Magellan's vest
 

Hi again! It's not THE vest, but have any of you women ever tried one of these? They are nylon and very lightweight. They are on sale at the moment. I am wondering about size since they are men's/unisex. Thanks for your help! I'm going to order one of those luggage tags that hold the itinerary (Sandi and others were talking about them.) What a great idea.

(I warned you I'd be doing some rambling....)
Sharon ((@))

All questions about vests should be directed to Pasadena ;-)

thit cho, I snorted coffee on my keyboard when I read that.

Sharon, sorry, I have no vest experience other than the 7th grade. I just carry all my cr** (and yes, that includes $$, passport) in a messenger bag.

Dang it Michael! I thought for sure I was getting a nice answer.... but no... ;-) Like I said, it's not THE vest, so I don't expect Rocco to come to the rescue. Unless, of course, he tried this one out before he bought....

Leely - I doubt I will buy a vest either; I'm just trying to figure out a "system" for when I'm out in the vehicle and want to swap out memory cards or batteries, etc.... My mind is working overtime right now!

BTW Leely - care to share your 7th grade vest story with us? :-)

7th grade vest story! 7th grade vest story! 7th grade vest story!

Sharon -

The luggage tag for your itinerary is really great; as Jan mentioned, just remember to change the itinerary for each new trip you take.

I have the original safari vest which I used for my first few safaris. Eventually found it was just too heavy if it had to be packed and I wasn't about to wear in on the plane or elsewhere.

If you feel something that is lightweight will fill you need for places to put your cr*p (stuff), check for corresponding sizes thru Magellan's 800#; isn't there a size chart available in the catelog or online? Often a men's small works for most women if you don't have much upfront. Besides, these aren't a fashion item, just for convenience.

Hi, Sharon - You and I must be on the same wavelength or something. I just received my luggage (itinerary) tags and my vest from Magellans. However, I ordered a men's medium, and they run small. The medium fit OK, but I figured once I added anything to the pockets, it was going to be too snug to be comfortable. For this kind of thing, I think roomy is definitely a plus. It is without a doubt the lightest weight vest I've seen - much lighter than the one my husband got (and much cheaper I might add :D) Thanks again for the packing post - i've been lurking shamefully...

Fodorites:

Which of the Magellan's vests do you recommend? Magellans's Vest? Travel Vest? Field Guide Vest? I guess the use would be for sneaking more items onto plane in Kenya and to actually use gameviewing.

Kevin from California

Kevin - the one I got was the Field Guide vest. Very nice, light weight, plenty of pockets, but runs small I think.

stamiya, thanks

Kevin - If your only purpose for the vest is to get more stuff on the plane, get the one Rocco has. I would never wear it but I got one just in case they wouldn't let me board with my carry on. I "test" packed it at home and so much stuff fits in it. It is certainly not designed to look nice and I hope I never have to use it but I will if necessary! I carry it in an outside pocket of my luggage just in case.
http://www.lapolicegear.com/saphve.html

Sundowner - what size did you get? (I still don't think I'll need a vest but just in case...)

thanks!

Sharon - I don't think I'll ever need to use it either BUT I've had several airline employees try to take my carry on and the $30 for the vest was spent for peace of mind.

I wear a 10/12 and bought the medium and it's pretty big. But like I said, I will never use it except to load up with cameras and lenses and big is better to accommodate the depth of the gear so I don't care what it looks like.

Sundowner - Do they try to take your carryon because it's large looking or heavy? I may indeed have to get THE vest! It's on sale right now, too.

Thanks

Sharon, I think they tried to take it because of it's size and it's not that big. I use a 19" or 20" rolling suitcase that I bought at one of the x-mart stores and it's a trim looking little bag. No outside pockets, no bulging etc. It fits nicely under the seat and in overheads. I see so many people carrying much larger/bulkier bags onboard but I can think of at least 4 times they've tried to take it. Once they ended up buckling it in a seatbelt in an empty seat, once they stowed it in 1st class overhead, once they let me keep it at my seat and once they stowed it in a cabinet in the front of the plane. The weight has never been mentioned.

That's wild. What airline?

I love that they say the pockets in the vest are roomy enough for candy bars and PBJ sandwiches. Now there's somebody with their priorities straight.

Sharon, it was Delta and SAA.

Lisa, there is a pocket on the back of that vest that you can probably fit a toaster in if you want your PBJ on toast!