Photo vest: Do you wear one?

I imagine them being very useful in principle, but even on not-so-urban photo endeavors, when I'd dare wearing one, what about the many times it would be too hot or too cold or too rainy to wear one? How do the photo vest users handle this? Do you use a larger one that can fit over a coat and a smaller one for summer (otherwise it would fit very lose without coat)? A large rain parka that can go over it? Take it off and carry it in your hand when it's hot?
 
All of the above retinax. I wear mine over a t-shirt on hot days, with a thin TNF APEX North Face jacket (like this morning when it was 47ºF), and at times I can fit it over the TNF and a North Face down vest if it's really cold, and when it's raining, I have a North Face Goretex shell that fits over everything.

The only time it's really not great is when it's raining and I have to have the shell over everything, then it makes it harder to get to things quickly. But then I also have Think-Tank rain jackets on the cameras and lenses, so in the rain, the whole thing is really kind of a pain in the a**.

Best,
-Tim
 
No way. Vests are the pocket protectors of photography. Squaresville. A small backpack and camera in hand works for me.

John
 
Chris Crawford's post made me think that I should break out my photo vest. I recently had my doctor as well as some older friends remind me that I'm no longer in my 20's or 30's. My hips, knees and feet were beaten by eight years of boots while I was in the Navy. So these days I have to wear orthopedic shoes. My whole spine is a work in progress with daily physical therapy exercise just to maintain some level of comfort after being injured several times during that naval service as well as a few bicycle wrecks after I rejoined the civilian world. One of those bike wrecks destroyed my left shoulder in 2009 and I still deal with loss of flexibility, movement and neuropathy on a daily basis. So yeah, in light of all that, I really need to start wearing my vest to help my shoulders and my back. What others' think of my appearance be damned. If I'm that concerned about how I look, I'm in the wrong life.

As to the original question, I used to wear it all the time when working. It's way more convenient to just reach into a pocket for a roll of film, lens, battery, CF card, reflector, flash, you name it; instead of dealing with a shoulder bag or even worse, a backpack. As a matter of fact, I may have to start wearing it on a daily basis and just carry a camera as an excuse to wear the vest. It's just too convenient for my wallet, cell phone, and the little bits of photo stuff I like to carry in a bag that currently kills one shoulder at a time if I'm out for a few hours.

Phil Forrest
 
I have an old Banana Republic one that's been in the closet for years. I may get it out and try it again. The pockets are too small for the big DSLR zooms but it would work for my rangefinder film stuff. An ltm camera with small lens mounted would fit in the larger pockets. Thanks for the reminder.
 
I've had one for years but only used it a couple times - prefer a shoulder bag in most instances.

But...

Used to travel with a guy who wore one, and in some situations overseas this is great because you can carry a bunch of stuff in the pockets and just slip it off to go through x-ray - no digging through and dumping each and every pants pocket. Also, some airlines (especially budget, Austrailia comes to mind...) limit carry-on baggage weight to a few kilos, but the vest - as clothing - typically doesn't count. He also wore a bright orange shirt everywhere so guess he wasn't too worried about style.

The vest does spread the weight out more as well which can be more comfortable on a long day, but you can't really set it down like a camera bag. Unfortunately the vest also puts pockets everywhere for someone to pick if you're in those sorts of areas.

Always trade offs.
 
I have one of the original Banana Republic vests from when Banana Republic was a neat place to buy travel items. I wore it while working for a daily newspaper in the 1980's. In fact, I think several of the other photographers there followed my lead and bought vests. Even after I quit doing news photography, I wore it when on trips. It's still usable today but I've gained too much weight to wear it now.

I also have a Domke vest I bought when I got too fat for the Banana Republic one. I don't use it as much as I did the BR vest. Both were handy when shooting film--lots of pockets for unexposed rolls separate pockets for exposed film as well as places to keep filters, note pads, pens, maps, guide books and lots of etc. Today with digital I can carry a couple of spare batteries in a pocket and use my iPhone for notes, guide books and maps. If I carry around more than one camera with lens, I take a bag.

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Back when I first got the original Banana Republic vest I read that it was extremely popular with undercover police and government agents. You could conceal a lot of firepower under one of those vests and the pockets could carry a number of extra magazines.
 
Awesome

Awesome

RichC said:
No - way too dorky! And unnecessary! Also screams, “I’m carrying valuable stuff, mug me!”

The relatively few items I may need easy access to fit in my pockets - batteries, SD cards, perhaps a lens aor lightmeter. Other stuff goes in a bag - size depends on the stuff I need for a shoot (shoulder or bum bag up to a rucksack if I require lights).

Though I have ordered the black hoodie version of this!
Click to expand...

- That is quite a jacket, especially version 2.0, may have to get one myself!
 
I use a Fishpond fly fishing vest when out fly fishing and I carry my iPhone 7 plus in on of the many pockets. Don't give a rat's a** what someone thinks of how I look--especially the bohemian beatniks 😀
 
I have one in the closet and cannot remember the last time I wore it. However, I wore one a lot back in the late 1980's when they were the height of fashion. It worked great for concealing large handguns like a .44 Magnum Desert Eagle in a shoulder holster (carried for work as a federal agent).

And it was even useful for photography!
 
Mark A. Fisher said:
I'm with Chris Crawford on this one as well. The opinions of others holds no sway over me, never has. I have used Domke vests and jackets for years, for their utility, but I don't think they're being made any longer.
Click to expand...

Domke / Tiffen stopped making the vests a few years ago. I have the tan one in large and then XL to go over Winter wear, I use them often.

Applications include landscape photography when my 4x5 is on a tripod in a stream and using a bag would be a liability and other types of shoots where a bag slows me down and is again, a liability.

Other great examples of using a vest is when I covered Obama's first inauguration in 2008 and could not use a bag due to security and when I did "Photo-Moto" for a large bike race where I was photographing the race from the back of a motorcycle for 135 miles, often on dirt roads and over two 12,000 mountain passes.
 
I've thought about it before, but never really bought one. I recently bought a fanny pack (bum bag for non-Americans) now that they're in style again (for some reason), for when I don't want to take my bigger bag. Probably as dorky as a vest, but whatever..
 
On the topic of fanny packs, I see a lot of younger folks here in Philly wear what I like to call "hipster or punk utility belts." They seriously look like a guard belt you'd hang a revolver off of then they have a number of pouches, some homemade, sewn to the belt itself.

Phil Forrest
 
Never liked vests... and never even considered one for myself. I'd rather wear cargo pants instead. Besides, whenever I travel I end up in very warm places in which wearing a photographer's vest would be kind of suicidal.
 
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