scottevest

I think the short answer is, NO. Do you really need all of those pockets? And RFID blocking? That has never proven to be problem other than the marketing hype make by the companies selling RFID blocking devices. I have not seen the vest your are referencing but most look like you are going fishing. A good pair of pants and shirts with secured pockets is more than enough. I would not wear it because I don't need it.

I like the concept and own a few products. My main complaint is they go a bit too far sometimes with all the pockets. And having so many pockets adds weight. I like the lightweight warm up jacket (not sure what they call it) - it has a better balance of weight to number of pockets. I also like the pants but don't use them for traveling because they take too long to dry. They need to be in a blend of so you get the comfort of cotton but with the quicker drying of synthetics.

I like my Scottevest products. My fave is the Chloe hoodie, which has a zip front. I like the fact that many of my smaller things are in my coat for my flight: a silk scarf for warmth, my small noise cancelling earbuds, earplugs, kleenex, small container of ibuprofen and decongestant, mints or gum. The eyeglass cleaner that is stitched in is fabulous. The keyholder that is attached in a pocket is great if renting a place. In the Chloe the sleeves roll down to partially cover the hand with a thumb hole. I use this hoodie for most travel except the warmest of weather.

My products are older without RFID.

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I love my Scottevest and wear it every time I fly on a plane. I love all the pockets and keep my passport, tickets, cards and money in the pockets. That way I have everything within reach on the plane. Also, I find it nice and warm when I zip it up and add a scarf. I don't usually wear it on the tours unless it is cold. Also, when going through security I just take it off and never take a purse. I have shirts with pockets, wear my money belt and use the RS backpack when on tour.

I got rid of a Scottevest jacket and vest. I found the extra pockets were just not needed. In addition, when you load the pockets the vest/coat still becomes heavy and cumbersome. If (on the rare occasions) I decide to take that much stuff, I prefer a lightweight backpack. Also, IMHO, I find the idea of RFID overkill. No doubt some people like the products, but for me they had extremely limited utility.

Not interested in RFID hype, don't need another layer or anything bulky on top, and I have terrible enough time finding my stuff without more pockets to hunt through. And I don't believe I have ever seen anyone local wearing anything of the kind.

when we travel to Europe we go in early Spring or late Fall. I have a Scottevest and hubby has a jacketwith zip off sleeves. We both use ours. The first time I wore it, I loaded the pockets and realized it was too heavy. I am more careful now and realized that I was carrying stuff that I didn't need, just because I could. I still like the vest and use it, but am more careful about what I take in the pockets. I don't carry a purse or backpack, just a moneybelt. Ours are before the RFID, so we don't have that feature, and not sure we need it. I love the freedome of having my hands free from a small purse or a backpack.

Have a great trip!

Forgot to tell you, when I bought mine i tried them on and bought one size up, so that when I had stuff in the pockets it didn't look stuffed. Hope this helps.

I used one in the fall (late Oct) in Rome and was really happy with it. I would buy one size up. Most of the products are not practical for the hot summer travel.

I wore mine to a presidential campaign visit (back in 2012) and had to take it off for the secret service for scanning. I had my wallet in one of the hidden pockets. I had to show the SS how to access it and the office commented that the vest was very cool!

Make sure that you think your vest or jacket through before you use it and always put certain items in their designated area or you will likely be very confused!

I have a vest but it's never gone to Europe. I used to use it a lot when I flew cross country to California and go the bulkhead seat. In that case it's great because you can have all your toys and supplies right there with you :)

I see no need for RFID blocking Of course to truly protect your RFID cards you can NEVER use them because the time they are most likely to be hacked is when you have them out to use them, not when you are quickly walking past someone.

The vest will be fine if your trip is a safari in Africa.

The multi-packet vest will go well with zip-off legs convertible pants and a Tilly hat. That said, it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Several years ago I bought a Light Weight Tropical Jacket/Vest to take to Philippines. It was neither light weight nor tropical. At that time the company, maybe still is, located in Ketchum, Idaho. The jacket was drop shipped from somewhere in the midwest. That didn't impress me as it was made far to the west overseas.

Most of the pockets are useless unless you have specifically what they are made for. Try this: stuff all the pockets full of what the x-ray photos illustrate and wear it from Seattle to Amsterdam. You'll be tearing it off and using it for something else.

Awesome feedback!

I like the idea of making it easier through security check. I'm that guy that takes an hour to get through security because I have to unload tons of stuff from pockets, take my belt off, remove the metal plate from my head, etc..

I'm not really much of a vest guy though and I was looking more at the shirts, pants and hoodie. It's funny, I'm in my early 30's and I would never have thought the zip off pants were a thing associated with tourists. I remember they were really popular in high school and I always associated them with young people. Usually wearing them several sizes to large...

Thanks alot for sizing info. I am 6'4" and 250lbs, I have issues with clothing...

So I wanted something with good pockets that are somewhat pickpocket resistant, but didn't have the whole African Safari look. I like that most of the clothes they offer have a good number of pockets but look like normal clothing, not like military fatigues.

Thanks for all the reply's!

Matt & Shannon.

I purchased the multi-pocket hoodie for my husband to wear under a light hooded jacket touring in Spain in early March. It served its purpose, but I don't know that I would purchase it again JUST for the promise of all the pockets. I think wearing the Rick Steves' neck-style moneybelt (or even two, if extra space is needed) would suffice.

I may have not read the description for the hoodie closely enough, because I was surprised when the two larger inner pockets arrived with magnet closures. One would first think that is great, but I worried the magnets would mess up the magnetic strips in credit cards, etc..............so we actually carefully removed the magnets and I sewed Velcro enclosures on those pockets.

Would I pay the $69 or whatever it was for the hoodie if I saw it in person first, and especially now that we took it on one trip: probably not. Would some of the pockets be good if one were taking a key along on a fishing trip? Or to stash a room key? Yes. If one were carrying a smart phone, yes? To stick a few extra dollars in a pocket for daily cash, yes. We just didn't need all the extra pockets for the plane trip and for our touring. He uses one of the RS neck wallets that I adapted for him to wear holster style for deep storage of large cash, second credit card, emergency contact info, etc. And, then we both wear the neck wallets for passports, cash, credit card, etc.

The Scottivest hoodie is an okay quality, and it is lightweight. At the time, we wanted the hood for him to wear under his Goretex hooded jacket, should we have run into cold rain in early March. As it was, the weather was delightful, and he wound up wearing an LLBean zip sweater most days.

He normally travels in a sports coat, but I think I remember taking the hoodie in our carry-on so he could wear it on the plane, and pull the hood up when sleeping....it was great for that.

While I feel (as I wrote earlier) the Scottevest vests and jackets are overkill, I do have two types of Scottevest products. I have the performance polo and performance Tee. Each one has basically 2 pockets (despite their claims of 3) that would be difficult to pick. Like the OP wrote in a later response, I look for pockets which would add a little difficulty to stealing their contents. Note: I am not saying there are pickpocket proof pockets.... just think it is easier not to be the "lowest hanging fruit." That being said, there are some decent clothing lines (look at some LLBean, REI, etc. etc.) stuff that has zipped, Velcro pockets etc., but does not look like you are trekking up the Andes. I find that leaving an open outer pocket in my carry on bag works for the majority of my security line issues such as passport, keys, cash etc. Fortunately, I have learned to travel without liquids so that is not an issue.

Bought a Molly jacket at a whopping cost of $180, thinking it will finally resolve the conundrum of carrying all my stuff (phone, boarding pass, eye glasses, maps, lip balm, etc.) on the plane and during out and about sightseeing. Got rid of it because I ended up only wearing a couple of times because:
1. the fabric did not hold up well: stained easily and couldn't be removed - especially, the collar picked up the oils from the lotion and sun screens which gave a permanent stain ("ring around the color effect");
2. personally, there were more pockets than needed; and
3. sleeves WAY too long.

We have the vests and like having the hidden pockets. We use them mostly while in transit, not on the street everyday. I can load all my documents, wallet etc., into it, and then walk through security cleanly. Unless loaded to bulging, they do not look tacky, nor do they look like safari vests. I have bought some of their other products. I think most of their things are sized for more fit people, so they run a bit tight in the waist.\, thus the need to order a size up. Bag and Baggage carries some of their stuff in the stores, if there's one of those near you.

I bought a red SCOTTeVEST RFID Travel Vest (for women) for a trip to Austria and Switzerland last September. I bought 2 sizes and ended up with the Large, even though I normally wear Medium. So I was happy that I had a chance to try them both. It was not a bother to return the other one. I packed it to the gills at home just for fun to see how much it could handle. You could not tell I had a camera, sunglasses, smartphone, passport, AND my iPad, among other things. But it was a bit heavy at that point. I happily wore it through airports and did not carry anything (even a purse), so all I had to do was take off the vest to go through security and I was done.

I wore it on and off through my trip - more off than on because the weather was warmer than I expected, and I didn't take any short-sleeved tops. A small thing, but one that I used a lot, was the extendable key holder. I could carry my hotel key and never worry about losing track of it. The only problem I had was that the vest's red dye rubbed off onto a white top, and it never washed out. I wrote to SCOTTeVEST and they advised that I should have washed the vest beforehand.

It was rather pricey, but nothing else compared. I especially liked the fit. I'm only 5' tall; all other similar vests were way too long for my short torso. And red is such a lively color! I plan to take it with me on a trip to the U.S. Northwest this fall, followed immediately by a trip to Ireland.

I have one but rarely use it. Once loaded, it is heavy and uncomfortable on my shoulder-neck muscles.

I should wear it around own more when doing errands.

Try one on and load it before buying.

"And having so many pockets adds weight. "

Same is true with travel bags. Plus, pockets on travel bags contribute to the max dimensions without increasing the volume proportionately.