I walk in my neighborhood for my daily exercise. I liked the idea of this vest for visibility http://www.adelineadeline.com/accessories/apparel/lightning-vest.html#.UinlZiLD_cd but thought it was a tad expensive. I made this prototype from one continuous strand (85') of day-glo paracord, looks brighter than the photo. No dangly ends as in the ad. It will be easy to make one using reflective cord if I walk or bike ride in the dark. Tony

Instructions or video?

Wow, check out those bikes. I guess some people are willing to pay a lot to have Old World charm from 70 years ago when contemporary bikes are cheaper and better.

Anyway, one thought about the day-glo vest -- is it possible to make it resemble eroticwear a little less?

MoBOB,
The vest is just a prototpe. A few things I want to try. After studying the example in the link I made six previous vests in cheap cord before buying the paracord. It is a tube of netting that changes to flat netting which splits to make the straps over the shoulders. Tony

Kinda like an oversized basketball net.

While it is better than nothing I think you need more material for good visibility in the dark. I also think you really want retroreflective materials.

If you are walking in a low speed residential area with sidewalks it is probably fine, but for higher speed areas, or areas without sidewalks I'd strongly consider a lot more material.

For reference, note ANSI rates safety vests. IIRC, the ratings inform what speed traffic the various vests are appropreate for.

-john

I agree. These days I am often driving to work in the dark - as a bike rider myself, I like to think I am particularly mindful of joggers and other bike riders.

Some make it very easy to overlook them - dull clothing with little or no shine. Others, especially those with lots of reflective material are blindingly obvious. Good, bright lights make a difference as well - two are better than one....

Saw these in use by motorcyclists in Europe. They wore them over their otherwise tough looking leathers.

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Ideas-Around-Reflective-Belt/dp/B002CJC9K6