Scottevest Rocks!

A kind of freaky coincidence occurred last month. I had hopped a ride in Ali's car, and as usual my cell phone had slid out of the side pocket of my hoodie and landed on his seat. By the time I realized what had happened, I was back home and Ali, his car, and my cell phone were long gone. When he returned the phone the next day, I said to him, I need a hoodie with pockets that zip or something; I can't tell you how many times I have dropped my phone or keys in the car or while walking the dog. Then I went upstairs, opened my email, and found this:

Dear Editor: We are pleased to bring you breaking news about SCOTTEVEST®'S new line of Technology Enabled Clothing-TEC®. We appreciate your consideration of this news in your upcoming holiday gift guides, and special product sections. Please visit the online press room here for hi-res photography or contact us directly for product samples and with any questions. Below is the full press release. Best regards, Scott Jordan, CEO

Product samples??! I love this guy already! I checked the link and read the full press release, and I was charmed. "Technology-enabled clothing" turned out to be geekwear: jackets, hoodies, vests, and even pants with loads of strategically placed, SECURE pockets all over. Pockets for cell phones, pockets for keys, pockets for cameras and iPods and blackberrys, wallets and change and sunglasses, water bottles, and all the other gadgets people can't walk two feet these days without needing. Well, the kind of people I hang around with, anyway. The clothing is designed so that weight is evenly distributed and the pockets don't bulge. Loops and holes and closures manage all the wires.

The product catalog shows an X-ray view of each item so you can see what's inside all the pockets. No less a gadget guru than Steve Wozniak endorses the vest as "an exceptional accessory for the iPod."

I wrote right back to Scott Jordan and asked if he'd be willing to send me an "Ultimate Hoodie Microfleece," size medium, in gunmetal. A couple of days ago, it arrived. I haven't taken it off except to shower or sleep.

The hoodie is extremely soft and comfortable. A man's size medium is big enough and long enough to go over all my other layers, yet not too bulky. It has 11 pockets and compartments, some with zippers and some with magnetic closures. A card was thoughtfully tucked into each pocket, suggesting which items would best fit there.

Scottevest makes a vest with 22 pockets! And carpenter pants that zip off at the knee and become shorts, and have an "airplane pocket" way down on the leg where you can stow a few dollars, for example, so when you're trapped in your teeny seat and can't get at your wallet, you can get at enough money for a drink. But for me, the hoodie is perfect. At $70 it's a steal; at $0 it's pinch me, I must be dreaming.