SCOTTeVEST Microfleece Pullover

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Judie Hughes

July 19, 2005

As our temperature gauge has consistently pushed the high 90s and low 100s this summer, I have certainly done my share of wishing for cooler fall days - for sweater weather. I am sure I'm not the only one that is ready for the type of day when it is not cold enough for a coat, but it's too chilly to venture outdoors in shirtsleeves...the type of day that fleece jackets were made for.

My favorite fleece style is the pullover, but I have never had one that was any more gear-minded than the typical two pocket version. When I am riding four-wheelers at the ranch, this usually works out well enough because the items I am carrying might be nothing more than a camera in one pocket and a Swiss Army knife in the the other.Of course there have been many times when I especially wished that I had a place to stow my sunglasses - somewhere safer than on the neck of my t-shirt, or I'll wish that I had a way to conveniently carry a bottle of water without bringing along a daypack.

Last year, when we visited the Four Corners area, I had those same issues and many more. We were hiking all over some of the most beautiful places in the United States - Painted Desert, the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde - and I didn't want to carry a bag, so my husband Steve was kind enough to be my pack-mule. Actually, in many of the pictures in my Traveling Fools trip report - especially the part two portion, you can see me wearing the very tired old black fleece pullover that I was given after helping with the Dallas 2001 Pocket PC FanFest. It's been my favorite for four years, and it is beginning to really show its age. In a couple of the Mesa Verde cliff dwelling pictures you can see that because of its limited pocket space I had even begun to load my cargo pants pockets. Well, you do what you've gotta do, right?

So with all of that said, it should be no surprise that I was very interested when I learned that SCOTTeVEST has recently come out with a micro fleece in my favorite pull-over style. I was sent the black version to review.

Not your typical pullover fleece, photos courtesy of the SeV site

The SeV Microfleece Pullover is available in either black or camouflage ("camo") and in sizes small through XXX-Large. With an exterior styled in a very similar manner to my favorite old black pullover fleece, there is a significant difference found in what's not visible - the addition of multiple functional pockets, a Personal Area Network (PAN) and a Weight Management System (WMS) so that the items carried will not cause the garment to drag or pull in unflattering directions.

Before I start talking about the construction of this fleece, I would like to mention how incredibly light and soft it is...it is literally cuddly and comforting to wear. It feels as soft as a baby's toy! This fleece weight is great for three seasons, unlike some of the heavier fleeces available. It can be worn by itself in the spring and fall, and in the colder winter it can be used as a layering piece. The only season that it won't be much good is in the height of summer.

With that said...

As you can see in the X-Ray pictures above, instead of just two pockets, the SeV Microfleece has five. We'll start with the zippered pocket on the left breast. This pocket is secured not only with its zipper, but there are also a pair of magnets sewn in which will help secure the contents settled in the bottom of the pocket should the user not zip it.

 
Note that there are two metal reinforced circular vents under each arm

Inside the nylon lined pocket is a reinforced opening in the upper corner of this compartment for running the wires from a mobile phone or digital music player up into the closest loop on the left side of the collar area.

I am going to get a bit ahead of myself here, but this is as good a time as any to mention that the collar is actually part of the garment's PAN. It is hollow so that the user can run the right stereo earpiece all the way to its loop without the wire being exposed or touching the wearer's neck - clever!

There is also a epaulet on the left shoulder from which a two-way radio can be hung or wires can be run...

Now to go back to the breast pocket for a moment: inside the zippered main pocket is a smaller second zippered pocket. This area is great for carrying sunglasses! Finally I have a safe place to tuck them away when I don't want to push them back on my head or wear them.

Because of the Weight Management System (WMS) SeV has put into place, these items can be carried together without dragging the fleece's neckline down or causing the wearer to look like a dweeb. If for no other reason than this pocket alone, I would have been happy to upgrade to this fleece.

But in the immortal words of a late night infomercial announcer, "but wait, there's more!"

Moving down the left side, we come to the left hand zippered pocket. This pocket is fleece lined and perfect for holding a compact digital camera or other loose items. In the back side of the pocket is a zipper, which leads to a very special pocket which really uses the WMS I mentioned earlier. Instead of simply being sewn into the front of the garment, this pocket is suspended from the material making up the collar, neckline and front of the fleece.

Inside Out View: notice the two red reinforced slits that lead from the front pockets? Those are so that you cab run wires through the the garment's PAN system.

What this means is that I can carry a much heavier item in this pocket - such as a bottle of water or my PDA without the fleece dragging. This hanging pocket is ingenious!

Moving over to the right side of the pullover, there is once again a fleece-lined zippered pocket with an interior zipper leading to the middle suspended pocket. Therefore, access to the middle compartment is convenient for either the right or left hand. Directly inside this right pocket is a webbed nylon strap with a detachable plastic buckle. This strap is basically a very strong lanyard which can hold the wearer's keychain. I like this better than the coiled lanyard that was included in other SeV products I have reviewed because it lays flat and doesn't cause any "strange" bulges.

Pockets are great, but what about comfort? As I mentioned at the start of this review, the micro fleece used is extremely soft and cuddly. There are no scratchy surfaces that will touch the wearer's skin. Most of the interior is composed of the reverse side of the exposed fleece, which is just as soft as its other side. A mesh ventilation system is built into the back of the garment which will definitely help keep the wearer comfortable as they are active.

 
Here you can see the exterior and the interior of the mesh ventilation system

Now let's talk about some of the safety features built into the fleece. Each pocket is accented with a rolled strip of complementary matte gray seaming. Well, it's matte gray until light is shined on it. When that happens - look out as they will glow brilliantly!

There is also a strip of the same material on the back of the fleece, lining the long vent flap...

Logos are for the most part quite tasteful and minimal. Near the top of this review was a picture of the 1.5" x 0.5" embroidered SeV logo on the left breast near the zippered pocket. The red "e" is the only portion that really stands out. That same logo is on the back of the jacket, in the center under the collar.

The bottom left side has the gray embroidered TEC (Technology Enabled Clothing) logo as well as adjustable elastic cord to tighten or loosen the bottom opening around the wearer's hips.

Each zipper pull has the SeV logo worked into it's metal pull. These pull are easy to grasp and they look very good.

The only redundant piece of branding, in my opinion, is the "T.E.C. Technology Enabled Clothing" tag on the right side. Instead of having this tag, I think it would be great if the words could instead be embroidered underneath the TEC logo on the left side.

There are a couple of finishing touches to the SeV Microfleece Pullover that I really appreciate. I like the way that the fleece zips to either stand the collar up, thereby keeping the wearer's neck and chin warm, or it can be unzipped to allow the collar to lay flat in a more traditional manner.

I like the finish on the sleeve's hem, in which a thick band of elastic has been sewn into the 1" wide cuff. This makes it quite comfortable on my wrist.

I also like that the rear hem hangs a little bit longer than the front. This is great when the wearer is active or even just sitting as it offers just a little more coverage on the lower back as the garment is flexed.

I really can't say enough good things about this pullover. It is extremely well thought out and incredibly comfortable. If you are an active person then you undoubtedly own a fleece or two. This pullover is the one that you will reach into your closet for, time and time again. You might as well donate your others to a favorite charity now. Why, oh why did I not have this fleece last year when we went to Four Corners? Ah well...it is sure to come in handy on our upcoming Scotland trip!

The SeV Microfleece Pullover is 100% polyester; safe to wash at home on the cold water setting, then dried flat.

Price: $59.99

Pros:
Incredibly soft micro fleece, good for three seasons of wear
The WMS allows heavier items to be carried without sagging
Extremely well made of quality materials
Vent system helps keep wearer comfortable
Gray safety trim glows brightly when light is shined on it

Cons:
I would say none, but the black TEC tag is redundant