Wearable luggage hack - photographer's vest?
 

There are plenty of ways to get around restrictive carry-on weight restrictions - including custom-built "luggage jackets." My current preference is a pair of cargo pants and a jacket with decent sized pockets, but cargo pants need a belt, which means delays at the security checkpoint.
So, I've been theorising about using a photographer's vest for my next trip: something like this
Pros
- Heaps of pockets
- Easy to get on/off
- Pockets big enough for paperbacks

Cons
- Geeky
- Suspicious to security?

Anybody have experience using a photographer's vest?

One of my grandsons likes all the pockets in a vest, but also likes the sweatshirt hoodies for warmth. We found a really cheap vest on Amazon - $7 or $8. Cut the back away, reversed the front sections, and sewed them into an old hoodie. He loves it. Wears it for lots more than just flights.

This is a "thing" already and is popular here. Check out SCOTTeVEST.

A photographers vest will hold more than a ScotteVest because the latter is built to look decent, not like a cargo garment.

Cheers for the not quite what I'm meaning; something with more and larger pockets.

That might not work as the scanner works on density not metal detection. I was told that a few times when I mentioned my buckle was plastic and scanner detected something and I was then subjected to a complimentary massage.

I agree about the Scottevest. While marketing the numbers of pocket which is great if you carry what the original intent use of each pocket was meant to carry.

Unlike a properly designed, load carrying photographer vest it does not distribute the load well. Some or Tolley are the two brands that I have used and recommend. A better photo gear carrying solution is the LowePro system. That might be too professional looking.

For cargo carrying you can't beat the combination of photography vest and CARGO pants, shorts or trousers.

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I've got an ExOfficio travel vest that serves me very well, and it's at a great price point as well when compared to some of the others.

Not off topic at all mate! I hadn't thought of this - might be easier than wearing something that looks like an ISIS vest!

Looks pretty cool. Maybe a bit small. Could you fit say 2x400 page paperbacks, wallet, phone, and powerbank in those pockets?

Actually....the pockets in a Scottie vest are quite large.

In my Scottie vest I have carried alll at once: An ipad mini (im sure I could Do it a my 10.8 ipad pro also) a 14 inch laptop. A bottle of water. A G37x bridge camera. A 10,000 mah battery, full sized Sony head over ear headphones, cables, snacks, chap stick, cleaning cloth, glasses, and tissue.

No problem at all. I treated my vest till it's 100% water proof so it doubles as a rain coat (which gives it a second purpose during the trip) and the Tropophormer has zip off sleeves which extends its usable life to 3 full seasons.

If its a long enough flight I've successfully situated everything in the seat back and the Scottie folds inside itself to make a handy pillow to put against the bulkhead and lean on, giving it a third use.

The only con is you are definitely going to look ridiculous doing this. However you do look much less ridiculous than you look wearing the aforementioned true photo vest so there is that....(frankly I've tried it and it isn't for me unless im desperate).

Then again...i've grown tired of lugging luggage through airports and am considering going back to checking at least 1 bag and carrying a much lighter carry on so what do i know?

TSA however could not care less about it one way or another in my experience.

For a belt I always travel with a sturdy paracord belt that way I have ample paracord on me if heaven forbid an emergency were to happen there are lots of very helpful uses of paracord rope.

Wearing a photo vest on a plane or any type of "travellers" vest is the equivalent to wearing a sign that says, "Look at me I'm a Kettle!"

That's not 100% true either. The Scottie vest hoodies look just like any other hoodie, come in cotton or fleece and im especially fond of the built in gloves, built in glasses cleaning cloth, key retention spring, headphone cabling, and pull down flap in the hoodie that says "do not disturb" for nap time use on winter flights.