Online: www.REI.com
URL for this product:

From the U.S. and Canada — Call 1-800-426-4840
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT.
International — Call 1-253-891-2500
Mon. through Sun., 4 a.m. through 11 p.m. PT. English language only.

GREEN/SILVR

Amphipod Xinglet

$24.95

(16)

Item # 772529

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Gear and Advice You Can Trust

Orders of $50 or more ship for free.
Learn more

To view videos or use the zoom feature on REI's websites, please download the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

NOW PLAYING

The low-profile Amphipod Xinglet™ provides up to 40% more reflective area than a standard running vest.

Neon green shoulder and waist straps with reflective stripes provide 360° coverage for cyclists, joggers and walkers
Central front and rear reflective safety zones further enhance visibility
Fully adjustable straps with stretch material and Swift Clip™ allow you to customize fit

Waist adjusts from 27 to 47 inches. Elastic allows for another 6 inches of stretch. Shoulders adjust from 16 to 21 inches.

Imported.

Item 772529

$4.99

with coupon code ANNV13
May 17-27 Details

Not a member? Add a Membership

View all Amphipod products

REI Membership

REI Membership $20.00

Amphipod Xinglet Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Amphipod Xinglet

4.5

(based on 16 reviews)

93%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment (13)
Works as promised (13)
Good fit (10)
Durable (6)

Cons

Best Uses

Street riding (10)
Running (5)

- Sizing:
- Feels full size too small
  
  Feels half size too small
  
  Feels true to size
  
  91%
  (10 reviews)
  Feels half size too big
  
  Feels full size too big

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid cyclist (6), Casual/ recreational (5)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (9)

Reviewed by 16 customers

Sort by

Displaying reviews 1-10

Previous | Next »

Mar

2013

4.0

See me coming, see me going...

By Roab the Runner

from Apple Valley, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Works as promised

Cons

Poor fit

Best Uses

Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I am very satisfied with the quality of construction and the reflectivity of the material. I don't like having to zinch down the waist belt in order to obtain a better fit. The shoulder straps tend to cause the belt to ride up around my stomach instead of my waist were I would prefer it. I expect the issue to resolve itself once the shoulder straps begin to lose elasticity. It is not a huge problem and I would definately buy again over a vest design that would trap heat and moisture.

Comment on this review

Dec

2012

5.0

Amazing

By Mollybob

from Eastern Washington

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy straps/adjustment
Works as promised

Cons

Best Uses

Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I thought the reviews about cars giving a wider birth were exagerations until I wore this the first time. I am a night rider since most of our fall, winter and spring months are mostly dark. And I love the quiet of night out on deserted country roads and city streets. The first time I wore this there were cars that actually stopped for me to cross major arterials when I was just waiting at the corner for them to pass. I can tell that cars slow down more behind me and do give me more room when going around. I feel a lot more comfortable in this product. My riding clothes change too much with the weather and temps to stick to one high vis jacket so I love the fact that I can wear this with my down coat or a t-shirt. Some extra length would be good for going over my big puffy coat but it still is good. Great product.

Comment on this review

Nov

2012

5.0

Good reflective vest

By tmolloy

from Santa Barbara, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Highly reflective
Works as promised

Cons

Weak Buckles

Best Uses

Night riding
Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

This vest is superb for night time riding. It is highly reflective and stands out, more so at night than during the day. I use it for day time riding as well, but I would recommend someone use a full vest for day time riding and this xinglet for night time riding. I have owned it for almost a year and it has held up very well, though I'm worried that the plastic buckle is going to snap someday. For now, I'm just very careful with it.

Comment on this review

May

2012

5.0

I love this product

By carlosalexander

from Tunapuna, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Works as promised

Cons

Best Uses

Street running

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

the xinglet is the brighest vest i ever ran in.
the backwash of passing vehicles does not shift it.

Service and delivery comments:

The delivery was prompt, and arrived in good condition.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

4.0

Low Profile, yet High Value

By El pasajero

from Portland, OR by way of...

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy straps/adjustment
Low Profile
Works as promised

Cons

Best Uses

Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

Having to evade careless motorists in the allegedly "bike friendly" PDX for a half year encouraged me to swallow my pride and thrifiness and increase my visibility.

Suggested modifications:
-Allow for greater lengthwise adjustment of the straps

-Allow conversion into a crowbar for selfish or careless other bikers, pedestrians, or motorists.

Comment on this review

Apr

2012

4.0

works well

By dccyclist

from MD

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Works as promised

Cons

Best Uses

Nighttime commuting
Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I use this for increased ability for after-dark commutes. It fits easily into a bag or pannier. I have no direct feedback about it increasing my visibility but assume it does based on what I notice about cyclists when I am driving my car.

Comment on this review

Mar

2012

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Awesome visibility

By CaptainFlipper

from Portland, OR

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Hi visibility
Lightweight
Works as promised

Cons

Best Uses

Running
Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I actually have the pocket model but REI does not carry it anymore. I purchased this product due to two near misses in the same run one night. Once I started wearing this product I noticed immediately how drivers gave me more room and they noticed me from a greater distance than before. I also use this product while commuting by bike in the early morning , again drivers really take notice. So far so good in regards to durability, over a year of use including winter rain and snow and no issues. It adjusted to my size quickly and I barely know it is there. I highly recommend this product for bikers and runners.

Comment on this review

Feb

2012

(10 of 11 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

The iPhone of reflective vests

By Brimstone

from Tampa, FL

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit

Cons

Best Uses

Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

No doubt this is a cool-looking design, just like the world's favorite phone. Unfortunately like the iPhone after some use shortcomings surface. I bought this for utility biking.

Pros:
- Good side visibility (surprisingly hard to find in visibility products)

- Good range of fit adjustment, especially toward the larger size end of the spectrum. Fits a not-so-svelte-anymore former barrel-chest freedom fighter pretty well.

- Elasticity allows a snug fit without swinging around. Adjusts well for different clothing thicknesses.

- No VELCRO!!! Are you listening clothing makers? Velcro is DEADLY to modern lightweight outdoor fabrics.

- Proper color (Killer/Shocking/Electric Yellow) for best visibility in all conditions.

- Well distributed reflective surfaces, with a reflective stripe running through all the elastic strips.

- Excellent axillary clearance with no arm rub.

Cons:

- Heavy. Yeah, that's right. All those other people who are saying this is "light" either don't have a scale or are comparing it to something like road construction crew vests, not exercise vests. Some comps:

~ This item: 162g
~ Jogalite vest: 74g
~ New Balance vest: 65g
~ Amphipod High Visibility Vest w/pocket: 78g

Anything you leave on a bike will eventually be stolen. Anything you don't leave on the bike eventually must be carried. Weight matters, as does bulk. This item is at least 1/3 bulkier than all those mentioned above. Weight, packing and carrying are especially important considering the fabric is very:

- Absorbant. Absorbs sweat, absorbs rain, is not particularly quick drying. Shrinks and warps after drying (recommend stretching slightly around a chair back , or a cardboard torso form, when drying to mitigate this). The foam-Tricot covered reflective triangles are particularly spongy. Sweat smells great when it dries; my wife loves it when riding downwind of me. BTW the elastic material is absolutly not air permeable. Here in S.Florida I often found a suspender-shaped sweat impression on my shirt after riding. Although this item appears to have less coverage than a vest, I don't find it particularly cool (or hot). I think those reveiwers saying it's cooler than other vests don't get the "mesh" concept.

- Doesn't adjust down small enough for smallest wearers to get a snug fit

- Less than ideal coverage. The relatively thin strips of this suspender are easily obscured by arms or torso positioning or clothing, such as a bandana. Versus a vest which has a larger distribution of the material. Also the ribcage-level sizing does not do much for rear visibility when hunched over on a bike.

- Pricy. Jog-a-Lite vest can be had for <$8 and does about the same thing.

- So-So durability. I'm basing this on experience with elastic reflective military belts cdonstructed of the same or similar material. They crumple up and stretch out and the refelctive paint cracks and crazes after a couple of years of steady use.

Summary judgement: Meh. Returned; perhaps I would have kept it for special occasion use if it was less expensive. Currently evaluating the Xinglet High Visibility Vest with pocket. Looks good (it has side reflective hits!), but it also has....!VELCRO!. Dang, what's so hard about making the perfect reflective vest? Guess maybe designers just want to keep me buying near misses in pursuit of refelective vest Nirvahna.

Comment on this review

Dec

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Nearly perfect

By Adin

from New York, NY

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Works as promised

Cons

Pocket too small

Best Uses

Running

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I actually have the pocket Xinglet, not this version, but REI seems to no longer carry that version, so I'm writing my review here. I got the Xinglet both as a reflective vest and for the pocket. Most of my running clothes don't have pockets, so I was looking for something that would let me carry my keys, ID, iPod, etc. while running. In terms of fit and reflectivity, the Xinglet is awesome. It's light and comfortable, and once I got it adjusted well I barely even notice that I'm wearing it. It's so convenient that I now wear it almost all the time when I run - even in broad daylight - just for the pocket space. That, however, brings me to my one complaint: the pocket on the Xinglet is much smaller than I expected it to be. It'll hold an iPod (barely) but then nothing else will fit inside too. I ended up solving this problem by attaching a second pouch (actually a Timbuk2 strap pouch that I had) to the back of the harness, and that gives me all the space I need. Having something hanging on the back of the belt also balances the weight better than only putting things in the pocket on the front. Once the weather warms up, I'm looking forwards to buying the amphipod snap-on water bottles and adding them to the Xinglet too.

Comment on this review

Dec

2011

(12 of 12 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Best I've owned........BUT

By ovals49

from Cape Cod, MA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy straps/adjustment
Good fit
Works as promised

Cons

Breaks down quickly

Best Uses

Street riding

Comments about Amphipod Xinglet:

I agree completely with the glowing reviews. This is, by far the best reflective safety item I've used. The big "BUT" comes due to a short useful life. I'm in my third winter bike commuting season and at this point I look like someone's errant wrapped gift. The elastic has deteriorated enough to make the once flat straps look more like curling ribbon. Not sure if I'll buy another, I came here tonight looking for a replacement.