SCOTTeVEST Milan Leather Jacket Review

SCOTTeVEST truly is Technology Enabled Clothing, as the company touts. Using this philosophy, SCOTTeVEST has developed a full line of clothing specially geared toward those who need to carry multiple gadgets but never had the pockets to do so. In the past, we have taken a look at their Three.0 Spring Jacket, Hidden Cargo Shorts, TEC T-Shirt, Classic Vest, Solar Jacket, Sport Coat, and Hidden Cargo Pants. Today, we take a look at what might be their best product to date - by far. At first glance, the Milan Leather Jacket is impressive. We put it through a full review after the jump.

DESCRIPTION

• Specialized pockets: earbud pocket, pen/stylus pockets, and bottle holder.
• Some pockets can be combined to form larger ones by unzipping the pocket separators.
• Lamb skin leather is amazing. The design is impeccable.
• Huge back pocket is great for magazines, files, and even a small laptop computer.
• Available in Chocolate Brown

 

The SCOTTeVEST Milan is a full-fledged, high-quality version of the 4.0 SCOTTeVEST system. That means that, while it has the appearance of a very stylish coat, it still goes overkill with 41 pockets of varying sizes and uses. Each pocket includes a business card which provides examples of what can housed in each. These are very convenient, as you soon begin to get a feel for how best to use the jacket.

Looking at the interior, you’ll find a host of pockets, some with mesh finishes and individual zippers.  The see-through mesh helps you in finding the item you need, which could range from flash memory cards, styli, or headphones. Other pockets are less obvious, keeping more expensive items hidden from view whether you have your jacket zipped up or not. A few pockets near the lower portion of the vest can open up to larger sizes via a Velcro strip.  In total there are 41 pockets on the Milan, counting interior and exterior ones.

There are some other nice touches, too.  You’ll find a few long pen pockets in the middle interior, along the line of the main zipper.  Some of the other interior compartments are small enough to hold spare change.  There’s also a stretchable spiral-cord with a key-clip inside one of the hand pockets.  On the exterior there are two pockets at chest level that could work for easy access to your cell phone and MP3 player—items we use more frequently.  A nice by-product of their placement is that you can better hear audible alarms or rings or feel vibrations from either of these devices.

PERSONAL AREA NETWORK

It wouldn’t be a SeV product without their recently patented PAN (Personal Area Network) wire system.  This system allows you to string the cords for your devices inside the lining of the jacket in order to avoid entanglement.  You can run a headphone cord from a rubber clip near the collar of the jacket to the bottom interior pocket.  That way you can keep your iPod or cell phone in an interior pocket with the cord hidden, rather than flapping around in the wind while you walk.  If you switch often between audio-capable devices you’ll need to make sure the cord is long enough to accommodate it though, especially if you want to pull out a gadget to use it.  It may take you a little time to find the holes where you thread the cord through, but they’re there.  We found the interior pockets that contain the PAN holes to be a little on the large side; perhaps more suited to store a magazine than a portable music player.  Then again, devices come in all shapes and sizes and user preferences will vary. 

The Milan also boasts a weight management system which distributes weight evenly across your shoulders. The problem here is that, even though it’s even, it’s still heavy after adding just a few items. Although there are 41 pockets, we wouldn’t recommend stuffing them all with gadgets - however, you now have the option of having a dedicated pocket for all your wallet, receipts, change, pack of tissues, mints, etc. Don’t think of it as strictly a gadget jacket. The placement of the pockets allows for great personal customization. Pick and choose the ones that work best for you, almost like a choose-your-own-adventure book.

The SeV Milan also pays close attention to the little things, and the more you wear it, the easier it becomes to appreciate the attention to detail along with the revolutionary design. For example, rather than producing a run of the mill cowhide leather jacket, SCOTTeVEST went with lamb skin. If you haven’t felt the difference, believe us when we tell you that the feel of the material is just exquisite.

FINAL VERDICT

While it is expensive, the SCOTTeVEST Milan makes a huge statement that justifies its price of entry. This jacket is the top of the line in portable entertainment gear. Unlike all the gadgets you will be carrying around, this piece of technology doesn’t make you look like a geek. Instead, we received numerous compliments on how great the jacket looked at our recent Mind Camp event. Think of it as the ultimate carrying case for any portable you own. That being said, remember that we have a coupon code for 20% off all SCOTTeVEST orders through December 25th, 2005. If you spring for the Milan, that will get you $90 off with free shipping. Just head on over to the Milan product page to pick one out, and use coupon code “GEARLIVE” during checkout to get your discount.

Product: SCOTTeVEST Milan
Price: $450 - $360 using coupon code GEARLIVE