Perfect, thanks for the advice and input!
Like I said I knew they'd all need a little work, and I indeed planned to use the fabric from one of those pockets to cover the top of the zip. Since my panels will cover all of those pockets I'd rather lose them and have the spare fabric.
I’m of the
opposite mind regarding those pockets. Since they’re covered up anyway, I would leave them alone. Why make a garment less functional? My flight suit is a set of BDUs, I did not remove the pockets from the shirt, nor do I plan to,
specifically because they are covered by my vest and armor. If I want to wear them without my armor, with just my open vest—or without it entirely—I have a fully functional set of pockets if I need them. I didn’t do
any modifications to my vest and the only mod I did to my BDU shirt was to add a neck flap to close up the front of the neck and create a neck seal. The same is true of my utility belt and gun belt and holster. I have done no subtractive modifications, only
adding pouches, tools, or greeblies where necessary to spruce them up, and painting the parachute buckles used on them and my armor.
If you don’t want pockets on your vest get a vest without pockets to begin with. If you want a vest with a front closing zipper, get one with a zipper that is color matched to the vest. Don’t make more work for yourself than you
absolutely have to.