Best Reflective Running Gear in 2023

The original and best-selling reflective running vest. This lightweight, minimal vest provides 360-degree visibility. It’s adjustable to fit over even heavy jackets.

The material keeps you chafe-free and lets you move freely. One feature that makes it stand out from cheaper imitations is the silver reflective patches on the front and back of the vest. These provide a big reflective element in the center of your torso.

The Amphipod Xinglet Optic Beam reflective vest features a very small piece of reflective material on the chest and back. But the true feature of this vest is a brightly colored optical beam that can be seen from miles away.

It illuminates you front and back, allowing vehicles approaching from any direction to see you coming or going. You can choose from solid or flashing modes, depending on your preference and your situation.

There’s no heavy battery pack to carry with you, as the vest is rechargeable by USB. 1.5 hours of charging will allow for around 5 hours of wearing time on flashing mode or 3 hours on solid mode.

It features a zip-on, easy to use design and it’s also moisture-resistant so you don’t have to worry about sweating while you’re wearing it. 

The design is fully adjustable to fit runners from size extra small to extra large. It’s also so lightweight that you’ll hardly feel it on you. Weighing under 3 ounces, it won’t weigh you down at all on the road.

The lightweight, mesh Nathan vest offers 360-degree visibility. An adjustable design allows for the perfect fit.

Big points of reflective elements ensure you’ll be seen on the road. For extra visibility, the vest has spots to clip on additional LED lights and other types of reflective elements. There is also a small, zippered pocket for storing small items.

For the ultimate in visibility, the Tracer 360 reflective vest offers 360 degrees of visibility using multi-color fiber optic LED lights. Choose changing color schemes or a single solid color. What’s great about these lights is drivers can see you without headlights shining directly on you.

It runs on 3 AAA batteries and lasts up to 40 hours. In addition, reflective detailing adds more visibility to this vest. The vest is weather and sweatproof. Its minimal design can be worn over t-shirts or heavier clothing.

These fun, clip-on LED lights come in a variety of shapes and colors. They offer a flashing light built into a reflective shape. Vizlets clip on magnetically and can be attached to a hat, shirt collar, sleeve, or waist. They are powered by a replaceable coin battery.

If you’re looking for a little more reflectivity than you already have, this clip is the ideal solution. It’s not large—about the size of a belt buckle—but it comes in two bright settings, 180 and 115 lumens.

A powerful magnetic clip allows it to stick to magnetic surfaces, and it’s designed in a fold-over design that you can flip over your waistband, a strap, or your collar. 

You’ll get a micro-USB charging cable when you purchase it, and one charge allows for up to 8 hours of light. There are four lighting modes to choose from—high, medium, low, blinking—and each one varies in its battery life.

It has large buttons that are easy to press whether you’re wearing gloves or have sore or cold fingers. The Widebeam light illuminates everything within your path, so you can see freely and easily.

It also has an IPX4 waterproof rating, which means if you get caught in the rain while you’re running, you don’t have to worry about damage.

This is Nathan’s version of the Vizlet. The main difference is there are three LED lights instead of one. But these LEDs aren’t surrounded by reflective details like the Vizlet. Because it has three LEDs, it is brighter, allowing you to be seen from further away.

Even better, there are two LED options: completely on, or strobe. Strobe makes the two coin batteries last about twice as long, but doesn’t provide the same level of visibility.

The RX Strobe clips on like the Nathan Strobe, but this light has 4 bulbs with bright 16 lumens plus, it is rechargeable.

Beyond full-on and strobe, this version also includes pulse, burst, and RUN. Charging is fast and once fully charged, the RX Strobe light lasts 4-30 hours (depending on mode).

For bad weather, this light is water-resistant and can easily manage in the rain.

These simple bands can be worn on your arms, ankles, or legs. They have LED lights with two modes: strobe and fully on. They have a stretchy elastic band that can be adjusted for a secure fit.

The Micro-Light Flashing armband is super-lightweight and fully reflective with LED lights. It’s secured with Velcro and is adjustable to nearly any size. The LED lights run on a coin battery that’s easily replaced.

This rechargeable band clips on your shoes for maximum movement/visibility. It has three color options: red, green, and blue. There are three lighting modes: continuously on, and two types of strobes. Charge time for the LightSpur RX is three hours. Once fully charged, it lasts 8-16 hours per charge.

Our all-time favorite headlamp, the Spot by Black Diamond is bright, lightweight, and at $40 is one of the best deals around.

The Spot Headlamp emits a powerful 350 lumens, ensuring you’ll see and be seen in the darkness. It dims to 6 lumens to save battery power and can be set on the strobe to further save the batteries.

The latest version is smaller and lighter than older models – it even gets a touch brighter.

The headlamp runs on 3 AAA batteries and is waterproof up to 80 meters. Powertap Technology allows a quick transition from the brightest to a dimmer setting with a single tap.

The run-specific Neutron Fire RX pumps out 200 lumens to light your way, plus extra reflective details so drivers can better see you on the road. Side strobe strips on either side of the main light offer three colors that provide additional driver visibility. Even the head strap offers reflective trim.

Unlike the Black Diamond Spot, this headlamp is rechargeable and lasts up to 25 hours per charge.

This is by no means the cheapest headlamp out there, but it’s by far the brightest and most energy efficient, minimizing the chances that you’ll leave on your run without light.

The bright 700 (!) lumen light features exclusive Petz technology called Reactive Lighting. This automatically adjusts the headlamp to your activity, ensuring you’ll have the right type of lighting at the right time. Reactive lighting means that a wide, bright beam is on when you are running. But if you tilt your head up to scan farther ahead, the light brightens automatically.

Like the Neutron Fire, this headlamp is rechargeable and lasts between 1.5 and 15 hours between charges, depending on use.

You can also sync the light to a phone app to create custom lighting profiles. Adjust the beam width and brightness to suit your personal needs. You’ll also have an accurate assessment of the remaining battery power with the smartphone app.

By far our favorite running flashlight, this powerful light is rechargeable and offers 3 brightness levels. For visibility and to save the battery, there is a strobe option.

The best part of this flashlight is the adjustable hand strap. Once secured, the light sits firmly in your hand but doesn’t require you to grip it. Run with your normal gait and the flashlight stays in your hand.

For added comfort, the light is angled down 24 degrees to offer the best lighting as you run.

The 400-lumen flashlight lasts 5-6 hours per charge in flashlight mode, and up to 12 in strobe mode.

Want hands-free light but don’t like wearing a headlamp? The UltrAspire Waist Light offers a powerful light as it sits around your waist instead of your head.

Adjust the light up or down depending on where you want the light to shine. The light runs on 3 AAA batteries and sits in a breathable, mesh housing. The strap adjusts to waist sizes up to 42″.

This headband is super comfortable and includes a fleece lining for those cold winter runs. You’ll feel like you could wear it all day without any discomfort. In addition, you’ll appreciate that the reflective graphic runs around the entire graphic for 360 degrees of reflectivity.

The women’s headband is also very stylish and doesn’t move around when you’re running. However, we discovered that it’s less reflective than other reflective gear that we had. It’s definitely a great addition to your winter headgear, but you’ll want there to be at least a little light.

The headband comes in a men’s option that has more coverage than the women’s version.