I use a $5 ($4 for members) IKEA vest. Works really well - I wish I had started wearing a hi-viz vest earlier. I posted about it - see https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...-viz-vest.html

Keep in mind that the amount and quality of the reflective material makes a BIG difference. A cheap $5 reflective vest won't be as visible at night as the one made with better retroreflective material.

Personally, I use at least an ANSI Class II vest from Home Depot or Lowe's or whatever. It's usually around $15-20, and has a large surface area of high-quality (usually 3M) reflective tape.

Worth reading before you buy: RUSA: Reflectivity

The posts above made me look and I found this on the IKEA page:
Complies with EN ISO 20471:2013 and ANSI/ISEA 107-2010.


Now I just need to understand if that is good or bad

I use this Jogalite Cycling Reflctive Vest. It's fine. I don't love it, but I think it works ok.

This Cactus Creek vest looks good, but I have never tried one.

I read somewhere that this Gore vest is EN1150 certified, but it's pretty pricey and probably not great for hot weather

These are useful links. Love my gore windstopper softshell for winter commuting but I agree and wouldn't want a windstopper vest for the summer.

This illuminite vest doesn't look too bad. I have some of the illuminite tights and I think they reflect reasonably well.

Just remembered this proviz vest. Seems cool.

My problem with most vests is they block access to my back jersey pockets.

So, I designed my own reflective harness. A couple of my friends paid me to make ones for them, also.

These suggestions aren't bad. But personally, I can't stomach that color of everything, everywhere neon green. The white one would definitely be a must have (reminds me of the Kryptonians from the original Superman movie), if it weren't for their super sized logo. Otherwise, would have ordered on sight.

As for the homemade version? Crowdsourcing brah.

I have a trek vest that looks like tha lluminite vest and works great if its not too hot outside.

For hot summer days I just bought this. For $13, it is a bargain!

Nathan Reflective Cycling Vest - REI.com

I'd like to believe hi-viz clothing in the day is beneficial, but I have a lot of evidence to the contrary. It seems you could be wearing a bear outfit and the folks who are looking for large vehicles or engaged in searing dialog on their phones... these folks probably won't see you.... so don't get too optimistic and be certain to ride defensively.

However, I am in favor of reflective strips in the night... along with reasonably bright lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaETt7hQ6AA

I must have super powers because I honestly can't remember the last time I was "surprised" by a person on a bike. Even the ninjas are easy to see provided I drive slowly and actually pay attention. Quelle horreur!

I prefer fashionable black that matches my nude carbon steeds. Fortunately 3M manufactures discrete black reflective material so I've added that to my bikes, helments, and clothing (in moderation).

I have several inexpensive meant-for-workers short sleeved orange mesh zip front shirts that I wear over whatever else I am wearing. I believe I bought them at Wal-Mart and I think they were branded Jesse James - but I can't find them now though either web-site. Medium fits me well with nothing bulky on, and XL fits over anything else I wear (down to -30 celcius).

I like the shirt style rather than the vest since my arms have a wide band of reflective material around the arm to increase lateral visability.

But - I don't often ride on drops - neither my commuter, my mtb, nor my utility bike have drop bars - so I am more upright than some of you.

And - too hot is not often a problem where I live.

I have this vest and I can't count the number of times people (drivers, walkers, other bikers) have told me it's a "cool vest" and makes me much more visible. My only complaint is that it's huge! Amazon.com: MAXSA Innovations 20026 Yellow with Yellow Reflective Safety Vest with 16 LED Lights, Large: Automotive But it would block access to rear pockets

My 4-year old son uses an Ikea reflective vest with the addition of red led lights: Amazon.com - Rtgs Micro LED 20 Super Bright Red Color Lights Battery Operated on 7' with 4" spacing Long Silver Color Ultra Thin String Wire [NEWEST VERSION] + 100% RTGS Products Satisfaction Guarantee - Battery Operated Christmas Lights plus a neon/reflective helmet cover.

My 6-year old has a knitted poncho with pink neon reflective yarn, since her fashion sense was repulsed by the idea of a reflective vest.

great ideas here...!

Do your 4 and 6 year old children ride at times and places where a reflective vest serves any purpose?

As a general rule, they're not riding solo in full darkness, though we have done that in low-traffic areas or when we're on a group ride with our local Kidical Mass group.

More often, they're riding at dusk/dark either: (1) on their own bikes attached to my/my husband's bike on a FollowMe tandem; or (2) on my cargo bike. In either scenario, they're at the far rear, so yes, they do need reflective gear in addition to lights.

I can't say I have every seriously thought about wearing a vest. I packed one, once - when I first started out. Never did make it on. I'm not exactly hard to see, and if someone doesn't see me as I am they sure won't see me with a vest on - they are 100% not paying attention. Nothing you can do about that.
In lieu of a safety vest, I am confident that my bright lights will be plenty of indication that I am there.

Got it; now it makes sense to me. Thanks.

Like ThermionicScott said, look up the guidelines for reflective gear on RUSA: Randonneurs USA. For those who don't know, RUSA sanctions long-distance, minimally-supported rides that often go all night, so lighting and reflective gear is important.

I've had many, many opportunities to see all different types of reflective gear in action on overnight rides, as a rider and also as a volunteer (where I get to see the riders from a car's vantage point). When you're riding in the dark the single most important factor is reflective surface area. Color doesn't matter much (except that light colors are a bit more visible than dark ones). In other words, a sash that is 2" wide in neon green and has a 1/2" reflective stripe is basically no better than just a 1/2" reflective sash. Sam Browne belts can work well, but the part of the sash that attaches to the waist band should be on your left and it should go over your right shoulder so that the most visible area is on the left side of your body. Riders wearing the sash over their left shoulder don't show nearly as much reflective material to traffic coming up on the left. Make sure the waist belt is also reflective, and that it is not flipped upside down or caught up under layers of clothing.

Some vests and jerseys have small, graceful amounts of reflective piping, reflective logos, etc. The label says things like "reflective accents for safety". But if it's just a bit of piping around the shoulders and a narrow stripe on the pocket, it's not good enough. It doesn't matter how miraculously effective the specific material used is, and it doesn't matter if the whole vest is hi-vis green; it's just not enough reflective surface area. Period. Reflective surface needs to be measurable in tens of square inches, not little touches here and there. That's not as much to wear as it sounds like.

The Amphipod things generally are reasonably visible, except for riders in an exceptionally aggressive position, which most aren't in the city or in the middle of the night. My other complaint with them is that they don't show much from the side, either. But they're generally better than a lot of things, and better than a Sam Browne belt that isn't worn optimally.

Those cheap highway safety vests aren't designed for cycling, but they do have substantial areas of reflective material and they're always very visible. They are also generally big enough to fit over jackets, camelbacks, etc. They're big and sometimes hot, but keep in mind that the parts of the vest that are not the reflective stripes are doing practically nothing for you, comparatively. It's possible to wrap just as much reflective material around your body without the excess vest.

BTW, "Illuminite" is a surface created by printing reflective surface onto fabric in lots of little blobs, instead of in solid areas. That makes it good for covering large surfaces, because the little blobs add up to substantial surface area while still being able to breathe, but it's not as bright as a solid reflective surface would be. There are other similar products out there, but I'm skeptical of anything like that unless it's used on at least 50% of the outside surface of a garment. It also tends to not last as well because the little blobs can get rubbed off. The same is true of any time a reflective surface is applied to a stretchy material - when the fabric stretches, it gets broken into little pieces which can rub off more easily.

One more thing you can do, if none of these solutions appeal, is buy reflective fabric and stick it onto whatever you need to with safety pins. You can either buy it in the form of sew-on tape of various widths, or you can buy it as fabric by the yard. Some good sources are Identi-Tape - All Kinds of Colored Tape , Sunbrella : Grommets : Clear Vinyl : Marine Vinyl : Outdoor Fabrics : Seattlefabrics.com , or Outdoor Wilderness Fabrics - Supplying all your outdoor fabric needs . I've bought stuff from all these places many times.

Again, while some reflective surfaces are better than others, the overriding factor is still total surface area. (And it never hurts to have more of it on your bike, your bags, your ankles, etc.

Now that is a lot of good info!

I would say that Neon is good for when there are no lights, and reflective is good for when there are lights.

That said, if the light source is not in line with the driver (or whomever) and the light isn't shining on you, it may not make too much difference.

Lots of my commuting is after dawn or pre-dusk. That is the dangerous time as light is grey, and headlights are not doing anything yet (if they are turned on).

Especially at those times, active lighting (especially a strobe) works best.

The Gore is EN1150 certified. I have two of them, one of which is way too large now that I am no longer a Clyde.

Not sure if there is a better cycling specific reflective vest out there now that Mavic no longer makes one. I think they run $140 or so. It is fine up to maybe 70 degrees.

I had been using a standard hi-vis reflective construction vest. Recently picked up a nice reflective harness at Ikea.