Tests

My personal observations in the mirror were that you could hardly see the fact I was carrying much of anything in the SeV clothing, while the regular pants (jeans, and a pair of corduroys) wouldn’t even hold all of the items. When I asked my friend for his observations, he said, “Dude, this is making me uncomfortable.” But after threatening to go through the whole thing again, he quickly commented, “There is no way it looks like you are carrying that much stuff. Honestly, You really can’t tell.” While it wasn’t exactly scientific, it was convincing enough.

For the test on the jackets, the results were the same, with one note. In the Classic Vest and in the Tactical, the entire lower half of the garment’s back area is a pocket – which the included card says can hold a small laptop. Amazingly, it actually can! An Averatec Tablet PC fit in there just fine, but you can see its outline on the back of the jacket. You could count it as a strike against the SeV line, or you could just marvel that you are comfortably wearing a laptop over your ass.

In addition to these features, there are quite a few more, I won’t go into the specifics of here, but every one of them is useful and well thought out. They have also been extended to other items like ties and hats with success. But the one I was most skeptical of was the t-shirt. I have used a few of the Scottevest products for a while and always appreciated their cleverness, but when I heard of the t-shirt, I feared the concept was being pushed a little too far. I thought to myself, “next thing I am going to end up hearing about are SeV socks.”

After wearing it for some time, I stand corrected. The quality of construction and the usefulness of the pocket shouldn’t be underestimated. The shoulders are cut broad which helps to make you look like you have spent a little more time at the gym then you have been. It’s the cut of the shirt that also keeps the zipper on the front from looking obnoxious. A poll of five members of the opposite sex ended with the same conclusion. And at 19.95, it is only a dollar or two more than the screen-printed T’s at most clothing stores.

“Testing” of the Lounge pants, Ultimate Hoodie, and Ultimate Cargo pants left me with the same conclusions. The lounge pants are much more than just a multi-pocket replacement for your sweatpants. Besides the concealed eleven pockets with magnet closures, they have a cut and style that is equally at home in your bed watching TV, as it is in the dojo, or for a run to the store – all without complaints from your significant other. The Ultimate Hoodie is perfect for pulling on as you head out to take the dog for a walk, or for wearing to a LAN party with your pockets securely holding your cables, thumb drives, and best gaming mouse.


The Ultimate Cargo Pants are easily the coolest of the new version 4.0 line. Besides having the quality and comfort of the others, the legs zip off and transform your investment into shorts. Also, the outside leg pockets have to be the most utilitarian of any I have seen so far. While most SeV pockets are very specialized (some even designed to carry open cans of soda without spills), the Ultimate Cargo pockets have enough elastic straps, magnets, webbing, and zippers internally to carry 007’s entire inventory of spy tools.