Though it happened probably a decade ago, I still have a vivid mental image of a particular moment I will probably never shake. I am gazing down a looong escalator at a cute brunette smiling up at me as she descends down into the subway and… dammit, she’s still wearing my beloved Chrome Industries Ike jacket!
We had hit it off earlier in the night at a boozy outdoor press event on the Hudson River, and as it was a bit chilly, I’d lent her this wonderfully designed garment.
Garments with an integrated back pocket emerged during the late 19th century, when big improvements in shotguns — alongside the invention of shotgun cartridges — led to a surge in the popularity of wild fowl hunting.
Following my initial consternation at the subway realization, I was not that stressed. After all, contact info had been exchanged, and I was sure we’d see each other again. Then, for one reason or another, we didn’t.
She definitely came out ahead on that deal, because the jacket itself boasts a feature that I’ve only now begun to understand and appreciate.
On the lower back area sits a pair of zippers that can be opened to unlock access to a channel-like pocket that is fantastic for stashing larger or bulkier items.
If you have, say, a nice heritage jacket — or perhaps an urban biking-centric jacket like that Chrome one — it may offer a similar slot. Have you ever wondered where this uniquely convenient innovation, known as the “game pocket” came from? I found out.
