Olympia Nova Hi Vis Mesh Tech Safety Vest
4.5
5
21
21
See And Be Seen!
As an MSF-RiderCoach, I practice what I preach: ALL the gear ALL the time and See and be Seen! If you're wearing your gear, but it's the typical biker uniform that comes in all colors as long as it's black, here's your solution! Add the Hi-Viz vest and you can still wear your "cool" black leather jacket and chaps, but the general public will see you day and night! Simple solution....top quality product.
February 27, 2013
Typical Olympia high quality.
All of my protective riding gear is made by Olympia and I can trust their quality sight unseen. This product was inspected upon arrival and found to be the same. Their item cost may be slightly higher than some but their quality is very hard to beat. I have NEVER had a quality issue with any of their products. When it comes to safety gear it's way cheaper than a visit to ER. Ride SMART !
February 27, 2012
nice vest but...
I like the vest but zippers could be improved. Not YKK quality. First few times I yanked on pocket zipper, tab broke off. I had to put a key ring on it to unzip with gloves on.
December 5, 2011
Finally a good-fitting, durable, hi vis vest!
I ride everyday. My car hasn't moved from its parking space in over three weeks. So I hit every kind of traffic and run across every stupid driver out there who's just not paying attention. When I commute in rush-hour traffic, I'm wearing this vest and I can literally notice the heads turning when I come by. You WILL be seen wearing this vest no matter if it's day or night. You'd hope for that in a hi-vis vest, right? So why THIS vest??
Because Olympia is the most intuitive manufacturer of motorcycle apparel I've run across. I'm a big guy, so I got the 3XL-4XL model to go over my riding jackets...and it's still big enough I needed to use the SIX (yes 6) cinching straps to custom fit it to my body. Pockets: this vest has them in so many places, I don't even use my jacket pockets (even a waterproof pocket in the back!!). Durability: it feels like if I went down on my back or side while wearing it, the torso of my jacket would never touch the road...this puppy can take a beating.
The ONLY con is airflow. The front is mesh, but the back isn't really, so it ends up being far more of a shell than I expected it to be, so it gets hot in the 100F+ KC summers over even a mesh jacket.
I've already recommended my dad and a couple friends pick this up for their commutes. I'm very pleased with this purchase.
Sidenote: "neon red" is orange. I'm not sure who sees it as "red."
October 13, 2011
Well executed.
I got this for a moto tour around Africa, and was very pleased. The construction is very solid, almost heavy duty -- there's nothing flimsy about it. Other riders said I was very visible for a long distance. I often rode mop-up, as the leader could see me way back, in his mirror. The pockets are also well designed and useful.
October 3, 2011
As advertised
The Olympia Hi-Viz vest works and fits as advertised. The vest is well constructed and sturdy. The only downside is that it blocks airflow.
August 10, 2011
Great Fit and Visibility
I commute on my motorcycle and wanted extra visibility...but couldn't bring myself to buy a giant banana suit. This vest has done the trick without impairing movement, and the fit is so good that it is easy to forget you're wearing it. Definitely recommended.
May 26, 2011
Vis Orange safety vest
I like the striping on the back and the orange is very bright with being too obnoxious. I ride a small Yamaha 250 on the highway in Los Angeles (for the time being- newbie) and this probably keeps me from being road kill. I notice that people tend to stay away from me with the vest, and it helps to be seen while splitting lanes in heavy downtown traffic. I had previously gotten the Icon military spec vest and the olympia vest is hands down nicer in ever respect - fit, finish, design, comfort, visibility and color. When I took it out of the box my first reaction was wow this looks nice and then I noticed the workmanship (very good) and the styling (nice); it is a safety vest though - form follows function. It was obvious whoever designed this rode themselves. The only downside is when you put the vest on and it is warm; above 80 degs. the extra layer restricts the air flow through the Dainese Portland Jacket. That being said in the evenings when the temps are 50-60degs F. it keeps my core warm, thats the plus. The other downside is when I zip the vest up, it gets confusing which pockets has what; the Dainese riding jacket or the Olympia vest, so i put the cell phone in the front side vest pocket. Also, when i get to my destination I take off the vest and i am able to roll it up and stick it in the helmet along with my riding gloves. The back water pouch is large enough to roll up my REI Flash 18 (i love the knapsack) and shove it in there. I also have had two people walk over to me and say they saw me riding the other day. One guy said he liked the idea of the vest, but had been riding for 20-30 years and couldn't seem fit to put one on, but did think it was a smart idea. I was sold on the safety vest while driving my truck going over Sepulveda pass seeing a motorcyclist with a fireman's jacket and the reflective tape glowing in the night, he was very visibility. I like the idea of riding the following day and Los Angeles is pretty dicey, too many cars, cell phones, text messages, angry and incompetent drivers, so anything I do to make it safer for myself is reasonable. The only other downside i see is you are noticeable to the cops, but I feel my personal safety is more important than a traffic citation.
April 12, 2011