Headphone Reviews

About a year and a half ago, SCOTTeVEST sent me a jacket to be included in the 2015 Holiday Gift Guide. I liked what I saw and included it. But for a product like this, the proof is in the wearing...the long-time wearing. I figured I'd use it for a while before giving it a real thumbs-up.

Well, a year and a half down the road, probably a hundred yards on my back under vehicles, a half dozen back country motorcycle rides, innumerable hours around the campfire, at least three trips through the wash cycle, and every-day use nine months of the year, and the SCOTTeVEST Fleece Jacket 8.0 is still going strong. That's saying something; I'm really hard on stuff. My year and a half is like three years wear for most people, I would think.

I tend not to use it because I'm a gadget geek—though it certainly helps in that regard—I use it because I tend to carry quite a bit of stuff. All the normal stuff plus a knife, flashlight, deck of cards or dice, pen, a stack of quarters for pool...too much for pants pockets. I tried the man-bag thing and it just didn't feel right to me. With the SCOTTeVEST I just grab it, load what I need, and go. I am never at a loss for space.

Not many complaints...but not flawless either. There's no insulation on the shoulders, so in cold weather it can get a bit chilly there. I tend to wear a hoody underneath and a shell on top in really cold weather; layering fixes it.

The pocket liners are a nice, but thin, material. The pocket zippers will get caught up it from time-to-time. The good news is that the material is so strong that even when I've really had to manhandle it to get untangled from the zipper, it hasn't torn. Given how hard I've tugged on it I can hardly believe it remained ruffled but intact.

Lastly, the main zipper housing spread after about 15 months; the zipper would close but was not mated properly. This happens on most every jacket and large zip up duffle I own; I just pull too hard on zippers. Fortunately, I've learned that a good squeeze on both sides of the housing with some bent needle-nose pliers will extend the life of zippers. The Fleece 8.0 zipper responded nicely. (I should note that I've never had a problem with the zippers on the Red Oxx travel luggage I reviewed long ago.)

The fatal flaw of this jacket for me is that I can't wear it in the summer. Come June, I'm at a loss for space in my jeans pockets without the Fleece 8.0. Pretty sure I'm just going to anti-up and buy a Sportsman's Vest for the summer.

The Fleece 8.0 is a multi-featured jacket with 21 various pockets and removable sleeves; I'll point you to the SCLOTTeVEST Fleece Jacket 8.0 product page for the full rundown, and leave you with a video of how much stuff I can pack in mine. Stay warm and well loaded!

Video
Click to view on YouTube.