Spanye Outdoor Vest Snapshot:
Amazon Title: Spanye Men’s Outdoor Vests Fishing Photography Quick Dry Waistcoat Multi-pocket
Season: Spring / Summer / Autumn
Design: Constructed of durable, wear-resistant, windproof nylon fabric, and breathable, quick-drying mesh;
Zipper Closure, Loose Fit
Large Capacity 16 Pockets
Oversized Zipper Back Pocket
Removable Back
Occasions: Fishing, photography, climbing/hiking/hunting, cycling, traveling, camping
Product details:
ASIN : B08D6Z9KDQ
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142 in Men’s Outerwear Vests
Customer Reviews: 4.4 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
There comes a time that any hiker who frequents public lands needs to stop and consider their humanity.
And that time in the Midwest is Autumn, when hunters head into the fields looking for game.
And, as a human, you want them to realize you are not the game they’re looking for. Since I’m not Obi-Wan Kenobi, I needed something more convincing than The Force.
So, it’s time to don “hunter’s orange,” otherwise known as blaze orange, the florescent color that helps hunters determine you are a fellow human, and not their quarry. I’m a hunter as well as a hiker, so I have plenty of clothing decorated with blaze orange. But I often hike in areas where hunting is not allowed, and I don’t want to be wrongly accused of hunting illegally, or even just to just get “those” stares you get wearing a hunting vest in a non-hunting area.
And, I’d rather not wear my blaze orange hunting gear when hiking in open hunting areas either, as the two activities often differ in ways that would lead to different clothing anyway: much hunting involves sitting still for long periods waiting for game, or moving slowly while “still-hunting.” When I’m hiking, I’m usually trying to keep my heart rate elevated for cardio-vascular training, and hunting clothes would simply be too warm.
So I decided to get a lightweight blaze orange vest that would be an easy addition over my lightweight hiking attire, and not significantly increase my thermal load.
After digging through Amazon for a bit, I settled on the Spanye Outdoor Men’s Vest, which is available in a plethora of colors including blaze orange. It is marketed as a “Summer Fishing Photography Quick Dry Waistcoat” featuring a “multi-pocket” design. The “summer” part of the description sounded good, as it would be light to wear over a hiking-oriented coat. I would consider 16 pockets “multi,” and while it is more geared toward fishing than photography, I thought it was worth testing its abilities in that area, since I usually carry photo gear in a lumbar pack when I’m hiking. If I can fit it instead into a vest, that’s most likely going to lighten my load. And, it might even come in handy on those early season warm hunting days that most of my hunting gear is too heavy for. And if it really gets warm, most of the back layer zips down into a pocket so it’s just mesh on your back.
With a 4.4 out of 5 stars rating calculated from 26 ratings, and a rank of 142 on Amazon’s bestseller list in Men’s Outerwear Vests (bestsellers are not, in my experience, the best just because more people buy them) it seemed a good chance to take, so I pulled the pin.
First off, I like the zipper closure on the front. Even though buttons are easier to repair in the long run, I prefer a zipper due to an accident several years ago that makes maneuvering buttons difficult, especially if it’s cold out. The 100% nylon fabric may be noisy in the field, which would minimize it’s usefulness for hunting, but that’s only a secondary use, so it’s lightweight nature and ability to dry quickly will win that argument. The mesh lining should make it more breathable if the sweat begins to flow.
The multiple zipper and flap pockets should work for lighter weight camera gear, which is usually what I carry when hiking. I leave the “big glass” at home when I plan on exercising. And, if I am planning a photo journey, I usually limit myself to one big lens, which I mount on the camera, and carry a smaller lens or two in pockets. That said, there’s a lot of small hunting stuff for which those pockets would probably come in handy, if I go that route.