Gear Review: My New Travel Vest

I don’t usually write reviews about gear but there’s a first time for everything.  I’m always looking for ways to carry a lot of things…without actually carrying anything.  Do you know what I mean?  I don’t like to carry a heavy camera bag, a big backpack, or even a heavy purse!  I want to go light and have my hands free.  That’s even more important if I’m out with my dog Jem and am holding his leash.  I just don’t have enough free hands for a lot of stuff.

That being said I also should confess I have many bags and purses, because I’m always trying to find the perfect combination!

I recently tried something new.  I opted to avoid the idea of carrying a bag at all.  I purchased a Scottevest and have been experimenting with it not only as a travel vest but as a photography vest.  (This link will take you to Amazon where there are a variety of styles.) So far I’m very pleased!

I purchased the women’s version in black.  It’s a slim fitting vest with no bulging pockets yet it holds all kinds of things: my money, my id, my phone, my extra camera batteries and cards, my remote release for the shutter, a bottle of water (or perhaps a lens instead?) and there are pockets to spare.  The wonderful thing about it is that it truly doesn’t bulge.  How does that work?  Beats me.  It’s like magic, so don’t spoil it for me.

So far I’ve found this to be great while walking around shooting flowers at a local garden.  I also wore it in Death Valley and so didn’t need to carry anything more than my tripod while out on a day hike.  I think the vest would be wonderful when flying.  According to the ad, one just takes it off and sends it through the x-ray machine.  Sounds simple.  And it’s comfortable.  I wore mine continuously during our drive up to Death Valley, many hours in a car, and didn’t even notice I had it on.

One a cautionary note, I purchased a size larger than usual because of the slim fit and because I wanted to be able to wear a lot of layers under it.  Sizing is always such a tricky thing but going up one size turned out to be a good choice for me.