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Shiny, fluoro and reflective gear can help you stay visible and safe in the darkest of conditions Small Backpack
During the autumn and winter months, it can be really hard to get the miles in while still feeling safe and secure on the roads. If you're running in the morning, before it gets light, or in the evening when darkness has fallen, then your best bet is to put on some reflective high-vis kit, as well as a quality head torch to help you find your way.
From waterproof jackets to running gloves, sweat-wicking running caps to handy apps, we've rounded up a broad range of options to make you visible to drivers and cyclists and keep you training all year round.
There are a few ways that you can make yourself more visible when running, but not all of them are going to help you at night.
Some brands make high-visibility clothes from fluorescent or brightly coloured materials, manufactured with light-converting pigments that are meant to enhance light in the visible spectrum, reflecting additional light from the fabric. But while this may be helpful during sunrise and twilight hours, it won’t be so useful when the sun is still set.
Retro-reflective materials, on the other hand, direct almost all of the light falling on the fabric to be reflected back towards the light source. When placed on clothing or accessories, it ensures that anyone with a light source can see you.
Generally, a combination of the two is ideal if you’re running at night, with the reflective element making you visible, and the high-vis element helping cars and other pedestrians differentiate you from other reflective objects.
You should look for garments with reflective panels on areas that move frequently while you run, or that illuminate a large portion of your torso. It’s also important that the panels are on your front and back – especially if you’re running besides a road – so that you can been seen from both directions.
It might go without saying, but as well as assessing visibility, you should also make sure you’re buying comfortable, sweat-wicking running clothing that either keep you warm in the winter or cool in the summer.
The high-vis coating on the entire surface of this jacket make it one of the brightest, most visible and attention-grabbing we've seen. The jacket also fits well - it’s flexible and snug where you want it to be. On the downside, the jacket isn’t the most breathable, and it clung to bare skin, so it's definitely one to wear with a long-sleeve top underneath.
These stretchy fabric gloves protect against the elements whilst providing high visibility. They also come with a textured surface meaning they can be used with your smartphone without the need to remove them. The Ilus Core material will keep your fingers cosy whilst both the neon yellow and black versions have reflective details.
For those seeking a budget-friendly visibility option, look to this well-priced Reflect360 running cap from Proviz - like most of their range, it's made from 100 per cent reflective materials. It's constructed from a meshed fabric to increase breathability - no hot heads here - and it's adjustable so it should fit all runners. With the highly technical reflective material, this cap will ensure you are safe and visible, whatever the weather. A cap is also great in rainy conditions to keep that water off your face as you move, so it's anyway a good handy item to have in your winter running wardrobe.
A good budget alternative to the higher-end Brooks Carbonite range, this Kiprun jacket has plenty of reflective detailing across the arms, back of the jacket and the zip areas, meaning that passing car headlights will certainly see you. It's also a really warm jacket, designed for use in sub-zero temperatures. It has built in 'gloves' at the ends of the sleeves to go over your hands, plus a handy window in each sleeve so that you can actually see your watch without having to move the cuff up and over it.
Another great budget buy, these Kalenji leggings from decathlon are made from a reflective material to ensure you can be seen at night. Warm and stylish, they wick away moisture while providing good insulation for those chilly winter evenings, and there's a handy side pocket deep enough and wide enough to hold a smartphone.
These running socks tick a lot of boxes: they're padded in all the right places, a stylish mid-length design, and they're finished with reflective detailing to enhance your visibility in the early or later hours. Simple stuff, done with finesse.
This is probably the brightest shoe on the market and your feet definitely won't be hiding in the shadows in these Gel-Nimbus Lite Show. The shoes offer greater support and cushioning for longer distance running with their FF Blast Plus Eco shock absorption system and Pure Gel technology. And when it comes to low light and night running the bright colour and reflective details will dramatically improve your visibility.
This highly reflective hat glows under headlight glare in even low light conditions, making it ideal for morning or evening winter runs. What's more, the reflective strips glow in a variety of colours, adding style points to your outfit. The fabric also dries rapidly, so it keeps your head cool in sweatier conditions, and stays warm when you need it to be.
If you already have a running backpack that's comfortable, and you don't want to either abandon it or buy yet another for winter use, then this is a g reat option. It's simply a high-vis cover for your existing bag, whether that's in use during running or cycling. It's also waterproof, and straps onto any pack up to 35L for an instant night-visibility upgrade. The reverse is neon yellow, so that can also be used for added visibility during daylight hours.
Safety isn't just about visibility. And sometimes other people worry more than you do. While most of the gear on this list helps others spot you in the dark, Garmin’s Live Tracker lets friends and family track you virtually. You’ll need a Garmin watch, and it will need to be connected to the Garmin Connect app on your smartphone (the latter is easy to do).
From there, you can start up the Live Tracker and add contacts via email. Those you add to the tracker will be sent a link so that they can follow your progress live on a map. That could be handy for safety or even just knowing when to have the hot bath waiting for you. For those who don’t use a Garmin watch, Strava Beacon offers a similar service on your smartphone.
If you rely on KT - Kinesiology Therapeutic - tape to hold you together, then why not make it perform another function too? The Pro Reflective version does exactly what you'd expect - reflects light by means of elements woven into the tape. You could even add a small patch of it to a less reflective item - a running pack say - to make your whole outfit more visible.
This ingenious apparel ups the visibility stakes, and then some. Reflective detailing or material merely, well, reflects light to keep you visible. The Noxgear Tracer 360 actually creates your own lightweight light show. The vest contains flexible fibre optics which pump out 40 lumens of light around the body - making you visible from over a mile in any direction. You can select from different colours and light modes, there’s a 40-hour battery life and the whole thing is easily adjustable, fitting over most jackets or T-shirts.
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