If you are like me, you find yourself carrying around more things than you did a couple of years ago. Thanks to the proliferation of gadgets, I have too many items to keep track off. Whenever I leave the house or get out of a car, I find myself touching all my pockets and counting, like some sort of weird baseball secret signing. Cell - check; Palm - check; two-way pager - check; bunch o' keys - check; wallet - check. And I have friends who carry around MP3 players, CD players and more.

That's where digital clothing comes in. Two seperate items, for two kinds of people try to solve these problems.

The ScotteVest ($99 from ScotteVest.com) looks at first like the kind of rugged jacket photographers wear. But on closer inspection, you discover it is actually much more than that. It's what its maker, Scott Jordan, calls a "personal area network" -- more than 15 pockets created with gadgets and gadget owners in mind. And the best thing about the pockets is that they are designed to hold items of various sizes -- from cell phones to sunglasses to paperback books. When I loaded up and filled most of the pockets recently, there were still no ugly bulges. There's a feature for those of you who like listening to music on the road. The coat, which comes in khaki and black, allows you to hide your headset cord, so it stays out of view -- no dangling.

These days, with all the additional security out there, it is not uncommon to be asked to not bring backpacks into certain places. That's when the ScotteVest makes a lot of sense. I have even filled it up and taken it on an airplane, allowing me to carry a smaller bag than I would have had to take on board. Obviously, I had to take it off and run it through the baggage screening machine first.

Another piece of clothing to consider looks like a regular pair of Khakis. But it's the Mobile Pants from Dockers ($52 from Dockers.com). It, too, is designed to stow away a bunch of gadgets, thanks to a set of hidden pockets and special tailoring.

My favorite feature is a small pocket on the side of the right thigh, secured with a zipper -- perfect for keeping my keys from scratching any of the gadgets. Also, the hidden pockets can prevent accidental falling out of stuff, which always happens. The pants come in two colors, khaki and black. They are formal enough that you can wear them to serious occasions like I do and not reveal your geekiness. Of course, once you pull out that latest fancy gizmo, everyone will know how geeky you are.

RESOURCES:
ScotteVest.com
Dockers.com

If you try these out, do write in to techguru@sree.net and let me know your thoughts.

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