I am going to start a periodic series discussing my favorite things. These are the things I use consistently in my daily life that I find to be perfect.
Perfection is a hard standard to measure so I’m also introducing a new unit of measurement called the hC. An hC is equal to the critique duration of an unladen siracusa, measured in minutes. All of the products I talk about in this series will have an estimated hC no greater than 25, so perfect for all practical purposes. ;)
#1: Scottevest Fleece 5.0
Back in January of 2011 I got a Scottevest Fleece 5.0. At the time I was looking for a new everyday jacket to replace my current fleece. I stumbled across the Scottevest site accidentally. I was intrigued by their focus on insane pocket counts and technology. I figured I’d give it a try and see if I liked it. This has become my most beloved article of clothing (behind perhaps my grey ‘superhero’ DF t-shirt).
The practicality of the jacket is amazing. It has something like 24 pockets in varying sizes. They range in size from a tiny pocket proportioned to carry an SD card all the way up to a pocket that can carry an iPad or even an 11″ MacBook Air. It isn’t so much that I find that I need to use all the pockets in the jacket but instead that I delight in never running out of space. This is especially amazing for travel (especially to conferences). I can carry with me everything I need for the day without needing a backpack and don’t look like I am carrying anything extra. The balance and weight management is amazing, even when loaded up with an iPad and books.
The material is great too. I tend to get warm easily so I can’t wear something that is too thick. I find its mid-weight fleece to be an ideal all-season material. I’ve worn it comfortably both in freezing temperatures and on spring days when it hovered in the 60s. The sleeves also zip off if you need extra versatility.
The only downside I’ve found with this jacket is that it is sometimes easy to lose things in the pockets. You have to develop a sense of routine, to consistently put things in the same pockets, otherwise you’ll spend forever looking silly as you try dozens of pockets to find what you are looking for.
For 2 years I’ve worn this nearly every day from early Autumn through late Spring, plus my trip to chilly San Francisco each summer. It still holds up well without any real signs of wear.
Perfect.
There is an updated, fancier model, the Fleece 7.0. This is a very similar product that looks very promising. I’ve never tried this myself but hope to at some point to see which I prefer.