Travel Vest

A Travel Vest is Clothing-class armor available throughout the  Golden Sun series.

Basic Description by Game
In all appearances, a Travel Vest increases the wearer's base Defense by 7 points. As a common item, it can be bought repeatedly from vendors for 50 coins each and can be sold for 37 coins each.

In Golden Sun, Travel Vests are bought in the towns of Vale, Vault, and Bilibin. In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, they are sold in Daila and Madra. In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, they are sold in Carver's Camp and Harapa. Regardless of the game, Travel Vests can be equipped by all Adepts that join the party.

Analysis
In Golden Sun, after the prologue sequences, the player begins in present-day Vale with a level-1 party of Isaac and Garet, who begin with Cotton Shirts as their starting body wear. Cotton Shirts are the weakest body armor in the game, they will be immediately outclassed by the Travel Vests available from Vale's armor vendor. Thus, it is recommended to replace Isaac and Garet's Cotton Shirts with Travel Vests. Though Jenna will also be in the party at this point, there is no need to buy a Travel Vest for her, as she will soon leave the party.

In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Travel Vest effectively plays the same role of being an easy early-game buy. This time around, Sheba will already have a Travel Vest as part of her starting equipment. On the other hand, Felix and Jenna will have a Cotton Shirt and One-Piece Dress respectively. The player can buy a Travel Vest for Felix right away. As for Jenna, it is up to the player to decide whether to purchase a Travel Vest or to wait until getting the startlingly defensive Full Metal Vest at Dehkan Plateau.

In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Travel Vest will not be available until the player reaches Carver's Camp. At that point, the player can purchase Travel Vests for at least two Adepts in the party. For the third, the player has the option of skipping a Travel Vest and waiting to equip the Elven Shirt Artifact found in Konpa Ruins. Later on, Rief will join the party with a Travel Vest as his starting equipment, however, it will only be in his possession a short time, as stronger equipment can be found in Harapa.