Making my big reflective vest less dorky, maybe

I'm not the most fashion conscious person in the world. My wardrobe is almost completely filled with clothes that were given to me, found in thrift stores, and or modified in one way or another to make them more functional. It's a mixture of apathy, thrift and being just plain broke. I did however want to do something with my big dorky reflective vest to make it less dorky... maybe.

Part of me wonders whether there is a conspiracy going on to make safety equipment the most ugly, dorky looking things ever devised by man to keep people from engaging in moderately dangerous activities, like cycling around town. (Slightly more dangerous during rush hour) I mean if you had to wear a flashing yellow dunce cap to drive your car to the grocery store you'd probably just walk, or order delivery.

While I'm divided on the whole helmet issue, I do think that cyclists should be visible. I think that a rider is more likely to avoid an accident if people can see him than if he's dressed in all black and wearing a helmet. This is why I usually throw on the reflective vest when I go out on a ride. If you can't see me, you are blind. The only problem is that the reflective vest is dorky. It's more dorky than a helmet. My answer to this is patches. Yes, patches, those things that you thought were only limited to motorcyclists and people in the Army, since they seem to love them so much.

I'd thought of using electrical tape or something to write something on the back, but I thought patches were actually the best bet, and because I have no money, I use what's lying around. The Marine Corps patch I had, which I call my good ole boy repellent, the other two aren't really patches. The middle one is from an old t-shirt and the one on the end is from another old piece of clothing. Yes, it's an x-wing fighter, Darth Vader is on the front of the vest.

The beauty of this is that these vests are really cheap. I think I paid a little over $4.00 for mine at a local Harbor Freight Hardware Store. You can fill one up with patches, then buy another one and fill that one up with patches. The patches add a little bit of personality to the safety gear while reducing almost none of its visibility. For me it makes it a little easier to throw the thing over my shoulders before I go out for a ride than when it was just blank.

Though my wife thinks it will just make me a target for people to throw their car trash at. Time will tell.

Go mash some pedals.