baby, it’s cold outside …

This year, Gear Diary has hit several milestones; I wanted to do something super-special to mark the event and thank the writers, other than just sending items from their Amazon Wish Lists which is what I have done in the past. After wracking my brain, I wrote to Scott Jordan, a long time friend and owner of SCOTTEVEST; I asked him what kind of price break he could give me if I ordered jackets in bulk, and his answer was surprisingly do-able.

Why go with SeV? The answer for me was simple: they are extremely well made, I love their products, these items hold up over time, I think their products look great, I wanted to support a business that I believe in, and I could get item ordered personalized with the Gear Diary logo!

Scott set me up with his custom embroidery guy (Rick from S&R Monogramming), and together they made sure that the Gear Diary writers were perfectly outfitted for the winter weather.

After everyone had received their packages, I asked them to send me a picture of them wearing their jackets, along with a few sentences telling what they like — or don’t like — about SeV products in general. We are all different shapes and sizes, and I thought it would be interesting to not only see how we all looked in our new gear, but also hear what everyone thought about it.

Larry Greenberg – I wore my Signature System for the first time on my family’s day trip to NYC. What amazed me most was not the amount of pockets the system has or the amount of stuff it can hold. That’s a given. What blew me away was how much stuff you can pack into the coat without feeling that it’s even there once you put it on.

The jacket has a way of counter-weighing everything and balancing itself out that makes wearing it effortless, even when it’s loaded with a camera, iPod Touch, iPhone, Gloves, Two iPhone External Batteries, Two Cables, Wallet, Sunglasses, Train Tickets, Subway pass and more.

A jacket that can hold a ton of gear is great but if it’s uncomfortable I simply won’t wear it. Such is not the case with the Scottevest. Along with usability comes wearability.

Jason Reese – I own (way too) many ScotteVests, and the 5.0 Fleece and Quantum (the Signature System) are perfect for the Fall/Winter seasons. I have to say the Fleece 5.0 is my favorite SEV product bar none. I regularly carry a lot of gear for work, and the SEV Signature System makes it easy to actually be mobile and keep all of my gadgets on me — literally. Travel is extremely convenient using ScotteVest clothing products, as I can take one carry on bag and the SEV and I’m all set. What I love about the Signature System is that the jackets not only look great, but protect your gear as well. Whether it’s snowing or raining, the SEV Signature System has you covered.

Adrian Leibas – On a daily basis I carry my BB Tour, iPod Touch, Bose in-ear phones, small digital camera, flash-drive, sunglasses, keys, and some sort of reading material. This was all loaded into a The North Face Apex shell jacket that has only 3 pockets. Most days my chest pocket was so loaded with stuff, it looked as if I was smuggling a small child in my jacket.

That all changed when I got the ScotteVests 5.0 Fleece, everything now has its own pocket and storage area. Best thing about it, is that you can hardly tell you are carrying anything at all. The pockets were very well designed and placed for us techie’s. My favorite added feature…it’s very comfortable and warm. Great jacket with tons of storage that any techie should have.

Jeff Frantz – This is my first SeV product. I had been close to pulling the trigger and placing an order several times in the past, but just never went through with it. Now I’m sorry I didn’t. This fleece is great! The pockets are, of course, the main show, but what really impressed me was the construction quality. It’s nicely made and materials used are all really great. It seems like I have started a new addiction…

Joel McLaughlin – This is my second SeV product. I had a version 2.0 and I loved it. I wore it as long as I could before having to dig out the warmer coat which wasn’t a Scottevest. The Version 5.0 fleece has some awesome differences. The sleeves come off making it nice to wear even in early summer. In the fall and winter, it’s pretty comfortable down until you hit about 25 degrees F with no wind. Once a wind chill comes into play, I need another layer. I don’t have a system, but I wish I did! Then there is the pockets! I am finding new ones day by day it seems. After about a week of wearing the jacket, I know where every pocket is. My favorite is the iPod pocket. I also love routing the headphone cable up to the collar. I just wish I had something that could hook up to both my phone and iPod simultaneously.

is it just my imagination, or does Joel look like a superhero here?!

Carly Zektzer – I’ve never had a SeV product before, but I can tell you right now this won’t be my only one. I have a deep love for cargo pants, but my friends and family have been on a crusade to break me of my dependence on them. Thanks to the SeV, I can walk out of the house and carry everything without a bag AND without being teased for wearing pants with 25 pockets!

David Goodspeed – I got to looking at all the pockets and right away, being from Texas, I wondered if I could fit my handgun. I am sure this is not what the designers intended when they came up with the SCOTTEVEST systems but for me – and others like me – I tend to look beyond “initial intended use.” The Vertical Chest Pocket (there is one on each breast adjacent to the main zipper) worked perfectly for my Glock 19, a handgun with no rough edges or external hammer that might catch on the fabric. I am ambidextrous so I appreciate the opposing pockets. And for balance I found the other side was a nice spot for my backup or extra magazines (ammunition clips for you left wingers). Sorry if this offends any of our readers but for some (many) of us this is the reality in which we live. Steven Seagal may be a martial arts expert, but even he finds it necessary to carry a sidearm.

Dan Cohen – I’ve owned a number of SEV products over the years and have always been a huge huge fan. I love the combination of comfort and utility they provide. What I most impressed with in having a chance to wear the Fleece and the Quantum (and now the Softshell for a separate post) is how the products have evolved. The small design changes and tweaks, such as the touch through material to the soft earbud “catchers” (as opposed to the older hard plastic).

It is clear that the clothes are being designed by someone who really thinks through what would be most helpful AND still look great. Scott’s achieved both, and as big a fan as I was in the past, having had the chance to wear three of the current designs I am an even bigger fan now.

Travis Ehrlich – This is my first SeV product. Not only are all of the pockets amazing, but it is extremely comfortable. Everything I carry has a spot and my Apple In-Ear phones are stored for easy access right out of the collar. The fleece 5.0 has a great sporty look and I have even been wearing it to basketball practice instead of my usual wind jacket. I love how much fits into the jacket, yet it does not look like anything is being stored. My only problem is that our South Texas weather will warm up before I know it and I will be hunting places to carry all of my gear!

Wayne Schulz – I wear Scottevest as much as possible. My favorite travel trick is to load up the pockets with heavy stuff when I’m about to get on a plane. Since there’s no weight restriction on what you can carry IN your jacket – the Scottevest is handy for holding heavier items that I previously might have packed in my suitcase such as spare batteries, video camera, chargers, adapters, etc.  I also use the jacket (since there’s plenty of room) for carrying the regular stuff – my three phones, Flip video, etc.

I also bought the hoodie which is quite stylish and I wear around the house with absolutely nothing underneath. Actually that’s not true I’m just checking to see if Judie actually proofs this [I did; and I also decided to leave that in! ~Judie]. I use the hoodie (which they just came out with over the summer)  to carry my iPhone and BlackBerry while I walk at night. The pockets have some type of magnetic closure that makes sure stuff doesn’t fall out. Inside are two see through pockets that I’ll use to store the iPhone while I walk. The concept of see-through pockets (one on each side) is great and I’ve been able to control my phones through them without a problem.

The jacket (and most of the Scottevest products) has and opening so that you can snake your earbud cord through and have it always available. This is probably one of my favorite features, since otherwise I’m forever losing headphones. With the Scottevest my earbuds becomes part of the coat.

Lastly I have the Scottevest Fleece 5.0 that I bought and have  worn for about 6 months. I keep looking to see if the arms or sleeves will start to have those annoying frays that some cheaper jackets have.  I’ve noticed no wear or tear. During the fall season I wear the Fleece 5.0 jacket around the office, and it’s perfect for staying warm and organized. Scottevest updates their offerings on a regular basis, and I’m always looking to see what new item  I can add to my collection.

Michael Anderson This is my first SeV product, but I’ve watched with interest all of those ‘what do you have in your SeV’ things! I was in need of a new fleece, as the one I got from my old company was ~5 years old and in rough shape. I use my fleece quite a bit – I’m a warm person so I don’t often wear a full jacket, mostly with a light jacket over it during winter. Then I can just grab the fleece if I have to go to one of the manufacturing sites or into a cold meeting room or whatever. And the pockets … wow! I always need a pen and business cards and keys and my phone, and love the ability to add my iPod to the mix without it becoming cumbersome.

Kerry Woo – This is my third SEV jacket, and… I. LOVE. IT. It’s the perfect layer clothing to wear at a football game, outdoor activity or a mall scenario where it’s cold outside and wearing or carrying a bulky coat is a indoor hassle. I can tie the arms together around my waist, yet know that my keys, pens, iPhone / and or iPod with iMuffs are safely tucked away inside the zippered pockets.
When I go on photography trips, the extra pockets come in handy for storage and quick access to lens caps, SD cards, notebooks and other items. Warm, sporty and lightweight, it’s the ideal jacket to keep all the loose items together in one place. If you like carrying stuff and have a low tolerance for misplacing vital items, then owning a SEV Jacket is a no brainer.

Allistair Lee – I own 2 SeV products now, the Fleece 5.0 and the Evolution Travel Jacket. Pocket, pocket, and more pockets. That’s what I love about SeV. Having to travel a lot, it became clear that I need a jacket that’s able to hold all my gadgets. And that’s when SeV comes into play. The designs and material used for their products are great. Their patented Personal Area Network (PAN) for wire management is just awesome, no more wires hanging around the jacket. I dare say this is a must have jacket for all gadget techies out there. They won’t be disappointed.

Chris Gavula – I know I am in the minority here, but I am not a big fan of these kinds of “geekwear” products. I don’t like my clothing to have a million pockets and stuff to figure out. I prefer my clothes to be simple and functional. SEV clothes are anything BUT simple. Any clothing that needs a card in each pocket to explain what the pocket is for is too complicated in my book. And I don’t like that my keys and earbuds get caught up on the little key minder in the side pocket. That said, the SEV Fleece is very well made, and clearly a lot of attention has gone into the design and construction of the jacket. It’s just not my cup of tea. Now if you could figure out how to make the fleece not attract every cat hair in the house…

Jessica Fritsche – This is my first SeV product, though I have considered getting one more than once. The Fleece 5.0 is a perfect weight for Texas winter—it’s warm but not heavy, which means that I can still wear it when I’m sitting in my cold office (not something that is terribly comfortable to do with my knee length green wool coat). I can leave the house or the office without my purse if I want to and still take all my stuff with me in the pockets of my Fleece 5.0 (even my nook!), which I LOVE. Sometimes it’s nice to not be bogged down by a big bag when I’m doing something like going shopping or just running up to the store. Now I want to buy an SeV product that I can wear the other 10 or so months in Texas when it’s too hot to wear a fleece!

Thomas Hall – I have been looking at SeV products for a long time, but never pulled the trigger. I always have lots of gadgets on me or in my bag. Now that I have the SeV Fleece 5.0, I’ve already decided I’m getting the Quantum Jacket to go with it as my only winter coat! The build quality of the SeV Fleece 5.0 is top-notch. I’m VERY impressed with the thought put into the pockets and layout. The whole jacket is very usable with pockets for things right where I would want them. I am able to carry my Android phone, iPhone, work and personal BlackBerry devices, headphones, Mifi, eBook reader (Nook or Kindle 2), a pen, keys and other items – all in the Fleece! This actually makes it much easier for me, as I don’t have to continue to move things in and out of my bag I carry to work. I can have everything in the SeV during the week and weekend! I love the fact that you can remove the sleeves from the fleece. Except for winter and the hottest days of summer, I can wear the Fleece and have all of my gear with me.

Amy Zunk – I have been drooling over one of these for years. I just never had the budget. Also, I live in FL. It’s only cold 10 days out of the year. But, then again, I work in IT. It means I am in cold server rooms A LOT. So, what happened when a SEV vest showed up at my front door compliments of Judie? All I can say is WOWsers! I love this thing. Its light enough to be a “day” jacket for me. Its warm enough so I don’t get cold. And then, there are the pockets! Damn. I was able to go out shopping for a whole day without my handbag because of all the pockets. I was on an airplane for a few days and it was great. I had my phone, my iPod, my ID — all of it in a pocket, ready for easy access. It made going through the TSA checkpoints a breeze. I don’t know what I have done without one of these in my wardrobe all these years. I cant wait to have this when I am doing consultant work and can carry my tools in my pockets! I will agree with one thing Chris G said though…I wish my cats liked it less. They have decided its “theirs” and have marked it with cat hair!

Mitchell Oke – While I got my latest SeV jacket just AFTER it became hot again here in Australia, I did get to wear it while travelling in the US for a few days, and it brought back the memories of how useful my previous SeV jacket was. Since I’m always carrying a phone, wallet, keys, and often an additional music player, not to mention passes to get into work or uni, having so many pockets to keep everything separate and at hand is awesome! The detachable sleeves also mean that you can transform it into a vest so it’s useful for more of the year!

So what about you? Do you own any SeV products? If so, what do you like most about them? What do you think needs improvement? Are there any other styles you would like to see?

Do tell …