This bad boy—SCOTTEVEST’s Expedition Jacket—has 37 pockets. Let’s see . . . keys, phone, PepperBlaster, sunglasses, poo-poo bags, dog treats, pen, knife, spare magazine, flashlight, earbuds, change, uh, that’s about it. Maybe that’s overkill (so to speak). But when it comes to schlepping there’s no doubt: summer’s a bummer for the well-equipped concealed carrier. Out goes the flashlight, knife, pen and pepperspray. Am I the only one who looks forward to the cold weather because it’s easier to do the semper paratus thing wearing a jacket? Got pockets?

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22 COMMENTS

  4. I regularly wear the SeV Lightweight Travel Vest. Fantastic as it is, it only has 22 pockets, so I am limited to carrying one water bottle, keys, wallet, phone #1, phone #2, built in headphones, Surefire Fury, big pocket knife, little pocket knife, leatherman, three pens, a sharpie, ear protection, safety glasses (with cleaning cloth on a bungee), the other kind of personal protective wear, USB sticks, pocket watch, and iPad.

    That said, it’s great for extra IWB cover, and carries all sorts of stuff. Even loaded, they’re not as bad as you’d think. Two weeks ago I was walking around with two parasols completely hidden inside one of the inside pockets. Parasols*. Two of them.

    *No, I don’t have a concealed parasol license, but they can have my parasols when they pry them from my warm, sunburned hands.

  6. If you cant carry a flashlight without a jacket on, you need a smaller flashlight.

    It can be 100+ degrees out, and I still have a flashlight and pocket knife on me. There are lots of great single AA or single CR123 lights out there.

  7. holy crap, I was just thinking of buying this last week. Saw it in Wired (damn that magazine- always makes me want to buy stuff), and I was like “Holy crap, I need this. right now.”

  9. I’ve had an eVest for about 10 or 11 years and I love it. I look forward to every spring and fall as a time to break out my favorite outerwear. I must say that it is excellent EDC gear (even way back before EDC was fashionable). I don’t know how much they cost now. But I spent $145 back in the day and it was worth every penny.

  11. @RF

    Am I the only one who looks forward to the cold weather because it’s easier to do the Semper Paratus  thing wearing a jacket?

    No, actually I was thinking about that this week as I prepare to return to campus. Although I might have trouble with so many pockets and remembering what is where. (At the risk of drawing Ralph out, I require a KISS lifestyle.)

  12. I bought an LL Bean travel vest this summer. It has enough pockets to carry all sorts of gear, spare mags and rifle/shotgun ammo. It has all the functionality of a tactical vest without making you look a weekend commado. The only downside is that it makes you look so preppie that someone might take for an easy mark.

  13. I’m quite capable of spending 5 minutes searching through the pockets I have. And you want to give me more pockets to lose stuff in?

  14. I have this jacket and it is great for keeping my EDC gear organized and spread out so my belt isn’t so weighed down.

    Just know that this jacket is VERY warm and i’m drenched in sweat when i wear it and it’s over 40 degrees outside or when I’m inside in a mall or store. I actually couldn’t wear it more than a handful of days this past winter in KY.

    I find the fleece 5.0 and transformer jacket by Scottevest much more versatile since their sleeves can be removed.

  16. I also have the travel vest and wear it everyday as secondary concealment of a 1911 in a Supertuck. It’s great for carrying everything you need in your pockets on a daily basis. Aside from concealed carry its a great carry-on when flying. No need to empty the pockets at TSA, just take it off and put it in a bin. It has a few drawbacks, but a lot of great features and a all around good purchase.

  17. I’ve found scottevest products to be a mixed bag.
    The fleace and the pack windbreaker are very useful…but their heavier jackets seem made of poor quality and aren’t very well thought out imho.
    Also, it’s worth noting that when they say 20-30 pockets (whatever) they don’t mean pockets like most people think. Many of those pockets are tiny change holders and sub pockets which aren’t as universally useful as the description might lead one to believe.
    Still worth looking at, but I’ve found you can buy something about the same utility and with much better materials from 5.11 tactical. Of course, you then look like you’re wearing 5.11 tactical…so there’s that I guess.

  18. I have the travel vest version. Its a little pricey, but very high quality. However, lots of pockets means lots of weight after you load them all up. After a while it feels like your wearing that lead vest the dentist puts on you for x-rays.

  19. I had a pair of the cargo pants, started coming apart after the 6th wear, customer service sent me a new pair, which lasted about 15 wears. Good design, poor construction. ScotteVest is targeting the business travelers and tourists, which the pants would probably hold up well to, but the average working guy/ shooter, not so much in my experience.

    I wish they would team up with Carhartt and make some pants, those would be awesome.

  20. To answer the main question, No, I never have enough pockets. I carry a mini-Maglite, and a Swiss Army knife on me every day, plus keys, cell phone, eyeglasses, 2 lighters, cigarettes, pen, wallet, tactical pen, a new pair of boot laces, and that is pretty much the bare minimum. I’d love to have reasonably secure pockets for a small digital camera, batteries, magnifying glass, waterproof match case, spaceblanket, ear plugs, 100 feet of parachute cord and duct tape.

    Speaking of boot laces, great way to carry tough cord to tie down, secure, or fasten stuff with out drawing suspicion as to why you are carrying para cord. Because you can say, “Hey, those are extras for my boots.” Sounds better than, “Oh I carry that rope in case I have to tie people up.”

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