Photo vest: Do you wear one?

I got a big photo vest from Fuji film, with their logo on it, for buying a load of Fuji chrome years ago. I used it, but but it had so many pockets that it was cumbersome. What I still use at times is a Royal Robins vest that, although not meant as a photo vest, is very handy. Just one large pocket on each side, and smaller pockets above them. I can get a Leica IIIc with a CV lens in each pocket and still have room for a little Digilux point and shoot, a meter, and film. And that's enough. The problem with the large vest is remembering what I put in which pockets.

I keep meaning to try a Domke vest, but never get around to it.

What was the vest that Tom A. wore? I don't think it was a photo vest, but something from an outdoor outfitter.
 
I was gifted one by a non-photographer friend but have never worn it. There's more storage capacity then is ever warranted. A single pants or shirt pocket is all I need.
 
Same goes for the Tilley hat. Not for the vainglorious but these hats are indestructible -I've had mine for +20 years, and they keep your head cool.

+1 I don't use mine while shooting (it's one of my fishing hats), but the thing cleans up so well and it ages so much better than I. A very practical piece of outdoor gear, especially for the follicle-challenged.

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..

https://tchoupindustries.com/collec...s/pottspurls-fanny-pack-black-w-leather-panel

this one is not so dorky ... and the buckle will remove a bottle cap.
 
Tilley hat? Love the silly things. I used one for years while doing the yard work around the house. Once it got smelly and you couldn't tell what the original color had been, I would toss it in the kitchen sink with a squirt of dishwashing liquid. After a good wash and rinse, I would hang it on the back porch to dry and it would come away looking nearly new. Eventually I ended up with several of them. I wore one to a visit to my dermatologist once and he remarked that he often recommended Tilley hats to his patients to prevent skin damage. Too late for me, damage was done.
 
I have one of the original Domke Photo Jackets. The sleeves zip off and it becomes a vest. It also has a hood built into the collar. I do wear it every now and then, especially when it gets a bit cooler. I never take the sleeves off and just treat it like any other jacket.
 
NOPE~
It's a great way to get pick-pocketed though if you're into having your stuff stolen.

I do however wear a fanny pack but it's slung sideways around my shoulder in front of me, rather than actually at the fanny. :p
 
Here in Oregon about 10 years ago the only guys who wore photo vests were using them to conceal pistols. I never saw any cameras on any of those guys. I don't think I've seen a single photo vest since, although I saw a guy with a safari jacket last summer that had the Kruger National Park logo on it.

Scott
 
Here in Oregon about 10 years ago the only guys who wore photo vests were using them to conceal pistols. I never saw any cameras on any of those guys. I don't think I've seen a single photo vest since, although I saw a guy with a safari jacket last summer that had the Kruger National Park logo on it.

Scott

Those might not have been photo vests. There are vests made for gun enthusiasts that look, at first glance, like photo vests, but the pockets are sized to hold ammo clips and such.

Fishing vests are also similar to photo vests but they're shorter, to keep the vest from getting wet.
 
I have never used one however I did have an over the top college English professor who wore one. He liked all the pockets to keep extra semicolons, unused dangling participles and the occasional airline size whiskey bottles ready for instant use!!
 
I have the Domke vest, it's quite handy and durable. My problem is that it keeps the heat in too well and I wind up sweating too much. I've tried back packs, shoulder bags and finally settled on a belly bag for a few lenses and a spare battery and not much else.
 
I always swore I would never wear one, but I picked up an outdoors-type vest that doubles as a photo vest. I guess I softened after turning 40.

I have to say, for a walk in the woods with a Leica, a second lens and a few rolls of film... it's really nice. Not sure I would wear it too often on the streets, but nice for an outdoors walk.
 
Way way back when, my parents bought me a Tilley photo vest. I think it cost about $500. I never wore it, even though I used to see Alex Tilley riding the same bus I rode in Toronto (guess I felt some kind of guilty obligation, though I could never bring myself to succumb to its wearing), as the Tilley company was located near my house. I sold it many years later on eBay to an appreciative buyer - I advertised it as ‘never been worn’.
 
airfrogusmc is right ..

it's about the fastest way to get thru security at an airport. Plenty of room for a wallet in an inside zippered pocket, room for books to read, keys, snacks, etc.
 
Nah, the airport argument doesn't fly. They'll ask you to empty all of these pockets. To those who equate the vest with 'ugly American' tourism' on par with the Hawaii shirt, I suppose you've never been out there. All the best.
 
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