I was out on a covered bridge tour down in Lancaster County a couple weeks ago with TrekkieMoto
and Scott from Scott’s Moto Adventures, and something happened that’s been sitting in the back of my mind ever since. We’d parked a good hundred yards or so from one of the bridges, and I walked down to get some footage while Scott stayed back to snap his bridge photo for the BMW Coddiwomple Covered Bridge Challenge he’s doing this season. I had my helmet on, comms running, and I hear Scott come over the Sena telling me to be careful because there’s a car coming and he can’t see me. I’m dressed in all black and he didn’t think the driver would spot me either.
That one comment kind of cracked open something I already knew but hadn’t really dealt with. I don’t wear dark gear because I think it looks cool or because it’s slimming (half joking about the slimming part). I wear it because it’s just what’s available. Perforated leather jackets don’t come in a ton of colors that don’t look strange, and between my jacket, my jeans, and my stone gray helmet, I’m basically invisible in a dim covered bridge or on an overcast day.
So now I’m in the market for a high visibility riding jacket, and I figured I’d think out loud about it here since I know I’m not the only one who’s run into this problem.
Table of Contents
The Problem With My Current Gear
My main jacket right now is an Icon Contra 2, and it’s perforated leather, which is great for summer riding. I’m not replacing that one. It does its job in the heat and I like it. The problem is everything else in my closet skews dark. My backup jacket is an old discontinued Icon One-Thousnd, also dark gray, and it’s not warm enough for cold weather riding anyway. My helmet is a stone gray HJC. My riding jeans are dark blue. Stack all of that together and you’ve got a rider who disappears the second the lighting isn’t perfect.
It’s not just the inside of a covered bridge either, though that’s the most obvious example. Cloudy days are just as bad. A dark bike with a rider in dark gear doesn’t pop against gray skies or wet pavement. You don’t notice how much that matters until someone on comms tells you they almost couldn’t see you.
What I’m Looking for in a Winter Jacket
Since my Icon One-Thousand isn’t cutting it for cold weather, I want to replace it with a textile jacket built for winter riding, and visibility is now a non negotiable feature on the list. I’m not trying to go full fluorescent yellow safety vest here. I’ve seen jackets with high visibility panels worked into the design instead of taking over the whole jacket, and that’s more the direction I want to go. Not the prettiest look in the world, but I’ve gotten to the point where I care a lot less about looking good and a lot more about being seen.
The goal is a jacket that holds up no matter what the day throws at it. Bright sun, overcast skies, rain, I want to be visible in all of it, not just on the picture perfect riding days.
Brands I’m Considering
I’ve heard really good things about Tourmaster gear for touring style jackets at a reasonable price point. Klim keeps coming up too, and from what people tell me the quality is excellent, but the price tag is rough and it’s just not in the budget right now. I’d rather spend less and get something solid than stretch for a premium name brand.
There’s also a house brand I keep hearing mentioned that’s something like Rocky Mountain, though I can’t remember the exact name. People seem to think it offers genuine touring quality without the touring quality price, so that’s on my list to look into more before I make a decision.
Why I’m Also Rethinking My Helmet
The jacket isn’t the only piece of this puzzle. My next helmet is probably going to be white, which is a first for me since I’ve only ever owned black or gray ones. Plain and simple, it’s a visibility upgrade.
I’ll probably still go with a tinted drop down visor setup like I have now. I like the way tinted visors look, especially the chrome ones. The downside is that a tinted visor by itself is more permanent. If you don’t have the drop down feature, you’re stuck carrying a clear visor in your bag for dusk, early morning, or nighttime riding, because riding with a dark visor in low light is like wearing sunglasses at the wrong time of day. It’s a tradeoff I’m willing to live with for the convenience, but it’s worth factoring in if you’re shopping helmets too.
Tell Me What You’d Buy
I want to hear from you on this one. If you were shopping for a high visibility riding jacket with hi-viz panels, what would you go with and why? Are you loyal to a particular brand, or is it more about which one has the features you actually want? Drop your thoughts in the comments, I’m genuinely trying to narrow this down before winter gets here.
Ride With Me
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