartt Hoodie Order for a Crew

Four of the five hoodies are labeled Loose fit on their spec sheets, and that label is the sizing rule. Carhartt describes the loose fit as made for easy layering and movement, so the room is built into each size.

A person who sits between sizes takes the smaller one, unless they plan to wear a heavy layer underneath.

Sizing also does not always carry over from one Carhartt garment to another, because Carhartt cuts them to different fits. Four of the hoodies and the pocket tee are Loose fit, while the Gilliam Jacket is Relaxed fit. When you collect sizes for a crew, ask for the size each person wears in a Carhartt hoodie. A jacket size or a jeans size may not transfer.

Each product page carries its own size grid. Four styles run S to 4XL and the Midweight Hooded Logo Sweatshirt runs S to 5XL. Where a size carries a per-hoodie upcharge, the grid shows it next to the size. A crew with two people in 3XL sees the total before checkout.

We do not list tall sizes on these five, so ask us before you order if the crew needs them. Sourcing a Carhartt style we don't list is available on request.

When one size is in doubt, test it before the crew order. To check a finished custom piece, order one; there is no minimum. A single Loose Fit Midweight in a large, with the logo on it, settles the fit. To feel the fleece first, ask for an undecorated hoodie, which the trade calls a blank. A blank sample is available on request for a small fee plus shipping.

Carhartt Shirts and Jackets That Take the Same Logo

The same logo can go on the Carhartt jackets and the pocket tee we carry, in the same order as the hoodies. Three companions suit a crew, and we carry Carhartt caps too if the crew wants a matching hat.

The Carhartt Gilliam Jacket is the light outer layer. Its nylon shell carries Carhartt's Rain Defender water repellent and Wind Fighter technology over quilted polyester insulation, in S to 3XL with a relaxed fit. The Carhartt Thermal Lined Duck Active Jacket is the heavy canvas one. It is 12-ounce cotton duck with a thermal-lined hood, a brass front zipper, and triple-stitched main seams, S to 5XL. Carhartt rates the Gilliam warmer, though: Warmth Rating Level 2 against Level 1 for the duck jacket.

For the shirt under either, the Carhartt Workwear Pocket T-Shirt is a 6.75-ounce cotton jersey tee, S to 4XL. Its heathers and brite colors are blends. Its left chest pocket takes the left chest spot, so a logo goes on the right chest, above the pocket, or on the back. A big back design on the tee goes to print.

One design can span all of them. Pieces with the same artwork, in the same spots, made the same way, count as one design across every product, color, and size. A split crew can take both hoodie weights in one design, and the more pieces in it, the lower the price of each one. A right-chest embroidered mark on twenty hoodies, ten Gilliam Jackets, and forty pocket tees is one design, and all seventy pieces count toward its price. Move the same logo to a different spot, or change the method, and it becomes a second design.

Browse custom jackets to find both Carhartt jackets, then put your logo on either one in the Design Studio. Check each product page's size grid, since the two run different ranges.

Ordering Carhartt Hoodies with Your Logo: No Minimum, Proof First

The process is the same for one Carhartt hoodie with your logo or a bulk crew order of a hundred. Open the product page and click Start designing. Pick the side, the customization method, and the spot, then upload your logo or build one from scratch. The design shows on the actual Carhartt product photo before you pay; our hoodie design walkthrough shows every screen.

There is no artwork fee and no setup fee. The price reflects the hoodie, the customization method, each spot the design uses, and the quantity. The per-hoodie price falls as the quantity in a design grows. We email you a design proof within 1 to 2 business days of your order, and revisions are unlimited. Nothing is produced until you approve it.

Custom orders that match your approved proof can't be returned or refunded. A one-piece order is refundable only for a defect or a proof mismatch.

We make every order in-house in the USA. Once you approve the proof, your hoodies ship in 1 to 2 weeks, whether embroidered, printed, or patched; transit time is separate. Your order ships with free U.S. shipping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you put your own logo on a Carhartt hoodie?

Yes. We embroider, print, or hand-stitch a patch with your logo onto five Carhartt hoodie styles, on the chest, the back, or a sleeve. Upload the logo in the Design Studio and see it on the Carhartt product photo before you order. A left or right chest logo runs up to 4 by 4 inches.

What is the difference between Carhartt Rain Defender and the standard midweight hoodie?

Weight and weather. The midweight is 10.5-ounce cotton/poly fleece. Rain Defender is 13-ounce fleece with a jersey-lined hood and a hidden security pocket. Its durable water-repellent finish, Carhartt says, keeps you dry in light rain. It is warmer and heavier, so it belongs on outdoor crews more than in a heated shop.

Do Carhartt hoodies run big?

Yes, by design. Four of the five hoodies we carry are labeled Loose fit, a cut Carhartt describes as made for easy layering and movement. A person between sizes takes the smaller one. Fits vary between Carhartt garments, so ask each person for their Carhartt hoodie size, and order one first when a size is in doubt.

Are Carhartt hoodies 100% cotton?

No. Every Carhartt hoodie we carry is a cotton and polyester blend. The midweight styles run 50/50 or 59/41 in most colors and 70/30 in Heather Grey; the Rain Defender styles run 75/25 or 55/45. Carhartt is shifting select colors between blends and states that weight and fabric properties stay the same.

Can I order Carhartt shirts and jackets with the same logo as the hoodies?

Yes. The Carhartt Workwear Pocket T-Shirt, the Gilliam Jacket, and the Thermal Lined Duck Active Jacket take the same logo in the same order. The design has to use spots each one offers; the pocket tee, for one, has no left chest spot. Pieces with the same artwork, spots, and method count as one design across products, colors, and sizes, so the hoodies, jackets, and tees price together.

Picking Your Weight, Size, and Logo

The weight comes first. A crew that works indoors, or moves in and out all day, wants the 10.5-ounce midweight, as a pullover or a full zip. A crew that works through light rain wants the 13-ounce Carhartt Rain Defender hoodie. Anyone who wants a zip collar takes the quarter zip. Then size by the Loose fit rule and ask for Carhartt hoodie sizes.

For the logo, a company mark in thread on the chest, up to 4 by 4 inches, is the standard crew build. Print handles a full-color logo or a back design. On the Hooded Logo Sweatshirt, your logo stays off the left sleeve. Jackets and pocket tees join the same design when the logo sits in a spot each one offers, so everything prices together.

Design your Carhartt hoodie now: upload the logo, see it on the real product, and order one or a hundred. Have a question before you order? Contact us, and we'll get back to you within 24 hours on weekdays.