Rick Steves vest

I've been a steadfast fan of RS travel merchandise for more than three decades and can't recall a vest, so if it existed must've been on offer whilst I blinked 🙂. It seems some of Rick's offerings are more aligned with trend than his own travel philosophy...I daresay he'd likely not even offer any wheeled bags if it weren't for overwhelming demand.

I have several so-called travel vests (Orvis, Barbour etc) all of which are a similar construction to several vests I own which were marketed to photographers (Domke, Billingham etc) and all of the foregoing seem to be mildly modified offspring of fishing vests (Barbour, Filson etc). They tend to be heavy, hot and the antithesis of European style , plus hard to remember what you've stowed in which of the multitude of pockets. And I'd imagine a bit of a challenge trying to shield them all at once from pickpockets. So again, seem unaligned with Rick's pragmatic approach to European travel.

That said, there have been several seemingly ideal items that came and (sadly) went from the RS travel store...a smaller version of the (itself recently discontinued) Civita shoulder bag without the bulbous kangaroo pocket on front; a red-and-black daypack halfway between the Appenzell and the (also discontinued) Ravenna daypacks but with a full zip rather than the half-zip that makes the latter two inconvenient top-loaders. And of course the original back-door bags in cordura with YKK zips which in my experience seem virtually indestructible.

I don’t recall Rick ever offering articles of clothing. Maybe there have been several (not counting a money belt as a clothing item, even if you wear it), but I don’t remember there being any.

I don’t think that he’s ever worn a multi-pocket vest on any of his TV episodes, either. Maybe a fleece vest, or even a sweater vest under a sport coat (but probably not), but nothing festooned with storage pockets galore.

I could see Joseph Rosendo sporting such a vest on TV, and maybe - just maybe - Rudy Maxa, but probably not for either of them, either. I believe that Rick would market Scottish kilts, Venetian masks, or Spanish matador taleguillas pants before he’d offer a travel vest.

Well, he does sell t-shirts...

Right - Keep on Travelin’

OK, but it’s not a Tactical Shirt, with not even one pocket. Cutting off the sleeves wouldn’t make it a vest. And don’t believe that Rick is vested in investing in vests.

I suppose some people haven't seen the travel vests specifically designed with multiple hidden pockets and a sleek outside appearance - Scottevest is the most well-known of them. Travelsmith and Magellan also make them. They are a far cry from the khaki safari vests of old, and no different than a jacket, just sleeveless. But clearly not everyone prioritizes practicality vs fashion, and thats OK. I dont remember such a product offered here, but Rick doesn't need to cover everything out there.

We returned our Scottevests as they are only "sleek" if one doesn't put anything substantial in the pockets. Also, they don't breathe particularly well thus in the hot weather Europe and the Uk have been experiencing during the past several summere one will quite likely be carrying the vest more than wearing it.