If you're keeping up with me on Instagram, you may have noticed I've been sporting a highly reflective vest while out on my night runs. The company it's from is called Tuvizo and it's a small family run business whose goal is to help athletes be seen. Whether you're a cyclist or a runner, if you're on the roads or around traffic, Tuvizo should be on your body.
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| Logo from website |
I had been looking at the Tuvizo running vest on Amazon and was planning to get it, I just needed to talk about it with my husband. I couldn't think for the life of me where I had seen the vest or why the name stuck out to me, but it did. Then one day, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across the abi_tuvizo account, and it suddenly clicked! I had been following their account, I had seen the vest, and it had stuck out in my mind! I also found out later that my running partner, Brecka, had one! That means we'll be twinning when we get to run together! I mentioned to them I was planning to get one and they reached out to me asking if I'd do an honest review for them in exchange for a vest. Of course I would! All thoughts and opinions here are my own.
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| Front and Back view from Amazon |
When I received the vest I could tell right away it was highly reflective. When it caught the lights in the house, it just glowed! The straps are slightly elastic, but not so much where you loose control of them, I hope that makes sense. I strapped it on that night for a quick (slow) 6 miles through my neighborhood. It took a bit to get the straps just right across my body. I noticed right away it was brushing my neck. I tried to tighten them on the shoulders hoping it would stop the rubbing, but it felt more like squeezing (a gentle hug, not a suffocating squeeze), I did not like that at all! I managed to get them just right, making peace with the slight rub that was happening (it's no longer noticeable, and I've never come home with any kind of rub marks, chafing, or rashes from it. Fit may be different for other wearers, this is just something I noticed on myself). There is also an adjustment around the lower rib cage area. That one was easier to find a good fit. The straps are not hard to move and I was able to do it while running, though I suggest making the adjustments on a slower, more insignificant run instead of one where you're running for pace.
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| Unboxed. Two colors available. Yellow and Pink. |
As I made my way through the neighborhood I noticed right away... people could see me! I run about 3 ft away from the sidewalk, on the road, but drivers were giving me extra room and swinging wide when they would, or I would, come around the corner. That was unexpected. I generally operate on stealth mode in my neighborhood. I like not being seen in there; here and gone before anyone has time to really notice, which can be an advantage in there. It was a bizarre feeling to have people notice me for a change.
I'm not afraid to ask random people random questions, so I stopped a couple people who had seen me running right then and asked what they thought. Here's what they had to say:
Lady from the cul-de-sac: I stopped to talk with her as she got out of the car. I asked how the vest looked as a driver. She said she saw me right away. She wondered why a construction worker was running down the road that late (8:30pm). She said that some of her friends mentioned they've not seen her before coming around a corner when she's running at night. She was gonna stop and ask me about the vest, if I hadn't stopped. She said tell them they did a great job!
Man in the other cul-de-sac: he said he was just walking down the sidewalk and saw me coming. The reflective part wasn't lit up cause he wasn't in a car, but he said he saw the glittery from the pink right away when I was under the street lights.
Friends driving in their van came around the corner a ways down the street, rolled down their window as they passed and shouted "I really like that vest!!" Later I texted to find out more. The wife said she and her husband noticed me right away! The vest was REALLY bright!
Now, I wanted to see just how reflective this Tuvizo vest really was, so I asked my husband to come with me later at night, into the dark corners of the neighborhood and test out the reflectivity of the vest. First I had him take pictures with the flash on in one of the darkest corners, just to see how bright it lit up. Boy were we surprised! I mean really, look at this thing!! My friend joked that I could land an aircraft with it on!!
Next I had him drop me off in the back corner of a cul-de-sac and drive down the road, flip around, and come towards me, then call as soon as he could see the vest in the headlights. I stood at the end, hoping no one would come out and ask me what I was doing, haha! After he called I ran to where he was, measuring the distance with my Garmin. A quarter of a mile, .25!!! WOW!!! I mean, that seems pretty far to me! He said if I was bigger it would probably be further, but the surface area is limited on a person's body.
I think my favorite experience was on my 16 miler. The later it got (I was running on main surface roads most of this run), the more anxious I got. Could people really see me? I had forgotten my lights... I soon noticed drivers signaling to their passengers and making "suspender-like" gestures that would suggest they were talking about me! If there wasn't a passenger, I'd watch their gaze go from staring forward out of the windshield at a light, to tracking me as I passed. That has never happened to me before. Yeah. They saw me alright!
I was so impressed with the Tuvizo vest. It's light, it's easy to manage, as far as adjustment goes. I'll be able to fit it around my hydration pack and any winter clothing I have to wear. Even for you colder weather folks (because AZ only gets so cold) putting this around a couple of layers is going to be no problem. I think what I love most is that it's not a jacket. They call it a vest, but it's really more like suspenders. It doesn't flop around like I've seen reflective vests do. It pretty much just stays put.
I've taken this vest out for different lengths and speeds as well, a really long run, some short runs, slow runs, medium speed, and as fast as my legs can take me. No problems with any of them. No chafing, no rashes, no flopping, nothing. I will admit, I was skeptical, but it was the perfect match for me. This has easily become an essential running item. I run mostly in the dark, either early mornings on the weekend, or dusk/evening runs, it's going to be really nice to be seen. I like it so much, I plan to outfit my children with some as well. Now that it's getting darker earlier and staying dark later, I would highly recommend checking out Tuvizo reflective vests! Head to their website where they'll link you to their Amazon post. Your safety is worth the very small investment that these vests are!
