Seventeen of them, some deep, some with magnetic closures. It also has a weight management system which, according to the manufacturer, is supposed to balance the weight from all the pieces of plastic and silicon you carry around. The pockets inside are made of clear touch fabric, which according to the manufacturer, allows you to see and control your touchscreen devices without having to take them out.

Through the jacket there are conducts that allow you to install cables and earbuds, so there's nothing hanging out except your legs. [Scottevest]

The Mairine—University of New South Wales student Grant Humphreys' finalist design for the Australian Design Awards—is a jacket for big wave surfing, the kind that requires the surfer to be towed to the wave's location under extreme weather conditions. You know, when surfing stops to be really JackJohnsonish fun and starts being extremely fun. Until you die.

To avoid the Bodhi ending, the Mairine has a air canister in the back, which can quickly inflate the jacket in case of emergency. The inflation could be manual, or if the surfer falls unconscious, a manual spring-loaded timer will fire the canister and push the surfer up so the sharks can see him better. [Student Design Awards]

During warm weather, the coat can be folded and strapped around the wearer as a backpack for easy transport. When it's time to set up camp, the interior lining can be stretched out and pegged—creating a private, protective cocoon. Again, it's only a concept at this point—but I've watched enough Suvivorman and Man vs. Wild to know that something like this could be useful in the real world. [Coroflot via Core77]

Price: $419

How it Tastes: The speaker system is loud enough to share music with those in close proximity on the slopes, or a couple of seats over on the lift. The 3AAA powered pack sits in a pocket and sends up wires to the little flatish egg like speakers on both sides of the hood. They seem very weather resistant, from the cloth covering to the small speaker holes. Battery life is 10 hours, but good news— when your battery pack dies, your ipod or whatever you've got plugged into the mini jack, will still be as loud as a set of headphones, without amplification. At this volume, only the people next to you will hear the sound, about the volume you get when you're on the bus and a person's headphones are cranked. This is a far better and simpler solution — things necessary on the mountain — than the old complicated ribbon cable and bluetooth motorola audex jackets which basically unplugged when you moved too much and ran out of batteries and died on you often.

The jacket itself is down filled, and waterproofed on the outside. It's very very warm and better for slow movers on cold blue bird days where you don't have any chance or worry about sweat building up. There are pit zips for cooling, of course, but down is hot, and this jacket is no exception. You'll have to deal with the drafty pits and the heat build up on your core in certain places wearing this jacket, like with any down shell. The waterproofness and breath factors are rated at 10,000mm 5000g, which is mid high on waterproofing, using Burton's 3 layer dryride shell but the breathability, as I said above, is not as great as you'd get on a unlined shell. There's a zip and snap jacket to pant interface to avoid snow wedgies on pow days. I love riding in storms, when the tourists go home and the overpriced waterproof outdoor jackets I have are tested, so this one isn't breathable enough for me. It also makes me look even more like a teddy bear than I do naked. But if you need to stay warm and listen to tunes on the mountain, there are very few jackets that do audio so well.

[Burton]

Snowmodo is our snow sport winter meet up at Lake Tahoe, with prizes, discounts, tons of fun snow activities, a party and GADGETS. If you can make it (and people are coming from TEXAS) please RSVP. I'll let you wear my hat (below).

The jacket, confusingly dubbed "Never Stop a Rolling Stone" by designer Rahel Ritchie features a fully inflatable hood that can be manually adjusted via a mouthpiece tucked away in the fabric. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that this concept is available for sale. However, the snowboarding experts at Burton have had a similar product on the market for a while now. The latter is actually a hoodie and it doesn't feature a fully inflatable hood—but it does have a built in eye mask and earplugs for lullaby listening. [Rahel Ritchie via Likecool]

This jacket, which is the opposite of cool, can be yours for a mere $200. Fittingly, it comes in sizes up to 4XL for the portly gentleman planning to go out on the town and embarrass himself and his family. Hurry, before 1,000 nerds with bad taste beat you to it! [Product Page via Oh Gizmo!]

Each rechargeable Ardica battery weighs roughly half a pound and takes three hours to fully juice up, or 1.5 hours to get to 80 percent capacity. With 10 watts of power output, you'll be able to energize most of your smaller consumer products—cellphones, GPS systems and mp3 players—on the go. Price is about $35 to $50 added to the cost of the outerwear.

What
Ardica has developed the world’s first fully functional, lightweight, portable personal power and heating system that can be easily integrated into apparel and other consumer products. Using lithium-ion technologies, Ardica’s patented system can provide up to 25 watts of power and 100 degrees of heat in a compact, body hugging and flexible design that weighs less than 1 pound. Ardica’s interchangeable, advanced technology also provides a pack with extraordinary energy density to accommodate the most demanding existing and emerging consumer power needs.

Lithium-Ion Pack
Ardica’s proprietary flat, flexible and comfortable battery system is in a planar array, which features long-lasting rechargeable cells that have an imbedded controlling microprocessor to monitor and control the power and heat source.
*Photo – individual battery system cell

Moshi Power System
Ardica’s proprietary power system, incorporating the above lithium-ion pack, is designed to be easily integrated into outerwear, backpacks or briefcases. Each system includes the rechargeable lithium-ion battery power system, micro-controller and wall cube charger. A technology connector kit is also available which comes with a backpack cable and a three-in-one connector for both running and charging various consumer electronics.

Weight: 295 grams
Stored energy: 39-watt hours
Charge time:
Full charge- 3.0 hours
Quick charge (80 percent capacity) - 1.5 hours

HEAT OUTPUT:
High setting run time: 3.0 hours
Low setting run time: 8.6 hours
*Provides heat up to 100 degrees

Power output 10 watts (sufficient to run cell phones, iPods, GPS, lights and other consumer products for approximately one half their usual run time.)

Charging Capabilities:
Cell phone: 11 charges
IPod, GPS, mp3 players: 20 charges

Why
In response to a new era marked by extraordinary technological advances, improved cell phone and internet connectivity and increased travel to the world’s ski resorts and sporting events, Ardica has answered the call for portable, personal power and heating systems that are lightweight, interchangeable, versatile and ultimately efficient. With over 60 percent of US and European citizens using personal electronics and cell phones each day and an increasing number of people (sportsmen, adventurers, workers) wanting to take their electronic gadgets with them while simultaneously having personal heating on demand, Ardica has delivered the holy grail of outdoor and mobility gear. Consumers can now remain warm and electronically empowered wherever they are and no longer have to rely on electrical outlets in coffee shops, airports or offices in order to operate their electronic devices. Workers making a living in some of the most extreme environments on earth can now rest assured that they have the tools they need to maximize their enjoyment and efficiency.

Cost
Ardica Enabled outerwear, featuring heat and power systems, will add $35-$50 onto the retail price of the garment. The personal power components, which will be purchased separately through Ardica’s website will retail for $145. The Technology Connector, which includes charger tips for various types of cell phones and other electronic devices and a backpack cable, will also be available.

[Trendhunter]

Basically, the Smart Jacket is a vest that features built-in shoulder speakers, a set of player controls and a secure pouch to hold your MP3 player while in use. It also looks a hell of a lot like a life vest, and the "annihilation orange" color scheme isn't what I would call attractive. However, it was designed with joggers in mind, so there is a safety component involved here. Not sure if it is worth it though. Pricing information has not been released. [Product Page via Reg Hardware]

The name 15 Below represents the temperature at which Canada issues a cold weather warning. That's plenty cold, but the jacket has gone above and beyond that mark with successful tests at temperatures of up to -20° Fahrenheit. When the weather is warm, the whole jacket can be converted into a backpack and the plentiful pockets become useful for storing personal items. Taxi plans on distributing the jackets for free to the homeless, which is why the shameless self-promotion can be easily overlooked. [Taxi via Treehugger]

Currently, the cheapest jacket on the Express site is $148. So it could be said that this iPod pocket and fabric buttons tack on an extra $100, at most, which is really not worth it given that most jackets already have an inside pocket. Oh, and about who would wear it. How about this guy? I don't think I am cool enough to do that jacket/hoodie/vintage tee combo, but I know he is. –Travis Hudson

Express to offer iPod-ready 'Play List Jacket' [iLounge]

I think we'll go with the idea of having a separate jacket, a backpack and a pillow. You can put your pillow inside the backpack, which can also fit your jacket if it's warm. Come to think of it, our jacket turns into a pillow in one single step already. Step 1: Bunch up jacket. – Jason Chen

Jacket to Backpack [Xip3]
Jacket to Pillow [Xip3]

Product Page [Xip3 via Trendhunter via uber gizmo]

Plug your iPod into its dock connector and then you can control its functions from the left sleeve. It's got a fleece lining, too, to keep you toasty warm. The company says there are no wires leading from the iPod controller to the sleeve, and no batteries are required to get this thing to work. Not bad for $149.95. – Charlie White

The iPod-Controlling Jacket [Hammacher Schlemmer]

Both of these cases will protect your Zune, but one feels great and the other feels awkward.

The winner? The Leather case. The finish is supple and soft, which makes for a great feel when you're fiddling around with your player. There's a magnetic clasp to secure the flip-open flap, and the buttons aren't too hard to push—unlike with the Jam Jacket.

The only problem comes from the lack of a cutout on top for the hold switch when the player's closed. Not a big deal, when you think about it. And it's most likely the way they designed it. Pretty decent buy for $34.

The loser? The Action Jacket. It's no fault of DLO's that the Zune is so large. In fact it's so large, that mounting it on your arm while jogging will ensure that you're going to bulk up one arm more than the other.

The case itself isn't bad—it's made of rubber and felt—but the player doesn't quite line up with the cutouts and the buttons. Not a huge deal when you're jogging, but if you just want this case to carry around, we'd recommend you go up $5 from this $29 and go with the leather one instead. – Jason Chen

Leather Case Product Page [DLO]

Action Jacket Product Page [DLO]

Gallery [Gizmodo]

A mere 9-volt battery keeps those creeps at bay with 80,000 volts of Taser-like electricity. Hit the switch and teach that Neanderthal to keep his hands off the merchandise. There's an insulated rubber layer between you and the hot juice, but if you scratch your head while pushing the button, well, you'll be in for a shocking experience.

This is great stuff. Just the fact that such a jacket exists will fend off would-be attackers. Bravo. Maybe there will be one for guys, too. – Charlie White

Product Page [No Contact, via Wired]