If you need to be seen to be safe, good high visibility workwear is essential. In this guide we're listing the best hi vis workwear in Australia. We're covering it all: vests, jumpers, shirts, jackets and more. Our picks are chosen after hours of research, comparing expert reviews and tradie opinions. We're going to tell you what good, what's not, and where to buy hi vis.
Best hi vis vest
The Xuaje does everything a hi vis vest needs to do. It's well built, reflective, has pockets, and is a good price. It comes in a range of colours and sizes. You can get it quick with free returns by checking the price below.
Best hi vis jumper / hoodie
If you need to keep warm and visible, Bisley is an Aussie brand that produces great hoodies. This jumper has a stretch reflective tap pattern to keep you safe, and is very warm thanks to its polyester fleece. We also like the zip as it allows you to control your temperature if it gets too hot.
Best hi vis shirt
In the summer months you need a hi vis tee that breathes. L & M produces a great value weaved t-shirt that is comfortable and keeps cool. Tradies love its price, fit, and build quality.
Best high visibility jacket
In winter you need a jacket that'll keep the wind and water away. The Bisley 5 in 1 is an amazing jacket as you can use it as water proof jacket, but you can also convert it into a hi vis vest, or fleece padded body warmer or jacket.
How We Decided
We went straight to source when selecting our hi vis gear - tradies and workers. We visited popular trade forums, facebook groups, and sub-reddits to see what Aussies recommend. This helped create our initial list.
After this we researched each of the items individually. We looked at user reviews for each item and then narrowed down our list further to the best choices. It was also important that we selected hi vis clothing that was compliant with high visibility safety garments standards (AS/NZS 4602.1-2011). You don't want to be buying hi vis if your boss says it's not up to code.
After all this research selected our top choices for each category after individually reviewing them. We picked items that suited the needs of the average worker as well as some quality made items.
Best Hi Visibility Workwear
- Vest: Xuaje Reflective Safety Vest
- Jumper / Hoodie: Bisley Hi Vis Jumper
- Shirt: L&M Hi Vis T-Shirt
- Jacket: Bisley 5-in-1 Jacket
- Pants: FXD Taped Stretch Pants
Best high visibility vest
Xuaje Hi Vis Safety Vest
What we like
Great price
Lots of pockets
Specifications
Type: Vest
Material: Polyester
The Xuaje is our favourite hi vis vest as it does everything a good vest needs to do. It's well built, highly viable and has lots of pockets. It also comes in a range of colours and sizes making it a good safety vest to pick up quickly for work.
What we like
Meets the safety requirements
The Xuaje also meets safety requirements for day time use and night time use thanks to its reflective strips.
Range of colours and sizes
The Xuaje comes in a range of colours to choose from. Everything from standard hi-vis fluro yellow to hot pink if you are looking for something different.
Pockets!
One thing you can never have enough of at work is pockets! The Xuaje has two large utiltiy snap pockets on each side, a pouch holder, mobile phone pocket, and a transparent ID badge holder.
Who's the Xuaje for?
The Xuaje is a great high visibility vest for anyone that needs a good valued vest quickly.
Hi vis jumper
Bisley Hi Vis Fleece Hoodie
What we like
Comfortable hoodie
Reflective tape around body
Specifications
Type: Jumper / Hoodie
Material: Polyester with Fleece
When the colder months come your high vis wear needs to keep you warm. A good fleece hoodie will do the trick. One of our favourite options is the Bisley hi vis jumper. It's warm, durable, and has a reflective taped pattern to keep you visible.
What we like
Hoodie fleece
We love jumpers that have a hoodie. They keep the wind and cold away from your face during cold nights.
Reflective
You will be seen with this hoodie on thanks to its two reflective strips. They are compliant with Australian standards. It's a safe choice for the colder months.
Zip and pouch
We like how this hi vis jumper is a zip up. So if you get too hot you can unzip yourself. It also comes with big kangaroo style pouch pockets to keep your hands warm.
Who's this hi visibility jumper for?
This is a great choice for any trade or labourer who needs to keep warm and safe.
Hi vis shirt
L&M Hi Vis T-Shirt
What we like
Cheap
Comfortable
Specifications
Type: Shirt
Material: Polyester
Much like our high vis vest above, you don't need to be fancy when getting a hi vis shirt. That's why we selected the L&M as our best selling shirt. It's a cheap shirt you can grab from Amazon here that does everything a high vis shirt needs to do.
What we like
Cheap and lots of sizes
The L&M is a very good price and comes in a lot of sizes. Also, since you can buy this from Amazon, returns are super easy fi you need to go up or down a size.
Breaths well
You'll notice that the fabric of this shirt is woven, which means it lets air go through the shirt. This helps you keep cool - perfect for the summer months.
Reflective
Like all the other items on this list, this shirt meets the requirements for a hi vis clothing. You can use this top during the day or at night thanks to its reflective strips.
Who's this high vis shirt for?
This top is a staple for any trade. It's cheap, well made, and comes in a lot of sizes. If you like the fit grab a few to rotate throughout the week.
Hi vis jacket
Bisley 5 in 1 Rain Jacket
What we like
Convertible jacket
Water proof
Specifications
Type: Jacket
Material: Polyester and fleece
In the winter months you need a good jacket to keep you warm and dry. The Bisley 5 in 1 is a fantastic hi vis jacket as it's not just a jacket, but you can convert it into a vest, normal jacket, padded body warmer or padded jacket. It comes in both fluro yellow and orange.
What we like
Convertible
This is a great jacket as you can convert it into different forms as described above. If it gets hot and all you need is a safety vest, simply take off the sleeves and turn it into a vest! If you don't need waterproofing or want to hide the high vis, just turn in around and change it into a padded jacket. It's really smart design.
Waterproof and safe
The Bisley is compliant for both day and night time use. It's also waterproof, making it perfect for rainy days.
Lots of pockets
We love pockets. This jacket has lots of them. Including a handy clear pocket for your ID card.
Who's the Bisley jacket for?
This jacket is great for any person who needs a water proof safety vest. It's also a good price for the feature set.
High visibility work pants
FXD Hi Vis Pants
What we like
Comfortable
Reflective strips
Specifications
Type: Pant
Material: Stretch Cargo
The last item on our list is a good pair of high visibility pants. FXD is known for producing comfortable cargo pants in a range of colours for both men and women.
What we like
Mobile and reflective
Not many work pants come with hi vis reflective strips. FXD integrates hi vis into its design. This means it is incorporated into the fabric rather than being stuck on. This allows these pants to feel like any other pair of work pants without any constraints to movement.
Comfortable and durable
The FXD is a durable cargo pants designed to be worked in. These pants have a good life span thanks to its reinforced stress points and biomotion configuration.
Who are these pants for?
FXD is a great pant for any person who is required to have high visibility strips on both their pants and tops. If you don't need hi vis on your pants, you can always grab yourself a pair without hi vis.
Hi Vis Frequently Asked Questions
Now that we've reached the end of our hi vis workwear guide, hopefully you've found the item of clothing you need for your job. Below we cover some information and common questions you might have about high visibility safety clothing.
Where to buy hi vis?
You can buy high vis workwear in many places, including online retailers, physical shops, and if you want to save some money you can even consider op-shops.
What are some high visability brands?
There are many hi vis workwear brands, some include: Bisley, FXD, Hard Yakka, Caterpillar, JB's Wear, and Xuaje.
Where to find high visibility regulations?
You can visit Standards Australia to get the most up to date information about hi vis regulations. The most common one is the safety garments standards (AS/NZS 4602.1-2011).
How much should hi vis cost?
As with most items, hi vis clothing has a big range. You can get cheap vests all the way up to expensive jackets. You should use common sense. There's not point spending more than $30 for a simple safety vest. But a good jacket is a sound investment like pair of steel cap work boots, so you should spend a bit more here.
When is hi-vis required?
You need to wear high visibility clothing on construction sites and workplaces where you need to be seen in order to meet safety requirements, like roadworkers, service personnel, or maintenance staff. Pretty much most trades these days need some sort of hi-vis gear if you are out in the open.
Sources
1. https://www.standards.org.au/standards-catalogue/sa-snz/publicsafety/sf-004/as-slash-nzs--4602-dot-1-2011
2. https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2044620
3. https://www.mylondon.news/lifestyle/fashion/balenciaga-selling-28k-hi-vis-22304936