Scott Jordan was a skier with a contempt for the wires that come with headphones, iPods, and other tools of the avid outdoorsmen’s trade, so in 2000, he startedSCOTTEVEST. “We first set out to make wired clothing,” the jovial Ketchum, Idaho, resident explains. “But then we started getting all these photos from people who showed how they were using our products and we thought, ‘Hey, there’s a real untapped market here.’” That market was for clothing designed specifically for travel. And so, the company was reborn in 2009 with a newly minted slogan, “For the Trip of Your Life.”

To combat increased fees for checked baggage, Jordan released his latest design, the Carry-On Coat, to stick it to the man (or the airlines). With 33 pockets, the coat rids its wearer of the need for any luggage at all. “It functions somewhat like a backpack,” Jordan says, “distributing the weight across both shoulders.”

Having a bit of a mischievous side to him, Jordan and his colleagues decided to run an ad in Delta’s in-flight magazine, Sky. Proudly proclaiming the Carry-On Coat to be “The Most Stylish Way to Beat the System” in the ad’s headline, Jordan handed the material over to Delta—who promptly rejected it. What followed was nothing short of a media maelstrom that pitted Jordan and his social media savvy against what he assumed was Delta’s desire not to promote any product that might endanger a major contributor to their bottom line—baggage-handling fees. “I believe it wasn’t my headline; it was the core concept behind my product that they were rejecting. With that, I decided to embrace the controversy,” Jordan explains.

As Jordan took to the Web, pleading his case with videos and blog posts, Delta finally succumbed to the pressure and told SeV they’d have a spot in their January issue. “We’re not sure if we’re going to take them up on it,” Jordan says, “we’ve already gotten all the exposure we need!”

No Baggage Carry-On Challenge

Jordan wanted to test the capabilities of his clothing and push them to the extreme, so he enlisted the services of travel writer Rolf Potts—sending him around the world for six weeks with no luggage at all. The trip was such a success that the company decided to extend a challenge to travelers worldwide: Tell SeV in a video testimonial where you would go, why, and how, and the company would send the winner on the trip of their choice. SeV is continually putting out similar challenges with equally impressive prizes, so be sure to check out scottevest.com frequently for updates. While you’re there, be sure to take a look at the cheery greetings from Scott Jordan himself.

Make your own carry-on coat.