INTRODUCTION

    One pant to bring them all, and in the khaki
bind them. Okay, so perhaps SCOTTeVEST’s
(SeV) Hidden Cargo Pants aren’t quite a Tolkien legacy…yet? I
love to wear cargo pants. With as much gear as I prefer to have on hand,
cargos are really the only option. But most cargo pants have a rather
over-casual feel. So how does one carry all their stuff but still look
suave at the same time? In the world of Old Navy cargos, is it worth
the price? Read on as we uncover the full details.

WHAT’S HOT

    Scott has done it again. The SeV cargos
are not only useful, but extremely comfortable. With twelve hidden pockets,
these have more cargo room that most of my jackets!

FEATURES

    First, let’s review the Hidden Cargo Pants
features (copied verbatim from SCOTTeVEST):

    Attached
to the pants are three cards. One each for Teflon, TEC (the parent
company of SCOTTeVEST),
and one page, two-sided manual of sorts. Also, in each of the pockets
is an example card, giving you ideas on where to store your stuff
and a package of "Vestimonials".

    
Starting with the inside of the pants, we find the size tag. For
those of you who haven’t met me in person, I’m 6’5", 240lbs
– I need 38/36 pants. It’s amazing how few stores carry
this size. And just in case you forget where you bought these cargos,
the URL will
always be at hand.

   
Each of the back pockets have a nice satin feel and come complete
with a magnet enclosure. "Magnets" you ask? Let me tell
you, these are a lot easier to manage than buttons (which will inevitably
pop off) or zippers. And personally, I had no issues with any magnetic
interference on any of my credit cards that I was able to discern.
You may also notice in the snapshot above, that the back pocket
is sewn to another pocket (one of the deep front pockets you will
see shortly). This helps keep the pockets in place, even when they
are full of stuff.

Near the inside front
(on the right hand side) is a small "hidden" coin pocket.
I didn’t find much use for this, but could easily see it’s capabilities
(ie – need to store extra cash while traveling? Good luck getting
pickpocket ‘d there).

    On
the opposite inside front is a button. One I have on a few of my
dress slacks. This button has stymied me for some time. What is
it for? It is, in fact, called a "French fly" and is used
to "help to ensure that the pant front lies flat, for a
neater, cleaner appearance" (thanks Landlakes
SC).

    On
either side, on the inside front of the pants, there are a set of
pockets. The left side has three "Pocket in Pockets" (one
for a pen as you can see in the second shot) and the right side
has two. The pockets are cleverly designed to keep the gear that
you put in them snug against your body vs showing themselves to
the world.

   
The outside close-up of the front pockets. Nothing really extraordinary
here, right? Looks like an ordinary pants pocket.

[insert 50s
spy movie theme]

Flipping open the
magnetic closure reveals the deep pockets (as seen earlier), and
just above that (on the left side) is another zippered pocket.

Also found hiding
inside each pocket is a drawstring to adjust the waistband without
having to undo ones belt in the process. Although, in my case (and
I imagine most others), the drawstring needs to be let out rather
than drawn in…

Also note that within each main pocket is a TEC
(Technology Enabled Clothing) PAN (Personal Area Networking) hole
from which you can run just about anything.

Working our way across
the front of the pants, we find the front button, zipper, and French
fly.

   
Here is an important time to mention SCOTTeVEST’s customer service
level. I had a couple of issues with the front snap with the first
pair of pants I had (as you can see in the example above). But one
quick call to SeV and a new pair was on the way with a prepaid bag
for the broken pair. Manufacturing defects are possible with any
line of clothing – but quality customer service is hard to find.

On the back of the
pants is the SeV logo. The only real advert that anyone would be
able to see easily. The belt loops are wide and heavily stitched.
They work equally well with my wide and thin belts.

The bottom of the
pants are hemmed from SeV. And even after almost constant wear,
I haven’t seen any noticeable damage.

Now for the fun bits!
As these pants are Teflon coated, they should be able to withstand
stains. And as you can see in the example above, water just beads
right up on them.

Water won’t really
stain – but cranberry juice can. But alas, it beaded up and fell
right off.

Not to be outdone,
we step things up a notch. Catsup. A couple of drips, let it sit,
wait for it….and stai…nope.

A quick snap of the
fabric and a little water rinse and the catsup is gone.

   Pleased
with my tests, but unaware that the pants had more in store for
me, I continued to wear them on a regular basis. Then one day, the
inevitable happened – I fumbled an entire slice of New York-style
pizza. That greasy chunk of cheese on a crust soaked right into
the pants. I thought they were doomed. I was wrong. First wash -
almost gone. Second wash…the only remaining evidence is the picture
above. I could get used to this.

    The
stuff test. Note that all of the items above I was able to fit into
the front pockets of the SeV Hidden Cargo Pants. I didn’t even bother
with the back pockets (too easy to hide in the pictures). Two cellphones,
one headset, money clip, change, headphones (in bag), a pen, and
two iPAQ cases. That said, let’s compare.

Empty on the left,
full on the right.

A close-up of the
pants, devoid of any gadget.

And a close-up of
the pants, full of the above listed gadgets.

HELP & SUPPORT

    Along with the included Owner’s Manual
and idea cards, SCOTTeVEST
has a great website.
They go out of their way to give you support links and even a phone
number to call if you have any questions. Also on the website
is a FAQ and care instructions. And we already mentioned the great
customer service that SeV provides.

BUGS AND WISHES

   

I
only have a few items on my wishlist:

• More
  colors (green is the only other option available at the time
  of this review – but black is coming shortly)
• Lose
  the extra $10 charge for oversized pants (such as mine)
• Add PAN holes to the deep pockets.

PURCHASING

    You
can buy
the SeV Hidden Cargo Pants directly from SCOTTeVEST.
The price shown is $109.99 (although, with a recent promotions,
the price has been seen lower than that).

PROS

Excellent
quality

Personal
Area Network system allows you to discretely run wires and cables

Lots of
pockets for gear

Great
for both business and casual wear

Fantastic
customer service

CONS

Only two
colors available (more coming soon according to SeV)

Price

OVERALL IMPRESSION

    Okay, so $109.99 seems a little steep
for a pair of pants. But I’m used to paying $60-75 a pair just
to find jeans that fit me. Old Navy pants, while inexpensive,
seem to shrink at amazing rates – so if I have to replace those
once a month, I’m fast approaching the SeV price. Add in the fact
that when ordering (if you get in on a great promotion) you are
not limited to one pair and SeV Hidden Cargo Pants start looking
better and better. Then consider how much hassle is eliminated
with the Teflon coating (less stains – more wearability), the
comfortable design (no more bulky gadget-stuffed pants), and the
phenomenal customer service, and the price becomes a very minor
item. I, for one, will be ordering a few more pair…

Have you used a SCOTTeVEST
product? See something that isn’t quite right? Tell us what you
think! Click on the Discussion Link below.