What do you put in the pocket?

any of the following: Small bic lighter, powerbar or some other snack bar, cellphone, camera, gps unit, and/or a map

if i need something ill put it in my zippered pants pocket

many of MECs base layers dont have such pockets … unneeded weight and cost IMO

Thanks. I finally learned its name. What about the pocket on upper arm. I do not think any of the stuff you listed would fit. The only thing I can think of is a car key. :)

This is exactly what I do. Those pockets just look cool though.

just adds style…

Hot hands packet in winter. Keeps the blood warm.

You mean hand warmer? Haven't thought about that. Probably useful for sleep.

Yup.

natural lint ??
kleenex

For base layers I usually use the small pockets to store things that I want to keep warm with body heat: mini bic, camera battery, spare disposable contact lenses, etc. As for the upper arm pocket (on outerwear), I have used it to store RFID lift tickets, Chap stick otherwise. It's also convenient for storing an mp3 player when in town…

Chris, this is the best answer I got. Thanks.

+1 for Chris: RFID ski pass. I see those little pockets on parkas, but, right, you leave your base layer on all day.

And for mp3 player. Are there shorter earbud cables for carrying it in that position?

A bit off topic but…
I got to think one day in Colorado that with my backpacking gear I could survive pretty much anything nature could throw at me. What would really be bad though would be if I lost my pack somehow (unlikely but weird things happen). If I lost my pack 10 miles from a road what could I do? I hung a small light around my neck and but a pocket knife and a lighter in my pocket. With those I can hike in the dark safely, and I can build a fire. In some cases I threw in my Light My Fire striker and a small bag of cottonballs so I could really light a quick fire.

wallet and car keys – in worst case I can hike out to car and drive somewhere and get something to eat, refuel,…

It went like this:

Dave: HEY! look its my green jacket! I love this jacket. I thought I lost this thing!
Wife: well if you ever hung something…
Dave: LOOK! its even got a couple cheese sticks in the pocket!
Wife: OMG! throw those things away.. Right Now!
Dave: WHAT? are you nuts? These things last forever.. see that plastic wrapping?

It was on the highway that I suddenly realized she was right again.

Items that are never seen again.

In a Napoleon pocket? Whatever I want quick access to: camera, phone, wallet, etc.

In an arm pocket? A seam ripper. I hate those stupid, useless, faux-fashion wastes of weight. I was trying to figure out a use for arm pockets last week with a guy with whom I work, and the best we got was vital papers like permits or lift tickets.

Jeff

Edit to add: I also want nothing to do with pockets in a baselayer. Pockets are for pants and jackets, not a layer designed to wick sweat.

I like to put something small and lumpy in those odd pockets. That way, if I wear the garment in my sleeping bag, I can spend half the night trying to find the uncomfortable but elusive "root" that is keeping awake:)

My old Marmot precip jacket as well as my Outdoor Research Saturn Suit (Like a fleece survival unitard. Yea, I am a total dork.. it's all about function for me) had that "Napoleon" chest pocket with a vertical zipper.
This is the warmest pocket in the jacket, being located right over the chest and heart.
I kept my camera in there to: keep the batteries warm and also dry the camera out when the electronics got wet.

the upper arm pocket on my MB shell must be significantly larger than most. in it, i typically– quite comfortably– fit a tube of lip balm, a vial of arnica and a decent-sized hunk o' chocolate, hands down. of course, there's ALWAYS room for chocolate. :)

…

In this I put stuff like batteries and lighters- this is only for freezing temps

In the summer I find pockets in general not very useful while backpacking. I find having things in them only annoys me in the end…. but that stands true for me on day to day life I am always losing things that should stay in my pockets when im out. example: wallet phone keys…. I am in a constant search for one of them.

Even now I sit at work with empty pockets with no real known location of those listed things. I have a proximity thats good enough.

Note cards and stubby pen for me.

I really dislike the arm pocket, especially on base or trim midlayers. It's so tiny to be near useless and so close to the skin that anything you are able to cram into it is constantly noticeable and pressing against your arm.

That said, I may start to carry a tin of dermatone lip/face balm in it. Beyond that I would only use it for a car key, ID, and some cash while running.