SCOTTeVEST Microfleece Pullover

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