Long distance bib shorts/fluo/reflective jersey for night rides.

Respro ankle bands.  Fluro yellow for the day, flip them over at night for the 3M scotch lite side.  Bit pricey, but last for ages and you can wear them with whatever shorts or leggings you have.

+1 on reflective kit for the legs or shoes or pedals. The movement catches your eye. I'd get comfy shorys not reflective ones.

As to a jersey you can get light weight mesh reflective gilets - so any Jersey can be reflective.

+1 on reflective kit for the legs or shoes or pedals. The movement catches your eye. I'd get comfy shorys not reflective ones.

As to a jersey you can get light weight mesh reflective gilets - so any Jersey can be reflective.

Can recommend Sportful shorts for value & performance for long distances,  anything with their TC or TC Pro pad in, can usually be had for <80 (check euro sites like bike.inn as well, Wiggle will pricematch most of them) . Got several pairs and they are my go to shorts (have Castelli Free Aeros and various dhbs that are relgated to turbo or backup duty now).

For the reflective, get a light reflective/ hi viz gillet, to whip out as needs be?

A few years back I did the London to Paris with 3 hours warning to replace a drop out rider. Pretty much the first order of business on day 2 was to go to the nearest Decathlon store and buy a comfier saddle. I suggest that if you are suffering with rear end discomfort that this is where you start, even a good pair of shorts is not going to fix a fundamentally uncomfortable saddle.

Mrs M bought me a Gore Windstopper softshell jacket that is my go to outergarment for daily commuting and weekend club rides where showers or cold weather are expected. It is a splendid flouro yellow with black contrast and reflective panels and it is highly conspicuous in the environments and times that I ride, being light urban / rural daytime and dusk or even quite dark during the winter. I have used it over the last 3 years pretty much daily except during the summer. It always scrubs up well and really is a great piece of kit. When it gets really cold I add base layers, when it gets really wet I add a waterproof outer layer.

If visibility is a concern, then flouro / hi viz is not necessarily the best or only way to make yourself stand out. Whilst there is little readily available research into something that would seem obvious to anyone with much real world experience as a road user, I did come across the following that you might find of interest.

http://tigerprints.clemson.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3627&context=...

Summary graph attached in case you don't want to read the detail.

My take on this is that no single approach covers all conditions. What may be hi viz in one environment may be camouflage in another. For example if you were riding the Alaskan ice highway in a light mist, then black clothing might be the way to go. Flouro and stand out colours may work well during daylight but at night reflectives are better. Anything that tracks biomovement such as pedal reflectors are actually quite good. I use 3M reflective tape on the leading and trailing edges of my cranks. Above all, road positioning and awareness of other road users will increase your presence. Flashy v steady lights is another argument, if I was planning a long ride after dusk then I would take 2 lights, have one of each and leave the arguments about which is best to the internet forum experts.

Sounds like an adventure, have fun and safe travels.

Ummmm, 3 weeks out and you're trying to find new shorts? Wear the ones you've been training in, as it would seem they haven't given you any problems. 

And yeah, Hi Viz is a great idea, because black garments were never a great idea on a dark road. Of course, one could debate that prime position on a dark road in dark clothing is a great idea, but one would be an idiot.

Buy reflective tape. Then clothing less of an issue. 

Focus on buying garments that actually work without the price tag for extras that don't do anything, I don't see any research/evidence that proves static reflectives/hi-vis works, I don't wear it never have in 30+ years of road cycling eith in the UK or continent. good lights/good road position are massively more important for night time riding. If you want, wear a reflective leg band or reflective stickers on the heels of your shoe, the movement might help.

personally I use a polaris jersey, I absolutely love it but it is more for cooler summer evenings/night time with a thin base layer so depends on what your base layers are/how warm or cold you are generally and temperatures on any given day.

Castelli are usually pretty good, these seem a decent price http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CASTELLI-PROLOGO-V-LONG-SLEEVE-JERSEY-L-Black-...

Shorts wise I bought a pair of Assos shorts  afew years ago, expensive but really very very good, i have others but the Assos are preferred, though to be honest when i use my tourer/audax I have a brooks Swift and I can wear a pair of ordinary cotton shorts and ride for miles on that.

All that said Nalini and Castelli do some good bibs, if you hunt around you can fins some 'new with tags' on ebay/cycle forums.