SCOTTeVEST T5 Sport Coat

April 9, 2019 - After nearly 20 years of cruising and well over 100 cruises, I have never found the "perfect" travel sport coat. That is, until now. I recently returned from a 14-night transatlantic sailing aboard Regent Seven Seas Explorer, where gentlemen are not "required", but "expected" to dress "appropriately" after 6pm. I just don't feel comfortable going out in the evening aboard a luxury cruise ship not wearing a jacket.

I recently received a T5 Sport Coat from SCOTTeVEST. When my black 42L T5 Sport Coat arrived, I was immediately impressed by the quality and feel of the materials used in the construction. My first positive experience was when I tried it on and it fit PERFECTLY. However, this is much more than just a nice-looking, well-fitting sport coat. The jacket is loaded with cool features, not the least of which is 19 different pockets!

T5 Sport Coat has 19 pockets!

Three of the pockets are on the outside of the jacket: a left-side breast pocket, and two hip pockets.  These are complemented by 16 other "hidden" pockets on the interior lining of the jacket. There's a pocket large enough to hide a LARGE iPad and another that is perfect for passports and other documents. Everywhere you look inside this jacket, there are handy pockets of varying sizes and shapes.

On the right side of the jacket interior there is one pocket perfectly sized for a wallet or credit card holder, along with two small slots to hold pens.

One clever little pocket is designed to hold eyeglasses and even includes a small microfiber cleaning cloth.

There are more pockets that you would probably ever use at one time, but it is always better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. One advantage to having so many pockets is the ability to store all of your gadgets in the jacket before going through airport security. Your cell phone, iPad, keys, wallet, credit cards, and metal objects that normally need to be removed, can all be placed in the jacket. Then, simply remove the jacket and send it through the x-ray machine! There is even a pocket the entire width of the jacket in the back panel that I can only assume is for carring a small laptop. Yes, it's that big.

The T5 Sport Coat also offers RFID protection, and a small key chain is sewn into one of the pockets. A LOT of thought and engineering has gone into this jacket. The jacket is made of a blend of polyester/rayon and spandex to give it incredible travel chops. I folded the T5 into thirds and packed it in my suitcase. When we arrived on the ship hours later, I hung it up and it instantly regained its shape with no wrinkles!

SCOTTeVEST even claims the jacket has some water-resistant properties, which I did not put to the test. The interior zippers are small enough so that they are not visible from the outside of the jacket. And, the liner (with its repeating SCOTTeVEST logo) is very high quality and comfortable. The zippers and pulls appear to be high-quality, but longer-term testing will have to be done before I can make that claim.

I also have not yet had the jacket dry-cleaned (which is recommended), so I cannot make any claim as to how well it holds up over time. However, at first glance, this appears to be the perfect sport coat for those who travel. It is easy to pack, holds everything you could ever want to carry with you, looks good, and fits perfectly. Is there anything that I don't like about the T5? Yes. I don't like that it only comes in black. I would like to have one in gray, navy and camel!

For more information on the SCOTTeVEST, you can visit their website at ScottEVest.com

Trtl Travel Pillow

I have never been able to get any sleep on an airplane. Sure, if I am willing to fork over thousands of dollars for a Business Class or First Class seat, I can lay flat and get some rest on a long flight, but since most of my flights are business trips, Business/First class is out of the question. And let's face it, it is virtually impossible to recline an Economy class seat enough to get any relief. I have tried regular travel pillows -- you know, the ones that wrap around your neck? But, they only force my head farther forward with my chin aiming toward my chest. So, when I saw the Trtl travel pillow, I was intrigued.

The design of the Trtl is unlike any other travel pillow, hence the patent. Basically, it is a long microfiber sleeve that fits over a flexible plastic frame. The frame is designed to cradle your head and support your neck from the side while the microfiber cloth makes for a soft, warm wrap held in place with hook and loop fasteners (Velcro).

Instead of attempting to support the back of the head, like a traditional travel pillow, the Trtl acts sort of like a sling to support the head from the side. We decided to try the Trtl on a 15-hour flight from LAX to Hong Kong. We were seated in Economy-class on Cathay Pacific in an exit row seat. The gentleman sitting behind me was pretty tall, so I did not want to recline my seat and make him any more uncomfortable than he already was, so our initial testing was done with a completely upright Economy class seating position.

Rickee positions the Trtl on our flight to Hong Kong

One of the first things we noticed about the Trtl is how the microfiber wrap keeps your neck warm. That is a real blessing on a long flight where they keep the plane freezing cold. The long strip of hook and loop fastener allows for near-infinite adjustment around your neck and the Trtl is easy to re-position. You can make the wrap as loose or tight as you want.

But, does it work? The short answer is, yes. I found that I was able to get a little sleep on our flight using the Trtl, which is more than I would have been able to get otherwise. The only issue I had was the plastic frame would sort of dig into the bottom of my left ear when my head was resting on it. That may be because I was using my Bose noise-cancelling headphones at the same time. It also could be just the weird position of my freakishly giant ears. Nevertheless, I can certainly see where for many people, the Trtl will allow for hours of rest when traveling.

Trtl cradles your head and neck from the side

It should also be noted that the Trtl is easy to travel with. I had no problem stuffing mine into my backpack and Rickee was able to wrap hers around the handle of her roll-aboard. The plastic frame can easily be removed from the microfiber sleeve so that the sleeve can be washed. If you have problems getting sleep on long trips as I do, the Trtl is definitely worth a try, especially for the modest $30 investment. For more information, visit trtl.co.uk/

SCOTTeVEST Fireside Fleece Vest

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You can buy a fleece vest just about anywhere. But, if you want one that is packed with features, there is none better than the Fireside Fleece Vest from SCOTTeVEST. SCOTTeVEST pioneered the concept of equipping their vests (and other articles of clothing) with lots of handy pockets for all your gadgets. It was such an obvious need.

When my vest arrived, my first impression was, "Okay, it looks like a vest, big deal." But, after I unzipped it and opened it up, I was amazed by all of the efficient use of space. There are pockets of every size and shape on the inside of both sides of the vest. The pockets are intelligently designed to hold specific items like cell phones, water bottles, sunglasses, pens, even an iPad/tablet! There are a total of 15 pockets, four of which are on the outside of the vest. Two of the outside pockets can hold cell phones, and two are for your hands to keep them warm. The right hand-warmer pocket even has a key ring on a lanyard attached to the inside of the pocket...very cool.

My plan was to "test" the vest during our two-week European Christmas Markets river cruise assignment. Now, I should preface this review by saying that I am not a "vest guy." In fact, I have never owned a vest. My plan was to try out the SCOTTeVEST for a couple of days, load up the pockets with all my gear, and then write a review. However, my plans changed when my winter coat was ruined the day before we were scheduled to leave the country. I spilled about a cup of melted butter on the front of the coat on Thanksgiving, and it was basically destroyed. On Thanksgiving evening, the only place open to buy a jacket was Walmart, and all they had was a cheap middle-weight nylon jacket, which I purchased for $20. I knew that this Walmart jacket would probably not be warm enough in sub-40-degree weather. That was when the Fireside Fleece Vest made its way into my daily wardrobe.

When we arrived in Prague, the temperature was in the low 40's, and this was the warmest temperature we would see for the next two weeks. Each day, I would wear the Fireside Fleece Vest between my long sleeved flannel shirt and my cheap Walmart jacket. I was impressed with how warm the vest was. My core never got cold, even in temperatures in the low 30's. And, there were days when we were out in the elements for up to three hours at a time. I tried going out one day with only the Walmart jacket and quickly returned to our stateroom to "layer up" with the vest. So, just as a vest to keep you warm, the Fireside Fleece Vest is worth the price. Now, let's talk about all of those wonderful pockets!

Since I was wearing the vest underneath my jacket, I could use one of the front "hand warmer" pockets to stow my wallet. I do this to avoid pickpockets! Our stateroom keys went into one of the front chest pockets while the other one was used for my cell phone (a Samsung Galaxy S6). When on tour with the river cruise lines, I would use one of the chest pockets for the Vox audio device, where it fit perfectly. This kept me from having to use the lanyard to hang the Vox unit around my neck. One of the large inside pockets was used for my pocket camera and another pocket held my sunglasses (which I rarely needed on this trip). If we bought small souvenirs, which we often do, I had plenty of other pockets to stow refrigerator magnets, postcards, etc. And, I love the little slots on each side to hold pens!

When we returned to the ship after our tours, I would remove my neck warmer and cheap Walmart jacket and leave my vest on while inside the ship. It is so comfortable and light that you hardly notice you are wearing it. If I needed to step out on the deck for a couple of minutes to take a photo, the vest alone was more than enough to keep me warm.

Slots to hold pens on each side

In case you have not picked up on it yet, I am now a converted "vest guy." I honestly cannot imagine traveling in cooler climates without my Fireside Fleece Vest. We shipped our luggage to Europe on this trip, and the vest was packed in the shipped luggage; otherwise, I would have definitely worn the vest on the flight to Europe. It would have been the perfect layer to keep me warm on those cold all-night flights. And, the pockets would make going through airport security a breeze! Just load the pockets up, take the vest off and put it in a bin to go through the x-ray machine. This will be my go-to garment for airline travel from now on.

The Fireside Fleece Vest is available in both men's and women's sizes and is now one of my favorite travel "gadgets". The vest is warm, comfortable, functional and is very well made. I can highly recommend the SCOTTeVEST Fireside Fleece Vest!

For more information, go to https://www.scottevest.com