Coat breast pockets - why?

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
2,185
1,116
Devon
I'm not a fan of external breast pockets on coats, I never use them and can't see much use for them in everyday life. Annoyingly they seem to be fashionable at the moment and I've struggled to find a coat without them. Is it just me and does everyone else stuff them full or is it another case of fashion before use?
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
I put my phone on vibrate in a breast pocket and receiving a call feels like heart palpitations
Scottish lads can wear traditional dress to graduations....they put their phones in their sporrans, and then sit in the Bute Hall all quiet and decorous....there are some funny sights of startlement in the videos if they don't mind to switch the phone off entirely :D
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,415
1,703
Cumbria
I think that with shirts, never find anything right for putting in them.

However I do find uses for so called napoleon pockets and the odd external chest pocket on waterproof hardshell jackets. Internal map sized, external possibly smaller if there at all.

Fashion coats I'm not sure. I don't wear any, just outdoor coats of various styles and uses. If I need a coat I'm outdoors, so need the features of outdoor coats right?!
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,415
1,703
Cumbria
I use an old invention I heard about, a bag! LOl! Seriously, I find pockets in trousers, jackets and coats when out and about become annoying to me if I carry beyond car keys or similar small items. Too much and it feels too bulky for me. When out a bag or rucksack makes more sense to carry stuff.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
2,185
1,116
Devon
I'm not one to cram my pockets either. I tend to like to carry a phone and money on an inside pocket so don't have a use for external breast pockets. It wouldn't be too bad if they were slim but they were quite bulky and padded so just get in the way.
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,762
786
-------------
When walking the dog Ive often got a small frisbee on one pocket, a few treats (young dog) in another, rolled up doglead on another and sometimes a hat rolled up in another so I like having a few pockets.

However, one part of a jacket I just can't stand and would happily do without is a hood. I've never had a hood thats been even close to a good hat.
When I say a good hat, I mean a Lowe Alpine mountain cap.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,894
2,145
Mercia
I love them. I keep my phone in them clipped on with a belt clip and an Ox tough marker pencil. In smoking days that's where cigarettes lived
 
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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,415
1,703
Cumbria
Good hoods are good for keeping hats on. Also stopping rain running down your neck. Not an issue with the LA mountain cap as it's too warm for rainy days imho. Also I found that winter winds whipped around and no matter what level of peak tip I used I got a cold area under the peak. Went off them. Prefer woollies beanie and grown in hood.
 

Wander

Native
Jan 6, 2017
1,418
1,986
Here There & Everywhere
Don't like a hood!?
Good heavens, man!
As stated above, they're great for putting over a hat for extra insulation, or just pulling up to temporarily shield the sun from your eyes, or for walking around shopping centres trying to look menacing.
Now what I can't stand are baseball caps. Looking aside the fact that wearing one automatically reduces your IQ by at least 20 points, what's the point of just a peak to the front? I want sun protection all round, keep it of the back of my neck and so on.
No. Baseball caps (along with polo shirts) are just awful and along with listening to Radio 2 is something I'll never do whilst I'm in charge and capable.
 

Tiley

Life Member
Oct 19, 2006
2,364
377
60
Gloucestershire
I agree with the original post: breast pockets are, for me, almost entirely useless. I wear my glasses and so do not ever store them in my titty pouches; I find it always a struggle to get to things put in there; they get in the way of the chest strap on a rucksack and I always seem to have enough pocket space in my trousers for those essential to which I need access at all times.

On jackets, ad particularly waterproof ones, they are just another area of weakness and are inclined to let water in during a downpour. I find that anything that I put into them usually gets forgotten in time. I put my Fallkniven folder into a breast pocket and completely forgot about it until the time came to wash the jacket. The knife now lives in a more accessible pocket I use regularly - and it ain't on me chest!

That said, I do use a Napoleon-style pocket to stow a map but, apart from that, I just see breast pockets as an annoying means of giving the impression that I've been bench-pressing tons in the gym.
 

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