As a longtime wearer of Carhartt outerwear, I was excited to find a retailer carrying some discontinued NOS Carhartt outerwear styles. These finds are real gems to those who know Carhartt before it became highly fashionable, as has happened over the last several years.

The company, Cable Connection & Supply, is a homegrown, old-school “mom & pop” shop selling all sorts of tools and workwear. Recently, I purchased the Arctic Traditional Jacket (J002) as part of their closeout sale. The stock is more than 10 years old. (The J002 style was introduced in 2012 and discontinued in 2019. Carhartt has never offered a direct replacement style.) I have worn this style for many years. I have the early version of the style (JQ186) from 1997 that still goes strong, though due to its vintage, I have retired it from use during grubby, manual labor tasks. (Admittedly, I don’t get to wear it too often in the Southern Great Plains, except on the coldest days of the year, which tend to be around mid-late January.)

Map courtesy of Brian Brettschneider.

Screengrab from a web crawl at the Wayback Machine. The J02 (formerly the JQ186) was the predecessor to the J002. Carhartt introduced this style in 1982 with their new Arctic Wear line.

Adding to the excitement, Cable Connection & Supply has some NOS of the legendary Carhartt Sandstone Active Jac (J130) for sale on their website. Prices start at $69.99, which is a bargain compared to greedy reseller prices seen on third-party selling platforms.

Carhartt stopped manufacturing the J130 in 2019 (again offering no direct replacement). Carhartt introduced the J130 in 2002 (it was one of the last “J code” styles produced) as a direct replacement to the J68.

If you’re looking for some tried and true outerwear, good deals, and good old-fashioned (and sincere) customer service, head to Cable Connection & Supply!