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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Lee-Reid Family Travels: My Scottevest and Other Clothing Items

See Full Article Here: http://lee-reidfamilytravels.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-scottevest-and-other-clothing-items.html

 

Our Summer Trip 2011 
Dreaming of summer, 2012...
 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

My Scottevest and Other Clothing Items



When it comes to clothing, I may not be the person to look to for fashion advice. Like a lot of guys, I don't particularly care what I look like much of the time, as long as I don't look disheveled or foolish. And I don't waste a moment wondering what I might be seen wearing in travel photos. While I don't hide from the camera, I also don't particularly care to be in the photos. When I see a photogenic or iconic site, I want a photo of it, not me standing in front of it. I do care about packing lightly, however.


It's not just about avoiding schlepping around unwanted weight, though that certainly matters. It's about striving to keep all things unrelated to the travel experience I seek, as simple as possible. I don't want clutter. I want my mental check list of things I have to keep track of (that I have any control over) as short as possible. Because lord knows, the list of other things I have to keep track of is long.


So when it comes to standard items of clothing in the climate of Italy in the summer, I'll be keeping it very simple;

  • 5-6 newer t-shirt style shirts in various earth tones.
  • 1 pair long lightweight cargo pants
  • 1 pair khaki pants (dressy style, very light microfiber) 
  • 2 pair short pants - 1 cargo style, 1 a bit dressier 
  • 1 light long-sleeve button-down shirt to be worn over a t-shirt on a cooler day
  • 5-6 pair of thicker socks to help cushion the feet
  • 5-6 pair new underwear
  • Timberland hiking boots
  • Sandals for warm, non-hiking days
  • Scottevest convertible travel jacket/vest
  • Tilley hat

So yes, there will be frequent laundry to do. Since our trips are not short, there is never any possibility of avoiding doing laundry. If you have to do it, you might just as well do small amounts frequently rather than accumulating large piles of smelly, dirty clothing. Everything on my list will dry overnight if the weather isn't overly wet. I have learned to avoid jeans since they are heavy to carry, bulky to pack, bulky to wash and take forever to dry.




All of those items (except for the change of clothing I wear on the plane) get put into my Rick Steves backpack. We all have one - specially designed to be very light and to meet most carry-on luggage requirements. You wouldn't want to have it on your back while hiking 20 miles in the mountains. It's not that kind of backpack. But it works really well to carry from a train station to your lodging. There will still be plenty of room in the pack for some basic non-clothing items as well.
My Tilley hat is important to me because it keeps the sun off my bald head. If you are not among the follicly-challenged, count yourself lucky that you don't have to worry about such things. A garden-variety baseball-style hat would be simpler, but the Tilley covers me better and perhaps makes me look slightly less typically American.

Which brings us to my Scottevest jacket. I bought it for our trip Down Under last summer knowing that it would be cool for much of the time we were in New Zealand. But I bought that particular jacket because it is specially designed as a travel jacket with lots of pockets (see geeky "x-ray" photo above). It also has removable sleeves to convert into a vest. The full jacket can keep me warm during a cool day hiking in the mountains, but with the sleeves off and the zipper lowered, it can be practical to wear on all but the warmest days.


Why would I want to wear a travel vest in summer? Partly just as a convenient place to keep my camera, iPod and a few other items with me without having to revert to using my cargo pants/shorts. But also for security. I don't obsess about the risk of pick-pockets while in Europe, but Italian cities are known as being somewhat higher risk. I don't use a money-belt or any of the related devices. The jacket - with all of the pockets zippered and most of them interior - is a very safe place to keep valuables. As a bonus, it's a great way to get extra stuff on the plane without having to worry about carry-on restrictions of either size or weight. Since it's clothing and not a bag, you can put anything in there that will fit. I may not need to take full advantage of that characteristic, but it's nice to know it's there.


As a way of demonstrating this ability, I made a little video. Remember all that electronics stuff I wrote about in my last blog post? Well, watch this...

Obviously, I would never be carrying around all this stuff with me (why would I need three cameras and five iPods?) but this was just for fun.

One more thing; This post and the previous one refer to many somewhat expensive items used for travel. Lest you think this all adds up to an obscene additional cost, rest assured that each item (well, except for the travel backpacks) get used very frequently at home as well. And almost none of the items I have noted was purchased at regular price. Some of them were purchased at deep discounts during sale periods. Many were purchased slightly used on eBay. Overall, I would guess we paid about 60% of the retail price for all of these items, spread out over the last few years.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Travel Items All Men Should Have | 52 Perfect Days http://www.52perfectdays.com/perfect-travel-gear/travel-items-men/ via @52perfectdays

See Full Article: http://www.52perfectdays.com/perfect-travel-gear/travel-items-men/

 

Travel Items All Men Should Have

When men travel, rarely are there products and items that really go the extra mile to be effective and travel worthy. I recently searched for products to make my next trip the most pleasurable and easy experience.  Not only did I find some really unique items, I also got to see how some companies are going the extra mile to make a man’s travel experience better and easier to enjoy. Follow me to the travel gear vault so I can tell you all about the great items I found.

 

Red Sun Chaser Travel Bag made by Red Oxx

The Red Oxx Manufacturing Company make the most stylish and rugged travel bags in the most vivid, bold colors with dependably strong fabrics and handles. This bag will last you the rest of your life, and if it doesn’t you can call the company to have them replace it. Red Oxx warranties it for life. Super thick, highly polished and strong hardware with zippers that can take a beating. The flat bottom makes the bag more stable and rigid so it keeps its shape longer.

This bag is very hip and sports like but designed so it can be used as a stylish weekend bag or overnighter.  It has many pockets that have good capacity and sizes that are useful. The shoulder strap is covered in soft rubber for comfort. The price point for this bag is about $155, considering you will use it forever, it’s a pretty good deal. One of the company’s tag lines is “This product is guaranteed forever, be sure to include it in your will”. I love a great marketing campaign and a company with a sense of humor.

Redd Oxx Travel Bags are sold direct and range from $120 to $300.

Connect with Red Oxx
Website: http://www.redoxx.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Oxx-Bags/28851603721
Twitter: @RedOxxAffairs  http://twitter.com/#!/RedOxxAffairs

 

ScottVest Clothing

Lightweight Vest for Men 
This vest is awesome! You could go anywhere and utilize this vest efficiently in warm or cool climates.

22 pockets. You can even carry your ipad in it. It’s a must have travel item because you don’t need to carry all your items around in bags or a backpack, they are secure on the deep pockets and secret compartments of this great travel vest. It’s made of a lightweight polyeser fabric that is really nice and does not need special treatment as it’s machine washable. The mesh lining keeps you cool when it’s warm out and it actually does a great job keeping you warm in windy weather and adds a nice layer to the outfit. The fabric is Teflon treated so it does not stain easily and it’s rain resistant.

Scott Men’s Three3 Vest is available on Amazon for about $60

Ultimate Cargo Pants
These really are amazing. The offer 16 pockets for almost any item you would need while traveling. The fabric is lightweight and really breathes well, with a soft yet strong feel. The legs of these cargo pants zip off, making them awesome shorts and even more useful. They have magnets in the pocket flaps, I am not sure if this is good or bad. I do know that when I walk by cars the pants are mysteriously drawn to the metal doors. Kind of a new sensation but nice features never the less. Long pockets, short pockets and elastic waist band for comfort. These pants are also good for a game of golf or a casual night out on the town. Or if you zip them off into shorts they are great for a big old fashioned BBQ.


SeV Bamboo Polo

This shirt is super comfortable. Did you ever think that Bamboo could be soft and a pleasure to wear? It’s lightweight and wrinkle resistant. The colors are rich and unique, offering a great mix and match option with your wardrobe. Casual yet functional, the shirt offers three hidden pockets; one in the side for a billfold or credit card and keys, a shoulder pocket with a cord path for ipod headphones. These pockets are all so well concealed they are not visible to the person standing next to you, I even had a problem finding the zippers and all. Good design on this shirt, form, function and sustainability.

 

Scottvest Products are avaialble at their website scottvest.com

Connect with ScottVest:

Website: www.scottevest.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SeVTravelClothing
Twitter: @scottevest

Monday, May 21, 2012

What do you carry when you wander around? Check out this review by @MichaelW_Bklyn #Travel

see full article: http://michaelwtravels.blogspot.com/2012/05/product-review-scottevest-fleece-50.html

 

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Product Review: ScotteVest Fleece 5.0 Jacket


I was asked by travel clothing company SCOTTEVEST/ SeV to write a review of one of their products for their weekly Pocket Guide newsletter. I am happy to announce that this post will be featured there!
I'm always on the lookout for new gear to make traveling easier.
While wandering around, I like to take a lot of stuff with me. I usually have my cell phone, camera, gorilla pod, passport, wallet, keys, a half liter of water and various other items. If I don't want to walk around with a backpack, my problem usually is -where do I store all of these things? There are only so many pockets in a pair of jeans or the average coat!

Making great use of my ScotteVest in Beacon, NY

I think I may have come across a great solution to my problem- ScotteVest.

ScotteVest is a company that designs a line of clothing which uses TEC- Technology Enabled Clothing. A patented system of pockets, wire management and specialized features for clothing.

I first came across ScotteVest while reading one of my favorite blogs, Everything Everywhere  written by Gary Arndt. Gary has been traveling around the world for the last 5 years and is a big fan of the brand which got me interested.
Seeing ScotteVest founder Scott Jordan on the ABC show Shark Tank made me more curious. (Scott was trying to raise $500,000 for TEC, not ScotteVest.)

About a month ago I decided to reach out to ScotteVest to find out some more about their products. I was offered a product to test and review and selected the Fleece 5.0 Jacket.

Fleece 5.0

The Fleece 5.0 has many nice features:
  • 24 pockets so it can hold a lot of gear
  • It's Convertible- zip-off sleeves convert it from a jacket to a vest
  • Personal Area Network (PAN) for wiring headphones through jacket to avoid getting tangled in loose wires
  • The material is a soft, mid-weight micro-fleece with anti-static treatment
  • Many pockets have small picture-tabs to show what is intended to go inside
  • Reflective Accents
I was impressed with the 5.0 from the moment I opened the package. It is a really good looking jacket that fit me perfectly and is also very comfortable. It really is amazing how much this jacket can hold. There are pockets for a cell phone, camera, passport, sunglasses, ID, two pen pockets and it can even hold an iPad.

Here's what I love about the jacket- the amount of pockets! Even if you don't use them all for the intended items, there is plenty of room for just about everything you might want to carry with you. The ones I appreciated the most were the keyring clip and cord, the eyeglass pocket, the camera pocket and the front chest pocket.

Keyring Clip & Cord
A really smart touch with added protection from losing your keys

Eyeglass Pocket
One of my favorite pockets. I do not wear glasses but this pocket is perfect for my sunglasses when I don't want to carry a case. Also, I don't like wearing my sunglasses on top of my head when inside, so this solves that problem. An added bonus in the pocket is the cleaning cloth attached to the pocket on an elastic cord.
  
Camera Pocket 
Perfect size and easy access for compact cameras. There is also a small pocket with a velcro closure within it for storing an extra memory card.

Chest Pocket

I actually liked this pocket to hold my phone. I found that it was easier to access my phone then when in the Clear Touch Pocket. More on that later

I was curious to see what the jacket would look like with all my stuff in it. I read the that the pockets are designed so that you can't see anything sticking out (ScotteVest calls this NoBulge engineering). First I tested a small water bottle in the water bottle loop located in the front pocket of the jacket. While it did add some bulk you couldn't really tell what was in there.

Next I tested the fleece with my iPad inside. It fit nicely and was pretty much unnoticeable with the jacket open or closed. However, it was clear that something was there when the jacket was zipped up and I was sitting down. The tablet also made it a bit uncomfortable due to the weight in the jacket pulling on that side. However, I'd definitely use the tablet pocket at the airport or when going out for a short walk. 

X-Ray View

Inside the chest area are two Clear Touch Fabric Pockets. They are intended to be used for your cell phone,  music player or other similar device. The idea of the pockets to me are better than their actual function. I tried my iPhone inside the pocket a few times and found that it fit very well. However, I found it hard to get the phone in and out due to the velcro closure on top and half zipper on the side. I like how you can use the touch screen of the phone through the pocket but I found it hard to read the phone's display through the Clear Touch. If I plan to just use my phone to listen to music, then this pocket is perfect when wired to the PAN.
I prefer keeping my cell phone in the outside, vertical chest pockets. They are roomy, provide easy access to my phone and have a small pocket within it if I want my phone more secure inside the pocket. 

Overall, the Fleece 5.0 is a well thought out jacket that is a great addition to my wardrobe for travel or for day to day use. I especially look forward to wearing it in the airport. I think it will make getting through security a much easier process. Try filling the pockets with ScotteVest's intended use (refer to the included Pocket Map) or customize it to suit your needs!

The ScotteVest Fleece 5.0 retails for $140.
Find out about the fleece and all of the other products offered at ScotteVest.com.

**Check back in the upcoming weeks for my wife Kim's first blog post: A review of the ScotteVest Molly Jacket.

****Disclaimer- The item reviewed in this post was given to me for the purpose of a fair & honest review but it in no way has any bearing on my views****

Monday, May 14, 2012

Need a light-weight, warm jacket to store all your #Gadgets? Check out this review by @thegadgeteer http://ow.ly/aTPqX

See Full Article: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/13/scottevest-lola-womens-jacket-review/

 

SCOTTEVEST Lola Women’s Jacket Review

by JULIE on MAY 13, 2012 · 4 COMMENTS

in GEAROUTDOOR GEARREVIEWS

Streetwear for Men and Women. Huge Savings on the Hottest Brands!

Although it’s the middle of May here in Indiana, we are still having a few 40 degree mornings. Instead of dragging out my winter coat, I’ve been enjoying the comfort and gadget storage of the SCOTTEVEST Lola Jacket. Wearing this jacket allows me to hide all my gear in the jacket and leave my shoulder bag at home. Let’s take a closer look.

Note: Click the images in this review to see a larger view.

The Lola jacket is made of 100% quilted nylon with DuPont Teflon fabric protection that repels both water and oil based spills, while remaining machine washable. It is available three colors: Rhapsody, Sparkle and Fluff. The jacket is sized for women and comes in X-Small up to XX-Large. Guys don’t need to feel left out. SCOTTEVEST has a men’s version of this jacket called the Puffer which is available in Red and Black and sized from Small – XXX-Large.

I was sent a medium sized Lola in Rhapsody, which is a stylish Purple/Blue color with bright Yellow trim.

SCOTTEVEST products are famous for their pockets, so the Lola jacket lives up to that tradition. This jacket offers 16 pockets that allow for great gear organization.

With the jacket zipped (btw: I love the long metal zipper pulls), you have access to two zippered hand warmer pockets.

Inside the Right pocket is a removable extendable key holder, a wide elastic bottle holder and a lipstick / chapstick pocket.

In the Left pocket you’ll find a small change pocket.

The cuffs have a narrow elastic band to keep them from shimmying up your arm.

Like other SeV jackets, the Lola has a built in PAN – Personal Area Network that you can use to route your earbud cables. In the inside collar area, a flap of the quilted material is held in place with Velcro. Opening this channel will allow you to place your earbud cables so that you can easily access your music while on the go. Small rubber holders add additional cable management. This system works fine, but I did notice that if you don’t arrange the flap correctly, that the Velcro in the collar might scratch your neck. For this fact, I’d prefer just having a hole that I could fish the wires into, instead of a flap. I like the SeV Chloe jacket PAN system design a little better than the Lola’s design.

The pockets on the Left side of the jacket include a Cellphone / MP3 playerpocket at the top, with a pen pocket next to it near the zipper. This pocket is large enough to comfortably hold an iPhone 4S or Motorola Droid X with room to spare. There’s a conduit in the pocket to route the connector from your earphones.

A little lower is a zipper that opens into a large 8.5 x 8.5 inch pocket that extends to the bottom of that side. This pocket can hold a small tablet orebook reader like the Amazon Kindle Fire.

Another zipper allows access to a smaller 8.5 x 4 inch pocket on top of the 8.5 x 8.5 inch pocket. This pocket is meant to hold your passport and your ID (in the small pocket on the outer layer). The pocket works great for holding a Field Notes notebook or Moleskine Cahier notebook too.

On the Right side, you’ll find two large zippered pockets.

The upper pocket, which is accessed with a vertical zipper holds your sunglasses and includes a handy chamois cloth that is attached to an elastic cord.

A horizontally zippered pocket below the sunglasses pocket is meant to hold your digital camera. There’s even a smaller pocket inside which you can use to hold extra SD flash cards. It’s possible to place a CF sized card in that slot, but you won’t be able to Velcro the top closed.

I should note that all the interior pocket zippers have nice hard plastic pulls on them, while the exterior zippers have metal pulls.

You’ll also notice that there’s an adjustable bottom cinch cord that willhelp keep the wind and cold from blowing up your back.

Speaking of the back, that’s where the largest pocket of this jacket is located. It’s an open topped stretchy mesh pocket that is large enough to hold an iPad. I don’t think I’d want to walk around with an iPad bouncing against my back, but it also works great for holding a standard sized magazine.

I love the Lola jacket. It allows me to carry quite a bit of gear without having it all stuffed into two side pockets, which is what I usually end up doing with non-SCOTTEVEST jackets. I don’t carry tons of gear, but it’s nice to have my keys, wallet, phone, earbuds, lip baum, sunglasses clip, pen and a Field Notes notebook all stowed in the jacket so I don’t have to carry a bag. I also like that the jacket doesn’t have a lot of SeV branding. What it does have is subtle… the SeV logo on the interior lining and then a rubber SeV logo sewn into the back of the collar.

I was very surprised by how comfortable and light weight this jacket is, while still providing adequate protection from cool weather. It’s so cozy that I keep hoping for more cool mornings so I can wear it to work. It seems like the perfect weight for Fall and Spring weather, but not quite heavy enough for the dead of Winter… unless of course the winters in your area are not too cold.

The Lola jacket is made very well. I could not find any defects in the material or construction. I’m a fan of this jacket and expect it to hold up to everyday wear and tear for many cold seasons to come.

Product Information

Price: $190
Manufacturer: SCOTTEVEST
Pros:
  • Comfortable
  • Stylish
  • Storage capability
Cons:
  • Velcro cord channel in collar can be itchy on your neck
  • Expensive

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Sunday Traveler: @SeVIsMe – A CEO Goes to Indonesia - http://ow.ly/aD5gO #travel #adventure #TTOT #TNI #LP

Full Article: http://everything-everywhere.com/2012/04/29/sunday-traveler-scott-jordan/

 

Sunday Traveler: Scott Jordan – A CEO Goes to Indonesia

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While my travels have been extensive, I can’t experience every type of travel. Occasionally I like to let my friends have the podium to tell their travel stories. Today’s post is from Scott Jordan, the founder and CEO of Scottevest, one of my sponsors. We spoke about his upcoming trip when I was in Las Vegas and invited him to guest post on my site. His recent trip to Indonesia was an eye opening experience for him and it was an interesting look what happens when a CEO has to step away from the office. Here is Scott…

 

Scott and kids in Indonesia

Scott and kids in Indonesia

Three weeks ago, I made the decision to go on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Two weeks ago, I went on that trip. Like most things I do, it was a whirlwind process. I have not traveled much recently, despite owning one of the most innovative travel companies in the world. Traveling used to be part of my life, but my wife and I have been so dedicated to our business in the last decade that leaving for extended periods of time has been difficult. Our rather remote location (Sun Valley, ID) also makes traveling a challenge. The timing was right, however, and the opportunity was one that could not be missed.

 

 

The invitation was from a good friend of mine, author Amy Tan, to celebrate her 60th birthday (I apologize if she didn’t want her age publicized…) on a private island in Indonesia with a small group of her close friends. I was honored to be included on the list and tempted by the thought of being “stranded” with some of the most interesting people in the world, but I have to say that I almost immediately dismissed the idea of going. I am extremely committed to my company and the trip followed a very busy period in our history; my appearance on ABC’s Shark Tank. Finally, I have to admit that I am also rather attached to the internet. The thought of being “unwired” for 10+ days? Think again.

 

Scott and Amy Tan

Scott and Amy Tan

Afew factors encouraged me to change this position. Ironically, one of the reasons I thought I shouldn’t go away turned into a reason why I should. My team and I worked non-stop leading up to and immediately following Shark Tank, and I realized it was a good time to get away: to gain a new perspective and take some time to slow down and think. My wife and my team at Scottevestencouraged me (with an almost suspicious exuberance) to accept the invitation. I was crazy not to go, they said. I started to think about the company I would be in and the opportunities to learn from such diverse and accomplished people and the unprecedented chance to really “road test” (or “plane test”) my products.

 

I had made up my mind, but I wasn’t appropriately excited until a conversation that I had with Gary. We’ve been working with Gary for a few months, sending him gear and co-sponsoring his travels, but I didn’t meet him until the Travel Goods Association Show in Las Vegas last month. Gary is a truly inspiring man. His sense of direction? Not so inspired, surprisingly. This is a man who has explored every continent, but he could not find my booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center if his life depended on it. Maybe he’s used to using the sun to navigate.

Gary and I had dinner together one evening, and it was over dinner that I began to really understand the magnitude of what he does. He has had countless incredible experiences and thousands of stunning photographs, not a single one of which he has ever printed, he told me. I guess by the time one adventure ends, it’s on to the next. Gary mentioned that of all the people who buy and subscribe to travel magazines, most of them don’t get the chance to go anywhere. The simply love to learn about these experiences and imagine them and best they can through magazine articles, travel shows, photographs, and bloggers like Gary. I realized that I want to be a conduit in the same way so I could not only travel and share my experiences, but that I can make it easier for people. This is already something that Scottevest aspires to do, ease the hassles of travel, but it became more tangible to me as I thought about the approaching trip. After meeting with Gary, my excitement and my expectations trumped my anxiety about the hassles of travel: the days spent on plane after plane, being away from email, etc.

 

Scott and a Fan at the Airpor

Scott and a Fan at the Airpor

I departed from Sun Valley with renewed enthusiasm and with the following plan of action: to embrace the actual traveling. People often say that they love travel, but that they don’t like the actual getting there. This trip would entail a long period of “getting there,” so I decided to make the best of it. I wear Scottevest gear every day, but traveling with it was a whole new experience. It really was the best solution getting through airport security. It also gave me new ideas about what I want in the products and what might be most important. I also liked interaction face-to-face with other travelers. I engage our fans online all the time, but my preferred method is always in person.

 

At the LAX International Terminal I encountered an entire family of Scottevest fans. I always approach people when I see them wearing Scottevest, and this was no exception. I looked like a fool I’m sure. Green plaid shirt, red vest, and a fedora hat that my wife hates, but I walked up to this family outside McDonald’s and asked the father how he liked his vest. The daughter looked at me and said, “Hey, we saw you on Shark Tank!” It was a great interaction. The gentleman gave me some useful feedback about the sizing and position of the iPod pocket. It set the tone of the trip, and I decided that I need to be meeting travelers. My trip ended with another SeV sighting, with a man dressed head-to-toe in the Salt Lake City airport. I did the math later, he had to have at least 35 pockets…I didn’t ask if he was wearing the Travel Boxers.

Although I was committed to this project of enjoying the actual getting there (at the very least tolerating it), I have to say I was relieved when my destination was in sight. By the time I arrived on the island…via Hong Kong, via Los Angeles, via Salt Lake City, I had no idea what time or day it was. The location was stunning as I knew it would be, but you can never really imagine or anticipate that kind of beauty. Nor can you capture it. The photos I took pale in comparison to what it was really like. Of course, travel is about so much more than blue waters, beach huts and photographs. What I took away from the trip will change me and it will change my business. In future posts on my blog I will discuss the highlights of the trip and the perspective it gave me, the importance of camaraderie and company when it comes to travel and the retrospection that being “away from it all” allowed me. Like any significant trip, I could never have anticipated the things that I saw, the experiences I had, or the things that I felt. I’m excited to organize my thoughts about the trip and looking forward to planning more adventures in the near future.

I think I got the travel bug!