Product Review: Amphipod Full Visibility Reflective Vest

By David Bell

Reflectivity is crucial to runners. Most of us have a day job which leaves our exercise to be crammed into the early hours of morning or dark hours of night. Gone are the days when you could find yourself running on a deserted road for miles and miles (if you know a road like this than please let me know). I wish there was a running lane on every street, actually a nice shoulder would be sufficient but on almost every outing I’ve run on sections of road that barely have enough pavement to be considered a road. High traffic and low to no light creates dangerous situations. Proper reflectivity through a running vest is a great solution.

I consider three things in choosing a good running vest.

1. High Reflectivity in all 360 Degrees- Car headlights should make it impossible for me not to be noticed from 100 meters away in all directions.
2. Superior Low Light Visibility- I want to stand out at dusk and dawn when there is still a little light out, enough that reflectivity isn’t as effective.
3. Form Fitting-I shouldn’t even realize I am wearing a reflective vest. This includes range of motion and ventilation properties.

Amphipod’s Full Visibility Reflective Vest is one of the best running vests on the market for ensuring those three things. The vest has a total of 70 square inches of 3M Scotchlite Reflective Material on the Front, Back, Sides, and Shoulders. Amphipod uses a 3M Yellow which looks like a neon yellow/light green. It has been found to be the most visible color to the eye in low light conditions. One of my reps has told me that fire engines will soon be this yellow color instead of red!!!

The vest comes in two sizes which accommodates most physiques. Don’t expect it to drape down to your hips. The bottom of my vest is about 2 inches above my belly button. This is ideal in avoiding swishing. The vest is put on by placing it over the head and then by securing the two Velcro side straps snugly around your torso. You really will forget that you are wearing it.

An added bonus is the large front zipper pocket to hold things like gloves, bib numbers, keys, energy gels, etc. The vest can be machine or hand washed in cold, dried on tumbled low or on a flat dry surface.

I have listed a few of the above facts in bullet point for easy reference:

• Up to 70% more reflective area than most standard running vests
• 3M Scotchlite™ reflecive material - high brilliance silver
• Extra large real capacity zip front pocket for essentials
• Front, rear and side reflective booster zones for full 360 degree reflectivity
• Breathable and feather-lite fully vented Meshlite™ construction
• Two custom sizes with adjustability for a perfect fit

Conquer the Night!