Bike Commuter Vest

This entry is a Bike Hacks Classic.

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Okay, I admit it - I can compete with any woman who carries a huge purse when it comes to carrying stuff on my bike commute.  Wallet, keys, ChapStick, gum, MP3 player, camera, phone, etc. 

When I first started bike commuting one of the most frustrating things for me was having to repack all of my stuff everyday.  For a while I just tossed it all into a backpack or pannier and that worked, but it was not really convenient.  There are devices like the Cage Rocket that assist in storage of common items, but it is not large enough to carry all that I want. 

The solution to carrying all this stuff in a convenient and easily accessible way came one day at an Army Surplus store (one of my favorite places to wander around).  While I was meandering around I saw a vest hanging on a rack.  A bright light went on in my head and I just knew I had to have one.  Here's a shot of the vest (with some slight after market modifications - it helps to have a wife who is a fashion designer).

 

One of the best things about the vest is that it's made of a lot of mesh.  This keeps the sweat factor under control although you cannot entirely escape it.  For me, it's well worth it.  I toss it on over a T-shirt and then wear a coat or button up shirt over the top so I do not look like I am about to head out on a fly fishing expedition. 

                           Now you see it . . .                                                                     . . . now you don't.

The extra cool convenience of the vest is that I don't have to repack everyday.  I take it off when I get home, hang it up, and all my stuff is ready to go with me the next day.  The vest also dries very quickly so once a week I typically wash it while I'm in the shower and then hang it up.  It dries over night in a snap.  There are lots of different vests that could be used for the same purpose, but I highly recommend one that is as much mesh as possible.  Commute on!

Comments

[atom]

lumpy or sharp things in a vest (you mentioned keys, ChapStick, MP3 player, camera, phone) will not be kind to your body if you land on the ground. even a rolled/folded spare tube between your ribs and the sidewalk would suck more than just landing on sidewalk. a fishing vest is no substitute for panniers.

[Matt]

Interesting thought Atom, but it won't change my mind about wearing a vest. Unless I did a full on belly flop (and I don't know how that would be possible) the problem you note is not an issue - and I know from experience.

Just last week I fell on ice as I was commuting to work. I landed on my right side and my leg and shoulder took the brunt. Funny thing, there are no vest pockets on my leg or shoulder =)

I have fallen at least four or five times with the vest on and any contents in the vest were a non-issue.

[Robert]

I've been bicycle commuting a few times a week for the last 12 years and I love this idea! I hate wearing my spandex jersey and a vest like this would give me those pockets that I love so much!

I'm no cyclist. I'm just a lowly guy-with-a-bike who prefers to pedal into work for all the wonderful reasons everyone already knows.

But online I find so many posts like Atom's. It seems to me like there's this arbitrarily chosen safety-standard that so many cyclists condescending chide other people about. Does Atom wear leathers and body armor when he rides? Is there a market for bicycles with roll cages?
Like with everything else in the world our choices usually fall somewhere on a sliding scale between "security" and "convenience". And getting on a bicycle in traffic with cars is way, way on the dangerous side. Relative to being in a car yourself anyway. A helmet makes it much more likely that you'll survive an impact, but it seems like everything else is just bean counting.
Obviously stuff in your pockets is relatively dangerous. I'm sure loads of people have had really horrible injuries and even died from having the wrong thing in the wrong pocket at the wrong time. It never ceases to amaze me that some people survive stuff as crazy as falling out of airplanes, and others get killed by "harmless" creatures like stingrays. I've never read about it, but I'm sure somewhere in some office someone's been carrying a pen, tripped, and suffered a fatal injury because that pen stabbed him somewhere vital.

I think everyone knows what I'm talking about and most people probably agree that everyone's free to "choose their own road". I don't have anything specific against Atom or anyone, but what I don't understand is why I seem to see the "You're not being safe enough" attitude on cycling forums so much. Can someone shed some light? As an outsider I guess I'm just trying to understand "cycling culture".

Thanks for the vest idea :-)
Turns out there's a lot of cheap, mesh, crazy-florescent reflective ones with pockets aimed at construction workers.
Here's one on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/3A-Safety-SME-C3200-4X-Visibility-4X-Large/dp/B002IKMA3U/ref=sr_1_23

And some more expensive ones like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/JIM-GEM®-8-Pocket-Cruiser-Orange-Medium/dp/B004LXTTZE/ref=sr_1_7

[TheCuriousOneTwo]

3 out of 5 wipe-outs personally were belly skids with out hurting myself. no I have no idea how I pulled it off. my jacket doesn't look too much worse for ware either.
the vest is a good idea but it kind of scares me based on experience.