Scottevest has been around for nearly 13
years. I have watched the company evolve since the beginning, when they were
just producing a not-so-fashionable windbreaker made up of a bunch of pockets
and Velcro. While some of the changes over the last decade have come from new
fashion trends, most of them have come from changes in technology - both the
devices people carry, and the materials available to clothing manufacturers.
Scottevest
Transformer Jacket: an innovative garment for gadget geeks
Fashion
The Scottevest Transformer Jacket ($160,
www.scottevest.com) is a nice-looking men's jacket with 20 pockets for your
tech goodies. It has trim lines, ergonomic zipper pulls, and a Teflon-treated
exterior. Magnets along the shoulder seams let you detach the sleeves in only
a few seconds, turning the jacket into a vest; a good tug on the sleeves or
the upper back panel makes them come right off.
Transforming previous Scottevest
incarnations from jacket to vest and back again wasn't something you could do
on the fly. In earlier versions, you had to remove the garment in order to
reattach the sleeves. Now, the magnets on various attachment points snap back
into place easily.
Transforming
previous Scottevest incarnations from jacket to vest and back again wasn't
something you could do on the fly.
Tech
Three major advancements have hit the tech
market since the inception of the original Scottevest: wireless, touch screens,
and tablets. Wireless has affected the design by eliminating most of the
patented system of tunnels and Velcro previously used to route wires through
the jacket. The previous TEC (Technology-Enabled Clothing) features have been
augmented to include mesh pockets that let you control your touch-screen
devices without removing them from the jacket.
You have to give props to the Scottevest
team for thinking of everything (and listening to their customers). A key fob
is nice; an eyeglass chamois on an elastic cord is genius. There is even a slot
for an SD card. Most of the pockets are labeled with individual icons so you
know what's intended to go where, but they're merely guidelines.
The team at Scottevest didn't forget tablet
owners - a very large pocket on the left side of the jacket comfortably holds
an iPad.
Innovative Outerwear
At $160, the Transformer Jacket isn’t a
casual investment. For the traveler, it should be in the luggage budget, not
the clothing budget. I wear mine everywhere. At the airport, it saves me time
going through security, since I don't have to remove items from my pockets,
place everything in the tray, and put everything back after going through the
scanner. I can just remove my Scottevest and put it back on after going
through.
This
is a well-made, innovative jacket that no geek should go without.
Think about it: no sore shoulders, no bag
constantly slipping as you walk, and no backpack to remove to get to your
stuff. It's all right there, where you need it. And if you don't like the
Transformer Jacket, take a look at the other options on the Scottevest website.
They have everything from trench coats to expedition jackets. This is a
well-made, innovative jacket that no geek should go without.
