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Icon Mil-Spec HI-Viz Vest

Being seen is something close to all our hearts, on busy roads and country lanes alike we need to draw attention to our presence, and most bikers I know wear reflective or Hi-Viz gear to this end.  Five Years ago, we were still waiting for clothing manufacturers to catch up with this need, and many people opted for vests/tabards/Sam brown belts over their normal jackets to plug the gap. Thankfully in today’s marketplace you can’t escape Hi-Viz everything! nearly all motorbike specific clothing companies produce clothing with integrated High Viz panels. Even the helmet manufacturers are getting in on the act, with at least Scorpion and Shoei making Hi Viz helmets, Spada are making Hi Viz Gloves, and Louis (German Marque) make a helmet cover out of ultra reflective material, with a warning triangle on..so in case of breakdown on the continent, helmet off, pop the cover on, and place on the ground...et Voila! (although not sure about how I’d feel leaving my helmet in the way of oncoming traffic!). An American manufacturer called Icon (not really well known in UK, but a big name in the US), have entered the fray some while back with their Mil-Spec vest, it’s a take on the classic ‘over’ jacket vest. See manufacturers blurb below (I didn’t want to tamper with Icon’s description, but you have to cut through the American ‘style’ description)

Icon FIGHTER MESH construction

• Removable I.D. holder
• Adjustable fit, with elasticated sides
• 3M reflective strips (6 on the front and 5 on the back)
• 3 storage pockets, 2 on the front inside and out, and 1 large one on the back.
• Available in BRIGHT ORANGE or YELLOW
• St Christopher medallion (bet you can't find it)
• Mesh inside so it won't ride up over Leather or Textiles
• Soft wraparound collar

Icon's Mil Spec 2 is probably the best High Vis vest you can get. Not a new idea by any means but we think the ICON MIL SPEC VEST is one of a kind.
The Mil Spec vest was designed to pass all military requirements for a mandatory reflective vest in the US and  looks pretty cool for that sort of thing.
As soon as you put this vest on you can feel the quality with a nice snug fit without being too tight, 70 mph and this vest does not budge with the bonus that you don't look like a construction worker. Stand out, be seen, and ride safely.

Safety on a bike has to be of paramount consideration, and we all know it’s not a fashion show, but that doesn’t stop you not wanting to look like a luminous lemon whilst riding! Vests for me are a practical choice, as I can transfer from one Jacket to another, but previous incarnations have all had their faults...there’s no point in having a breathable jacket when you essentially shove a large piece of plasticky material over the top, I’ve had broken zips, cheap Velcro tabards that flap up in your face, I’ve even owned a very expensive Jacket made from High Tec, Hi Viz material, that once dirty, you could never wash the road grime out of it, so 6 months after purchase is was more Mediocre-Viz rather than the bright fluorescent yellow, I bought it for! I purchased this icon vest just over 12 months ago, and use it every day, for my daily commute, come rain or shine.

Construction

This Vest is extraordinarily well made, everything feels solid, and I have nothing bad to report about the way this garment is put together. It has held up to all the abuse I throw at it, and as its part of my daily kit, trust me when I tell you it has been put through its paces. The mesh material used for the main body of the vest, is tough as old boots!! God knows what it’s made of from, but I’ve snagged it on sharp objects, caught it on door handles, and not even a pulled thread. The stitching on the jacket seems solid, and the only area of weakness I can see is where the reflective strips are sewed onto the mesh, as the thread used here seems to be of a lesser grade...but also it is fairly easily rectified, if anything came lose (which I don’t think mine has). On each side of the garment, underneath the arm holes, the material is split and has metal eyelets pressed into the material, also here they have reinforced the Flour mesh, with some black heavy duty material too. The advent of the black material doesn’t affect the visibility of the vest as it just under the arms, and normally hidden from view anyway. Through the eyelets on either side, is heavy duty elastic cord criss-crossed, this is designed to allow the vest to expand, but the elastic has to remain taut to ensure a snug fit against your jacket, and to stop it acting as a sail. The inside of the mesh (facing the jacket) has a thinner, fine black mesh which is supposed to stop the vest riding up...I’m not sure how effective this is, as with most synthetic textiles, it has a slight sheen, which makes it slippy (ish), although that being said my vest in general doesn’t seem to ride up anyway. None of the pockets are waterproof so beware!, but the ID holder on the breast pocket is very thick clear soft plastic, and if you use it to keep your works pass in, then that seems to keep all the water out (it also has heavy duty Velcro on the back so you can remove the whole holder with whatever is inside, and tuck it away). It has soft material around the collar area, so it doesn’t scratch if you have a low cut jacket neck. The main zip at the front is very well fixed in and operates well, with no snagging or sticking.

Features

On top of the main body of this garment being Hi-Viz, this jacket has 5 by 3m reflective strips on the back of the vest (one being the large Icon logo), and 6 reflective strips on the front, so under the gaze of vehicle lights at night time it stands out!. As mentioned previously it has an ID holder on one chest pocket which is removable, on the other breast is a small zipped pocket (seen on the photo as a black square, as opposed to Hi-Viz). There is a small pocket also located where you would normally find a map pocket on a biker’s jacket which is big enough to hold a wallet. On the back of the jacket there is a large pocket at located centrally on the lower portion of the back panel, however it is a bit fiddly to get too, especially when wearing an armoured jacket underneath!, but to be fair I only use the ID holder as none of the other pockets are waterproof, however when travelling in fair weather I suppose they’d come in handy. The back of the vest is scooped so it goes all the way down to the base of your jacket, ensuring a large high visibility patch on your back. The top of the Shoulder panels are black (not fluorescent), however there is a big reflective strip in the middle, I think the contrast makes the reflective strip stand out clearer (I could be wrong but I think the contrast is important). Somewhere in/on the jacket Icon have sown in a St Christopher Medallion (the patron Saint of travellers), I know where it is (is not too hard to find anything in a mesh jacket, just hold it up to bright light and look for solid areas). I am not sure whether everyone would agree, but I have to say the construction has to be classed as a feature, everything about this vest is really hard wearing, and consequently makes quite a high price point seem much better value for money after using it for a year.

Sizing

There are 2 sizes available, Regular and Supersize.......regular will just fit over your body (no jacket)...so if you intend to wear as vest over your normal jacket, then it’s a one size fits all, and that’ll be supersize then!!. To be fair I normally wear a 3XL jacket, and the supersize is a snug fit, but there is a lot of scope to fit over smaller bodies! (cause of the elasticated sections), but I don’t think there is much movement for bigger frames than mine. All in all, no complaints on sizing.

Niggles

Very few indeed, but here they are

• Better more substantial stitching on the reflective strip
• Make the map pocket waterproof...it’s a small area to waterproof, but makes the jacket even more practical
• Adding a small material tab on the main zip, would make it easier to operate with gloved hands

Summary

Once you cut through the ‘very American’ blurb, this is a practical, substantial & valuable accessory to your everyday bike wardrobe, you never know, one day it might save your life!!. As far as I can tell it is only available from one place in the UK, check out ultimatebikegear.co.uk, and quite seriously, pay the £52.00.....order the supersize...the only decision you need to make is whether you want it in Yellow or Orange. This is a market of 1 as far as I am concerned, and nothing anyone else makes, so far doesn’t hold a candle to this, in terms of quality or practicality. Rev’it make a similar looking vest, but the material isn’t mesh, and airflow is restricted, Tinwolf also make mesh vests, but the material is mainly black, with Hi-Viz shoulders, and some swanky reflective designs. Am I a happy bunny with mine...yes I am.

Fatharry (April 2010)