Riding in the Dark? These Reflective Vests Help Keep You Safe

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Commuters and long-distance riders know better than anyone else how valuable daylight is, especially in the colder months when the sun makes itself scarce before 5 p.m. But the worst part of nighttime riding isn’t the darkness—it’s how poorly you stand out against it when other bikers and drivers pass by you. Fortunately, highly reflective gear comes in handy on those days where you need to ride pre-sunrise or post-sunset, and many reflective vests will also keep your core warm and comfortable.

Whether you wear it as the outermost layer of your winter fit or simply as an early-morning safeguard against the breeze, these versatile accessories provide at least three seasons of functionality, all while packing down to fit in a jersey pocket when you don’t need one.

Looking for more gear to make your rides safer? Check out our picks for the best reflective bands, bike reflectors, and U-locks.

The Best Reflective Vests for Cycling

• Best Overall: Castelli Squadra Stretch Vest

• Best Value: WOSAWE Cycling Wind Vest

• Best Fluorescent Color: Salzmann 3m High Visibility Cycling Vest

• Most Reflective: Proviz Reflect360 Fully Reflective Cycling Vest

• Best Water-Resistant: GOREWEAR Phantom Cycling Jacket

What to Consider

What Makes Reflective Detailing Work?

When you think of high-visibility clothing, you might initially think of fluorescent colors like the yellows, greens, and oranges you see on construction vests. That intense color is there for a reason—it does technically reflect lots of light—but it scatters in every direction and ultimately dissipates in the dark. In other words, it’s best at making you stand out when you’re a different color than your surroundings, but it struggles to reflect an intense light, such as a car’s headlights, back to its source. We recommend using a fluorescent-colored vest if you ride on the road during the day, and a fluorescent and reflective one for nighttime.

Proper 3M reflective materials, as opposed to fluorescent colors, use a fabric coated in microscopic glass beads that send strong light directly back to its source like a mirror. This won’t help you much during the daytime, considering not every motorist uses their headlights during the day. But even the smallest reflective details on a vest, jacket, or jersey have the potential to catch a driver’s attention at night if their headlights are on—you can even test them at home with a flashlight. These vest details aren’t as intense as a high-lumen rear light, but they can work in tandem with one to more easily show motorists how close you are.

Many of the vests we recommend rock both fluorescent colors and reflective detailing to make you more visible day and night, but if highlighter yellow isn’t your style, you can get away with a darker-colored vest without compromising your contrast against your dark surroundings—just be aware that those less vibrant colors will make you stand out less during the day.

Reflective Detail Placement

Many brands tout reflective detailing on their cycling kits, but some brands use it far more efficiently and effectively than others. For example, some jackets and vests have reflective linings for their zippers, which is neat if you’re running with your torso facing forward, but cyclists riding in a more forward-leaning position will likely obscure this small strip with their arms and head. Other key areas, like your shoulders, sides, and lower back, are far more likely to catch a car’s high beams while you’re riding in a natural position. The vests we recommend all take advantage of these critical areas.

If you’re going to use your vest for running as well, you can find a good compromise with vests that have bands of 3M material wrapping all the way around the torso—a similar design to what you’ll see on construction vests.

Fit and Layering

While cyclists tend to prioritize finding form-fitting kits, vests are trickier to size because we always layer under them, rather than over them. Depending on how you like to layer up in the cold, you might wear your vest over a base layer and a jersey, or you could be squeezing it over a jersey, mid-layer, and jacket. If you prefer the former, you can stay relatively true to size, but if you’re consistently wearing multiple thick layers, we recommend taking a size bigger.

It’s also prudent to note that, if you like to cross-train with running, cycling-specific vests might fit awkwardly around the waist when you’re upright—they’re designed with extra fabric in the lower back to account for your bending over in the saddle. To maximize coverage without this bagginess, look for a vest with a less exaggerated tail.

How We Selected

To find the best reflective vests available, we scoured retailers for a variety of styles from brands we trust for other cycling accessories, as well as some cheaper alternatives. We didn’t want all the vests on this list to make you look like a crossing guard, so we prioritized cycling-specific vests with strategic touches of reflective materials, though we also recommend a few with fluorescent colors for those who prefer it. Additionally, we made sure to accommodate as wide a range of sizes as possible, including everything from the slimmest race-cut vests to the biggest, baggiest, most layerable vests worth wearing.

Squadra Stretch Vest

If you prefer your cycling clothes to fit close to your body, consider the Castelli Quadra vest. Though highly stretchy, this vest is form-fitting for a slim feel while you’re on the road, and its tight knit will conform to your body for a perfect fit.

Reflective details are found throughout its construction, including accents on the chest and zippered back pocket for low-light visibility. A high collar protects against wind, as does its tough ripstop nylon. And just in case you want even more low-light protection, these vests come in a bright neon green.

Cycling Wind Vest

This reflective vest is highly visible day or night, thanks to its neon color options and reflective accents across the chest and back. It’s made with a lightweight, wind-stopping, and water-resistant polyester, making it great for protecting against the elements. And although it’s synthetic, its mesh backing provides some ventilation and breathability when you’re on the move.

A zippered rear pocket will help you hold your goodies, and its sleeveless design makes it great for layering. If you’re not a fan of loud neon colors, you can also grab this vest in black or the greenish hue pictured here. Note, however, that reviewers say to order two sizes up.

3M High Visibility Cycling Vest

If you’re looking for a reflective vest to wear purely for safety purposes, this one from Salzmann is one of the best you can do. Although it’s not weatherproof, this vest features highly reflective material via 3M Scotchlite technology, which offers excellent visibility day or night. Mesh paneling on the back and sides help with breathability while exercising, and elasticated seams offer give and stretch while you’re in motion.

These do run large, but they’re comfortable enough to use as a protective layer over a sweater without feeling too snug on your body.

Reflect360 Fully Reflective Cycling Vest

If you ask us, there’s no such thing as being too visible, but boy howdy, this vest gets close—and that’s a good thing! Unlike other vests on this list that feature reflective detailing on their seams, pockets, and zippers, this vest is reflective top-to-bottom.

On top of that, this vest reflects almost every speck of light that hits it, so much so that it’ll wholly wash out most flash photos you try to take of it—now, imagine what that looks like when you swap the camera for LED headlights. If you’re wearing this vest, motorists have no good excuse for not seeing you, which may calm your nerves if you commute through traffic in the dark.

Phantom Cycling Jacket

If you’re wondering why there’s a jacket in this vest roundup, it’s because the Phantom isn’t a full-time jacket: If you undo the zippers around each shoulder, the sleeves slip right off and leave you with a breezy vest whenever you need it. This design lets you check off two items at once, functioning excellently as both a rain jacket and a heavy vest.

The Gore-Tex material built into this jacket isn’t the full heavy-duty stuff you may be used to—it’s a lighter, more breathable version. But that doesn’t stop this jacket from protecting you in a drizzle, front and back. It also has a massive neck cover, so you won’t come home to a red stripe from your collarbone to your chin when winds get chilly.

Pro Team Lightweight Vest

If you’re a morning rider or you warm up easily, chances are you won’t need a vest after the sun rises and you get your blood pumping. If that’s the case, you probably don’t need anything too heavy-duty, which is where this super-light Rapha vest really comes in handy. It provides just enough wind protection to keep you from shivering as you take off, then it stuffs away in your back pocket without giving you a goofy lower-back hump.

The reflective details on this vest are admittedly minimalistic, only showing up in three spots, but they’re strategically placed to illuminate your stomach, lower back, and neck for motorists. If you’re looking for more visibility, you can alternatively check out a set of attention-grabbing bike lights.

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