TomBrady

Thinking about buying one of these for my European excursion for the whole month of June. Anyone have any feed back or any reviews. Not all that much online about it. Only found about 3 reviews.

Was thinking the soft shell version

http://globaltravelclothing.com/

Agremeister

Is there really any differences between this and your standard windbreaker/rain jacket? I know some people have special travel wardrobes but I've really never understood the point. I just wear my regular clothes when I travel and I've never thought to myself that I needed to wear something specifically for travelling.

wendyg

There's no reason you *can't* wear your regular clothes while traveling; but the demands of travel are sufficiently different from "normal" life that if you do a lot of it you may want to have some items that make it easier. (For example, if you prefer not to check luggage, it's helpful to have some items that are light, packable, easily washable in the shower or a sink, and that dry quickly; or you may travel to areas that have considerably different climates than the one you live in...or...)

The average windbreaker has minimal pockets. I find a many-pocketed vest very useful for traveling because it keeps everything handy (even on the plane) while keeping everything in an assigned place so it's easy to access or tell if something is missing. For my tastes, that jacket has some good points - some of the pockets are quite large (and I like to keep a magazine handy for periods of unavoidable delay). However...

...it has no hood. Lots of people apparently don't care about hoods, but I find a hat/umbrella that can't get lost invaluable.

...it's short. Lots of people, again, apparently like hip-length jackets, but I like mine to be long enough that if I sit down on a cold or wet bench my ... is covered.

June in Europe can be quite variable - anything from cold and damp to sunny and hot. The usual advice applies: dress in layers, and be prepared for sudden changes.

wg

TObject

How do you sit down and strap a belt in that thing?

TomBrady

I bought one. Ill post a review once I get it

UAPremExecflyer

Having watched the video, this product seems well-meaning in a very naive way and frankly a bit ridiculous. You really want to have a jacket with you iPad weighing you down in an inside pocket? Plus a bottle of water? The "eye shade" feature demonstrated sitting on a railway station platform is a recipe for being mugged. And if you want to wear it on a plane don't you have to take out the iPad, water bottle and everything else and store somewhere else as you will be uncomfortable sitting or lying down? Where else would you put them - a bag (there's a revolutionary idea) or the seat pocket?

TomBrady

Yea, honestly it wont really allow me to fly without 2 carryons. My roller and backpack. but what it wll do is, in a pinch I can stick stuff in the pockets when im out and about.

The ipad pocket for me is more of a quick thing, than a actually putting it there. More like, right before boarding I can pull out my Ipad and QC3's and put them in my pocket, that way when I boarding im hands free. I recognize that I might be paying a bit much for this privilege. But I dont know until I wear it. I am curious to see if this will really improve my travel experience, but I will let everyone know.

TOMFORD

That looks pointless. Is it another Silicon Valley company burning through VC tech bubble money?

Get a waxed cotton field jacket from Belstaff, or Barbour for a cheaper alternative and it has all the pockets you need.

Also, I know it may be "practical" to store your iPad in your jacket, but it's ridiculous. Why not just wear a platemail from the medieval times instead?

TomBrady

I got the jacket on friday. At first glance I Was disappointed. It really is just a jacket with a few more pockets. But I wore it around the city all weekend. And I must say it really grew on me. I found myself using all the random pockets in multiple ways. Especially since I carry 2 phones and usually other random junk. The ear bud system also was great for walking around and when I was chillin at the schuylkill river dog park. Right now I like the jacket, I still think its overpriced by about $90 so that keeps me from loving it.

Currently if I had to give an opinion, its not worth nearly $200 id say just buy wind jacket with a bunch of pockets, but if you got a little extra disposable income, this isn't a bad purchase.

I have a business trip coming up in a week, and then Europe in a month, I will report back more on how well it works as a travel jacket then. It might be worth the money on long trips.

TomBrady

This is exactly how I thought. But this weekend when I was with the SO at the mall, I decided to try it out and brought the ipad in the pocket. I actually was surprised at how easy it was to carry around in the pocket. IT really wasn't a bother. I will probably do this more in the future now that I know I can carry the ipad easily without a backpack or bag. The ipad didnt even really bother me weight wise in the pocket.


Although the huge counterpoint to all of this is, I could have just used my iphone to read and play games also. But hey sometimes you want that bigger screen

TOMFORD

I think it's funny Tom Brady is talking to Tom Ford. Tom Brady you're a crybaby when it comes to not getting your sample clothes on time.

TomBrady

UPDATE:

I have been wearing this around the city when running errands and stuff, and I must say its grown on me tremendously. I have yet to do the airline travel with it, but stupid pockets that I never had before have all of a sudden become necessary when walking around. Now I know most of this is probably in my head, but its like anything in life, once you get used to something you miss it when your gone.

I still will reiterate the fact its probably overpriced for what it is, a rain coat with a bunch of pockets, but its very useful. I will update this thread when I finally take this thing on a airplane like its supposed to be.

#10

The utility of products like this is highly focused on a small group of travelers that have a genetic condition which prohibits them from checking bags. In parts of the world where airlines actually weigh your carry-on to enforce a 7kg limit, weighing down your coat/vest to get through check-in and security with various electronics is valuable. For those that would call out these scofflaws, the genetic condition also provides them the strength and the spatial orientation to always insure the 10+kg bag fits in the overhead without inconveniencing any other passenger.

FirstInFlight

I got one of those Scottevests a few years ago. I found it quite useful - especially in tourist areas where pickpockets are a problem. But it's also pretty warm and too warm for much of SE Asia travel.

tentseller

My Scottevests are great for keeping the carry on within 7 kgs