Not in the mood to carry a backpack or a sling bag? Then this new waterproof jacket should do the trick. It’s got a plethora of pockets that can stash everything from a 16-inch laptop to a water bottle, and a few other tricks up its sleeves. Literally.
How many pockets are enough? The outerwear and bag makers behind the Minimal Organized Wear (MOW) brand seem unable to find the answer to that question. They’ve already released a hoodie with 28 pockets and a pair of pants with 18 through two successful Kickstarter campaigns that left backers quite satisfied.
Now the team is back with the Isola26 jacket, and it is smashing its fundraising goal on Kickstarter. On a target of just over US$9,000, the company has already netted over $200,000 in pledges.
So what is everyone so excited about?
Well, we can’t answer for all those backers, but besides having zipper compartments, hooks, and rings to organize a mind-boggling array of gear, there are a few features that really make this jacket stand out for us. The first is what the makers call a “3D Touch-View Desk,” which is basically a breast pocket that unzips and flaps down, providing a shelf on which you can view and operate your phone – a feature, we think, that would really shine if you are a bike or scooter rider.
If you need a different way to access your phone, there’s a clear sleeve on the arm that lets you see and operate it without having to first take it out of a pocket, although you can cover it with a flap if you don’t want anyone to know just what a geek you are. Speaking of clear sleeves, the detachable hood features clear plastic windows along its edge that lets you see to the left and right even while you’re protecting yourself from the rain.
Minimal Organized Wear
Another stand-out feature is the “silent pocket,” which is made from a radiation-shielding material that, say the makers, will prevent your phone from connecting to any kind of network should you want to be free from notifications and other digital interruptions for a while.
The jacket can also pack up into itself to form a backpack, and a detachable strap allows it to be carried sling-style when it gets too warm to wear.
This thing looks like it could quickly get pretty heavy if all the pockets were loaded up, which makes it hard for us to believe that anyone would want to tote their gear around this way every day. Where we think the jacket would really shine, though, is for use while traveling.
Minimal Organized Wear
With airlines making the restrictions to carry-on luggage more and more restrictive – and then taking your bag away from you at the gate no matter when you get there because there’s never enough room in the overhead bins to store it (but we digress) – people are having to get creative with ways to sneak their gear on the plane. This jacket certainly looks robust enough to fit everything you might normally put in your underseat bag, which means you could use that bag to store even more stuff and perhaps eliminate the need for and the cost of an overhead bag that will likely end up in the hold anyway but again, we digress.
You can see the jacket in action in the following video – and get a few other views through the gallery above – to decide if pledging is right for you.
ISOLA26 I A Smarter Jacket to Move Through The World – 26 Pockets | 58 Built-in Features
If you do decide to jump in, you can still get the Super Early Bird deal of €179 (about US$208) for the Isola16 or €239 for the jacket and a packable inner layer the makers call Thermocloud.
Normally, we caution pledging to Kickstarter campaigns because you’re basically spending your money on something that doesn’t exist. But the team behind MOW has already completed seven other successful campaigns for products now sold through its online store, so you should be pretty safe jumping in on this deal.
Source: Kickstarter
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