Vendor Spotlight: Step Up Your Workwear with Tough Duck

It’s not just a clever name, but truly a nomenclature that defines the absolute durability and craftsmanship of this rugged workwear line. When you spend your money, your expectation is that you are purchasing something that will work as hard as you; and still have what it takes to put in the overtime. 

In this month’s Vendor Spotlight, we’re featuring Tough Duck, a company that makes some of the most durable and well-designed workwear around. Their philosophy is simple, but incredibly effective: design workwear that’s as tough and reliable as the essential workers who wear it. Let’s look at who they are, where they come from, and the great workwear that they create.

All About Tough Duck 

Tough Duck is the flagship brand of Richlu Manufacturing, a Canadian company that’s been in the workwear business for over 80 years. For three generations, they have been building work apparel to protect people from the toughest jobs in some of the harshest climates. They are a company and product line built on a foundation of doing what it takes to get the job done. This is also reflected in their Work King Safety high visibility safety apparel.

The “duck” part of Tough Duck’s name comes from cotton duck fabric, one of the most resilient and popular workwear materials. Duck is a woven cotton fabric that features two yarns in the warp and one in the weft. This ingeniously simple design creates a fabric that’s incredibly strong and durable while retaining some flexibility. 

Tough Duck still offers some of the world’s best duck cotton workwear. But, to keep up with the constant change in the way the world works, they now also offer workwear in a range of different fabric types. What’s more, they’ve expanded their selection to include ANSI high-visibility workwear, including jackets, shirts, bibs, pants, and more. 

What Makes Tough Duck Better? 

Tough Duck products are designed to stand up to all kinds of harsh working conditions, from snow to rain to howling winds. What features in their products help accomplish that? We’re glad you asked:

• Experience: Tough Duck’s workwear is created by highly skilled designers with decades of experience in sourcing fabrics and designing professional-grade workwear. 
• Metal Rivets: Genuine metal rivets and shanks make Tough Duck garments more reliable and longer-lasting. 
• 3M Thinsulate™ Insulation: 3M Thinsulate™ is the gold standard for workwear insulation, offering impressive warmth while adding relatively little weight. 
• 3M Taping: Tough Duck also uses 3M’s Retroreflective Scotchlight™ tape, the reflective tape that sets the bar for durability and brilliant reflective characteristics. 
• YKK Zippers: Tough Duck workwear uses exclusively YKK Zippers, the workwear zipper of choice for reliability in the toughest environments.

Tough Duck Products at HiVis Supply

We’ve told you why Tough Duck is one of our favorite brands at HiVis Supply. Now, it’s time to show you just why we like their stuff so much. Here are our favorite Tough Duck pieces that will keep your body warm, dry, and protected through the harshest weather: 

• Work King S187 Class 3 4-in-1 Ripstop Jacket and S876 Class E Quilt Lined Safety Overalls. When you need head-to-toe warmth, visibility, and protection you need look no further. This line features a super durable 300 denier ripstop polyester shell with a polyurethane (PU) membrane and taped seams, making it waterproof/breathable. Top quality components and double-stitch construction keeps these working day in and day out.
• Work King SJ16 Class 3 Thermal Lined Hoodie. If you ever needed to select a single work hoodie to last you a lifetime, this is the only choice. The outer shell is made from an anti-pilling polyester that contains a 180g thermal knit liner.  It also features a snap on hood that can easily be removed. The distinctive X-back stripe pattern is designed with segmented reflective tape against a bright contrast backing. 
• Tough Duck SJ25 Class 1 Premium Cotton Duck Contrasting Safety Bomber Jacket: This is an iconic example of what makes a Tough Duck jacket so reliable. It features an outer shell made from 10-ounce duck cotton with a 6-ounce quilted liner for extreme warmth and all-weather performance. You’ll also find a detachable hood that easily snaps off and on, plus abundant pockets perfect for storing everything from your phone or tablet to small tools. Designed to meet ANSI Class 1 standards thanks to its 3M Scotchlight™ reflective tape. 
• Tough Duck S787 Class 1 6oz Cotton Duck Insulated Contrast Safety Coverall: When it’s time to step up to full-body protection, these Tough Duck coveralls will never take a day off. They offer the classic insulation combo of 10-ounce duck and 6-ounce polyester liner, plus six roomy pockets for all of your work essentials and side zippers for easy access to your boots. They’re also ANSI Class 1 tested and feature double-stitched 3M Scotchlight™ tape for longer-lasting hi-vis performance. 

Of course, that’s only the beginning of what Tough Duck has to offer. See HiVis Supply’s full selection of Tough Duck and Work King workwear to find out about the many great options that these workwear professionals have designed for the hardest-working people around.