.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The SCOTTeVEST: Pocket full of miracles
.AUTHOR Dan Wolfson
.SUMMARY If you carry more gadgets than you have pockets, the SCOTTeVEST is tailor-made for you — literally. Think James Bond meets Inspector Gadget. This tech tog has more pockets than a pita factory, and you will look terrific wearing it. Dan Wolfson puts the SCOTTeVEST through its paces in this detailed review.
.FEATURE
If you carry more gadgets than you have pockets, the SCOTTeVEST is tailor-made for you — literally. Think James Bond meets Inspector Gadget. This tech tog has more pockets than a pita factory, and you will look terrific wearing it. Just ask the Secret Service. Where else can you find a great-looking jacket with pockets big enough to hold your Uzi and your Glock 9MM without those unsightly bulges? Many government and law enforcement agencies have adopted the SCOTTeVEST, shown in Figure A, because of its unobtrusive fashion profile and unmatched functionality.
.FIGPAIR A The SCOTTeVEST is a great looking blend of form and function. Somehow, though, we don’t think the dour-faced hotties are included (and no, this is not Dan).
.H1 Pocket full of miracles
The SCOTTeVEST has a passle of pockets: big pockets, little pockets, DeepPockets and Zip-Pip Pocket-In-Pockets to accommodate the widest variety of personal electronic gadgets and other items. This rig would keep a pickpocket with short term memory loss entertained for days!
Individual pockets mean that devices are shielded from scratching each other, which protects your investment. The Version Three.0+ model reviewed here has an amazing 42 pockets, including one in the back that can hold a laptop. Fortunately it (the vest) comes with an owner’s manual.
.BREAK_EMAIL To learn more about the SCOTTeVEST’s secret stash and special features, tap your mouse pointer here.
.H1 Secret stash
Several pockets sport hidden treasures. One of the cavernous hand-warmer pockets features a coil-cord with a metal clip so you never lose your keys, as shown in Figure B.
.FIG B One of the hand-warmer pockets features a coil-cord so you never lose your keys.
An inside pocket has a soft polishing cloth alligator-clipped to an elastic tether to clean your glasses or PDA screens, as you can see in Figure C.
.FIG C An inside pocket has a soft polishing cloth alligator-clipped to an elastic tether to clean your glasses or PDA screens.
The other gargantuan hand-warmer pocket has a second (removable) key tether and an elastic loop big enough to hold your water bottle upright so it doesn’t tip over. A front breast pocket hides an attached flip-out clear plastic holder that is ideal for an ID badge, or that stolen eyeball you need for retinal scans. [Editor’s note: Hey Dan, lay off those spy movies!]
.H1 Flash in the PAN
Okay, you’ve packed your plethora of pockets with PDAs. Now how do you connect your stereo earbuds in their little lapel pouches, shown in Figure D with your state of the art MP3 player way down in the bottom-most pocket, or plug your hands-free headset from the handy collar loops to your cellphone in pocket number 27?
.FIGPAIR D The lapels have little pouches for ear buds and loops for the wires. Nope, needs-a-shave-boy here is not the author, either!
The patent-pending Personal Area Network (PAN) allows you to run wires inside fabric channels throughout the garment to interconnect all your devices. Many of the inside pockets are made of mesh so if the PAN doesn’t pan out, you can always do like they say in the Navy and "make a hole!" through the mesh. Once all your gadgets are installed, you can run this jacked-up jacket through the airport scanner to save time dashing for that last-minute flight.
.H1 Techno klepto
Another clever feature is the self-closing magnetic windflaps arrangement on the front of the SCOTTeVEST that allows the jacket to "button" itself. They also avoid the embarrassment of ripping open noisy hook-and-loop fasteners during that quiet movie love scene and having people glare at you. The magnets have been tested by the company and proven safe for storage media and electronics, but be aware that they are strong enough to securely grab a metal dinner fork as well as hold the SCOTTeVEST closed. Don’t ask me how I know this, but I won’t be going back to that restaurant any time soon.
.H1 Take a load off
Wearing a fully vested SCOTTeVEST is quite comfortable thanks to the wide padded shoulders that spread the weight out evenly. An optional zippered fleece lining is available for cold climates. The SCOTTeVEST comes in several different materials. The Version 3.0+ model is made of a breathable waterproof fabric called Finetex with a lining of Dupont Coolmax material that wicks moisture away from your body and dries quickly. It is called a vest is because the sleeves zip off and can be stored in one of the pockets.
.H1 Quest for vest
There are way too many features to cover here so be sure to read all about it on at SCOTTeVEST’s quite entertaining website at http://www.scottevest.com. The folks at SCOTTeVEST are truly masters of marketing. The SCOTTeVEST has gotten more exposure than Janet Jackson at the half-time show. A company that sponsors a racing Mini Cooper and features customer "Vestimonials" is way up there in my book. Be sure to see the photo, snagged for Figure E, of all the gadgets one of their users packs into his SCOTTeVEST. I quit counting after the crescent wrench, bottle of cologne and can of hairspray.
.FIGPAIR E Can you possibly have too many toys? This is a picture of a real SCOTTeVEST customer (and once again, not Dan).
.H1 The Vest of the story
Standard models come with highly reflective piping across the back and on the side pockets for excellent nighttime visibility and safety. A non-reflective "Stealth" version with no external markings is only available for law enforcement and military use. For those dressier affairs, the company now offers a great looking sports jacket version with the same PAN and panoply of pockets. They also have "The Greatest Baseball Cap Ever: TEC Hat" with two hidden pockets, hidden earloops, and CoolMax mesh interior. You’re sure to get a real charge out of their latest eco-innovation, a model with a solar panel on the back to keep your hungry electron-eating devices topped off.
.H1 Divesting yourself
Prices range from $49.99 for the TEC Windshirt (three pockets) to $399.99 for the limited edition leather Three.0 version. Be sure to check out their site for special sales prices and clearance items. These products are not available in retail stores so you must order online or by phone.
.H1 Under Investigation
When I donned my black-as-coal Version Three.0+ at work, I was immediately surrounded by guys in my office grunting and oohing. It sounded like a Tim Allen fan club meeting. "Nice jacket, where’d ya get it?" seemed to be the consensus. The jacket fits me perfectly and is really comfortable. One of my first impresssions was how nice the black felt strip across the inside of the collar felt on the back of my neck. If you’ve ever thrown on a nylon windbreaker on a cold day and it froze your neck like a snowball, you will appreciate this little design detail. In fact, attention to detail is evident throughout this compartmentalized coat. Overall the SCOTTeVEST gave me an impression of great quality in function, fit and fashion.
.H1 Off the cuff
The cuffs are adjustable so you can put the jacket on and off without the sleeves turning inside out. I liked the convenience of the four little slots in the front for my stylus, pen, pencil and laser-pointer/handcuff pick, as shown in Figure F.
.FIG F Pocket protectors are moving into the 21st Century.
There is even a latching cap strap on the side, for those of you whose mothers warned you that that you will never have a place to hang your hat. If you are the belt and suspenders type, the SCOTTeVEST can be snugged tight with the full-length front zipper and the aforementioned superconducting rare earth (great album!) magnets and the snap closure at the bottom and the waist-cinching bungee cord. You could wear this mighty mack in a typhoon and nothing would fall out.
.H1 Culling cards
One of the most fun things you get to do with your new SCOTTeVEST is the Pocket Card Treasure Hunt. Nearly every pouch and pocket has a different little card inside with suggestions for things you can put in it. I was sure I had found them all and I’m pretty thorough, but yesterday I found one more. I was going to tell you what it said, but now I can’t find it. I forgot which of the 42 pockets I put it in. Not only do I rate the SCOTTeVEST five stars, it deserves the Vestinghouse Seal of Approval.
.RATING 5
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the SCOTTeVEST, visit http://www.scottevest.com.
To see an actual photo of the author (and his pooch), visit http://www.zatz.com/authors/authorpages/danwolfson.html.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
