Scottevest Transformer Jacket Review
Page 2
Continued from page 1
ABOVE: Durant Imboden approaches the Seine cruise
ship River Baroness in Paris while
wearing Scottevest's Transformer Jacket (sleeves removed) and
Button-Down Shirt. INSET
BELOW: Durant models the Transformer Jacket in Rouen's Canine Quarter.
Field Test: Paris and Normandy
By
Durant Imboden
 In
the early fall of 2012, Scottevest sent me a Transformer Jacket to field-test
during a visit to Paris and a river cruise to Normandy on Uniworld's
River Baroness. For
testing purposes, the timing was perfect: Cheryl and I were going to be in Paris
and Normandy during the last half of September, when we could expect a range of
temperatures (from warm to chilly) and a mixture of sunny, cloudy, and rainy
days.
The first thing I noticed about the jacket was its styling: The
Transformer Jacket is shorter, sleeker, and lighter than my original
Scottevest Version Three.0 jacket or the heavy-duty
Scottevest Expedition Jacket that
I'd reviewed early in 2012. It's more of a technology-enabled hipster jacket
than a parka.
 The
Transformer Jacket comes in three colors: "ash" (grey), "blaze" (red), and
"coal" (black), with contrasting vertical panels or stripes from underarm to
hem. The lightweight shell is made of a polyester microfiber material, and the
vest section of the jacket has a soft perforated lining for improved air
circulation and comfort in warm weather.
The jacket's two exterior side 'handwarmer" pockets are
protected by hidden zippers. The pockets are big enough to hold items such as a
guidebook, a compact camera, a pair of gloves, a nylon bucket hat, or the
jacket's removable shoulder yoke and sleeves. The right side pocket has an elastic
water-bottle holder and a coiled cord for a keyring.
 Inside,
the jacket has another 17 pockets, including two "clear touch fabric" pockets
for smartphones or MP3 players and a large zippered pocket for an iPad or
other tablet. (I don't have a tablet, so I used the "pad pocket" to carry a
folding tote for my morning trips to our neighborhood bakery in Paris.)
 Other
dedicated pockets include a zippered passport pocket (which is big enough to
carry both a passport and a wallet), an eyeglass and chamois pocket (the
microfiber chamois is printed with a pocket map and attached to the jacket by a
stretchy cord), and an ID pocket for a driver's license or business card.
Like all Scottevest jackets, the Transformer Jacket is equipped
with a "Personal Area Network" that routes wires from a smartphone or MP3 player
to elastic earbud loops in the soft fabric-lined collar.
How did the Transformer Jacket perform during my nearly three
weeks in Paris and Normandy? In a word: Perfectly. I wore the jacket daily, in
weather that ranged from cold and rainy to warm and sunny. I tugged the sleeves
off and put them back on as needed, without having to remove the jacket. And
if any pickpockets tried to find my passport or wallet, they didn't succeed.
Follow-up: I tested the
jacket again during a 2013
barge cruise on
La Bella Vita (roundtrip from Venice). It performed admirably, although the
sleeves did become wet after a prolonged downpour--which is another way of
saying that the Transformer Jacket's fabric is water-resistant, not waterproof.
Verdict: The
Scottevest Transformer Jacket is the perfect casual travel jacket and vest for
spring or fall, and also for summer days in Northern Europe.
For more information, visit the
Transformer Jacket page at
Scottevest.com.
Back to:
Scottevest
Transformer Jacket - Introduction
Inset photo 2 copyright �© Scottevest, Inc.
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