This review is a long time coming. I’ve had SCOTTeVEST on my radar since the days when they advertised in the back of Computer Shopper. They made this neat tech holster (that I did not buy because it would have gotten me shot on the 5 train). So it was with great pleasure that I accepted delivery of their Jacket System 8.0 last November. No, I have not been testing it this entire time. The problem is that it has been insanely warm in New York! Thankfully, with 2016 came cold weather, and I was able to give it a go.
I got the XL. First time I wore it I thought, “this is too big!” That’s because I’m an imbecile. See, an eVEST Jacket is essentially a backpack. When empty, yes, it is too big on me. When full of phone chargers, headphones, water, umbrella, glasses, tablet, etc. it fits pretty well. I will note that I’m short for an XL size, so it’s not a perfect fit… but it’s a good fit for daily use.
There are some nice touches, like SCOTTeVEST including sunglasses, glasses shams, a 4 GB thumb drive, a pencil, ear buds, and a few other things I honestly don’t remember. With 39 pockets (including RFID blocking ones for passports), it’s really easy to lose track of things, so be careful.
I generally wore the System 8.0 with the following items:
- My TYLT Energi Sliding Case battery.
- A second extra charge battery.
- A water bottle, held upright by the eVEST’s clever securing system.
- Kingston Hyper X Cloud II Headphones (Sorry, but the included ones are kinda junk.)
- Backup ear buds.
- My Nexus 7 tablet.
- Several thumb drives.
- Gloves.
- A dual-wall charger.
- Assorted cables.
All that, and I still had room for more. There were days I had a second 7″ tablet, an eReader, or a 10″ tablet on me as well. Even then, there was space left over.
The System 8 is technically two jackets–a fleece and a shell. I wore them together most days, but see no reason not to wear the shell alone in the spring or fall. And on cool fall days, the fleece’s arms come off, (as do the shell’s) making it an actual vest (a la the company name). Oh, and the shell has a hidden hood for those rainy days. The fleece was warm enough for most winter days, with the shell adding additional insulation when it dipped below freezing.
Now, about the price–it’s currently on sale for $300. That may seem a bit high for some, even for two coats. Except you’re essentially buying two coats and a carry-on. Seriously, I can fit enough in here to not have to take a laptop bag on a flight. Were I a frequent flyer, this would be amazing. Even now, as a subway rider, it’s made my life easier. I have room to put more laptops in my bag for my charity project or I can just eschew a laptop altogether. However, should the 8.0 be too rich for your blood, you may want to check SCOTT’s outlet store. The older 7.0 has fewer options, but it’s also on sale for less than $75 right now.
Still, if you spend a lot of time up in the air, you may want to consider investing in a System 8.0 to make sure your stuff stays with you.
SCOTTeVEST provided this coat for review purposes. You will pry it out of my cold, dead hands.
>> I got the XL. First time I wore it I thought, “this is too big!” That’s because I’m an imbecile. See, an eVEST Jacket is essentially a backpack. When empty, yes, it is too big on me.
Hi, I wanted to ask for your experience.
I just got it today and same feeling, I got a size M and being thin, this is so massive!!! I was not even thinking about filling it too much like a backpack, but more of taking a tablet or similar every now and then, not even every single day, so quite seriously thinking about returning it because when it’s empty and one removes the fleece it seems you can fit 2 people here, which looks pretty bad!! (and more considering the price)
But I wanted to ask in case I make a mistake. Do you keep on using the jacket? Do you still wear a lot of gadgets on it or mainly using it as a normal jacket?
I do still use it, but it still feels a bit large. I’d honestly send it back were I you, and go smaller if all you need is a tablet.
Many thanks, I’ll try it again when I get home but quite possible I’ll do that if the international postage is not too bad.
I was thinking about putting some kind of elastic on the waistline if the postage is too high, but I don’t know if it’d look ok or more like a kind of ‘bag’.
I was reading the reviews after the purchase, and a lot of customers complain at least about the lack of some kind of elastic, like many other jackets have. And more when they should know by now that this is a problem with most of us.
Anyway, thank you man!
Thank *you* for your kind words.
Elastic would be a brilliant and affordable solution for the company to take with version 9.0.