Vest

Two very different garments sit under this heading: high-visibility vests that make you seen, and insulated or flame-resistant work vests that keep your core warm without putting sleeves in the way of the job. Overlook Boots carries both, with hi-vis from Portwest and flame-resistant insulated vests from Ariat.

Hi-Vis Safety Vests

High-visibility vests are sold by class. Class 2 carries enough background and reflective material for work near moderate-speed traffic or against a busy background. Class 3 adds more material and more coverage for higher-speed roadways and low-light conditions. If your site specifies a class, buy to that spec, because the classes are not interchangeable.

Past the class rating, the choices are about construction. Mesh vests breathe and are the summer default, while solid fabric holds up better to abrasion. X-back and band-and-brace styles use less material and run cooler. Executive styles add pockets for a radio, phone, and pens. Breakaway vests are built to come apart under load, which is the right call around moving equipment or rail, where a snagged vest becomes its own hazard.

Flame Resistant and Insulated Vests

Ariat's flame-resistant vests run from an unlined DuraLight stretch canvas vest to insulated models including the Cloud 9 2.0 and the water-resistant Workhorse with 340G insulation. Portwest's Modaflame line brings flame resistance to hi-vis mesh in both Class 2 and Class 3.

One rule matters more than the rest here. If your job requires flame-resistant clothing, every layer has to be flame resistant. A standard vest pulled over an FR shirt can melt or ignite and defeats the protection underneath it, so where FR is required, the vest needs to be FR rated too. The same logic applies to the rest of your FR layers.

Buying for a Crew

Most of the Portwest hi-vis vests are sold in 12-packs, which is how safety managers usually buy them. Ariat's insulated and flame-resistant vests are sold individually.