Could this be the world's best travel jacket?

When was the last time you were introduced to a product by a friend, thought the world of it, and then promptly ordered it for yourself? Mine was last week, when I laid my hands on "the world's best travel jacket with 15 features". Created by Washington product design firm BauBax, the jacket is the highest-funded clothing project in the history of crowdfunding. It raised US$9.19 million on Kickstarter, over 450 times its humble target of US$20,000!

The evangelist was a colleague, BT's deputy digital editor to be exact, who had the good taste to buy it off Kickstarter for about US$159 last year and was generous enough to let me tinker with it for a week. He says: "The BauBax is everything I want in a jacket and then some, plus it doesn't hurt that it looks good as well."

He says this even as his jacket was delivered to him four months late, arriving only in February this year. Backers worldwide were less forgiving (notably those who had purchased multiple jackets as Christmas gifts or for their year-end travels), taking to social media to vent.

While it seems like BauBax could not avoid the same challenges in manufacturing as did several other hardware startups that took to crowdfunding, the jacket has its merits.

It's stylish, functional, and comes in red, blue and black. It has 15 features, of which four absolutely address my personal pain points, and three will majorly change the way I travel - the in-transit part at least. The other eight are awesome-to-haves, and altogether, they will make any BauBax jacket-wearer a walking enigma: one jacket, so many secrets.

The built-in, inflatable neck pillow, for instance, is a godsend. It hides inside the hood of the jacket, so that's one less item to carry onto a plane. I love how its valve technology allows for two-second inflation (you read that right), and a hygienic way of blowing it up that doesn't involve lip contact. Instead, I put my mouth inside a wide hole and exhale. To deflate, I simply press down the valve with my finger. Again, two seconds.

For me, staying warm is a challenge on planes. The Baubax has built-in gloves that easily slide in and out of the sleeves, which I can choose to slither into anytime, to keep my hands feeling safe and cosy. The gloves are fingerless (technically making them glovettes) such that my fingers are shown and can be used on important things like touchscreens.

The jacket also has two hand-warming pockets for extra warmth - its third feature that solves a pain point. The fourth is a pen. I always need one, and the passenger next to me is always asking for one. This pen hangs from the zipper of the jacket's left breast pocket, and extends from one inch to 4 inches - officially making it smart, accessible, and social.

Then there are three things that will transform my way of travelling, but that I never knew I desired. It's a classic case of not knowing what I want until it's shown to me, a concept popularised by Apple's Steve Jobs.

The first feature is the drink pocket. It's an insulated pocket on the front that snugly holds a beverage can. It keeps hot drinks warm, cold drinks cool, and most of all, my hands free for work. This means no more fumbling with drink in hand, jostling for space on the plane tray table, or having to reach over for that Coke in the middle of a movie.

The second is earphone holders. Think of them as really small belt loops. Sewn inside and around the jacket collar, they let earphone cables run through, hold them in place, keep them untangled and ready for use. Unsightly (and generic) cables can now stay hidden inside the jacket, not get in the way of the blanket, or be seen by the world at all.

The third is the iPad pocket. It is a 10-inch pocket inside the jacket that can fit a full-sized tablet. This will free up space in my carry-on and allow for quicker plane boarding. Imagine going through customs with just having to remove the jacket and placing it in a tray. No more random patting of pockets!

Of course, the disadvantage is that if I lose the jacket, I lose at least 15 items at once. These would include my passport, smartphone, portable charger, sunglasses, portable blanket and even a built-in eye mask (which extends from the jacket's hood). It would be like losing a Swiss Army Knife or a toolbox, only much worse.

Cleaning could be tricky. I'd have to remember to first remove the neck pillow and pen, and contend with not being able to wash the microfibre cloth (used to clean my sunglasses) separately, as it's permanently attached to my sunglass pocket by a stretchy parachute cord. And while the jacket hardly feels heavy even when filled, it can get bulky when pockets on both sides are used - an unflattering sight.

Nonetheless, the BauBax is a worthy buy. It's a culmination of solutions to a slew of pain points, the very things that motivate the best entrepreneurs. It is said that the most outstanding companies solve real problems. To identify such opportunities, it helps to be a keen observer of everyday life, and to always ask if something can be done better - and how?

This article was first published on Oct 29, 2016.
Get The Business Times for more stories.