SCOTTeVEST SeV Performance T-Shirt

A year ago, when I reviewed the SCOTTeVEST
SeV T-Shirt, there were quite a few people that immediately saw
how great a Personal Area Network (PAN) enabled t-shirt such as
this could be for their workouts, but there was one caveat – the
first generation shirt was made of 100% heavy cotton. While a heavy
cotton t-shirt is great for everyday wear, the material is not
ideal for those who get outside and sweat. Runners, hikers,
cyclists and others that participate in outdoor activities wanted a
Tee that was made out of a more moisture wicking and lightweight
material. Well, in 2006 they will get their wish.

Composed of 100% Polyester 3M Quick Dry fabric that has been
treated with Scotchgard™ Protector, the new SCOTTeVEST SeV
Performance T-Shirt is made from the same material used in
competitive athletic clothing. According to Scott, “3M Quick Dry
fabric is designed to draw moisture
away from your body, keeping you drier, cooler and more
comfortable.” What this means for the
wearer is a quicker drying shirt, less chaffing, and less of that
prickly “sticky” feeling while sweating.

Available in black, with
either short or long sleeves, the SeV Performance T-Shirt can be
worn on its own or as a layering piece under multiple items of
clothing. I was sent a long sleeved shirt, in a men’s size
medium.

The iPod nano shown in the picture is probably one of
the best digital music player choices, as I doubt the wearer would
even feel it!

Like the cotton SeV T-shirt, the SeV Performance
shirt has a single pocket on the left breast. Behind the 5″ SeV
logo’d zipper is a 11.5″ tall x 3.5″ wide pocket that can hold a
mobile phone, digital music player or other similarly sized device.

Of course, not being made of thick cotton, Scott & company
ran into a few challenges while designing the Performance T-Shirt.
According to Scott, “the fabric is so stretchy that we had to
engineer the support system to avoid pulling on the
collar.“

Instead of using the collar to bear the pocket’s load, the upper
shoulder and inside arm seams support the top and side of the
pocket. In addition, the “loose” end of the pocket is invisibly
tacked to the base of the zipper. This provides the necessary
anchor to keep the lines of the shirt straight, the pocket from
flopping about, and the wearer comfortable.

A pocket is just a pocket, and a shirt is just a shirt – unless
we are talking about one of Scott’s amazing line of TEC wearables.
As with all other items in the SeV line, the Performance shirt is
designed to not only hold the wearer’s gadgets, but to also allow
the wearer access to those gadgets with a minimum of fuss. Built
into the stretchy and breathable fabric of the shirt is a PAN which
allows the wearer to thread a wired earphone from the pocket,
through a reinforced slit in the shirt, into a single elastic loop
made to hold the earphone wire in place at the base of the shirt’s
neckline.

In other words, if the wearer takes the earphone out of his or
her ear, they will not have to “go fishing” inside the shirt to
later retrieve the earpiece.

Labels on the SeV Performance T-Shirt are quite stealthy. On the
bottom left side is a black embroidered TEC as well as a black TEC
tag.

The rear of the collar has a gray on black SeV logo that is easy
to miss.

This picture, taken outside and under full daylight glare, best
shows the light mesh weave of the shirt. There are small
breather-holes woven all throughout the fabric which allow air to
enter and circulate. While the shirt is not at all what I would
consider “see-through”, it is lightweight enough that the
white interior tag may be seen through the material in direct
light.

The nature of the mesh fabric allows any bit of blowing wind to
reach the wearer’s skin, while any sweat produced will be in turn
wicked away as the breeze provides a cooling effect.

While long sleeves are great for cooler weather, keeping off the
sun, and for layering under other items, short sleeves will be the
choice of many who want to exercise in the summer heat. A short
sleeve version is also available that has all of the long-sleeved
version’s features.

According to the June 1st press release other colors are also on
the way.

The shirt has a generous, boxy cut that is equally comfortable
tucked in or worn untucked.

Can you see my mobile phone in the pocket? I bet not.

The SeV Performance T-Shirt will be a welcome garment for those
that want to carry their wired gear while exercising. The new
fabric will keep the wearer cool, dry, and comfortable.

Long sleeve SeV Performance T-Shirts are $34.99, the short
sleeve version is $29.99