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Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack
Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack

Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack

9
by David Arthur @davearthur
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Dec 4, 2014

7
£69.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Stunning reflective bag ideal for daily cyclists and commuters who want a sure-fire way to boost their visibility
Weight: 
580g
Contact: 
www.provizsports.com
How we test

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The Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack is a stunning way of boosting your visibility when riding at night. During the day the backpack is a subtle grey, but when a car's headlights fall on it, the entire bag reflects back the light.

The bag is constructed using 100% CE EN 20471 certified reflective material, covering the entire back section, and also extends over into the front of the shoulder straps so you get a reasonable amount of front reflectivity too.

The fabric isn't waterproof, merely water resistant, but the zips are YKK AquaGuard water resistant, and the bag does a good job of keeping short showers out. It takes quite a soaking before you have to worry about soggy sandwiches and underwear, and that is perhaps the only potential downside for daily commuters who have no choice but to ride in the rain.

As a rucksack the Reflect 360 fulfils its task well. It's spacious with a 30 litre capacity which is more than enough for a change of clothes, sandwiches and any other stuff you need to transport. There's also a laptop sleeve.

The shoulder straps are wide and padded and comfortable on the shoulders. There are adjustable chest and waist straps so you can prevent the bag from shifting about, but I found the bag was perfectly stable with just the chest strap done up, and the waist strap left open.

The outside of the bag also features a light loop to hang an LED light, and there's a zipped pocket ideal for storing your mobile phone and house keys. There are two side mesh pockets that can be used for stowing anything food - if you have a long commute - a spare gilet or jacket or backup lights.

The Reflect 360 is a superb bit of kit. There are many reflective covers that will go over a backpack, but most are fiddly and none are quite as easy to use as the Reflect 360, and the high degree of reflectivity it provides is impressive, and reassuring if you do a lot of cycling to and from work in the dark. It's a good bag too, and represents a very good investment for any cyclist needing to carry luggage.

Verdict

Stunning reflective bag ideal for daily cyclists and commuters who want a sure-fire way to boost their visibility

road.cc test report

Make and model: Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Proviz REFLECT360 rucksack is designed to be an extremely comfortable fitted rucksack that fits closely to your body so that you are completely stable under use. Using 100% CE EN 20471 certified reflective material, the Proviz REFLECT360 rucksack's reflective material helps other road users to identify your position on the road at night.

The rucksack includes many added extras including AquaGuard® zips, adjustable waist/hip strap, adjustable chest strap, webbing haul, gear loops, mesh pockets and a light loop to make this rucksack the ultimate rucksack for many types of use.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Dimensions: 54 x 34cm

Adjustable hip/waist belt

Adjustable chest strap (height and girth)

Light loop (to add LED light)

Front zip pocket

AquaGuard® zips with double slides and cord pulls

Mesh side pockets

Water-resistant material: 1500mm water column

Webbing carrier handle

Elastic shoulder strap loops for accessory attachment

Elastic loop for accessory attachment

Capacity: 30L

Spacer-mesh back ventilation system

Hydration bladder compatible

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

There are cheaper bags with lots of reflective detail but none offer anywhere near as much reflective material as the Reflect 360.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

If you want to boost your visibility, and peace of mind that other road users can't have any excuse to not see you, the Reflect 360 is one of the best bags we've ever tested with such total reflectivity.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

That the reflective material isn't restricted to a few small stripes as so many products do, but total coverage across the entire bag.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It isn't waterproof, though it is very water resistant, which may be enough for most cyclists, but for some the lack of 100% waterproofness might be a drawback.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

A brilliant way of easily and comfortably boosting your night time visibility, and it's a decent bag in its own right. Why would you use anything else for night time commuting?

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180  Weight: 67

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,

 

Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack
Proviz
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
harrybav | 10 years ago
0 likes

The Lomo is really quite cool imho, but I like this proviz fabric too. That said, the child's rucksack looks like a better size for me and is £30, if the straps are long enough. They make a marketing error calling it child's actually, don't they? I bet even children don't prefer "child's rucksacks".

http://www.provizsports.com/en_gb/catalog/product/view/id/988/s/proviz-r...

Avatar
fenix | 10 years ago
0 likes

Something like this - almost as reflective, totally waterproof, hi viz for the day and half the price ? http://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/high-visibility-drybag-cycling.html?gc...

Avatar
winterfold | 10 years ago
0 likes

Or, get their visible from space, water resistant, rucksack cover for £20-30 and use it with your preferred rucksack.

Avatar
jezza666 | 10 years ago
0 likes

Proviz panniers / pannier covers?

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 10 years ago
0 likes

Looks way too big an bulky to me...but will obviously work for some.

Also looks bland as he'll...and becomes useless in the rain.

Why don't they just make a waterproof rucksack cover in that material? In different sizes ideally....could be a winner?

Avatar
earth replied to EddyBerckx | 10 years ago
0 likes
StoopidUserName wrote:

Looks way too big an bulky to me...but will obviously work for some.

Also looks bland as he'll...and becomes useless in the rain.

Why don't they just make a waterproof rucksack cover in that material? In different sizes ideally....could be a winner?

Why don't they just make waterproof rucksacks? They don't need to breathe.

Avatar
newtonuk | 10 years ago
0 likes

And what's the back system like? Is it adjustable, does it have air channels, does it stand off your back to allow air to circulate?

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