Saucony ViziPro apparel

(Originally published February 22, 2011)

This winter, like every winter, roughly two out of every three runs are done in the dark, usually at 5:30 in the morning.  At that time everyone really should still be asleep, and probably half the people who are driving at that time haven't had enough coffee to be fully awake yet.  That's why I want to be visible.  Enter Saucony and their Vizi Pro apparel line.

Anyone who has driven through rural Iowa when deer season opens up and blaze orange becomes the state color knows just how bright it is.  It's visible from a long, long ways away.  I find it especially great for those foggy, rainy, or snowy days when the sun is up, but the visibility is still poor.  That's when the Vizi Pro apparel really shines.

The jacket fits me great.  I can't say much more than that.  It's snug fitting but allows just enough space to add a couple layers underneath when needed.  It also breathes far better than some of my other running jackets.  (A Mizuno jacket I have usually ends up with a layer of ice on the inside after a long cold run since the warm water vapor can't escape.  No such problem with the Saucony!  My one disappointment is the lack of reflectivity that is on it.  For a jacket designed to be as visible as possible, the limited reflective highlights on it is puzzling.  The jacket has the ubiquitous media pocket (which I haven't used) and also comes with a small LED light that attaches to the right sleeve.  Realizing that this light would be forgotten about and be put through the washer every time I washed it, I removed the light and promptly lost it.  I imagine it would add some small amount of visibility to the jacket at night.

The two hats I got are fine, but nothing special. The knit beanie is not my favorite hat because it isn't big enough to cover my ears at all but it's heavier and thus could be better suited for colder weather, if I wanted my ears to freeze.  As such I rarely wear it.  The DryLete beanie has a rectangular block of orange on each side along with reflective logos front and back and fits much better.  Unfortunately, it's not very warm, but it covers my ears.  I would just assume the whole hat be orange to maximize visibility, too.

All in all, better hats are definitely available.  The jacket, however, gets high marks.

The Saucony Epic jacket retails for $90 and the hats both retail for $20.

[Note: I received these items free thanks to a very generous Saucony rep.  Thanks, Paul!]