flip18436572

Is there a cheap place to purchase a hi-vis green vest to wear over a shirt. When I was in Des Moines, I was able to see some riders with them on, and it makes a big difference. Time for me to do the same thing.

zoste

My LBS carries them...try googling "reflective vest" and you will get 176,000 hits, including these and these and...well, you get the idea.

toolbear

Look for safety clothing for construction workers. ANSI Class 3 reflective vest.

<https://www.safetyvests.com/limeandorangevests_sv;jsessionid=0a0101431f434f664d43358a4d4aabe7adb32c37d4f0.e3eTax4KaN0Le34Pa38Ta3 8Na3n0>

I bought one at my local hardware store make by Carhart in green, orange, luminous strips, etc. Just got back from a dawn ride using it and no one ran me down. (Of course, part of that may be due to using a paved bike trail for most of the ride.)

It's the kind worn by highway workers - and they really want you to see them. It's amazing how well the lime green stands out at dusk. I put bow and stern light on flasher, just the same.

It's nice, light, etc. Just don't store it in the sun as the UV does a number on the dye.

Marrock

You can even get one of these, with LEDs and everything.

andrelam

I have read reports that Harbor Freight has some for well under $10. Otherwise a great place for bright clothing is www.alertshirt.com. The latter sells their wares to various DOT's and are ANSI certified. I wear their cool-mesh shirt. It costs under $12. My wife has followed me home in the dark before and tells me I can be seen from quite a distance. The large 3M reflective stripes (2 horizontal and 2 vertical) are VERY reflective. At low light (but not dark) conditions the hi-vis yellow/green makes you realy stand out as well. Sure it makes me look more like a FRED, but better a FRED then dead .

As soon as I have a little extra money, I'll also be buying the rain coat from Alert Shirt. I like that it is ANSI class 3 rated. During foul weather visability is always low... the better I can make by self be seen the better.

Happy riding,
André

Wogster

I wear safety shoes at work, and noticed the place where I got them, had all kinds of hi-vis vests, I think the basic ones are under $20. Make sure you get one large enough to fit over a coat if you plan to ride in cold weather, most are adjustable over a fairly wide range.

Doohickie

Grainger. I have this one which only costs $11.75 retail. (I got a discount because of my employer and paid $10). There are Graingers in most decent-sized cities and they are easy to find.

surfrider

Home Depot sells them in the tool area (look for the safety equipment in that dept). High vis greenish yellow with nice 2" wide releflective stripes running around it, and up over the shoulders. About $10.

flip18436572

I looked at the Home Depot that is closest to me and they didn't have any. I will look again when I head to the city next.

Thanks everyone.

CJKarl

I went with the saftey green t-shirt. It's so bright I can light up a room with it...it's almost comical. BUT, people see me a mile away on the road. Here's one site, I can't find the site I bought my shirts off of. The 100% cotton ones will fade but the poly ones glow and glow and glow.
https://firstoutrescue.com/index.php?...ktmapa06qsj6b0

Neil_B

I want one!

Marrock

I was thinking of getting one and swapping out the regular LEDs for those that cycle through various color changes when they're lit.

dscheidt

There's no such thing as a class III vest. To be class III, the garments need to provide reflective material on the arms and/or legs. There are vests that in combination with other stuff is class III.

I'd also consider reflective ankle strips. They're very visible.

McTrey

FWIW, I'd personally go with orange. I come up on flaggers all the time standig in work zones wearing green and if there's any shade, they tend to blend in with the background. The orange color also seems to resist fading in the sun (in my personal experience).

All my vests (for work) are orange and when I'm on the road, I look like a traffic barrel...especially when I have my high-vis pants on too.

Evans

Check out the hunting section at any Walmart,Kmart,Etc...

vXhanz

I like this idea! The only thing I'm wondering about the vest though are they the 3W or the 5W LED's? I have a flashlight with one 5W LED and it's like a spot light at night. If that was applied to the vest that would definitely improve your visibility.

V

Marrock

I would think they're 3W, since it's powered by AA batteries and only has to light up instead of illuminating an area like a flashlight would.

toolbear

@@@

Interesting.

<https://www.tasco-safety.com/high_visibility_products/class-3-level-2-safety-vests.html>

What they have is a short sleeve jacket.

cod.peace

Sears. My local Sears, at least, has a whole bunch of clearance hi-vis T-shirts and vests under $10. Fluorescent yellow with reflective striping.

flip18436572

I ordered from Amazon.com to get a bicycle vest. I don't have anything local that carries anything. I am 60 miles from anyplace that has a real store. We have a K-mart, but it doesn't carry much of anything that I want to buy. I actually wait until I need a lot and schedule a trip when we are headed close to a town with a Super Wal-Mart. I used to be totally against Wal-Mart, but since I make less than 50% of my wages from a year ago, Wal-Mart is getting a lot more of my money than they ever have before. That and we buy online and try to check for the free shipping when available if the price makes it a better buy.

txvintage

For some reason I'm flashing back to the old Farside cartoon with the two deer standing in the woods and one of the deer has a target on his chest. The other deer looks at him and says, "Bummer of a birthmark, Hal."

This poses the question.........does hi-vis gear make us more visible or a better target?

It seems I'm feeling a bit cynical today. That being said, I need one of those dayglow reflective t-shirts for more reasons than riding.

andrelam

I love the Farside cartoons... I remember the one you describe well. Too bad he stopped a few years ago.

As far as being a target or being avoided. I can tell you that in the dark people give me a VERY wide birth. With the high reflective gear you glow brightly in front of the drivers, add to that a nice an bright Super Flash and people give me at least 3 ft of space when they pass me. Without some bright gear I have nearly hit some cyclists because they were wearing dark clothing and were completely invisable till I was very close to them. That is definite not good for their long term survival on the road and not good for my blood pressure either. There are some roads where I expect cyclists and pedestrians here at night, but when you can only see them at the last second, it is always startling.

Happy riding... happily wearing an ANSI Class 2 shirt at night, 2 rear lights, two front lights and strategic placement of 3M SOLAS tape to help some more.

André

toolbear

@@@

Light up like a Christmas tree! At sea we always figure - More lights; more trouble - and give those lights a good margin.

Now, try to spot the running lights on a log raft. Kerosene. Dim. When you spot the tug (3 white lights in a vertical string), look aft to find the tow.


We're down in So Cal for the winter. What you see around here - if you can - at dusk, dawn and earlier - Latinos pedaling to work. Dark clothes. No lights. Often spot them by the fact they are darker than the background and occult the background lights. Since I am heading to work around the same time - and it will get darker - I have to keep a sharp lookout.